Chaos Serpents

General Information

Chaos serpents are the many hands of the sentient realm of Patala-loka. Some believe that these serpents have rainbow colored scales with a crest of feathers about its head. Others believe these serpents are more discrete, that any snake could also be a chaos serpent.

What these serpents do and what their powers are depends on their view of what chaos is in the natural world. To many, chaos is the tipping of trees, so new light breaches the forest floor. It is the strike of lightning that causes a fire so new life can emerge in the ashes. It is the healing of a life that should have died left to the natural forces. To others, chaos is the root sticking up in the ground that broke a horse’s leg. It is a nation’s pride that leads to their downfall. It is the lies and dissension that lead to the death of a close partnership. Still, to some, all these situations are parts of chaos’s power. That there is a light part and a dark part of chaos and both parts are necessary for the worlds to function.

The Saataba

There is a guild of spiritual leaders, the Saataba, that works primarily in drawing from the forces of chaos. This guild has long outlasted one kingdom, and no one is really sure of their origins. Any being of any race can become a Saatabu. These beings usually start out as estranged by society because of their queer behaviors. The Saataba believe these beings have been touched with a strong connection to Patala-loka. With so much forces of chaos working through their body and no way to outsource these powers, they can’t ground themselves as a functional part of society. The Saataba find these beings and teach them how to control the forces of chaos within them.

The Saataba decorate their bodies with snakes as a show of their occupation. They have necklaces and bracelets sculpted in the shapes of snakes. They all wear a stylized crest of the rainbow scaled chaos serpent on their chest. Though high ranking leaders wear a crest of a fenrir. Each Saatabu also keeps a companion snake that they learn to take care of while they are in training.

While the Saataba consider themselves spiritual leaders because of the source of their power, that term is used pretty loosely. The function and talents of the Saataba as a whole, is broader than those of any spiritual leader. Some Saatabu work with the light sources of chaos. They are skilled healers that provide and create powerful medicine. They work with shaping the land and forests. They regulate what areas of land are used for farming and what places are left as wilds.

Others work with the dark sources of chaos. They work in crafting powerful poisons. They are spies and assassins, though only kill those Patala-loka calls upon. They set fires to lands in need of healing. For every Saatabu that uses the forces of light, there is a Saatabu that uses the forces of dark that work alongside each other to balance their powers.

Some Saataba work with the natural forces of chaos. They are the influential leaders of science. They study stars, physics, and chemistry. They gather history and study philosophy. They are also talented artists and musicians. If the actions of light or dark Saataba get out of hand, the neutral Saataba negotiate with the public and realign these Saataba’s powers.

The Saataba always have to be careful using their powers. While they are taught how to use what makes them different in the eyes of society as their strength, using the powers of chaos too much can have the opposite effect. Some Saataba lose themselves in the powers of chaos, which have harsh side effects and drive them into insanity.

Some societies adore the Saataba and respect their powers. Others see the Saataba as a necessary evil, or a nuisance that impedes proper behaving society. Some look down on the Saataba for messing with forces that should be left alone. Still, the Saataba survive doing their work and will continue to survive long after those that hate them.