Snake kin of Mystara
by Cab DavidsonOk... The three forms of snake kin and details thereof...
First though
Lecture notes from Zoological Anthropology 102, Professor Dane Ossify, Technical University of Dunadale
Serpentes
“The second group we will consider is the serpentes. Or, snake kin. While we may postulate that the global success of the snake makes it quite likely that there should be intelligent races across Mystara, as thus far we only have definitive proof of two species. The first we shall consider is the mamushi, which appears to be derived from the common pit viper, found among the fabulous fauna of Zyxl. The mamushi seem to be a peacable folk, with tremendous powers of perception and a venom that they use to defend themselves. Professor Pollo will hopefully be leading another expedition to the island next year, and I hope that the best of you may apply for a scholarship to accompany him, and that you return alive or, at least, sentiently mobile, and with more knowledge of the mamushi.
“The other species we have information about is the cindezele, a race of constrictor folk, aptly enough found on the Serpent Peninsula. They are largely arboreal, preying on monkeys, birds, peccary and other small animals, and this may give an impression of savageness. They strive to maintain a reputation for savagery, but it is our considered position that the cindezele are a cultured, civilised people. The presence of an albino specimen in our collection has created some confusion, but our studies show this to be part of the normal variartion found among the species. Whether this has any implication for social interactions among members of the species will be the subject of further study.
Cindezele
The misunderstood constrictor folk of the Serpent Peninsula, the Cindezele (in the Ulimwengu language, “those who squeeze”) are snakes with small forearms, standing around 6’ when they choose, with a total length of 12’ to 15’. Having two short but powerful arms, with three fingered hands, they can grasp and use tools with some proficiency. They are typically creamish-green to grey-green in colour with reddish brown ‘saddles’ becoming more pronounced towards their tails.
They hunt small prey, typically peccary, small monkeys, sloths and other creatures both in the trees and on the jungle floor, capturing them and killing by constriction (wrapping their bodies around their prey and squeezing until it is dead). They choose not to prey on sentient creatures, having sufficient empathy towards both the Karimari and Nobubele they share territory with to not wish to cause them harm, and generally relations with them are good. They understand that snakes are often feared by outsiders and are happy to use that reputation to keep their territories free of invaders.
Cindezele can use tools, and they make and use a wide range thereof. While maintaining an essentially hunter gatherer lifestyle, they do trade with other intelligent folk for items of interest – particularly metal and other worked items they struggle to produce.
They rarely, if ever, speak of those of their kind who have turned from light and into the darkness of caves below. A strain of albino cindezele, the okumhlophe, can be found there, angry at being made susceptible to the Sun and at the world itself. They have also turned their backs on the teachings of Ka, and now adhere to the twisted teachings of Atzanteotl.
Advancement and Physical Attributes: Cindezele require 30% more experience points per level of experience than equivalent human characters. They are generated with the following modifiers to their attributes: Str: +3 Int: -1 Wis: +1 Dex: 0 Con: 0 Cha: -3.
Special Abilities: They can move rapidly through trees at full normal movement rate and are not in any way impeded by undergrowth or vegetation. They are also strong swimmers, able to swim at ¾ of their normal speed.
In combat, they can attack by biting foes, for 1d6 damage, but the attack they are best known for is constriction. A successful bite attack against any creature of ogre size or smaller allows a cindezele to attempt to constrict a foe. The victim must make a saving throw vs. death ray or be coiled up, with the cindezele wrapped around them. The cindezele can inflict 1d4+strength bonus damage to their victim per round, who cannot attack or cast spells, but can make another saving throw vs. death ray each round to escape. Cindezele rarely use this attack on individuals in groups of enemies, as they themselves become unable to move or attack other foes while constricting an enemy.
From 3rd level a cindezele can cause fear once per day as a cleric of their own level.
From 7th level they learn to spring at enemies up to 20’ away. This action involves coiling before rapidly leaping towards a foe, allowing the cindezele to attack with +3 to hit and damage. Note that this is only possible if the target is between 10’ and 20’ away.
From 14th level all cindezele inflict 2d6 damage with their bite attack, and 2d4 damage per round when constricting. They can also strike targets only normally vulnerable to silver weapons with their bite and constriction.
From 21st level cindezele inflict 3d6 damage with their bite attack, and 3d4 damage per round when constricting. They can also strike targets normally only vulnerable to magical weapons.
Character Class: They can be of any character class, and cindezele magic users, clerics (usually of Ka), thieves and fighters are known. In principle they could learn to be mystics, but none are known.
Hit Dice: Cindezele use the next higher hit-dice for determining hit points. For example, a cindezele cleric rolls 1d8 for hit points, and a magic user rolls 1d4.
Movement and Encumbrance: Cindezele can move at 120’ (40’) and can carry rather more weight than humans and demi-humans, having a maximum carrying capacity of 3,600cn.
Language: Surprisingly they have a complex written language, involving both inks made from galls of trees found in the jungle and pheromones secreted from their own glands, most often written on pages made of their own shed skins. The combination of scent and visible writing means that no creatures other than cindezele can read these texts without the use of read magic or similar.
Weapons and Armour: While quite large creatures, the cindezele have short arms and cannot effectively wield two handed weapons, including missile fire devices. They can use any single handed weapons, and use a shield. They cannot wear any ‘stiff’ armour, but it is possible to make chainmail armour to fit a cendezele.
