Sethriss

### Domains

Nature, Animals (especially reptiles), Survival, Subterfuge, Treachery, Thievery, Secrets

### Cleric Domains

Knowledge, Nature, Trickery

Sethriss is the deity of self-reliance and secrets, but is most often worshipped as the deity of snakes and other reptiles. In most circles, they are depicted as gender-neutral or nonbinary, or occasionally as male or female in certain cults. Sethriss is typically neither benevolent nor malevolent, seeming to care chiefly for the preservation of sacred sites, traditions, and knowledge above any moral code.

***The Beastlands.*** Sethriss's realm in the Heavens is a wild jungle, filled with beasts and monstrosities that live and hunt amid the tangled roots and stalks of plants so thick as to choke out all light before it reaches the ground. Hidden amid the trees there are several enormous stone temples carved with many reptilian creatures, perhaps monuments to the vanity of Sethriss. Some of these temples are home to the most faithful of their followers, who maintain and record scrolls said to contain record of every word ever spoken by mortals. Sethriss themself resides in the miles of labyrinthine catacombs beneath the jungle, where even the faithful dare not tread.

## Tenets

Sethriss takes little note of most mortals unless a mortal has something to offer to them. Promises of servitude, secret knowledge, and sometimes ritual sacrifice are all known to catch their eye. Once a pact or relationship is formed, Sethriss usually demands their followers keep these tenets:

* Praise and Service to the Serpent God, from whom nothing is hidden.
* Knowledge is Power.
* Learn that which is secret, so that you may use it later.
* Guard that which you know, lest others use it against you.
* Survival requires patience.
* Safety lies in Self-reliance.

## Religion

Public worship of Sethriss is usually taboo, due to the sinister and self-serving nature of the deity's tenets. However, many cults, groups, and tribes worship them in secret, or in remote places that are unconnected with greater civilization.

***The Vipers.***  A thieves' guild with secret chapters all across the Reach (most notably in Antok), the Vipers are the subject of many rumors both in the public forum and in the underground. True to the tenets of their deity, the Vipers keep details about themselves well-hidden. What most reliable sources agree on is that they are skilled and well-equipped assassins and spies, and that they are content to spend months or even years undercover carrying out a mission.

***Bold*** A tribe on X moon of Antok

***Secret Temples.*** Cults of Sethriss have formed and died many times over the centuries all across the planes of the Reach. When wandering remote deserts or tangled forests, one can sometimes stumble upon their old stone temples - tall ziggurats or towering carved spires - and often find that a new tribe or cult has moved in. These places were chosen in ancient times for their solitude and their proximity to the unseen leylines that conduct magical energy throughout the Reach, and Sethriss usually ensures that they are well-guarded - either by humanoid or more bestial servants.

 Cleric Domains
Grave •
Forge •
Knowledge •
Life •
Light •
Nature •
Protection •
Tempest •
Trickery •
War