Serpentus, The First Heretic
"The Gods are Liars", that is the most powerful and deepest secret of Serpetus, the Goddess of Secrets, Serpents and Shapeshifters. She is hated in her cursed existence, and only the wicked Yuan'ti and traitors to the Empire seek her aid. Her followers live isolated, far away from all others, and fight amongst each other in an eternal power-struggle of secrets, and those that do not are forever cursed by the Curse of Divine Secrets. But it was not always that way.
Twice-Cursed, her first curse is her secrets, that give her power, but if she spreads them, like she so deeply desires, as she is deep within a god of Truth, they will no longer be secrets, and she will fade away. Her second curse, on her post powerful secret, so that it would never spread, all would hate her, and none would seek her guidance. All who hear it "The Gods are Liars", and do not ignore it, and really try to understand it, are taken in by the immense scale of the secret. In a world where so much of history, and life, is knowledge given by the Gods, those that know they are liars are lost in a sea of trying to parse fact and fiction, and usually end up mad or dead, as what they are trying to uncover is a lie millennia in the making, that no mortal could ever hope to uncover.
Such is the fate of Serpentus, turned into a being of contradiction and her deepest desires impossible to achieve. Her two greatest truths, The Great Lie and The Elemental Truth locked away from all mortals so they will never learn them, and her followers are beings that use her secrets as ways to achieve more power. It is of little surprise then to learn that Serpentus has devoted herself to the destruction of the Empire, and in her vengeance she seeks to tear down all that the gods have created. Under her greatest temple, trapped by the gods during the Schism, she bides her time, gathers secrets, and spreads them in the most destructive ways she can. Her agents infiltrate the Empire and spread her words chipping away at the foundations of Order, until it is time to strike.
Very few Yian'ti hold any reverence of gratitude for their Goddess, those even those that have, do so from a position of understanding that their power comes from Serpentus. In that sense, the truest Children of Serpentus, in an ideological sense, are those that come from the Empire and defect to the worship of Serpentus, usually after being inflicted with the Curse of Serpentus. These agents are very dangerous, and can infiltrate and corrupt large organizations from within. As such, they very often find themselves the targets of the Inquisition, and because of the Curse, have a very difficult time stopping their work, and laying low for a long time.
Twice-Cursed, her first curse is her secrets, that give her power, but if she spreads them, like she so deeply desires, as she is deep within a god of Truth, they will no longer be secrets, and she will fade away. Her second curse, on her post powerful secret, so that it would never spread, all would hate her, and none would seek her guidance. All who hear it "The Gods are Liars", and do not ignore it, and really try to understand it, are taken in by the immense scale of the secret. In a world where so much of history, and life, is knowledge given by the Gods, those that know they are liars are lost in a sea of trying to parse fact and fiction, and usually end up mad or dead, as what they are trying to uncover is a lie millennia in the making, that no mortal could ever hope to uncover.
Such is the fate of Serpentus, turned into a being of contradiction and her deepest desires impossible to achieve. Her two greatest truths, The Great Lie and The Elemental Truth locked away from all mortals so they will never learn them, and her followers are beings that use her secrets as ways to achieve more power. It is of little surprise then to learn that Serpentus has devoted herself to the destruction of the Empire, and in her vengeance she seeks to tear down all that the gods have created. Under her greatest temple, trapped by the gods during the Schism, she bides her time, gathers secrets, and spreads them in the most destructive ways she can. Her agents infiltrate the Empire and spread her words chipping away at the foundations of Order, until it is time to strike.
Pre-Schism
Before the Schism, Serpentus was already a pariah among the gods, cast aside and labelled a heretic. She and her children were already living in isolation, but it grew more and more as the years went by, and Serpentus's hatred and resentment grew with each passing day. When Serpentus was approached by agents of Asmodeus, Father of Lies in preparation to the great betrayal, she did not need to be convinced to join them, and sent her agents to infiltrate the cities of the other gods. As she amassed her fleets and armies to invade and destroy the other gods, none would notice, as none cared to look in her isolated islands.Children of Serpentus
When the old God of snakes and shapeshifters was merged with the God of truth, the two gods ceased to exist, and their memories were stricken from all records and mortal minds. The children of the God of snakes, the Yuan'ti, see Serpentus as their creator, with the exception of very few, who keep their knowledge as a valuable secret. The Yuan'ti are extremely distrustful, and their culture is one of self-centred ambition and aspiration to grow their power. As a result, they hoard secrets and power, respect those above them as capable leaders, and seek to backstab and usurp them when given the chance. They view Serpentus in a similar light, as a supremely powerful being that employs them and grants them boons and secrets in exchange for servitude, and one day, they each aspire to grow in such power that they can take her place and cast her into the void.Very few Yian'ti hold any reverence of gratitude for their Goddess, those even those that have, do so from a position of understanding that their power comes from Serpentus. In that sense, the truest Children of Serpentus, in an ideological sense, are those that come from the Empire and defect to the worship of Serpentus, usually after being inflicted with the Curse of Serpentus. These agents are very dangerous, and can infiltrate and corrupt large organizations from within. As such, they very often find themselves the targets of the Inquisition, and because of the Curse, have a very difficult time stopping their work, and laying low for a long time.
Current Location
Species
Church/Cult
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Twice-Cursed, Mother of Snakes, She-Who-Lays-All-Eggs (in Yuan'ti), Keeper of Secrets, Serpent Queen
Children
Related Myths
Secrets, Snakes, Shapeshifters
Divine Symbols:
Snakes, Snake heads, Faces with no mouth
