Fidityphonos

The Fist of The Serpent

Hidden deep within the tides of the Warp, out of the sight of the Four Gods and the galaxy as a whole, lay a serpent, biding its time and poised to strike. Formed millennia ago, **Fidityphonos**, The Serpent, is the Chaos god of domination, insecurity, and ambition. A minor chaos entity, it once held sway over a region of ancient Terra, millennia ago, but was cast down by the Emperor of Mankind. This severely weakened Fidityhponos, preventing him from contesting the rise of the Four Gods, and forced him to remain hidden in the warp. That is, until the late 40th Millenium when he started influencing and later succeeded in corrupting a space marine force, which became the warband known as the Serpentine Truth. Now, Fidityphonos is ready to make his move, and using his chosen followers, will take the warp for himself.

## History

### Early History

Formed in the aftermath of the War in Heaven, the being that would become The Serpent did not possess much power or influence in the chaotic mess of the Warp. However, over 43 thousand ago, he was drawn to the planet Terra, home to mankind, by their small yet still influential psychic power. Over the next millennia, The Serpent would slowly build up in power and influence over a small human culture, weaving itself into their beliefs and legends, until it was powerful enough to begin carving himself a domain in the Warp. As a result of this increase in power, various daemons pledged allegiance to The Serpent, or were formed out of the actions of his followers on Terra, and began to roam across the land, spreading destruction and further spreading his influence over his chosen people.

### Dominance

It was at this point that The Serpent's chosen followers began to expand to neighbouring lands, bringing with them their beliefs, as well as spreading knowledge of the various monsters and daemons that roamed their lands, all connected to a giant serpentine creature. This spread further empowered The Serpent, expanding his realm, and solidifying his claim over this group of humans and the land they occupied. Furthermore, he began to infiltrate other human cultures, attempting to claim dominance over the entire race, leading to many of them developing beliefs in a great Serpent. This continued over the next thousand years, and left Fidityphonos as one of the strongest Warp entities, rivalling the Eldar gods in power and influence.

### Loss of Power

However, this dominance was not to last. Rising to challenge The Serpent's dominance over this part of humanity, the future Emperor of Mankind would begin a campaign from the shadows to destroy The Serpent's power. Secretly influencing another nearby culture to The Serpent's chosen, The Emperor was able to empower champions to slay and banish the demons and monsters pledged to The Serpent, while also causing military invasions of his chosen people. Over the next 200 years, The Serpent's power began to wane, until a final confrontation with the Emperor shattered him, almost destroying him in his entirety and reducing him to an insignificant presence. However, he was not fully destroyed, due to many human beliefs and faiths still maintaining the existence of some great influential serpent, despite the Emperors' best efforts. Fidityphonos would remain in this state for the next 40 millennia, unable to contest the rise of the other chaos gods, but slowly reforming itself during the period of the Dark Age of Technology and the Age of Strife.

### Return and Plotting

Around the time of the Great Crusade, The Serpent had managed to reform itself fully but was still left in a weakened state, with only a small fraction of his territory in the warp left to his name, the rest having been claimed by other gods and entities. Unable to challenge the new main powers, Fidityphonos was forced to bide his time, avoiding the ire of the other gods while searching for a way to return to power. 200 years before the start of the Horus Heresy, The Serpent began to set events in motion to allow for his return. Influencing the colonists of the world located in the Segmentum Pacificus, The Serpent was able to mold their world and culture into one similar to that of his chosen people of Terra, hoping to replicate his success. One major step in this was the placing of a serpentine warp beast on the planet, which was defeated by one of its colonists, solidifying in the populaces memory that of a great serpent. He would continue to influence this planet over the next 10 millennia until events in the 40th Millennium led to a change in plans.

### Influence over Grecians

The creation of the Grecian space marine chapter on Grecia, given the task of protecting the world and surrounding sector, allowed for The Serpent to begin corrupting and influencing the chapter for his own return to power. However, The Serpent would not be able to influence the Chapter as easily as he had influenced the population, due to the conditioning granted to Astartes as they train. Instead, he would wait for the moment in which the chapter would be at its most vulnerable before striking and corrupting them. In the meantime, The Serpent was able to seed other worlds in what was now known as the Greater Grecian Sector as a result of the colonisation event known as the Grecian Expansion, in which settlers from Grecia, alongside marines from the Grecians and Guardsmen from the Grecian Auxilias Peltasts, settled many worlds. Repeating the process he had on Grecia itself, he was able to intertwine legends of great serpents and serpent-like creatures into their cultures and identities. Finally, in approximately, 701.M40, The Serpent saw his opportunity to strike. Planting a mental suggestion into the mind of the Grecian Chapter-Master, he lured a company of the Grecians to the world of Qart-Hadast, where, while fighting against an Ork Waaagh! and an unknown Xenos force, they were abandoned by their allies. Barely escaping with a small force, The Serpent transported the surviving Grecians to his domain in the warp and revealed to them the identity of their Primarch, as well as convincing most of them to pledge themselves to him. The loyalists were sacrificed to him, including the Grecian Chapter-Master, and the newly established traitor marines would form the warband known as the Serpentine Truth.

