ECOLOGY

Environment any land
Organization solitary, pair, knot (3–5)
Treasure standard

Serpentfolk breed syrictas by performing a ritual to infuse a deformed serpentfolk egg with the vital essence from a clutch of snake eggs. The resulting amalgamation is a nightmarish cross between a serpentfolk and a mass of writhing ophidian tails and heads.

Numerous snakes make up these abominations' lower halves, granting them a slithering form of locomotion.

Each syricta also has a thick, muscled snake tail forming one of its arms, allowing it to wrap around prey and squeeze the life from them, while its other arm splits at the elbow into two venomous snake heads, granting the syricta a total of three deadly bites. Despite being much smaller than its main head, the arm heads are possessed of unexpected strength for their size, making them equally deadly. These heads are also adept at manipulating objects, allowing the syricta to perform any action that would require a hand— such as holding a weapon— at the expense of those bite attacks.

These hideous monstrosities serve the serpentfolk as bodyguards and enforcers, their primitive minds conditioned to obey their serpentfolk masters. They fight to the death if so commanded, though when they lack commands from a serpentfolk, they act as brutish bullies and cowards, viciously and sadistically harming those weaker than themselves but fleeing from foes that prove stronger.

Syricta societies are harsh, ruled absolutely by the strongest individuals, and rarely last long due to syrictas' inability to reproduce.

Most syrictas instead spend their lives serving their serpentfolk creators, rarely forming relationships with other syrictas.

Syrictas are entirely carnivorous. A typical adult syricta stands around 9 feet tall and weighs 550 pounds.