Necrophidius

Although the necrophidius is a mindless construct with no particular ability to comprehend the complexities of good or evil, these sinister-looking constructs are often crafted by evil or macabre creators seeking to imbue their guardians with a frightening aesthetic.

Constructed from bones harvested from serpents and humans, a necrophidius is animated by occult magic, not unlife. Each necrophidius is built from the skeleton of a large snake, but its skull has been replaced by that of a humanoid creature. Some death cults or particularly cruel crafters seek out the skulls of specific individuals against whom they bear grudges to provide the head for their necrophidius. The final step of the construction is the alteration of the teeth and jaws to give the creature a more serpentine visage, complete with fangs.

If a necrophidius's creator dies, the construct follows the last series of commands it was given. If it cannot do so, the necrophidius aimlessly wanders the area near where it last served its creator and attacks any creatures it encounters. Some believe that those who know the secrets of a necrophidius's origins can command it, provided its original creator no longer exists and no one else currently commands it. There are also a number of reports concerning strangely aware and intelligent necrophidiuses that roam with a purpose and track down or hunt specific living creatures they interpret as the targets of former assassination missions.