Oryx, The Serpent That Lies
He-Who-Sheds, The Coil-God
Overview
Oryx is a name carved into stone, whispered in sleep, and chanted by those who should not know it.
A masked figure cloaked in veils of smoke and silk, Oryx is the charismatic prophet of the Cult of the Coil, a rapidly spreading sect of serpent-worshippers, apostates, and broken minds who believe the world is wrapped in lies—and only Oryx has the power to peel them away.
He is said to be able to shift between forms, walking as both man and serpent, and speaks with a voice that coils through the mind like smoke in the lungs. No two descriptions of him match. Some claim he is a warlock. Others say a god. Still others insist he is not one being, but many—a consciousness born of suffering and belief.
Whatever the truth, Oryx is real, and his cult’s activity is increasing across the eastern Shattered Reach.
Known Traits
- Always appears masked, hooded, and draped in serpentine robes.
- Carries a staff or scepter shaped like a coiling serpent—possibly sentient.
- Is said to speak in a voice that causes hallucinations, or “opens the mind.”
- Capable of shifting into a massive serpentine form—witnesses describe scales like oil-slick fire and eyes like molten glass.
- Followers bear marks of transformation: forked tongues, scaled flesh, madness.
The Cult of the Coil
Oryx is worshipped as a god by his followers, who call themselves the Coil-Bound or Shedlings. Their beliefs revolve around unmasking reality, breaking divine lies, and becoming truth incarnate by “shedding false flesh.”
The cult:
- Operates in forgotten ruins, ley-sick zones, and serpent-haunted wastelands.
- Performs rituals of transformation, shedding, and rebirth—often with horrific results.
- Believes the world is about to be “peeled” by Oryx, revealing a new, perfect world beneath.
Some Coil cultists, when slain, are said to erupt into nests of serpents or slither free of their own flesh.
Rumors & Folklore
- Oryx was once a mortal who sought forbidden truths beyond the planes.
- He is a failed god, born of another deity's madness.
- He is creating a new body, a vessel for something far more dangerous.
- He is not real at all—merely a lie that believes in itself.
"You will never see his face. You will only see your own, reflected in his coil."
– Unknown
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