To his followers, Ssendis is the living miracle of the Ishteka—the first mortal in an age to climb the Ladder of Ascension and reclaim the divine favor of the Great Serpent. To his enemies, he is a cosmic parasite, a thief who has positioned himself as a dam between the people and their true god.
The Public Myth: The Chosen One
According to the official doctrine of The Hallowed Coil, Ssendis was once a lowly Pureblood who possessed a mind of such singular, diamond-like logic that he caught the eye of the Great Serpent. Through one hundred years of calculated sacrifice and unyielding devotion, he systematically shed his humanity.
Ssendis claims that upon reaching the form of an Anathema, the Great Serpent chose him to be its singular Avatar. He preaches to his loyalists that the stories of a god sleeping beneath the mountains are "primitive superstitions" designed by the weak to keep the Yuan-ti waiting for a savior who will never come. In the temples of Kha-Zul, the only truth is Ssendis; the only voice is his; and the only path to power is through his grace.
The Hidden Truth: The Divine Parasite
The reality is far more sinister. Upon his ascension to Anathema status, Ssendis gained the spiritual sensitivity to feel the truth: the myths were real. He felt the gargantuan, rhythmic pulse of the Great Serpent’s heart beating deep beneath the bedrock of Bandali. He realized that the very mountains guarding Aethelgard were indeed the fossilized ridges of his creator's spine.
Instead of waking his master, Ssendis chose betrayal. He realized that a sleeping god is a defenseless wellspring of power.
• The Great Deception: He buried all evidence of the "Slumbering Avatar," executing any priest who spoke of it.
• The Siphon: He redesigned the Ishteka rituals. When his followers sacrifice "warm-bloods" or channel their prayers, the energy does not go to the Great Serpent. Ssendis has constructed Siphon-Altars that act as spiritual needles, piercing the earth and draining the divine essence directly from the sleeping deity into himself.
The Final Goal: The Ultimate Usurpation
Ssendis is not content with being a king; he seeks to become the New Serpent. His plan is a calculated, multi-stage operation:
1. Total Absorption: He continues to bloat his power, hoping to drain enough essence to fully replace the Great Serpent within the divine hierarchy.
2. Divine Ascension: Once he has siphoned enough power, he intends to transcend the material plane, leaving his physical Anathema body behind to take his place among the stars.
3. The Return of the Ishteka: From his new seat of godhood, Ssendis plans to manifest a new avatar—one entirely under his control—to lead the Yuan-ti in a holy war to re-establish the Ishteka Empire.
He envisions a world where every sentient being in Bandali is either a scaled servant or a sacrifice on his altar, providing him with the eternal worship he needs to remain the apex predator of the pantheon.