Serpent-Man

The serpent-men walk amongst us. Once vanquished millennia ago, these secretive snake-headed men now lead cults of Set, god of serpents, within the cities of man. The serpent-men (Or Ssilnith, as they are known in their own tongue) use magic to take the form of humans, and in this guise rule their Shadow Kingdom—the secret government of serpent-man imposters who assassinate and then impersonate dukes, kings, and earls throughout the land. Their true form is revealed upon death, when their illusionary human features revert to a serpent’s head. Until then, the only way to detect a serpent-man imposter without magic is to state a certain primordial phrase known to their ancient druidic enemies—a phrase which the jaws of a true man can pronounce, but which the bones of a serpentman’s mouth cannot form.

Physical Description
Serpent-men are like man-sized snakes with human torsos. A serpent-man can hypnotize lesser creatures. Any intelligent creature that looks into the serpent-man’s eyes is susceptible. The hypnosis works even when the serpent-man is under illusion. Serpent-men fight with weapons and if revealed, with their bites, but they prefer skullduggery to combat. Serpent-man poison varies by individual; 25% cause blindness, 25% cause weakness, and 50% cause painful spasms.