Rykoth

Rykoth's deeds did not go unnoticed by the deities of Entia. They watched as he grew in power, reputation and skills. When he was deemed worthy, he was summoned before the council of deities and given trial. To fail was to face worse than death. Here was the opportunity he had waited for his entire life. His destiny. Ultimate power. No one knows exactly what Rykoth was required to do to prove his worth, but it apparently satisfied the gods, for he left the mortal realm behind and ascended into the heavens. His dreams of power finally realized, Rykoth basked in the heady rush of emotions. He enjoyed the weeks long revels of the gods, where mead flowed like water and nubile young women lined up to find new ways to please him. Then, he became jaded. The pursuit of power for power's sake was no longer enough. He took to wandering more and more into the endless void in search of answers to his discontent. Finally he disappeared from Entia entirely and it was assumed he had willed himself out of existence. Some few mourned and life went on. Quite suddenly one day, Rykoth awoke, as if from a long dream or nightmare. Looking around he found himself once again in the lands of Entia. He resolved to hold himself aloof from the excesses available to him by virtue of his power and to turn his attention to the betterment of Entia. It is rumored that he constructed a temple to himself somewhere and that Phaet caused the region to be peopled with creatures pleasing to Rykoth. The location of this land is, as yet, unknown to the mortal world. Rykoth continues to grow in his understanding of the ultimate purpose of life's existence on Entia. The struggle between Good and Evil continues and Rykoth watches and waits

Rykoth was hatched from a dragon's egg incubated under a king cobra. He cracked his shell hungering for flesh, and with the urge to poison. His 'mother', however, took one look at him and immediately attacked, striking the child repeatedly. For Rykoth bore scant resemblance to his 'mother'. Apart from a slightly greenish tint to his skin and slitted eyes he was, to all appearances, humanoid. The king cobra venom burned through his veins, but instead of poisoning him, it seemed to energize and enervate him. He was quickly able to crawl away, and fed his hunger on his siblings, who were hatching around him. Perhaps it was the venom, or his unusual heritage, but whatever the reason, Rykoth grew more rapidly than imaginable. By the end of his first year, he returned to his 'mother' and captured her, along with several other cobras. He took their cast-off skins and created clothing for himself and milked the venom from them regularly to feed the fire in his veins.

As he grew in age, so too did he grow in power, and he had a vast hunger for power. He found human settlements nearby and, by observing secretly, he formed the rudiments of human speech. He was 5 years old when he first approached the closest human settlement of Zyankia. Even though only 5, he appeared to be in his mid-teens. The wise among these people saw the strength in Rykoth and attempted to educate him in the ways of Entia, the pantheon of the deities, and the proper behavior for citizens. He endured their teachings, though he felt them beneath him. Still, he was learning, and he quickly saw that knowledge was the key to power. Through them, he learned of the greater gods Nixil and Phaet and their continual struggles. To these lessons, Rykoth paid close attention. Here was ultimate power!

The commanders of the city consented to train Rykoth in the marshal arts. He learned the forms of hand-to-hand combat, and the wielding of all manner of weapons. He quickly outstripped his teachers, for whom he felt nothing but contempt. They aligned themselves with Phaet, and as such only held to the true spirit of combat -- for king, country and righteousness. Rykoth quickly saw that such an attitude crippled them, effectively removing half of the power available. Sneaking and stealth were born into Rykoth, as was a lack of regard for the finer points of property ownership.

He toyed for a while with the idea of placing his trust in Nixil. Nixil's chaotic nature was a strong lure and Rykoth felt a strong affinity towards chaos. In the end, however, he came to a similar conclusion as he had with the followers of Phaet. Namely that limiting himself to Absolute Good or Absolute Evil was too restrictive. He felt more power could be gained by drawing from the strengths of both.

