Yuan-Ti

Yuan-ti are a collective race of serpentfolk, also known as snake people, who are seen as corrupt and degenerate monsters by other races.

Description

The appearance of yuan-ti varies greatly from nearly human-like to nearly snake-like, but all have some serpentine features. Scale colors are usually simple greens and browns, but more elaborate swirls, stripes, or diamond patterns are possible, even in blues and reds.
Yuan-ti give off almost no scent a human can detect, but animals can sense a dry, musty odor from their bodies.
Only the most human-like forms wear clothing, but all varieties wield weapons if they have no means to carry them.

Varieties

Major Subraces

The yuan-ti come in several distinct castes or breeds. The three most prevalent are as follows.

Purebloods

Purebloods appear mostly human with minor reptilian features, such as slit eyes, a forked tongue, or patches of scales on their skin.

Halfbloods

Also called malisons, halfbloods are humanoid in shape but have a wide variety of noticeable serpentine features, such as a snakelike tail in place of legs, a complete covering of scales, a hood like a cobra, a snake's head, or snakes in place of arms. Known subgroups of halfbloods include mind whisperers, pit masters, and nightmare speakers.

Abominations

Abominations are almost completely snakelike, with only a few human features, such as arms or a humanoid head.

Minor Subraces

In addition to the three main breeds, other breeds have been described as well:

Anathemas

By far the most powerful and loathsome of yuan-ti, anathemas are worshiped as divine incarnations of the serpent deities. They are truly bizarre in appearance, with a body like a 25-foot-long serpent; a pair of humanoid arms with clawed, three-fingered hands; and six serpentine heads rising from its shoulders.

Holy Guardians

A rare breed specifically bred as temple guards, holy guardians uniformly have a serpentine tail in place of legs and a snakelike head.

Mageslayers

Another rare type of yuan-ti, mageslayers are bred for the special purpose of battling or hunting down human magic-users, and most of their abilities are magical rather than psionic. They have a human-like head but a snakelike tail instead of legs.

Personality

Most yuan-ti are evil beings, usually of the chaotic variety.
The yuan-ti have a great respect for reptiles of all kinds.

Abilities

Yuan-ti have superb intelligence compared to other races.
Human-headed yuan-ti are able to cast the following spells innately: cause fear, darkness, snake charm, sticks to snakes, neutralize poison, suggestion, and polymorph.

Combat

The yuan-ti take advantage of their great intelligence during battle, planning traps and making excellent use of their surroundings. They favor ambushes over direct attacks. If in groups, they send their least valuable members forward first, meaning that purebloods advance before halfbloods, who advance before abominations.
Yuan-ti favor bladed weapons. They use slow-acting poisons in their elaborate traps but not typically on their blades.

Society

The yuan-ti prefer to make their homes in tropical jungles.
Yuan-ti call themselves vrael olo (which means "favored ones"). Daily use typcally uses the shortened "vrael", and can be modified to "auvrael" (meaning friendly or known yuan-ti) and "duthrael" (unfriendly or unfamiliar yuan-ti).
In general, the more serpentine features a yuan-ti possesses the higher its status in yuan-ti society. Abominations are at the top of their society, followed by halfbloods, and finally purebloods. Within their subraces, yuan-ti are ranked by achievements and the demonstrated favor of their gods.
Yuan-ti culture centers around their temples, which are often found in ancient ruins or hidden deep underneath human cities. The locations of these are well-guarded secrets.
Outside their temples, they usually only appear in small groups of less than five.
Yuan-ti find the body odor of humans repulsive, so much so that in areas controlled by yuan-ti, humans wear perfume to conceal their body odor.

Government

The abominations rule over the other breeds of yuan-ti, leading from the temples.
Purebloods, being the most human-like, are the caste involved in negotiations with outside races.

Religion

The yuan-ti are devout demon-worshipers. Their worship often involves bloody sacrifice. Most worship Ssythiskar, with other serpentine deities that some have worshiped over the years either being masks worn by Ssythiskar or a false deity of the Scaleless Ones. All yuan-ti must act in accordance with the Sacred Way of Ssythiskar—that is, subtly. Whenever possible, yuan-ti choose manipulation over open confrontation, the whisper of the fang. Followers of the Sacred Way of Ssythiskar know their foes, think ahead, and plan forward.

Language

Yuan-ti have their own language, which uses the Draconic alphabet, and most can also speak the common tongue of their native area. High Draconic and Pitspeech are also typically known. Some sages report that all yuan-ti can also communicate readily with any snake or snake-like creature.

Architecture

Yuan-ti buildings are often circular. In places of staircases, they often have ramps or poles instead, since most of them can slither and many of them can climb.

Houses

A number of ruling houses make up major power structures among the yuan-ti.

House Zsserakh— Known for mastery of deception, diplomacy, and intrigue.

House Xhassoth—The most zealous in their worship, overseeing sacrifices and rituals. Their warriors are seen as Ssythiskar's chosen.

House Vrissak—A house of conquerors and slavers, focusing on expanding control through magic coercion.

House Sthassil—Masters of illusions and dark magic, they specialize in mind control and enslavement.

House Jhasskar—Known for its cruelty, this house practices the bloodiest rituals.

House Tzzekar—The house that most strongly follows Yuan-Ti racial supremacy, breeding the strongest and most cunning of their kind and practicing ritualistic cannibalism to "reabsorb wasted effort" from those that do not fit these standards.

House Nizzhath

House Rassith

House Zhaassith

House Thryziss

Ecology

Yuan-ti are consummate carnivores, eating any kind of warm-blooded flesh, including humans. Besides human meat, they also enjoy birds and thus keep learge herds of flightless birds captive for food.
Female yuan-ti lay eggs in brood chambers, marking aech clutch with its parentage, then abandoning them to the care of the broodguards. Yuan-ti hatchlings are hatched from these eggs, which are always curious and eager to explore, and will seek food immediately, even eating each other if sustenance is not at hand. Their initial training is provided by broodguards, which also monitor the hatchery. Young yuan-ti are trained in the use of their powers almost immediately after hatching. They will turn into tiny vipers and slither to the nearest cover when they see danger or hear a warning.
Yuan-ti in their prime will scheme, breed, and work on behalf of their tribes. Breeding is carefully controlled, seen as a holy act, in order to produce the "best" offspring. Prospective partners will coldly measure one another and if both agree that the match is promising, they usually mate, regardless of their personal affections toward each other.
Often elder yuan-ti grow lazy when they reach great age, sleeping or lying in torpor for longer and longer periods—first for days, then weeks, then seasons at a time, and finally years upon years. At last, they fail to wake at all.

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