Yuan-Ti
Yuan-ti are devious serpent folk devoid of compassion. From remote temples in the jungles and swamps of The Everdawn, the yuan-ti plot to supplant and dominate all other species and to make themselves gods.
The yuan-ti were once Elves who thrived in the earliest days of the Feywild. Yuan-ti culture was among the richest in the Feywild. Their warriors were legendary, their empire always expanding, rivaling the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. The Yuan-ti worshiped serpents as totem animals. They lauded the serpent's sinuous flexibility, its calculated poise, and its deadly strike. Their advanced philosophy taught the virtue of detachment from emotion and of clear, focused thought. Yuan-ti temples stood at the centers of ancient metropolises, reaching ever higher in prayer to the gods they longed to emulate.
In time, a Rakshasa named Zehir discovered this cult to the serpent gods, and posed as one of them having heard those prayers. The Yuan-ti were ecstatic, and drove to fulfill their god's every wish. The yuan-ti religion grew more fanatical in its devotion. Cults bound themselves to the worship of Zehir, indulging in cannibalism and humanoid sacrifice. Through foul sorcery, the yuan-ti bred with snakes, utterly sacrificing their connection to the Fey to become like the "serpent gods" in form, as well as in thought and emotion.
Then, the Feywild split. Thrust into the new Everdawn, the Yuan-ti empire shattered, chaos plaguing their every move. Zehir vanished, abandoning his people, causing despair, followed by rage to erupt amongst the Yuan-ti, which finally settled as clarity of purpose. They would find Zehir once again, and when they did they would devour him, and take his place as the serpent gods.
Yuan-ti know that the world they hope to rule can't be bound for long by brute force, and that many creatures will refuse to serve. As a result, yuan-ti first influence other creatures with the promise of wealth and power. Time and again, fey cultures make the fatal mistake of trusting the yuan-ti. They forget that a yuan-ti that acts honorably or lends aid in a time of trouble does so only as part of a grander design.
Yuan-ti leaders are cunning and ruthless tacticians who readily sacrifice lesser yuan-ti if potential victory justifies such losses. They have no sense of honorable combat and strike first in decisive ambush if they can.
Humanoid emotions are foreign to most yuan-ti, which understand sentiment only as exploitable weakness. A yuan-ti views the world and the events of its own life with such extreme pragmatism that it is nearly impossible to manipulate, influence, or control by nonmagical means, even as it seeks to control other creatures through terror, pleasure, and awe.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
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