The origin of Arthzasslikus

My life was not extraordinary at first. My very snake-like body guaranteed me an easy life early on and later a high rank in the command structure of my clan. During my childhood, I developed an interest in working with wood and metal. I soon discovered how I could use magic in combination with common items to create interesting (and sometimes even useful) objects. While Yuan-Ti are no strangers to both magical and non-magical means, combining the two is usually frowned upon (Yuan-Ti like to think of themselves as almost perfect, which is incompatible with the necessary trial and error of creating magical items), so I had to keep my experiments secret if I didn’t want to lose the respect of my clan. My favorite item to work on was my armor. High-ranking Yuan-Ti usually have hard enough scales to not wear armor, while I had little to no hard scales above my waist. Because of this, I was very dissatisfied with the quality of the armor I received and often tinkered with it to make it harder, more comfortable, or to cover more area. By the time I could reliably use magic to improve it, it felt almost like a second skin. Little did I know what was to come. There were two other things that set me apart from a typical Yuan-Ti: First, I was not religious. In fact, I could not stand the priests, the ceremonies and especially the sacrifices to Sseth, our god. Secondly, I did not see other races (such as humans) as inferior and had no problem interacting with them. This was highly unusual for a malison, as normally only purebloods should have direct contact with other races. (The Yuan-Ti are divided into three main sub-races. From the most human to the most serpentine: Purebloods, Halfbloods/Malisons, Abominations). Because of these characteristics, I always felt a little out of place in the clan. I was respected for my looks, but I wasn't particularly close to anyone outside of my family. Over the years I explored the lands around our home. It was mostly uninhabited jungle, with only a few settlements of Yuan-Ti and a few other races. One of these settlements was a dwarven outpost of a clan that specialised in blacksmithing and engineering. When I discovered it, it immediately caught my attention. In the weeks that followed, I often found excuses to go into the forest for a few hours just to watch the smelting and hammering. Of course, I always tried to be as stealthy as possible around the camp, but one day I was so in awe that I didn’t realise anyone had seen me until a young dwarf appeared right in front of me and asked what I was doing. My first instinct was to flee but after several years of having nobody to talk to (and maybe the fact that he charmed me beforehand also helped, but I didn’t know this at the time), I ignored all prejudices that my clan tried to convince me of, and simply answered his question (pretty detailed). To my surprise he was pretty understanding, introduced himself as Tordek and began describing his life in the dwarven camp. Although we came from very different cultures, we had one thing in common: a passion for creating things out of raw materials (and magic). We both knew that we were breaking several rules of our respective tribes, which somehow brought us even closer together, and we would probably have talked for hours if we had had the time. Over the next few days we met in the jungle, talking and showing each other our inventions. We hadn't known each other long, but it felt more like friendship than anything I'd experienced before. Of course things changed. The Yuan-Ti got suspicious, they kept asking where I was going, and when I kept making excuses, they followed me (I guess only one followed me and then got the others). I didn’t notice and led them straight to Tordek. Long story short, they decided to sacrifice Tordek to Sseth (Yuan-Ti do not care about other races) and give me a second chance if I swore to stop my experiments, follow the Sacred Way of Sseth, and honor the principles of our culture for the rest of my life. Needless to say, I didn’t agree. But I had no alternative. I could not simply leave my family. After losing my experiments, Torbek, and the respect of my clan, they were all I had left. The night before the sacrifice, I lay awake trying to think of a way to save Torbek. He didn't deserve to die just for greeting a stranger with kindness instead of a weapon. I'd only known him for a week, but I felt a stronger bond with him than with any of my clansmen. In the morning, I came to a conclusion: I would save Torbek, even if it meant exile or even death for me. The next noon, the whole clan gathered. Torbek was brought to the altar tied up, but during the actual sacrifice the victim is traditionally bound only by the priest’s hands. This was my only chance to save Torbek, and I wasn’t going to waste it. As soon as he was free of his chains, I threw two small homemade bombs: One just behind the altar, the other next to the crowd. They were big enough to attract attention, but too small to do any real damage, so I felt no remorse. At the same time, I almost jumped to the altar, punched the guard who was trying to hold Torbek (luckily, Torbek immediately understood what I was trying to do), and together we sprinted (slid) to the nearest exit. The plan was stupid enough to almost work. We were almost out of sight before anyone could react, but despite their harmless appearance, the priests were powerful spellcasters. Just a few feet from the exit, we ran into a magical barrier that blocked our way in every direction. Knowing there was no way out, Torbek begged me to end his life with my dagger, for it was a far better death than the one that awaited him at the altar. And I did. Before long, I was back at the altar, only now I was playing the role of the victim. Fortunately or unfortunately for me, as a Yuan-Ti myself, I was not sacrificed (that is reserved for “weaker” species). But the priests have a cruel sense of humor. “You are not worth the privilege of being a Yuan-Ti. You value the life of a dwarf more than our culture? You prefer the company of dwarves to that of Yuan-Ti? Then you shall be one.” These were their words as the ritual blade severed my tail from my body, reducing me to about the size of a dwarf. “You are hereby banished from the entire land of Yuan-Ti. You are no longer a Yuan-Ti. No …” I must have lost consciousness here, not thinking that I would wake up again in this world. Well, miracles happen and this was certainly one of them. I woke up in a part of the jungle I did not know. My first emotion was confusion, then despair. I had failed not only my family and my clan, but also Torbek. I don’t know how long I lay there without moving. At some point, I wondered how I was alive. I looked down and it hit me. My armor somehow formed around where my tail used to be. Not only did it close the wound, but it must have replaced some of my internal organs as my bodily functions all seemed to work. And that's how I came to be who I am now.