### Nova Autokratoria

#### Building Power

Over the next millennia, The Serpent, as well as his new thralls, would begin to increase in power. Having set his warband on the world of Konstantinopolis, the influx of cultists and new worshipers increased his power, allowing him to once again create daemons in service of him. The first of these daemons was known as Charybdis, placed within a massive moving warp storm that protected and hid Konstantinopolis from outside threat. Later, he would order the Serpentine to raid Grecian settled worlds, to recover the remains of the various monsters and creatures he planted there, in order to be resurrected as daemons. This would lead to the creation of the Hydra, the Chimera, and a trio of daemons called The Gorgons. However, the greatest of these resurrected daemons was collected after a raid on the homeworld of the Peltasts. It was known as Thanatos, the Drake, a great flying serpent, who harboured great hatred for the Grecian people, having caused his death millennia ago during the world's settlement. It was during this raid that an attack was made against the Grecians, though indirectly, leading to much destruction and the Grecian chapter master being interned into a dreadnought. Though this did not lead to the Grecians falling to the Serpent, it did force them to stay on the defensive, allowing his followers to grow in power unopposed and hidden from view. Eventually, after millennia of planning, Fidityphonos was ready to recreate his empire.

#### Rise of the Serpent

It was then, during the early years of the 42nd Millennium, that the followers of The Serpent launched an invasion of Grecia, trapping the Grecians on the world, with the daemon Charybdis and the warp storm travelling to the system, destroying the chapters fleet and preventing reinforcements from arriving, A ground campaign was then launched, and soon the world was soon almost overrun. It was then that The Serpent intervened, commanding the Serpentine leader to halt the assault and offer the survivors a choice. They could join their brothers in service of The Serpent, or be destroyed alongside their world. Few took up the offer, but he was not to be denied new followers. Ordering the Serpentine to capture the Grecian Chapter-master and the company leaders, they were sacrificed in a ritual that allowed The Serpent to breach real space. The Serpentine then evacuated the system. The loyalist on the world, as well as nearby settled worlds, watched in horror as a giant cosmic serpent descended towards the planet. Opening its giant maw, The Serpent passed through the world, as if attempting to consume it. The entire surviving populous, including the remaining hundred marines, had their souls consumed and replaced by minor daemons of The Serpent, shattering their minds and identities and turning them into loyal slaves. Grecia then began to break apart, being reduced to rubble and dust, while The Serpent transported his new slaves onto the Serpentine ships, followed by him dissipating back to the warp, weakened by the effort to appear in real space. Afterwards, the Peltasts Guardsmen regiment located on the world of Grecia Mikros, located in the same system, surrendered after a coup eliminated its leader and their defenses damaged by the shockwave of Grecia's destruction. Then, The Serpent, through the leader of the Serpentine, Agamemnon Tyrannos, declared the *Nova Autokratoria* (New Empire), with Agamemnon as its first *Autokratoras* (Emperor).

### Influence Grows

As the Serpentine consolidated their new gains and worked on organising themselves, The Serpent began spreading his influence across the former Grecian worlds. Many worlds, upon learning of the fate of the Grecians, and bowing to the words of The Serpent, submitted themselves and willingly joined the *Nova Autokratoria*. Their shrines to the Emperor and Imperial Saints were torn down and replaced by alters to The Serpent. A few worlds resisted, and either fell into civil war or were invaded by the reinvigorated Serpentine Truth. However, The Serpent's biggest gains were in the form of two new forces. The remaining Peltasts who had surrendered following the destruction of Grecia were reorganised and pledged themselves to The Serpent, stripping their banners of an Imperial Saint and marking it with The Serpents Star. The next was a House Komnenos, a House of Imperial Knights located on the world of Trezibon. At first remaining loyal to the Imperium, The Serpent influenced one member of the family to rebel and seize the House for himself, in exchange for both the submission of his world and his forces. The Serpent's influence would continue to grow and threaten to dominate the entire Segmentum.

