Sopeth

in: Gods & Religions

## Introduction

Sopeth is the dark and mysterious serpentine deity of the Khemet pantheon. In his depictions he takes the form of a massive serpent, one larger than any ever encountered. He is shown as a creature wrapped by shadow: his lower half an obscure outline, while the rest of him sometimes forgoes even that. It is believed that Sopeth is capable of disguising himself as a human and walks among the populace of Khemet, gauging those around him of their worth before being the one to directly lure them into his cult. While Sopeth is not considered a prominent god by most in Khemet, he does have a ‘secret’ sub-sect of zealous acolytes within the Priesthood that worship him in a cult-like setting.It’s debated, quietly, on what Sopeth stands for. No one openly speaks for Sopeth or his demands. Some have declared him a mad god that simply revels in chaos with no true philosophy or meaning behind his existence. However, the most common themes associated with the serpentine deity are anarchy, betrayal, chaos, deception, shadows, and illusions.

## Origins

Over the years, Sopeth’s origins have been fiercely debated. Each cult and temple seem to have their own idea of how the god came to be - an ironically fitting trait for a god presiding over anarchy and deception. Were these tales spun by Sopeth and whispered in the ears of those Khemetians during his wandering guised as a man? It was difficult to say, but the core details tend to remain the same. There was a snake deep within the sands. It was a small snake, as common as any other with absolutely nothing marvelous or special to speak of. The creature would weave through crevices of rock and sand, taking shelter from Pra’s unforgiving glare wherever shadow could be found. And then something new began to stir beneath the earth. Something raw and unnerving. Something that awakens new meaning within the snake. This something was chaos magic, and the little creature greedily hoarded it. Its scales cracked and rippled, and they blistered and popped as the fount of unfiltered magic was soaked in by the creature.

There are men who were hunting for snakes for some game or omen or another near this place of shadow and magic. One happened upon this resting snake in the midst of piles of sheddings and dark scales. These are strange scales, nothing seen by the likes of the man before. The snake is stuffed away in a basket, as many of its brethren have been for centuries, guarded from the light of the sun and the harsh rays of Pra… but also kept at bay from sinking their fangs into the flesh of men. Some time after, the tale continued of the strange onyx serpent being carried to a small cult that beseeches some god or another for blood. Little did they know that the snake would begin to feed off the rituals, growing with each one as it soaked up and devoured the magic spilling in each word. Each sacrifice caused the reptile to twist, turn, and grow… and even more concerning, the serpent became something of a sentient being. Its escape from the basket was inevitable as it wound itself within the various words of magic and constant prayer. Never would a ritual turn out the same as the beseecher might seek until Sopeth would begin to understand what they wanted.

As the snake began to unwind, so too would they grant the askance in their own twisted fashion for those who seemed most pious. Not all would live, but others would. There was little rhyme or reason to it… and while it was a large risk, many began to recognize the faint serpent in the shadows during ritual and found it worth the possibility of absolute agony and death to give even the best of sacrifices of betrayal and deception amongst themselves for great reward. Never were their rewards granted in the broad light of the sun, which showed far more favorably along Bast as Sopeth lurked in the shadows, not seen as a true God amongst the others. Sopeth would deny his gifts to those who allowed Pra access to their rituals, breaking a hierarchy of deities unlike many God had seen. It is even whispered that Sopeth denied siding with any during the war against the True Fey, sewing whatever chaos it could against either side, never seen as ally to any with such anarchist habits.

