he common folk know very little of the sentriss horde. True insight into these creatures belongs solely to scholars, intrepid adventurers, and fools who stumble into their lairs and somehow manage to survive. For years, the sentriss have existed beneath us in elaborate catacombs and caves, some even having territorial wars with the duri-aden, or shadow elves. Their societal structure and reproduction methods are as strange as the creatures themselves, and all are a subject of constant curiosity.

The origin of the sentriss is a tale of science, sorcery, and reckless impetuosity. Ca’alanoran Weisar of the Second Era, having broken away from the technology-inclined Bol'darvan, immediately sought a way to reliably defend their land of An Edere, a place now also known as the Shadowlands. Using magic to create life and bind it into servitude, the Weisar made the sentriss: snake-like creatures with raw, muscular power and animalistic viciousness, that towered over their makers in both strength and ferocity. Pacified by Weisar spells, the initial specimens were promising; with enough Weisar lending their power to the process an entire army could be raised in a matter of weeks. Now not only could they keep the shores of An Edere safe, but could strike out at their former brothers and sisters with a terrifying, formidable force.

“My friends, I have summoned you here for one purpose. Our new society has flourished since our days of discord, but do not grow complacent. We cannot be content. An Edere has sheltered us from many evils, but in the eyes of our lost brothers we are criminals, outcasts! They know that our power is growing, unrestrained by their laws and regulations – soon they will come for us, and our island home cannot protect us for very long. Our magic alone cannot save us. We need strength when the reckoning comes; physical, immeasurable strength in body and arms, a presence that our pursuers can understand and fear. We ourselves cannot fight. Another must fight for us…” - Rec Asede, Adjunct Arcanist to Athoris Weimajir Qandurelde

Although simple creatures, the sentriss were far from obsequious; they saw the freedom their masters enjoyed and desperately desired it. As the experiments continued, one of their kind – an unnamed alpha female likely the product of the first successful sentriss experiment – came to possess remarkable intelligence and strength of will as she interacted with her Weisar keepers. Her intelligence intrigued them, as the other sentriss displayed nothing near her level of cognitive ability and, at length, her creators found her to be a delightful curiosity.

Researchers discovered that the advanced female shared something of a telepathic bond with others of her kind – an unusual byproduct of their tampering, for certain. Through her, the Weisar were able to communicate with the other sentriss and taught them rudimentary commands to prepare them for servitude. In actuality, they were giving the sentriss a key to rebellion. Blinded by the verve of creation, the Weisar did not foresee the hatred flashing violently in the reptilian eyes of their sentriss drones, nor the alpha female’s secret scheming.

In their fervor, the Weisar never predicted an uprising of such magnitude as the sentriss revolt. Breaking their bonds, the sentriss set upon the Weisar like a mighty wave, decimating the researchers and arcanists in a frenzied bid for freedom. The venom from a sentriss bite did not kill or paralyze the afflicted, but instead initiated a frightful metamorphosis – in a matter of hours, a bitten Weisar could be fully transformed into a sentriss ready to serve the alpha female in her push towards liberation. Twelve sentriss became twenty four, twenty four became forty eight, and come their escape into the wild they numbered nearly three hundred fifty slithering, snarling beasts. The ravaged compound at Onedar, test site for sentriss development in An Edere, is believed to be a massive sentriss nest even to this day.

“The Reclamation of An Edere,” a Weisar counterattack against their creation, was largely ineffective. The tide of sentriss spread far and wide, and for every one that fell in battle, two more rose from overrun Weisar towns and cities. The last notable sentriss incursion against their former masters was a massive raid into Ard Efeleq, City of Black Spires, which nearly doubled the already sizable sentriss population. Their attacks strangely subsided shortly thereafter, though the Weisar never fully recovered from their dreadful mistake. As the Second Era closed and war raged across the surface of Terrin, the sentriss multiplied in the depths, the dark places, spreading out into new lands by use of underwater caverns and tunnels. Their numbers have been growing ever since.

The following has been adapted from “Seeking Sentriss” – an essay written by Jeridon Hawkflight, a Csegrean historian.

he sentriss are a race of snake creatures, their upper body being that of a man or a woman save for their snake-like head, and their lower body being the coils of a serpent. They possess two strong arms and hands with three long digits and an opposable thumb. Their hide is decorated much like that of a common snake; colors and markings varies between individual sentriss and their clans. In total, a sentriss can be up to thirty feet in length from nose to tail.

