Ophidian Vestiges¶

"Those circular tunnels slithering through the underground... when you look at them, you can hear hissing inside your head."
— Testimony of a shrew

The remains of the Serpent civilization that occupied the Cadwallon site for centuries — the layer of the underground that unsettles explorers most. Coiling tunnels, a temple to Vortiris, a vast ossuary of sacrificed slaves, and scale-marked stone that stays warm. The Ophidians left in 255, but their architecture remembers them, a few of their kind still linger, and the Vice is drawing the rest back to war.

Who Built Them¶

The Ophidians — the Serpent people created by Vortiris — took possession of Cadwallon after razing the Sphinx city. Finding no trace of their vanished dragon-father, they built a gigantic temple to honor him, hoping to channel enough faith to bring him back. Practicing their dark rituals, they unknowingly reached Desire and drew their power from his strength — torturing the sleeping god with every ceremony.

Over generations they confused Desire and Vortiris in their worship. Eventually they understood the call came from another Realm, and in 255 they used a portal to follow Vortiris into the Labyrinth, abandoning Aarklash en masse. Only a handful of communities stayed to keep the sanctuaries.

What They Left¶

The vestiges are unmistakable and disturbing:

Circular, coiling tunnels — "cylindrical tunnels winding underground," carved floor-to-ceiling with coiling marks that induce a hissing in the head of anyone who studies them too long
The great ossuary — the building of the Vortiris temple "claimed the lives of thousands of slaves"; their bones fill a huge ossuary, sometimes loose, sometimes stacked in individual stone boxes
Scale-tiles — brown stone tiles set with small scales that stay warm and dry, generating their own heat (found at Scales Square in Ghieronburg and in the deep tunnels)
The reptilian frescoes and statues — reptilian divinities, intact where other ruins were stripped (notably in the Marine Ruins)
Ophidian-marked walls — strange symbols associated with Serpent belief, sealing certain passages (e.g. in the Vegetal Entrails)

The Corpse Problem¶

Why the underground is full of the dead

"The innumerable number of corpses lying in the underground of Cadwallon is mainly the result of the Ophidian occupation." The thousands of slaves sacrificed to build the Vortiris temple are the foundation of the tide of the dead: when heavy rain floods the underground, it drags these ancient bodies (plus those from later necropoli) to the surface. Necromancers exploit the flow. The Cadwë dread of death traces directly back to the Ophidian ossuaries. (see The Sewers, Daily Life)

Who Still Lingers¶

Not all the Ophidians left in 255:

S'ylice — a living ophidian emissary dwelling in the coiling depths beneath the Walled Library. She has chosen to show herself in broad daylight and tighten the Serpents' grip on the city, trading fragments of ancient knowledge for the services of Cadwallon's factions.
Ss'Alish — a degenerated undead ophidian lich beneath Buoyancy Bay in the Marine Ruins, recently woken, mind regressed to an animal
Scattered hidden sanctuaries throughout the deep underground

The Serpents are moving again

The remaining Ophidians "remained hidden in the shadows for a long time" — but with the coming of the Rag'narok they are on the move. Struck by a strange wickedness called the Vice that wakes their animal instincts, they are abandoning their traditions and joining the Meanders of Darkness on the battlefields. In Cadwallon, S'ylice tightening her grip and Ss'Alish waking are two faces of the same stirring — the Serpent remnant rousing as Desire wakes beneath them. (see Ophidians, The Rag'narok)

Relations¶

Ophidians — the people who built them
Vortiris — the dragon-father their temple honors
Desire — tortured by their rituals; the true source of their stolen power
Utopia of the Sphinx — the enemy whose city they razed (the older layer)
S'ylice — living ophidian in the coiling depths
Ss'Alish — undead ophidian in the Marine Ruins
The Sewers / tide of the dead — fed by their ossuaries
The Labyrinth — where the Serpents went in 255

The hissing script

A scholar will pay handsomely for an accurate transcription of the coiling marks in a deep Ophidian tunnel — but reading them too long induces a hissing in the mind that erodes sanity. A league that takes the job must decide how much of their wits the fee is worth. The script may name what the Ophidians actually drew their power from. (It was Desire.)