## Clash of the Gods

While other gods saw themselves above man, with little similarity, Sopeth saw the mix of traits between god and man. Man and beast were seen as the same, as pawns in the game of gods until the pawns were needed. Sopeth saw them too, as pawns, but he acknowledged man’s greed, desire for power, and capacity for violence; all traits the gods shared. He saw these same traits in Pra, with his blind trust of Bast and Bast, in her envy of the serpent and greed for what Pra offered. He soaked in that greed, twisting man toward deception and betrayal .To soak in the warmth of Pra, was to know his power and so Bast (in her infinite greed), found the sun god’s lap whenever he would travel to create and spread his light to the people. She would walk at his side and eventually, they came to the lands where Sopeth had grown and he felt the warmth and resonance of Pra’s light and power. He slithered closer. Pra Was delighted to find the snake to be an interesting curious creature in its wily cleverness as it traversed with the pair; however, the lioness was not pleased to share. As the serpent grew in their travels, the lioness began to grow smaller. Bast began to allow the snake to come closer and closer, feigning a certain friendship and respect for the serpent as the lioness even allowed the ever growing snake to walk beside the great sun god, whose eyes remain on the skies and the land, paying little mind to either beasts beside him. It is during one of these walks, Sopeth beside Pra and Bast on the outside, that the lioness would take a massive paw and step along the serpent’s tail. Those claws dug into the scaled cold flesh. The serpent hisses and opens its jaw, venomous fangs sinking into the flesh of the sun god in that reactive instinct.

The venom is enough to stop the sun god as he fell in the sand. Bast would shout and roar, placing the blame upon the serpent and his greed for the warmth of the sun god, claiming the serpent was seeking the warmth and power for itself. Pra, in his blind trust of the lioness, would push the serpent away. Of course, Bast had not considered the potency of the venom. She had underestimated the serpent’s power and poison. The lioness would have to drink deep of the venom within the wound, pulling it out and into herself. The power drawn from Pra in those few sips, coupled with Bast’s power, seemed to negate the venom within the lioness as she shrunk further and further until she was a domestic cat. Pra would be saved as a result, securing the bond between the two gods and their mutual distrust and hate of the serpent.The serpent knew the truth. He had tried to whisper it to Pra in the coming years, to clear his name and to outline the deception by Bast. Pra was as unforgiving as the sun was in the heat of the desert, forever casting Sopeth out. This was the serpent’s first lesson in betrayal and deception. It was a lesson he would never forget.

## The Grand Deception

In his path of illusion, the serpent god had found the Saurians. While they worshiped some mythical god, none had found awakening under the honor bound and heavily awaited Couatl. Perhaps at one point Couatl had been an ancient mutated Saurian that held great power, so many of the wyrm born who followed the serpentine path did still worship him and hold out hope to become like their elder. For Sopeth, the curiosity was almost too much as the serpent remained, studying the culture across the reptilian creatures. Sopeth begins to understand a certain hierarchy amongst the Saurian. Conversations were overhead as the serpent wove his way through the darkness. There is a certain modicum of authority and fear associated with those of the wyrm-born with the draconic features. The Couatali are treated with some minor disdain over their lack of success, even from those who simply continue their unawakened path. Of course, the great deceiver could not resist the idea of crushing the current functional hierarchy. As one particularly fervent Saurian sat in prayer, Sopeth would taint the essence offered to in the ritual with the smallest fleck of his own skin and a drop of poison. The Saurian would work this into the ritual and find themselves much transformed. While they thanked Couatl, the serpent would respond in kind, granting them the awakening. This was enough to tip the scale as other Saurians began to perform such rituals and for a while did cause discontent. Sopeth was not content with only the small ripple, whispering of false gods and planting the idea in many of the Saurians’ minds that this sudden awakening was something of a falsehood. There some trepidation began amongst the tribes, many normal Saurians shunning the Couatali and even the Wyrm-born. Every so often, the serpent finds his way into a tribe, spreading seeds of discourse after rituals of awakening.

