Ophidian Supremacy Order
Dragons ruled over the First Age, until a foolish dragon queen messed with power beyond her ken and accidentally triggered the First Unmaking. This led to the Nine essentially hitting the reset button and creating elves to become the new dominant race.
Elves ruled the Second Age, until a foolish elven king messed with power beyond his ken and accidentally triggered the Second Unmaking. This led to the Nine essentially hitting the reset button and creating humans to become the new dominant race.
Many assume it's only a matter of time before some dumbass human triggers the Third Unmaking somehow.
The Ophidian Supremacy Order wants to make sure that the snakemen survive the Third Unmaking. And they want to make sure that when the dust settles, the snakemen are the strongest race emerging from the haggard survivors so that the Nine will pragmatically anoint the snakemen as the new rulers of the Fourth Age rather than create a new race. That's the plan at least.
Culture
The first maxim of the Ophidian Supremacy Priesthood is that the good of the group matters above the individual. The Nest reigns supreme.
This doesn't mean that leaders can or should abuse or neglect those below them. Afterall, a chieftain abusing his or her power be an obvious example of negative individuality.
The second maxim is to survive at any costs. This sometimes comes at odds with the first maxim and an individual cannot sacrifice himself and survive at the same time. But this means that no snake should allow himself or herself to die unless their death will make the Nest stronger.
Public Agenda
Their long term goal is to make sure that the snakemen rise to become the rulers of Scarterra.
Since the snakemen don't know what form the Third Unmaking will take. Their short-term goal is to hoard useful things, food, weapons, reagents. books, magical items.
Medium term, they are seeking a magical or technological edge. Ideally they want a means to preserve perishable supplies long-term. Even better, they loong for a way to preserve living things. Snakemen can enter a hibernation state and not have to eat or drink for about 90 days. The Ophidian Supremacy Order dearly would like to extend this hibernation indefinitely.
Hypothetically, if they could control their hibernation cycle perfectly, they could have their best warriors and warriors all take a big nap and wake until the start of the Third Unmaking so they can make sure the snakemen take minimal casualties. If they could have all their most learned scholars take a big nap and not wake up until the end of the Third Unmaking, that will put the snakemen in an ideal position to rebuild civilization.
It would also be nice if they could preserve a bunch of livestock animals in an infinite hibernation state. First Unmaking and Second Unmaking were very different but both saw massive deaths among livestock.
Demography and Population
The snakemen of Scarnoctis' fall into three groups.
1) Snakemen fully back the Ophidian Supremacy Order
2) Snakemen who pay lip service to the Ophidian Supremacy Order
3) Snakemen who actively avoid the Ophidian Supremacy Order.
The leaders of the Order are biding their time for now, but it's only a matter of time before they crack down on what they see as little better than heretics.
Military
Every adult snake is expected to be able to hold their own in a fight, but the Ophidian Supremacy Priesthood doesn't want a standing army...at least not yet.
Standing armies attract attention, and the snakemen are greatly outnumbered by the other races in Scarterra. They are to build up strength in secret.
Technological Level
The Ophidian Supremacy Order covets all manner of useful lore, but they have yet to produce a great magical or scientific innovator among their ranks. They rely on copying, bartering for, or outright stealing the lore of other races.
Religion
Ophidian Supremacy Order views Phidas as their greatest patron and protector among the Nine, but they give all the nine of the Nine their due. They know that neglecting any single deity won't help them survive.
Even more than most other Scarterrans and Scarnoctans, they are very big on orthopraxy over orthodoxy.
They aren't big fans of Zarthus, viewing him as a potential threat that must be placated as opposed to a potential benefactor who must be courted. A reversal for how most Scarterrans see the moon god.
Composite Display of the Nine's portraits by Zeta Gardner
Foreign Relations
They want the humans, dwarves, and elves races to decline but they generally avoid picking fights with them. They are confident that the other races will destroy themselves eventually without needing much help, if any.
The Ophidian Supemacy Order wants the snakemen mostly want to avoid being noticed by the other races. And if they are noticed they will try peaceful interaction.
They want to be the strongest race emerging during the Fourth Age. They don't need to be the only race in the Fourth Race. They believe that by being benevolent overlords, they can prevent a Fourth Unmaking. They don't plan to engage in acts of genocide or mass enslavement...unless they have to.
They want to avoid fights with other races in the present, but they also jealously hoard all manner of resources and they have few compunctions about stealing the possessions of other races and other races tend to return the favor. When the snakemen end up fighting other races, it's usually in a dispute over food or reagents.
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