## Appearance and Personality

The Serpent has no set form, due to his nature as a warp entity. However, the most commonly takes the form of a serpent with dark blue and purple scales, which shift and change as he moves throughout the warp. The Serpent also has eyes of bright red, and bone white fangs. His size and weight also vary, with neither having a fixed number

The Serpent is manipulative by nature, as well as demeaning and domineering towards his followers and slaves, using their humiliation and depreciation to gain more power. While normally composed, The Serpent will burst into a rage when its influence is rejected or its offers ignored, and will often work towards punishing those who have defied his will.

## Abilities

* ***Mental Domination***: The Serpent is capable of dominating the minds of mortals, bending them to his will, and in extreme cases, destroying their minds entirely, rendering them an empty and mindless shell.
* ***Astral Replacement***: The Serpent is capable of devouring the soul of a being, and replacing it with a minor daemon. By doing this, The Serpent increases its own power while also creating a fanatically loyal servant. The victim's soul and personality are lost forever.
* ***Blessings***: The Serpent grants additional power and strength to his servants, increasing their strength, combat ability, and psychic prowess. Can be taken away just as easily as it was granted.
* ***Spawn Creation***: The Serpent can turn mortals into mindless chaos spawn in order for his followers to use them in battle.
* Other abilities of the Chaos Gods.

## Cults and Sects

Many Cults and Sects have emerged in the years following the creation of the Nova Autokratoria, as the followers of The Serpent seek to interpret their master in various ways. These groups believed their interpretation of Fidityphonos is true way to worship him, and as such often come to blows and work against one another.

* **Cult of the Iron Fist**: The Cult of the Iron Fist worship the authoritarian and dominating aspect of The Serpent, believing that all must be subjected to his will. Followers of the Cult operate on a strict hierarchy of rank and power, and often manage spalling camps and fortresses filled with slaves. These slaves are taught that they are nothing before the might of The Serpent, and that his will is absolute. To advance within the Cult, a follower must be able to prove their ability to dominate and control those beneath them, allowing for no lapse in their willpower or strength. Followers decorate and mark their lands and armour with enclosed fists, often branding those they have enslaved with fist markings. The Cult emerged from the members of the Peltasts, particularly in the members of the newly established armoured detachment of the regiment. Many traitor Astartes of the Serpentine Truth also follow this Cult
* **Cult of the Eye**: The Cult of the Eye worship the all seeing and totalitarian aspect of The Serpent, believing that he sees and knows all. Followers of the Cult embrace the mystical side of Chaos, professing in magiks and rituals of control and sight, operating in small covens and conclaves of worshipers. Followers often show their loyalty and fervor by removing one of their own eyes, with the most blessed and corrupted members having their eyes fuse into a single one in the centre of their heads. The Cult professes that all are within The Serpents sight, and that nothing is hidden from his gaze, and as a result, have developed expertise in interrogation and torture. The Cult emerged from the psykers of the Serpentine Truth, and has spread to encompass almost the entirety of House Komnenos.

## Allies and Enemies

### Allies/Servants (ask to be added)

* **Serpentine Truth**: The first followers of The Serpent in the 40th millenium. Originating from the first company of the loyalist Grecians chapter, they are considered to be his most effective and loyal servants, playing a key role in his return to power and the establishment of his new empire. They are led by Agamemnon Tyrannos, The Serpent's current champion and material the head of the empire.
* **House Komnenos**: (to be added in time)
* **Reorganised Grecian Peltasts**: A former loyalist regiment known as the Grecian Auxilias, they submitted to The Serpent following the destruction of Grecia and a coup on their homeworld. Led by the Mikrotaros, they serve as the main soldiers of The Serpents empire, operating originally as a light infantry detachment, but slowly growing and expanding into other fields.
* **Disciples of the Serpent**: A small subfaction of the Dragons of the Rift, the Disciples are the first foray of The Serpent outside the Segmentum Pacificus. Though small in number, their plans are great and ambitious.

### Enemies (ask to be added)

* **Opposing forces of Chaos**: Though the other Chaos gods currently have greater power than the Serpent, he still opposes their plans in order to surpass them in the warp. Though he remembers the damage caused to him by the Anathema, The Serpent holds the other gods in particular contempt for the rise in power during his slow regeneration.
* **Imperium of Man**: The forces of the Anathema, the enemy who shattered The Serpent millenia ago and destroyed his kingdom on ancient Terra. The Serpent has not forgotten the Emperor's actions, and seeks to claim his revenge by corrupting many of his followers and reforging his empire.