## Cult of Sopeth

Like all deities, Sopeth has his followers. They are known as the Cult of Sopeth, and are famed for their elusive and secret society. Though their practices are ultimately unknown to the masses, rumors have spread wide of their secretive nature and wicked acts. It has been rumored that the sacrifice of the Arai aspect Beastkin – Bast’s favored children – holds greater meaning to these cultists, and to Sopeth himself. Why isn’t exactly known, but the ruined bodies of the cat-like beasts are usually found throughout Khemet during the height of a full moon striking alarm to its citizens. It wasn’t always this way though. In the beginning, the initial followers of Sopeth were believed to have received a vision from their chosen deity. Forewarnings of violence and destruction over their homeland came to them, and a few high priests and high priestesses elected to give heed to Sopeth, in the secrecy of night, in hopes of avoiding such visions coming to pass. Buying into the belief that this was their path forward, Sopeth’s first acolytes adopted the perception that the only way to earn their god’s favor was to create a singular order in Khemet, under Sopeth, and stand united against the impending doom. Their work began within the confines of their own Priesthood. It would be the first step down a bloody path. Soon enough, words and promises of oaths were insufficient. Manipulation came into play and the twisted words of darkness gradually tore away at the sanity of the religious leaders that fell into Sopeth’s influence. The followers of Sopeth never use the sacred temples around Khemet to do their bidding. In order to keep from being identified, they often set up temporary altars around the country and in random, easy to find places. Practices of bloodletting and sacrifice over a bloodied altar are not uncommon. These two acts of violence are well known and often attributed to the Cult. After all, they make no effort to hide the evidence and leave the scene to be discovered. Typically acting in the dark of night, these cultists disguise themselves behind dark silks and serpentine masks. When they are actively working for the favor of Sopeth, the use of deception is a given. Kidnapping and further violence on those who refute their dark god only serve to amplify the violent and chaotic nature of Sopeth. Over time, the Cult was able to divine a ritual to help aid them in their sinister work… believing themselves giving voice to Sopeth’s demands under the guise of night. Working toward the favor of Sopeth had meant that more and more sacrifice would come. Those who worship the sun god were few and far between in the night hours, but those children of Bast… with their keen eyes in the darkness, became easy favored targets. Mass slaughter would occur to punish Bast and Pra for their exclusion of the serpent, or perhaps simply to show his power gleaned from worship. Few understand truly why there is grudge, making only assumptions based upon many within the pantheon of Khemet. The cultists find more favor in the chaotic nature of Sopeth as more of the children of Bast perish.

Further favor seems to fall to those who usurp and undermine the authority figures within religious cults, government, and even the underground. Some claim Sopeth cultists lead the underground, but even those master slavers and thieves and assassins have reasons to fear the cultists. There is no rhyme or reason to when they decide a ruler must be laid waste to and removed from a position of power. More and more, the usurping of such leadership is connected to that of Sobek. Chaos follows in their wake as they make no grab for power nor support any leaders that emerge, often leaving places in a state of anarchy for months or even years on end before something will stabilize enough for the cultists to strike again.

Favor among Sopeth was said to come and go. It was not often that favor would fall more than once upon someone of the cults sect. The rewards were certainly worth the gamble, often devolving to riches or a spot of power as the chaos would calm. There were several stories of those who would demand from Sopeth, thinking themselves in charge of the serpent. One particularly grisly tale speaks of a man who demanded the riches of an ancient Khemetan pharaoh. He demanded for all the sacrifice and time he had given the serpent that he was owed such things. The hiss of the serpent was heard, a promise of no further service required. The other cultists remained quiet, wondering if such displays of ego and entitlement might work with the serpent. The man began to choke and cough and sputter before a single coin came bloody from between his lips. It was an ancient gold coin, worth far more than it had been. His lips parted and it was described that more and more of those coins began to be choked up, dropping bloody from his lips. His skin began to split, tearing open as gems, bars of gold, ancient coins, crowns, strings of pearls… all of it began to burst forth from his person, tearing the man into pieces. It is said the other cultists merely washed their riches off and left the pile of flesh and sinew there. More tales of such grisly reward come forth, though others speak of kind and easy reward as they settle in seats of power, led by a man with a hiss of a voice and scaled palms. Those that incur the most chaos are most often rewarded, if they can maintain some semblance of humility with the serpent god.