The Trials (summarized from The Book of Serpents, Chptrs 3-15)

Upon reaching the age of 15, Rykoth was superior in every way to the inhabitants of his adoptive city. He was unbelievably quick. His instructors in the marshal arts had ceased trying to best him in combat, for he was disdainful of their efforts and often struck blows when his opponent was unprepared or had been beaten senseless. The nearby Crawl Marsh provided a continuing source of snake venom, upon which he fed. He discovered that he was still able to communicate with snakes and that he had a peculiar affinity for other reptiles. As he grew and ventured forth into Entia, he met with various forms of life, but reptilian life forms seemed to hold him in regard. If he tried, he could communicate with crocodiles, lizards, turtles and of course snakes. The meanest and hungriest crocodile would duck their head in respect if he passed by where it lay sunning on a riverbank.

One other odd thing befell him as he entered puberty. His eyeteeth began to lengthen and narrow, and he felt the formation of fleshly sacs inside his mouth. To his surprise, he discovered that he could inject poison with his bite, if he so chose. He tested his poison on some of the local wildlife and determined that his venom was about 10 times as strong as the bite from a king cobra. This knowledge he kept to himself and nobody saw fit to comment on his exceptionally long eyeteeth.

As he grew, he heard rumors of fierce reptile-like beasts in various parts of Entia; dragons, ancient dinosaurs, and huge snakes that were the terrors of their particular corner of the world. He ventured forth, leaving Zyankia behind forever, and journeyed forth in search of these fearsome beasts. Each he met, and each fell to his prowess. He forbore delivering the killing stroke on the most powerful of these creatures, instead requiring an oath of servitude. From each he took items of great power and magic, magnifying his own steadily growing powers. He continued to garb himself in snakeskin, which seemed to draw from his own power, making him impervious to many forms of damage.

His reputation as a fighter grew and his services began to be requested by rulers and powerful merchants for dealing with various troubles they were experiencing. These requests he honored as he saw fit, sometimes treating his clients worse than the monsters he was hired to combat. Word spread… hire Rykoth if you have a dirty job, but keep one hand on your sword and both eyes on your cashbox when you were dealing with him.

Rykoth developed a few strong friendships, and many mortal enemies as he traveled through Entia. While he held a distain for those he considered inferior to him, he did meet a very few individuals whose powers rivaled his own. He was known to be seen in the company of some of the most powerful of the heroes of old, usually in a tavern somewhere, or on a battlefield. Few were those who could stand against him and many were the grave-markers he left behind. He was said to be able to call dragons and other fearsome beasts to him in the heat of battle, but that was only rumored.

The Ascension, Fall and Rebirth (summarized from The Book of Serpents, Chptrs 16 - 28)

Rykoth's deeds did not go unnoticed by the deities of Entia. They watched as he grew in power, reputation and skills. When he was deemed worthy, he was summoned before the council of deities and given trial. To fail was to face worse than death. Here was the opportunity he had waited for his entire life. His destiny. Ultimate power. No one knows exactly what Rykoth was required to do to prove his worth, but it apparently satisfied the gods, for he left the mortal realm behind and ascended into the heavens. His dreams of power finally realized, Rykoth basked in the heady rush of emotions. He enjoyed the weeks long revels of the gods, where mead flowed like water and nubile young women lined up to find new ways to please him. Then, he became jaded. The pursuit of power for power's sake was no longer enough. He took to wandering more and more into the endless void in search of answers to his discontent. Finally he disappeared from Entia entirely and it was assumed he had willed himself out of existence. Some few mourned and life went on.

Quite suddenly one day, Rykoth awoke, as if from a long dream or nightmare. Looking around he found himself once again in the lands of Entia. He resolved to hold himself aloof from the excesses available to him by virtue of his power and to turn his attention to the betterment of Entia. It is rumored that he constructed a temple to himself somewhere and that Phaet caused the region to be peopled with creatures pleasing to Rykoth. The location of this land is, as yet, unknown to the mortal world. Rykoth continues to grow in his understanding of the ultimate purpose of life's existence on Entia. The struggle between Good and Evil continues and Rykoth watches and waits...