The common sentriss is the sentriss warrior, labeled “rthethetic” in their tongue. The rthethetic can be male or female; both are equally fearsome if provoked. And although sexually sterile, their venom can turn other humanoid races into sentriss jthenar hybrids. Over a period of hours, the infected will lose more and more of their attributes as their body changes to resemble a naturally-born sentriss rthethetic. The only known races with immunity to sentriss venom are the duri-aden and drakadremaar.

A sentriss hybrid or “jthenar” is highly valued as they retain the ability to copulate and reproduce offspring from their previous life. A male and female jthenar can produce a large clutch of sentriss newborns during their mating cycle. The newborn creatures then grow to become rthethetic that can only reproduce by infecting other humanoids. The finest researchers and scientists from Terrin’s many realms have yet to uncover exactly how this unusual procreation process came about. Athallas’ Lorekeepers are rumored to have uncovered some of the deepest secrets of the sentriss, but their records have been lost to thieves, internal struggles, and the passage of time.

Above the rthethetic is a “sentrethad” or, as they are more commonly known, a king. Always a male sentriss and naturally-born, the sentrethad is a prime example of his kind; they are distinctly noticeable due to their cobra-like hoods, a trait reserved only for them, and highly complicated hide patterns. And unlike common sentriss, his blood is black and his venom is poisonous – the sentrethad does not infect those who receive his bite; he kills them outright. Unlike his kin, the sentrethad possesses a refined intelligence and the notable ability to wield magical power. They revel in this, using their abilities to lead their people and live an opulent life. If they are lucky enough to do so, two jthenar will produce only one sentrethad in their entire lifetime.

entriss society is divided into small clans governed by an individual sentrethad. He leads them into battle, directs their everyday activities and is, for the most part, their reason for being. Aside from their leader, jthenar and rthethetic treat one another as equals and share a common bond; the only exception to this is combat, where females will be given a secondary role, generally that of ranged fire support, and males will serve more on the front lines as footsoldiers.

Life for common sentriss is simple - their chief concerns are hunting parties and infiltration groups respectively designed to return food and jthenar hybrids to the clan. Beyond subsistence, the sentriss want for little; any greater campaigns are waged at their sentrethad’s behest. Conflict between sentriss clans is rare and much of their malefiscense is directed outward; larger, more adept war parties of seasoned fighters, often led by their ruling sentrethad, may strike at rivals such as the duri-aden and occasionally above ground.

“Twenty of my friends and family were taken that night, some of them screaming in pain, some eerily quiet as the sentriss took them from our village. I had a knife in my leg and could not follow them... all the good I could've done if I did.” - Jaion Brickman, pitch rigger

If a new sentrethad is born into an established sentriss clan, the existing sentrethad, fearing being supplanted, will destroy the upstart before he comes of age. No esteemed sentrethad would ever turn his prized throne over to a youngling. Barring usurpation, a reigning sentrethad lives a long life of opulence and comfort rivaling even the kings of men.

o preserve their ability to move and strike quickly, sentriss will wear light armor if any at all. They may wear a broad utility belt about their ‘waist’ with various belt pouches for carrying small supplies as well. Female warriors will also wear some decorative jewelry, or may embroider their existing equipment with small designs to mark it as theirs.

The sentriss seldom craft their own weapons or items and instead take from the villages they raid. There is very little consistency across the design of their materiel; a sentriss may wear a Tarslani armor breastplate and bracers from a Csagradan legionnaire. They have preferences in their type of weaponry, however – most sentriss warriors prefer a long, curved sword similar to a saber or scimitar. Females typically serve as archers and will employ some type of standard short or medium bow. The poisonous venom of fallen sentrethad may be used to coat the heads of their arrows.

- Sentriss Weapons and Accoutrements -

Sentriss kings carry lighter weaponry, usually curved daggers or other short blades. They keep warriors about them as bodyguards and try to remain out of physical combat, requiring less reliance upon swords and related arms. If using magic, it will be their first and foremost method of attack; they may carry a scepter or wand designed to facilitate this. This item is crafted by the king himself and, although simple in design, will not be crude - all surfaces will be flat, polished and edges will be sharp and well-made. They may also carry a small or large tome for their spells with a large power sigil on the front cover and a complicated locking mechanism.

