Serpent People
Peuple Serpent
Not even the physical horror of my position in that cramped corridor of dead reptiles and antediluvian frescoes, miles below the world I knew and faced by another world of eerie light and mist, could match the lethal dread I felt at the abysmal antiquity of the scene and its soul. An ancientness so vast that measurement is feeble seemed to leer down from the primal stones and rock-hewn temples in the nameless city, while the . . . maps in the frescoes shewed oceans and continents that man has forgotten, with only here and there some vaguely familiar outline. — H. P. Lovecraft
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They resemble upright serpents, with arms and legs, ophidian heads and tails, and commonly wear robes of the highest quality.
Habitat : any non-arctic environment, though preferably warm. Degenerates mostly live underground.
This ancient race first reached prominence in the Permian Age, long before the first dinosaurs. That primordial civilization built cities of black basalt, fought deadly wars, and mastered profound chemical and hypergeometrical techniques. The species dwindled in the Triassic. In the Pliocene, Serpent People increased and once again built cities, thriving into the early Pleistocene. Now they are again a relict species, here on Earth and in the Dreamlands.
Distribution : worldwide. In the early Pleistocene, individuals mastered occult illusion and could take on other appearances. Some live among us now, illusion masking their true nature.
Their first civilization learned the secret of immortality, later enabling isolated scholars to contribute profoundly in epochs when civilization was prostrate. Some Serpent People survive from earlier ages, beneficiaries of immortality. Others are atavisms to earlier, powerful versions of the species. Such individuals often lead and tend their brethren. Most Serpent People are degenerate, of limited intelligence and stunted in growth and appearance. Some crawl, rather than walking erect.
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Life and Habits : a carnivore, the Serpent Man prefers live prey. At times, ultra-civilized members apparently subsisted wholly on artificial food. The species appears to hate or resent humanity and plots against us, feeling that we block their rightful reascendance to power (Lochert, 1983). Distinguishing Serpent People : •
Beings from Ib have soft, slippery hides, no scales, and no tails.
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Deep Ones are aquatic, and are without tails.
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Ghouls are human-like, with a canine aspect devoid of reptilian features.
