Church of Sseth

The Church of Sseth was a collection of clerics, crusaders, shamans, and specialty priests called serphidians who were devoted to Sseth, the World Serpent.

Organization
The vast majority of Sseth's priests were serphidians. The entire clergy were referred to as the Ssethssar. Though largely chaotic by nature, the Ssethssar held to a rigid hierarchy of ranks that included, in ascending order, the following: Adder, Pit Viper, Asp, Krait, Cobra, Anaconda, Rattler, Boalisk, and Python. The higher ranking priests were called Elder Serpents. Each Elder Serpent carried a unique title granted by Sseth himself. Any wizards within the Ssethssar were called Heways. Heways were often granted flying snakes as familiars, or deathfangs for necromancers.

Activities
The Ssethssar were focused with enslaving their human and demihuman neighbors and infiltrating key positions in society in many nations in order to bring back the glory of Sseth and Serpentes.

Celebrations
Major religious events observed by followers of Sseth included:
 * The Sagacious Slumber which was an annual month-long hibernation.
 * The Shedding in which followers shed their skin while sacrificing a living sentient creature.

Base of Operations
The temples of Sseth were often found deep within jungles or other heavily forested regions. Subterranean cavern complexes were also used. These temples were decorated with depictions of snakes consuming humans or humans transforming into snakes. Stairs were rarely present in such temples as the yuan-ti preferred ramps or poles.

Two such prominent temples were the Pit of Vipers and the Shrine of Cowled Serpents.

Agents and spies for the Church of Sseth were spread across the entire breadth of Faerûn, but most of Sseth's followers were concentrated in Hlondeth and the Vilhon Reach, as well as the jungles of the Chultan Peninsula.

Dogma
All Ssethssar believed that serpents were sacred beings descended from the World Serpent. True wisdom and dominance over the world could be achieved by embracing Sseth. Life was a series of transformations toward Sseth's ultimate embrace. The children of Sseth acted only after long periods of reconnaissance and reflection, striking without mercy.

Orders
The Viper's Fangs was a group of yuan-ti pureblood and human assassins and spies who infiltrated key areas of power across the Realms. The Coiled Cabal was a secretive collection of yuan-ti wizards who strove for arcane excellence.