There is none among the beastclans more brutal than the Serthis, a serpentine people with a centuries-old history of in-fighting and violence. Their unforgiving society is built upon the tenets of "Survival of the Fittest". Those individuals who are not cunning, organized, or strong enough to either reach adulthood or survive into old age are shorn from the clan. This has led to a slow population growth within the clans; it is surmised that the only reason they have not killed one another off is due to their pattern of splintering into sects. The fragmentation of the Serthis people into smaller, roving tribes has allowed them to spread into the most perilous, untamed places of the world.

Serthis reproduce in coordinated generations. Once every two to three years, hundreds of Serthis children will be born at once. When this group of offspring are old enough to speak their language, they are led, as a group, miles from the rest of the sect and left there, expected to develop a society of their own. This is the most perilous time in a Serthis' life, as the formation of this new hierarchical group may usher in their demise. Over the next several years, the weakest of this new generation will either be banished or killed, leaving only the most ruthless core.

When the new generation approaches maturity, their larger parent sect will move as a group to converge on them with the goal of assimilation. This process is not a peaceful merging. The bloodshed as the groups vie for power culls those that cannot fight to survive or adapt to the impending new order. At this stage, it is usually the adult group that suffers the most losses, as the eldest and sickest Serthis are picked off easily in the fighting. This paradigm shift again cleanses the sect of its most vulnerable members, rewriting the median age of the tribe to be younger, stronger, and more cunning.

Though this purge may sound excessively brutal, it also keeps the Serthis Beastclan's resource consumption efficient. They often wait out dangerous situations for long periods of time. Experts at hiding, they have the patience to wait days to make a surgical strike against an aggressor. As of late, this has been occurring more and more with dragon clans that make their homes near thick brush or natural caverns.

While the Serthis have been pockmarking the realm in modestly-sized groups in the centuries since dragonkind was born, there is an ominous change in conduct occurring. Areas that once held a multitude of segregated Serthis encampments are now host to one or two large congregations. While it is unknown how widespread this type of assembled behavior is, there is a growing concern that the Serthis -- who have always been a manageable nuisance to dragonkind -- are focused on changing that dynamic in a big way.



Known Serthis Territory

The following areas are known to be populated by the Serthis Beastclan:

(Click here to return to the Beastclans on the Rise article.)