Coiled Cabal The Coiled Cabal is a secret society of arcane spellcasters dominated by the Hss ' tafin , but draws members from all the great houses of the yuan - ti . Though the " vrael olo " do not consider it an independent tribe in its own right , it is often treated like one in intertribal politics , especially since membership requires that loyalty to the society take precedence over tribal allegiances . Symbol . The mark of the Coiled Cabal is an S - shaped serpent with open - jawed heads at both ends . In the Forgotten Realms . The Coiled Cabal has power bases in the Great Petrified Serpent at the Serpent Hills , Ss ' kowlyn ' raa in the Forest of Wyrms , Semorav ' s Tower in Hlondeth , the ruins of Lhesper in The Shaar , and at various ruins and settlements currently under construction in the Black Jungles . Politics . The society is allied with the Eselemas , Extaminos , and Hss ' tafi tribes , but it often marches to its own drum . Members of the Coiled Cabal clash most frequently with the Se ' Sehen tribe because both groups see themselves as the rightful leaders in the push for open dominance of Faerûn . Organization & Hierarchy . Cabal members work in " oumkathuss " , small groups of a dozen or so individuals that independently undertake missions . In times of open strife , such missions are often handed down by superiors known as overhoods . At other times , however , each oumkathuss devises its own missions and submits its plans to an overhood for approval . An oumkathuss may report to more than one overhood , but usually no more than three . A Cabal member who personally knows more than three overhoods is likely to draw missions with a high likelihood of death in the field . Overhoods in turn report to greater overhoods . The upper hierarchy of the Cabal is largely hidden and free of formal titles or rules , but it culminates in a council of seven leaders known informally as the Hooded Ones and more properly as the Iurcoil . Mission . These yuan - ti direct the Cabal in accordance with their own mysterious and complex plan . Its specifics and secrets are never shared , but thoughtful members who observe Cabal activities over time often conclude that the Hooded Ones ' strategies have much to do with covert domination of certain individual humans . Many seem designed to subvert local rulers and arcane spellcasters of all kinds ; others are obviously geared to shift the attitude of all humans against temples and priesthoods — probably to weaken clerical influence over the human societies of Faerûn . Some yuan - ti believe that the Coiled Cabal wants to shatter the power of Sseth ' s clergy , reducing his priests to little more than entertainers who provide comforting rituals for the vrael olo . Whether or not the Cabal is pursuing such a goal , and whether that goal is a good or bad one are matters of hot and frequent debate among vrael olo . Some yuan - ti feel that Sseth ' s priests have already lost power over the populace , since increasing numbers of yuan - ti see their personal faith in Sseth as something that can be separated from obedience to clerics of the god . Allies & Enemies . Although the Hooded Ones do seem to have particular ends in mind , the Cabal is by no means a monolithic organization that unerringly pursues a single , coherent goal . Side intrigues flourish , and many seemingly unrelated projects are underway at any given time . Some Cabal overhoods , for example , direct their underlings to slay and frustrate members of the Red Wizards of Thay and the Cult of the Dragon at every opportunity . Others believe that those same organizations should be aided , trengthened , infiltrated , and conquered from within . In this way , they can become great new " Dark Arms " with which the yuan - ti can tame the teeming hordes of humanity . Prestige Class . Members of the Coiled Cabal are known as coiled cabalist s . Coiled Cabalist work in secrecy , never opposing the clergy of Sseth openly . They persue the mastery of magic and work to do so in small secret groups called " oumkathuss " .