Yuan - ti Yuan - ti are a species of monstrous humanoid snake - men and are usually of an evil alignment . Yuan - ti have their own language , and they can also speak Common , Draconic , and Abyssal . Society . Yuan - ti call themselves vrael olo ( which means " favored ones " ) . Daily use typically uses the shortened " vrael " , and can be modified to " auvrael " ( meaning friendly or known yuan - ti ) and duthrael ( unfriendly or unfamiliar yuan - ti ) . In general , the more serpentine features a yuan - ti possesses the higher its status in yuan - ti society . Abominations are at the top of their society , followed by halfblood , and finally purebloods . Within their subraces , yuan - ti are ranked by achievements and the demonstrated favor of Sseth . Most yuan - ti worship Sseth , with other serpentine deities that some have worshipped over the years either being masks worn by Sseth or a false deity of the Scaleless Ones . All yuan - ti must act in accordance with the Sacred Way of Sseth - that is , subtly . Whenever possible , yuan - ti choose manipulation over open confrontation , the whisper over the fang . Followers of the Sacred Way of Sseth know their foes , think ahead , and plan forward . The goal of the Yuan - ti , as dictated by their demonic god Merrshaulk ( also known as Sseth ) , is to bring about the ultimate destruction of the world . History . Long before humans dominated the continent of Faerûn , the Creator Races ruled Toril . The reptilian Creator Race , the sarrukh , were foremost amongst these and built up great empires . They bred the first yuan - ti by magically experimenting with and breeding men with snakes . This way they also created naga , and through a similar process , lizardmen . They eventually fell from power and the resourceful yuan - ti rose up to claim their Creators ' power vacuum , even while sustaining the empire of Mhairshaulk . Of the fragmented World Serpent deity that the sarrukh had worshiped , the yuan - ti venerated the strongest aspect , a cruel and despotic deity , Merrshaulk , who grew distant and aloof . As the yuan - ti ' s power became less visible on Faerûn , and they instead fell to infiltrating human and demihuman society through their organizations and long - sighted plots , Merrshaulk had sunk into a slumber , ignoring his followers . Eventually , around the time of the collapse of the human empire of Netheril , Merrshaulk himself was also reborn as a winged yuan - ti avatar named Sseth , who became the yuan - ti ' s new primary deity . In the end , though , Sseth too sank into somnolence . At this point some sarrukh , long suffering a heavy war on other planes or sunken in hibernation in their ruins , began to return in some numbers . They crucially needed help from their deity , but Sseth was not answering prayers in his slumber . So for aid in their endeavors some of the sarrukh made a bargain with the Mulhorandi deity Set , that put Sseth into a deeper sleep but allowed Set to assume Sseth ' s mantle and grant the sarrukh their aid . Most yuan - ti do not even know of this transaction , though now Sseth struggles at his bonds some are being made aware of it . Life Cycle . Female yuan - ti lay eggs in brood chambers , marking each clutch with its parentage , then abandoning them to the care of broodguards . Yuan - ti hatchlings are hatched from these eggs , which are always curious and eager to explore , and will seek food immediately , even eating each other if sustenance is not at hand . Their initial training is provided by broodguards , also monitor the hatchery . Young yuan - ti are trained in the use of their powers almost after being born . They will turn into tiny vipers and slither to the nearest cover when they see danger or hear a warning . Yuan - ti in their prime will scheme , breed , and work on behalf of their tribes . Breeding is carefully controlled , seen as a holy act , in order to produce the " best " offspring . Prospective partners will coldly measure one another and if both agree that the match is promising , they usually mate , regardless of their personal affections towards each other . Often elder yuan - ti grow lazy when they reach great age , sleeping or lying in torpor for longer and longer periods - first for days , then weeks , then seasons at a time , and finally years upon years . At last , they fail to wake at all . Yuan - ti Breeds . The yuan - ti come in several distinct castes or breeds . The three most prevalent are as follows . Sub - breeds . In addition to the three main breeds , other breeds have been described as well :