Mamushi
The isles of Zyxl are populated by many strange species, of which the mamushi may be the most peculiar. They are a small folk, being snakes of a length of around 9’, able to stand no more than 4’ high, with a pair of muscular arms with which they are adept, capable tool users. Their body pattern is reddish brown to yellow, with irregular, pale outlined darker blotches. Their eyes are deep set behind deep brows. Between their eyes and nostrils they have a peculiar organ with which they sense heat, giving them the unique ability to use infravision to a distance of 90’ even in full daylight (allowing them to perfectly determine a heat map of everything in front of them).
Mamushi are a peaceful people, usually unwilling to engage in combat or warfare, preferring to sustain their villages (kotan in their tongue) by farming goats, sheep and pigs and by hunting, preferring to live in the deep river valleys of the mountains they call home. Their buildings are rectangular, single storied buildings made from dried, bundled grasses, and while they may appear flimsy they are surprisingly robust. Their lives are typically formal, being very much constrained by traditions governing most things, from selection of spouses, marriage, eating, drinking and of course worship. They see nature spirits (kamuy) in all living things, and revere Terra (Kotan-kar-kamuy), Patura (Kamuy-huki), and Protius (Repun-humuy). Adventurous mamishi are known, and a high premium is paid by noble gorira to capable mamushi bodyguards. The choice to become an adventurer is often frowned upon by other mamushi, but those who return with treasures or great stories are quickly accepted among their own again – if they return to the traditional ways of the village.
Advancement and Physical Attributes: Mamushi require 25% more experience points than human characters per level of experience. When generated, their starting statistics are modified as follows. Str: 0 Int: -1 Wis: 0 Dex: +2 Con: +1 Cha: -2.
Special Abilities: From first level all mamushi can attack with their poisonous bite. This bite inflicts only 1d3 damage, and the poison is mild (save vs. poison or be stunned as per weapon mastery rules). The amount of venom stored is limited, and a mamushi can only make a venomous bite attack once every 6 rounds.
At third level, victims of mamushi bite attacks inflict 1d6 damage, and the victim must make a saving throw vs. poison or be paralysed for 3 turns. While more potent, the volume of venom produced is no greater, only one victim can be poisoned every 6 rounds.
From 7th level a mamushi bite attack can be used once every 3 rounds.
From 14th level their bite attack inflicts 1d8 damage, and such a mamushi has greater control over their use of venom. Each round 1 dose of venom is produced, and the mamushi can use up to 6 doses in a single bite. One dose can stun, three can cause paralysis (both effects as described above), and if 6 doses are used the victim must make a saving throw vs. poison or die).
From 21st level a mamushi can use 6 doses of venom in a bite attack for a charm person or charm monster effect. The victim must make a saving throw vs. poison with a -3 penalty to the roll to avoid the effect. This charm effect is treated identically to any other.
Character Class: Mamushi can theoretically be of any class, but only clerics, fighters and magic users are known. They consider thievery, even in a good cause, dishonourable. They can use any weapon permitted by their class, but armour must be flexible (such as chain mail) and must be especially made for them.
Hit Dice: Mamushi use the same hit dice as equivalent human characters.
Movement and Encumbrance: Mamushi are small but robust, and can carry the same encumbrance as human and demi-human characters.
Language: While their own spoken tongue (mamusho) is difficult for other species to master, the written form of their language, a pictographic system consisting of over 3000 charactes (kanji) has been widely adopted by other species across Zyxl. The result is that the grammar and syntax of other languages in the island nation follow the rules of mamusho, making for considerable confusion when visitors more familiar with the written form of other languages in Zyxl try to communicate with the locals.
Weapons and Armour: Only small weapons can be used by mamushi, and they can only wear flexible armour such as chain mail (class permitting). They may also use shields.
Okumhlophe
While the civilised peoples of the Serpent Peninsula live quite secretive lives in the deep jungles above, the okumphele live even more secret lives deep under the ground. Their pale skins (they are all albino) leave them vulnerable to sunlight, and they struggle (facing a -2 penalty to hit and damage) when forced to operate outdoors in daytime, but they have superb (90’) infravision. Their need for heat means that they have sought hot, volcanic caves deep under ground, where they have made their own nation guided by the feathered serpent, Atzanteotl, who they refer to as Inkanyamba (the ‘snake in the sky’).
However far from being a degenerate breed, they have a complex culture in which females, which are larger than males, are dominant. They hunt a wide range of subterranean prey, and send hunting parties to the surface at night for more fresh meat.
Okumhlophe are hostile to any intelligent creatures not of their own kind, and they plot the demise of all other intelligent races. They understand that they are not alone in this quest, and they know that many other followers of entropic immortals share this goal. They see their role in this as being the information gatherers for the coming apocalypse – they gather data on every other intelligent race, having long networks of caverns stretching between sources of geothermal heat that they use to contact, interrogate and kill other sentient creatures, taking all of the information they gain on any and all of the intelligent peoples of Mystara that they can gain from their victims back to a central library. There, targets for death are collated, graded and compared. The okumphlophe do not know how or where the apocalypse will start, but they plan to be ready to act rapidly when it does.
They gain abilities as they increase in level as their close relatives, the cindezele. They may be clerics (exclusively of Atzanteotl), fighters or magic users, and they excel as thieves.
