Way back in the ancient history of Mystara there was a civilization of reptilian humanoids in what was Nithia and is now Ylaruam - the Mogreth Empire of Lizardfolk. They were led by the mysterious and malevolent serpent people.
Apep the Serpent of Chaos
Apep was the patron deity of the Mogreth civilization, as old as Mystara itself and intimately tied to Chaos and the Sphere of Entropy. Also known as Apophis or Ouboros, it does not have any apparent gender, and seems utterly detatched from the thoughts, feelings and emotions of mortals. It only sought chaos, disorder and decay of the entire universe. In this respect it is similar to likeminded entropic immortals such as Alphaks, Orcus, Thanatos and Demogorgon.
Apep's followers are nearly always reptilian - serpent people, lizardfolk and the like. Very few mammalian humanoids are desperate or insane enough to follow Apep. They are always chaotic and revel in disorder and destruction, though they realise they need a certain amount of structure to continue their mission - an organised army can cause more destruction than a leaderless mob.
During the age of the Nithian Empire, the cult of Apep's main mission was not overt destruction but subversive corruption - tempting and coercing powerful members of the human nations with offers of wealth, forbidden magic and the occasional threat of horrible death. This worked very well and it is believed by some sages that the cult of Apep contributed to the collapse of Nithia around 500BC. The vile soul magic practiced by sorcerers at Allaktos was started by the cult of Apep, possibly granted by Apep itself. This is not to say that Apep's cult was the only force of chaos in ancient Nithia, but it was certainly a major one, perhaps the preeminent faction of Chaos in Nithia.
The Serpent People
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| Image by Ben Wootton, source |
| Name | Serpent-man |
| Armor Class | 6 or better |
| Hit Dice (Avg hp) | 4+4* (22hp) or better up to 20+20* (110hp) |
| Movement | 90’/Swim 90' |
| No Attacks | 1 weapon + 1 bite or by spell |
| THAC0 | 15 or better |
| Damage | by weapon/1d6+ poison or by spell |
| No Enc | 3d4 (patrol) or more. |
| Save as | F4 or better |
| Morale | 8 |
| Alignment | Chaotic |
| Treasure | E |
| Size/Type | Medium Humanoid |
| Intelligence | 12 (very) or better |
| XP value | 200 or more |
Serpent people look like a hybrid of human and snake, with humanoid arms and broad chests, but serpentine lower bodies without legs and a cobra-like head. Serpent people are dangerous, intelligent adversaries who can use spells as if magic users of half their actual hit dice. The most basic serpent warrior has the stats above and can use spells as if a 2nd level magic user. More advanced individuals gain hit dice and commensurate spell-casting abilities. Serpent people are adaptable as far as magic items are concerned and will pick up and use anything that a human fighter or magic user can, except anything worn on legs or feet, while some human head gear may not fit well. A typical serpent-folk will wield a battleaxe (1d8 damage) in battle. Of far more concern for opponents is their bite - anyone bitten by a serpent-man must save vs poison or suffer 2d4 damage per round until the poison is neutralized. The venom of the serpent people is said to be quite agonizing as it kills those bitten.
Serpent folk are quick to make use of other reptilian races - lizardmen, gatormen, even kobolds are all considered servants of the Serpentine empire, and any encounter with serpent people will include some of these other races - roll on the table below:
The rattler snakemen mentioned in the table above are believed to be a degenerate subrace of serpent folk - not as clever or magically gifted but still useful in combat. They are believed to form their own lairs within serpent-folk strongholds.
Serpent folk and the Serpent Peninsula
There are no more serpent people on the surface of Ylaruam - deeper below the surface where the subterranian Nithian river runs through limestone caverns in bedrock there are believed to be pockets of isolated serpent-folk, often with their lizardmen footsoldiers - the last remnants of the once-mighty Mogreth Empire. In the largest and grandest ruins of the Mogreth civilization there are undead serpentmen who lead the undead lizardmen when their resting places are disturbed. Although the modern Ylari are aware of undead lizardmen, none have encounterd the undead serpent people and lived to tell of it.
But by far the most significant existing population of the Serpent People is on the aptly named Serpent Peninsula, south of the Great Waste of Sind. This has become the stronghold of the serpent people, particularly the southern tip of the peninsula, the Nakakande Jungle where it looks out over the enclosed sea of Dkiki Mamazzi. Here the serpent folk and their servants and slaves have erected huge imposing cities of carved stone. Interestingly some of them have pyramids similar to those found in Nithian ruins, though these ones are definitely stepped into tiers. Scholars are not certain of the significance of this.
The population of the serpent people has not grown much - they are a long-lived, slow-breeding race that can live for up to 3 centuries each. But their servant races, particularly lizard men, have multiplied. Some explorers have had multiple encounters with lizardmen raiding around the Dkiki Mamazzi (including the sinking city of Quagmire, and this lizardman outpost here) but have not encountered the serpent people - they will often assume that the lizardmen are doing this on their own initiative, or maybe commanded by lizard kings and gator men. Very few humans have any idea that the serpent people are still the power and the intellect behind the rise of the lizardman nation in the Nakakande Jungle.
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