Yuan Ti (YOU-on Tee)
Yuan-ti are a collective race of serpentfolk, also known as snake people, who are seen as corrupt and degenerate monsters by other races.
Basic Information
Anatomy
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 that a human could 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 means to carry them.
Biological Traits
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 included 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 Merrshaulk. 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.
Ignans
A volatile subspecies created by infusing yuan-ti with elemental energies.
Genetics and Reproduction
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 towards each other.
Growth Rate & Stages
Female yuan-ti lay eggs in brood chambers, marking each clutch with its parentage, then abandoning them to the care of 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 after being born. 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.
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.
Ecology and Habitats
Yuan-ti are consummate carnivores, eating any kind of warm-blooded flesh, including humans. Besides human meat, they also enjoy birds and thus keep large herds of flightless birds captive for food.
Behaviour
Most yuan-ti are evil beings, usually of the chaotic variety.
The yuan-ti have a great respect for reptiles of all kinds.
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.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Yuan-ti call themselves vrael olo (which means "favored ones"). Daily use typically 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 halfblood, and finally purebloods. Within their subraces, yuan-ti are ranked by achievements and the demonstrated favor of Sseth.
Yuan-ti culture centers around their temples, which often are 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.
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.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Yuan-ti are found throughout Hestoria in its tropical and jungle regions, particularly in the Riverlands.
Average Intelligence
Yuan-ti are typically above average intelligence.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Yuan-ti have superb intelligence compared to other races.
Human-headed yuan-ti are able to cast the following magic innately: cause fear, darkness, snake charm, stick to snakes, neutralize poison, suggestion, and polymorph.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Nhyris, Zstulkk, Zelia, Ssarmn
Major Organizations
House Extaminos, the ruling family of Hestoria.
The Iron Ring, a leading slave trading consortium that trades with Oggaruk.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
The yuan-ti are devout demon-worshipers. Their worship often involves bloody sacrifices. Most worship Sseth, with other serpentine deities that some have worshiped over the years either being masks worn by Sseth or a false deity of the Scaleless Ones. All yuan-ti must act in accordance with the Sacred Way of Sseth - that is, subtly. Whenever possible, yuan-ti choose manipulation over open confrontation, the whisper over the fang. Followers of the Sacred Way of Sseth know their foes, think ahead, and plan forward.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Yuan-ti have their own language, which used the Draconic alphabet, and most can also speak Common. Draconic and Abyssal are also typically known. Some sages report that all yuan-ti can also communicate readily with any snake or snake-like creature.
Yuan-ti buildings are often circular. In place of staircases, they often have ramps or poles instead, since most of them can slither and many of them can climb.
History
The yuan-ti were once human. Long before humankind dominated the continent of Faerûn, the Creator Races ruled Toril. The reptilian Creator Race, the sarrukh, were foremost amongst these and built up great empires. They bred the first yuan-ti by magically experimenting with and breeding men with snakes, also creating nagas and, through a similar process, lizardmen. They eventually fell from power and the resourceful yuan-ti rose up to claim their Creators' power vacuum, even while sustaining the empire of Mhairshaulk. Of the fragmented World Serpent deity that the sarrukh had worshiped, the yuan-ti venerated the strongest aspect, a cruel and despotic deity, Merrshaulk, who grew distant.
As the yuan-ti's power became less visible on Faerûn, and they instead fell to infiltrating human and demihuman society through their organizations and long-sighted plots, Merrshaulk had sunk into a slumber, ignoring his followers. Eventually, around the time of the collapse of the human empire of Netheril, Merrshaulk himself was also reborn as a winged yuan-ti avatar named Sseth, who became the yuan-ti's new primary deity. In the end, though, Sseth too sank into somnolence.
At this point some sarrukh, long suffering a heavy war on other planes or sunken in hibernation in their ruins, began to return in some numbers. They crucially needed help from their deity, but Sseth was not answering prayers in his slumber. So for aid in their endeavors some of the sarrukh made a bargain with the Mulhorandi deity Set, that put Sseth into a deeper sleep but allowed Set to assume Sseth's mantle and grant the sarrukh their aid. Most yuan-ti do not even know of this transaction, though now Sseth struggles at his bonds some are being made aware of it.
When the crystal sphere opened on Ghemjana, other races were surprised to find the Yuan-ti already there. It is unknown at which point they came to the world, but what is known is that they have a strong presence on the world and no plans to leave.
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