The Yuan-Ti and the Bent-Blade Crown

The yuan-ti, forced out of civilization by their blasphemous transformation, have been reduced to skulking in ruins and demon-blasted wastes, never forgetting the pains that were inflicted upon them and looking to the day when they regain their place on top of the order of the world. They strive for perfection, in form and in purpose, climbing the ladder of transformation to elevate themselves to their idealized selves. In particular, the yuan-ti take pride in their superiority to the other races, which they demonstrate by mastering the skills, weapons, and tactics that were used against them so long ago, despite not always being suitable for or taking advantage of the yuan-ti’s serpentine forms. To stir them forward, the elders and teachers tell of the initial fall and exile of the yuan-ti. Not long after they had begun to alter themselves into part-snake, part-human beings, they struck out against the other realms and kingdoms nearby. As they tell the tale, those realms crumbled before the might of the nascent yuan-ti, but one warrior was able to resist them. This man moved with the speed of the wind, and his blade was like cold flame, burning through the ranks of the yuan-ti and inspiring the remnants of the humans to fight back. His name was unknown, but was referred to as “Hss-thssssia,” which roughly translates to “the render of scales.”
The legend of Hss-thssssia came to an end when, in one of the final battles of the war, an abomination arose who could match him. Their fight echoed across the fields and into the tunnels, where this warrior was able to outmaneuver Hss-thssssia and sink his fangs into the man’s flesh. He took the man’s sword and twisted it into a crown, which he wore as a symbol of his unassailable strength. The yuan-ti united under the Bent-blade Crown and went on to fight against the humans for many years.
In the end, the humans were able to beat back the yuan-ti, who escaped into the wastes where their enemies were wary to follow. The king stayed to cover his people’s escape, along with his strongest soldiers. The Bent-blade Crown was given to a trusted subordinate, who was told to take it far away and hide it. Only a yuan-ti who was strong enough to unite their people and retake the world from the humans would be worthy to claim it.
The yuan-ti also claim that one day, Hss-thssssia will return, and that the yuan-ti who can defeat him in battle will be the one to claim the Bent-blade Crown and lead them back into the lands of men in conquest. So when the yuan-ti raid, they always watch for warriors who can best them, and seek to capture them, so that their tribe’s ruler can defeat the warrior in single combat, and prove themselves potentially worthy to lead the race back to glory.