All sentriss also have natural weaponry in the form of their claws, teeth, and powerful tails. The venom of a sentriss king will kill those bitten by him; death is generally instantaneous.

“Jethen was taken by a sentriss two months ago. He sure went down fighting! Must’ve killed three of ‘em with his father’s sword, but they still got him. He came back as one of ‘em, too… still wielding that damn sword…” - Unknown

he sentriss do not have an organized religion and, from what observers have witnessed, do not worship a deity. The sentriss naturally hold snakes in high regard; the kinship is undeniable and images of serpents are prominent within their society. If they must seek a higher power, a sentriss may consult their clan’s sentrethad for guidance. His word is considered law, and the sentrethad himself is answerable to no one and only reveres the Wei – the mystical wellspring of energy from which his magic flows.

heir spoken language, Senslass, is derivative of Alid, a Weisar variant of Ca’alaric which developed alongside Alarom late in the Second Era. The connection between Senslass and Alid, although nebulous, gives credence to the stories surrounding the sentriss’ origin, their Weisar masters, and the debacle at Onedar. Still, the sentriss language is difficult to translate due to its many departures from Alid and an impediment resulting from the design of the sentriss mouth. Few sentriss know common Tradespeak, though some jthenar may retain certain words and phrases from their past life despite losing the intelligence to properly use them. A sentrethad has a more confident command of Tradespeak and may use it to taunt his enemies during an attack.

Their written language is entirely their own, featuring an array of winding shapes resembling coiled serpents. This symbolism plays greatly into ornamentation of weapons and armor; sentriss females are often tasked with inscribing these runes into captured wares to make such items unique to their respective clan. These designs are not so much a decoration as they are a declaration stating the inscribed item belongs to a sentriss.

- Sample Sentriss Script -

entriss only mate for the purposes of reproduction - they do not understand the concepts of extended coupling or romanticism. To them, taking a mate is a part of a function and nothing more. An especially fertile jthenar, particularly a brood mother known for a multitude of successful births, may have literally hundreds of mates in their lifetime.

Friendly relationships formed between sentriss are tenuous at best as they are almost constantly on the move and may not see one another for months at a time. Sentrethad have their choice of females but do not take mates, nor do they look to produce offspring.

he sentriss method of reproduction is an unusual one. A natural-born rthethetic sentriss is infertile and cannot reproduce – they can only “infect” other races via their bite and transform them into sentriss. A transformed sentriss becomes a gifted jthenar and can, however, reproduce with another jthenar. It is theorized that sentrethad are sterile.

Eight weeks after two jthenar mate, the female will lay a small clutch of rthethetic eggs. One out of every five eggs will hatch into a healthy rethethetic - others may die in their eggs or simply be born too feeble to survive. A rethethetic is considered fully grown at three years. The life span of a common sentriss is not known, though it is theorized to be short – no more than 30 years by the Triadic calendar. Sentrethad are believed to live much longer; possibly 500 years or more.

Much to the ruling sentrethad’s delight, the chance of two jthenar producing another sentrethad is a slim one. Even a fertile female with multiple partners, often designated as the brood mother, has a low probability of ever producing a sentrethad in their lifetime. An established sentrethad may rule for many millennia before being dethroned.

“I know, I know. It’s hard to understand. But imagine if you and Delia were bitten and turned into sentriss. You’d both be fertile and could reproduce little sentriss, but they would be sterile. They could only make more sentriss by biting, say, me and your classmates. So, you see, they have two methods of reproducing – it’s all rather fascinating…” - Jeridon Hawkflight, teaching his Sentriss Studies class

or some time, it was thought that the sentriss deposited their deceased into massive underground chasms, though recent evidence tells differently. One sentriss clan was observed destroying their dead in an underground lava pool deep beneath Uad, Valanoi’s only active volcano. Harsh heat and noxious gasses prevented the researcher from watching more closely, but his records speak of over thirty bodies, possibly the result of a failed raid, being thrown into the bubbling pit below. Other sentriss have been seen destroying their dead with magical flames summoned by the sentrethad of their clan, this trend apparently making fire an important element of their funerals.

