The Fall of the Nakhasi Empire: Conflict and Collapse
The tension between these two branches of the Serpent’s Path—The Harmonious Way and The Serpent's Mantle—would eventually lead to the collapse of the Nakhasi Empire. As the empire expanded, the divide between those who sought balance and renewal and those who demanded conquest and domination grew wider.
The Death of Mok Tun and the Spiritual Crisis
The death of Mok Tun, the immortal demigod founder of the Nakhasi Empire, marked the beginning of this division. Mok Tun, weary of his endless life, had embraced the idea of cyclical renewal and saw his own death as a necessary part of the cosmic order. For the followers of the Harmonious Way, Mok Tun’s death was proof that the empire had become too large, too powerful, and too stagnant. They believed that the empire, like the serpent, needed to shed its old skin and go through a cycle of death and renewal to regain balance.
On the other hand, the militarized factions, driven by the Serpent's Mantle, saw Mok Tun’s death as a sign of weakness. They believed that the empire could only be saved through further conquest and domination. These factions refused to accept the natural cycle of decline and instead fought to maintain power through any means necessary, plunging the empire into civil war.
Fragmentation and the Rise of the Warring States
As these two philosophies clashed, the Nakhasi Empire fractured into warring states. The a sect of followers of the Harmonious Way withdrew from the conflict and would become known as "Shedders of the Old Skin," or Shedders for short, believing that the empire’s collapse was inevitable and necessary for new growth. Meanwhile, the militarized factions fought endlessly, convinced that they could transcend the chaos through conquest.
Over time, the empire devolved into a patchwork of warring factions. Central Alathor became a battleground, with rival warlords and noble houses locked in a cycle of endless warfare, their conflict driven by the same ambition that had once built the empire and the idea of religion and philosophy al but forgotten--ultimately leaving them ripe for new "meaning" and uniting belief, an opening Zun-3 would later use.
Legacy of the Serpent’s Path
The Serpent’s Path remains a complex and multifaceted religion, embodying both the wisdom of renewal and the ambition of transcendence. Its teachings shaped the rise and fall of the Nakhasi Empire, influencing everything from their conquests to their philosophy of life and society.
Even in the aftermath of the empire’s collapse, the core beliefs of the Harmonious Way and the Shedders continue to influance both the lands of Yeoria and Kataria, whereas the Serpent's Mnatle is largely disbanded and forgotten as a failed system.
Thousands of years later, the Serpent’s Path stands as a symbol of both the strength and the self-destructive ambition of the Nakhasi, a people who sought to grow through shedding their old skin but ultimately fractured under the weight of their conflicting beliefs.
