Eyolias Empire

The Eyolias Empire reined over most of the Jungles of Titania between the years 3,200 and 4,600 PS. Through vicious and rapid conquest, Josof of Eyolias captured, plundered, and claimed nearly a fifth of the jungles centered on the equator of Eko. Over the next 800 years, Eyolias grew and flourished, continuing to expand, and eventually covering nearly half of all of the equatorial forestland. However, as bureaucracy and administrative costs took their toll on the empire, cracks began to form. By 4,500, civil war was clearly imminent, and the might and prestige of the empire had all but faded completely away—poverty and squalor rid the cities, and corruption and greed had perforated the government from top to bottom.

Empress Sestres, the queen at the time, decided to take it upon herself to turn the empire around. A royal childhood amongst the Weze people of the Moonwilds had given her insight into the power available to those who forged their bloodline with those of animals, though she had no appreciation of the complexities and respect required. Unbeknownst to her husband, the emperor, Empress Sestres performed a dark ritual with the King of Snakes, forging her blood with those of snakes in return for semi-immortality of her children. Ten months later, she gave birth to twins, Iurugen Eyolias, and Kennet Eyolias, false sons of the emperor.

Iurugen had the torso of a man, but was otherwise entirely a snake, while Kennet had the body of a human, but the head of a snake. Even from birth, they were mortal enemies. Iurugen, being slightly older, was to take the throne, while Kennet was to be his advisor and the leader of the church. However, Kennet was much better suited for rulership, and Iurugen preferred drinking fine meads and the company of a large harem of wives, choosing to ignore any advice from his brother, believing him to be jealous. As the empire collapsed around them, Kennet turned away from the gods, and swearing that his brother had damned them all. Eager at a chance to do away with his brother, Iurugen banished from the city, for fear of treachery. Within a year however, the empire had fallen. Although immune to the effects of aging, and physical traits enhanced by those of the snakes, Iurugen was not impervious to venom (a strange anomaly of all yuan-ti—they can produce venom, but are not immune to it). Poisoned during an evening dinner, Iurugen died gruesomely, paralyzed in pain before his soul and shadow slowly faded from his body. Within a fortnight, the Eyolias Empire had collapsed. However, a new power was already rising, for Iurugen's wives all bore yuan-ti children.