A sentrethad who falls in combat is quickly retrieved by his protectors and brought back to his settlement to receive proper rites. There, his venom is removed and stored for later use. His body is cleaned and then moved to a pyre to be destroyed by natural fire. Their oath considered broken, warriors who allow their sentrethad to die in battle then commit suicide by injecting themselves with their master’s venom. Their bodies are left to rot around the sentrethad’s funeral pyre as another sign of how they failed him.

entiments between sentriss clans are amiable as long as their respective territories are not infringed upon. Outwardly, the sentriss regard mankind and other surface-dwellers with incredible rancor, likely due to past grievances involving the Ca’alanora of the Second Era. The duri-aden, or shadow elves, are another sworn enemy of the sentriss horde as the two vie for control of holdings and hunting territories below Terrin’s surface.

Regardless of any deep-rooted hatred, there has only been one documented, organized war campaign against eynamen or any other race: the aptly named Snake War of Csegre, where sentriss brazenly attacked the kingdom of Csagrada in repeated, calculated raids, possibly as part of a larger scheme involving Yveren’s Serpent Order.

ll sentriss are sentient creatures, but many operate more on instinct than intelligence. Simple-minded, they live extremely primitive lives and, if left to their own devices, will not strive to advance themselves further. The wizened sentrethad are what drive their fellow brethren onward to greater conquests: more territory, more riches, and greater influence in their subterranean world. Sentrethad have also been shown to be incredibly adept at the use of magic, often rivaling even eynamen sorcerers; their abilities support the claim that Ca’alanora Weisar created the sentriss as an experiment and unconsciously granted them the gift of weimastering. Common sentriss have no such ambitions and are easily influenced, as proven by the Serpent Order’s consistent ability to charm sentriss into serving Yveren’s will. Jthenar may retain memories and a spark of intelligence from their past life, but these are often fleeting.

“If you kill the king, you’ll kill them all! They won’t fight without him!” - Captain Leonard Laurman, Thyneville militiaman

erhaps the most influential sentriss on record was Rhand, a sentrethad from Tarislan’s aptly-named Valley of the Snakes. Rhand and his band of sentriss were unusual in that they believed in a god of their kind, a diety that would one day return to the earth and grant them untold power. Fellow sentrethad regarded Rhand as a lunatic and a threat to their dominion over lesser sentriss. Gra’dulm, however, saw Rhand’s followers as toys to be played with - the elven wizard took great delight in killing many of these sentriss and defiling their hallowed ground with his army of Awoken. To the necromancer’s surprise, however, Rhand was a sorcerer of incredible skill and a foe he could not dispatch. Instead, Gra’dulm absconded north to Asyrjari while Rhand gathered those still alive and loyal to him before peacefully heading south to Csegre. As he departed Tarislan in 1144 AR, Rhand killed Nasser of the Wolf’s Dale, an Ayiir Defender of great renown, after crossing paths with the paladin in the village of Thread. It is believed Tirvalleis sought retribution for hiss fallen Defender by killing Rhand one month later.

sentriss clan is a tightly knit society. Unrest and infighting is rare even amongst separate sentriss clans; their common goal of survival serves to unite them in a way, and rarely will sentriss make war upon sentriss unless, of course, a sentrethad’s motives come into play.
When they fight surface-dwelling enemies, they will fight in sizable hordes - a lone sentriss is most often a lure for a larger trap. Sentriss venom will affect eynamen, elves, and many other creatures; those who are bitten will transform into jthenar hybrids within hours. This along with their natural yet limited ability to procreate can increase their numbers rapidly. Sentriss kings have proven to be surprisingly adept at the use of magic and will use spells to increase the already amazing ferocity of their attacks. Sentriss use underground tunnels to their advantage, often surfacing just outside of unsuspecting villages, striking in a surprise attack, and taking the infected back to their lairs to complete their transformation.

hanks to their many ways of reproducing or increasing their numbers, the sentriss constantly struggle with overpopulation. A sentrethad must carefully supervise his clan’s development to ensure they do not outgrow their hunting grounds or living area, two places they sometimes share with the duri-aden elves. Sunlight and other forms of natural light can disrupt a sentriss’ vision and cause them discomfort, making them more suited for nocturnal operations if working above ground. Sentriss are cold-blooded and need warmth to survive, requiring them to camp near natural hot springs or other sources of geothermal heat. The simple minds of a rthethetic and jthenar sentriss leave them susceptible to influence from sorcerers, especially their own sentrethad leaders. And although the sentriss are sentient, they are often viewed as monsters - rightfully so, given their frightful appearance and mannerisms.