The Nigricollis - Crotalus cold war

Technological achievement

"Innovation is beautiful. It's blinding. I forgot what I was doing this for and I'll pay for that. And for some reason, I think I am okay with that last fact." - Wissias Nigricollis' last words.

The Yuan-ti have always been known for being an inventive race. Not only are they cunning, they are also capable of setting aside morale for what they consider to be the greater good. Two tribes in particular have always been very good at both - the Nigricollis and the Crotalus tribe.   On the Nigricollis end, Wissias Nigricollis, an exceptionally clever pureblood Yuan-ti, had just opened the Nigricollis University of Technology. The man was known for having been the first to treat iron in such a way that its mechanical properties greatly improved. He called the material ssteel, which nowadays is written with only a single s in Common. The tribe was never known for having a proper military, and the tribe leader back then ordered the University to create weapons to properly suit up an army. Wissias complied.   The Crotalus on the other hand, have always been known as an incredibly proud race. The tribe had been the largest Yuan-ti tribe for ages, and still is to this day. The tribe has always been home to the largest army of Yuan-ti warriors. When the tribe got a whiff of the Nigricollis advancing on military level, the tribe leader became furious. She ordered the army to expand, and set all the tribe's mechanics, artificers and other craftsmen on the job of creating even greater weaponry than the tribe had ever had.   The tension between the two tribes got more and more intense by the minute. The two had had a fickle truce for ages. When one party came out with a new invention, the other quickly put out something even bigger and scarier. After years of this competition, Wissias Nigricollis himself came up with an all new weapon. What it was exactly, has been kept a secret ever since. The Nigricollis tribe leader however, was very, very enthusiastic. He had grown very fed up with the constant bickering with the Crotalus, and seeked to end it. He ordered Wissias to wipe out the Crotalus tribe. This was the first time Wissias declined an order by his tribe leader.   Wissias ordered a few Nigricollis to hide the weapon at a remote location, where it would be safely hidden until Wissias found a way to properly dispose of his weapon once and for all. This group of weapon hiding Nigricollis would later be known as the Naja Nigricollis. Wissias was made to show up in court. He was to be judged for denying his tribe leader's orders. His most renowned students went on to forge an apparatus which would be able to destroy the weapon in a safe manner. Court however, wasn't looking down to kindly on Wissias himself. When the tribe leader learned that Wissias did not only refuse to use his weapon, but also made sure that it would never be used, he was enraged. Wissias was to be beheaded. Wissias was put op on a stand on the tribe's main square. The last thing Wissias saw before the axe fell, was one of the Naja, giving him a thumbs up at his own public execution, telling Wissias that their mission succeeded. Wissias died with a sly smile on his face.   The tribe was in shambles. A riot of furious citizens and students stormed the tribe leader. Much blood was shed that day, and eventually, one of the University's students managed to shoot a crossbow bolt through the tribe leaders skull. This riot has been estimated to have costed the tribe the lives of about 20% of its members. It took the tribe years to reform itself a proper government.   The Crotalus tribe ceased their advancements. Their leader smiled at the Nigricollis tribe turning on itself and considered this enough of a win.