Yuan-ti
"They are like men in stature but resemble nefarious serpents in disposition and appearance. They worship their foul nagas and make great slaughters wherever they roam, except for a few..." Tharwa al-Mir, The Beastfolk of Sol (3rd Edition)The snake men of the continent are known as Yuan-ti, meaning 'the ancient folk' in the language of the elves. Having once ruled much of the continent in ancient times, their great empires fell into ruin in a time before recorded history. Now, they occupy various areas where they once held dominance, such as the western deserts, southern woodlands, eastern islands, and even the Underdark, suggesting their influence was both surface and subterranean. They avoided worship of both the celestial and infernal gods, seeing them as new-fangled gods of men and elves, rather, they worshipped the nagas, their infinite-scaled serpentine gods that held sway over their domains of power, majesty, beauty, emotion, and violence. In appearance, they vary depending on form; some yuan-ti may resemble humans from afar but, upon closer investigation, have serpent features such as forked tongues, patchy scales, or snake eyes. Yuan-ti are shapeshifters, they can take the form of snakemen, humanoid bodies with serpentine heads, or even the form of actual snakes, writhing in the tall grass, hunting their prey.
History
In modern times, the yuan-ti have long since departed from being masters of the world, having now been largely banished to various corners of the continent, clinging to inland jungles and obscured desert villages, longing for the days of their all-encompassing empire. In ancient times, they made a bargain with the more destructive nagas for unimaginable power at the loss of their mortality - losing their grip on things like emotion, passion, and creativity. Though, not all partook in this ritual, regarding those that did as igara meaning 'the lost ones.' The descendants of the yuan-ti who did not lose their mortality find more luck in the continent nowadays, being able to more successfully blend in as one of many beast races populating the cities of men, elves, and others. The igara, however, continue to engage in cultish brutality, sacrifices of captives, and slaughters whenever possible, lending a judgmental prejudice held by most races towards all yuan-ti.Naming Traditions
Unisex names
Yuan-ti have no distinction between male and female names, nor do they use family names.
Zhakli, Thuklieh, Yozhusu, Zhazsa, Shikla, Hetszu, Uzhius, Szelsi, Atsa, Hetza, Atsu, Shazhia, Szelu, Otzatu, Yiska, Szalka, Uksalia, Thekili
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
They primarily speak their own Yuan-ti language, though being shapeshifters, they find it advantageous to learn the common and elven tongues, depending on where they situate themselves.
Art & Architecture
Historically, Yuan-ti temples were the pinnacle of their civilizational achievement. Massive, grand temples and shrines to majestic naga, built into nature itself, adorned with unimaginable hoards of wealth and sacrificial altars, now dot the landscape of southern and eastern Sol as memories of the ancient world.
Coming of Age Rites
It is traditional for important yuan-ti to send their young, when they transition from children to adulthood, into an isolated period of survival and training, away from their parents or clans. They would then be expected to live off their own wits and abilities. If they die during this, they are deemed to have not been ready to serve the nagas.