Portfolio: Domination, snakes
Aliases: None
Domain Name: Isle of the Serpent/Aebrynis/Prime Material
Superior: None
Allies: None (Merrshaulk, Set, Tlaloc)
Foes: Avani, Cuiraécen, Belinik, Kriesha, Laerme, Nesirie
Symbol: Snake’s head
Wor. Align: Any nongood

Once simply a Masetian-born awnshegh, the Serpent has held the faith of his people in the iron grip of his coils for so long that he has been raised to the status of demigod. Through his Sons and the Society of the Serpent, he has begun spreading his doctrine of domination and human enslavement throughout the Khinasi region of Cerilia. Though no Cerilian deity acknowledges him as an equal, the Serpent has spent much of his time in recent centuries contacting other snake-related deities from across the planes; the yuan-ti patron Merrshaulk (who has worshipers in Aduria), the Egyptian deity Set, Tlaloc of the South American pantheon, and the Serpent now form an unsteady alliance known as the Celestial Brotherhood of Serpents.

the serpent’s avatar

As described in Blood Enemies: Abominations of Cerilia, the Serpent can take several “avatar forms.” The first of these is a powerfully muscled, dark-skinned Masetian man with a cobra’s head who fights as an 18th-level warrior with the spell abilities of a 12th-level wizard.
Additionally, the Serpent can take the forms of gigantic, 50’-long constrictor snake.

the church

Clergy: Priests, Fighters
Clergy Align: LN, LE, N, NE
The followers of the Serpent are a fanatic cult which has sprung, the bards would say, “like a striking snake,” from the cursed island home of the remnants of the Masetian race. Through his Voice, the Serpent has declared his power and demanded unfaltering loyalty. To his followers, there were no true gods but Azrai, and there is no true heir to the Shadow’s power but the Serpent.

Dogma: The only sect that follows the Serpent is his faithful Sons of the Serpent. They seek to spread the belief that the Serpent, in all his dread might, is the only deity worth serving. Additionally, they act as the police force of the Isle of the Serpent, ensuring its submissive peace.

Day-to-Day Activities: In addition to leading the faithful in prayers to the Great Snake, the followers of the Serpent conduct the mundane tasks of running his Cerilian domain. And, as stated in Blood Enemies, those who violate the rules of order and compliance serve their god in another way -- human sacrifice is a common punishment on the Isle of the Serpent.

Holy Days/Important Ceremonies: The most holy day in the calender of the Sons of the Serpent is the 32nd of Pasiphiel, the last day of the year. It is on this date that the priests of the Serpent disappear from the sight of the masses, going into hiding, before they strike at unsuspecting foreigners and criminal unbelievers -- whom they deliver for sacrifice to the Serpent himself in the city of Masetium. The next day, the Day of Rebirth, is one of great feasting and celebration of the Serpent’s not having “strangled the life out of the world” for another year.

Major Centers of Worship: The greatest tabernacle of the Serpent’s cult following is his vast Temple-Palace, one of the few buildings in his capitol of Masetium that survived the destruction of the old empire. This is where most of the sacrifices that take place on the Isle of the Serpent occur.

Affiliated Orders: Controlling the guild dealings of the Isle with as iron a fist as the Sons of the Serpent control the bureaucracy, the Society of the Serpent is a secret organization of assassins, evil merchants, spies, and thieves -- the most terrible of its king in the whole of Khinasi. It is this order which “put the fear of the Serpent” into neighboring regents, more so than the Great Snake’s priests. Additionally, for the fanatics who believe in brute force of arms over stealth and cunning, there is the Serpent Guards, an elite group of warriors who act as temple guards, shock troops, and marines for the Serpent’s powerful navy.

Priestly Vestments: During the ritual ceremonies of the Serpent’s followers, priests of the Great Snake wear white cotton robes decorated and bound with bronze serpent images. Robes of the High Clerics are of green silk, and are decorated with gold and green gemstones.

Adventuring Garb: Due to the secretive nature of this cult, priests are allowed to wear whatever they wish while traveling in the outer world, infiltrating other priesthood, or simply ensuring the faithful stay true to the Serpent.

priests

Requirements: Wis 9, Dex 12
Prime Req: Wisdom
Alignment: LN, LE, N, NE
Weapons: Standard, plus S and M piercing
Armor: Any
Major Spheres: All, Charm, Combat, Healing (reversed), Law
Minor Spheres: Divination, Guardian, Healing, Summoning
Magical Items: As priest
Powers Over Turn: No
Undead: Command: No
Powers:
1) Backstab as a thief of the same level; snake charm (3/day).
5) gains +2 to saves vs. snake venoms.
9) can create a hypnotic pattern in his or her eyes (1/day).

proficiencies
In addition to those listed below, priests of the Serpent gain Ceremony as a bonus nonweapon proficiency at first level.

Sons of the Serpent

Required Proficiency: Venom Handling (see Complete Book of Necromancer) or Herbalism
Bonus Proficiency: Oratory (at 7th level; see Players’ Options Spells and Magic)