The region of Hope has long fought the lizardfolk of Q’barra, both the Masvirik’uala and the Poison Dusk. The settlers aren’t affiliated with New Galifar and are not subject to the laws or treaties between Newthrone and the Masvirik’uala. This has allowed the settlers a lot of freedom in their pursuit of dragonshards but has left them at the mercy of the lizardfolk raids.
In some of the settlements in Hope, a peculiar phenomenon has been observed. The people in these small towns and villages have begun to take on reptilian or serpentine features, scales growing from their skin and their pupils contracting into slits. These are some of the first examples of non-reptilian creatures being corrupted by Masvirik.
These corrupted individuals, which use the statistics of yuan-ti but are otherwise distinct from them, are separate from the Poison Dusk and Masvirik’s other scaled servants. Cults have begun to form within the frontier settlements, usually after the unearthing of a particularly potent dusk shard. The settlers do the bidding of the fiend bound within the shard, and in return gain some of Masvirik’s power. Those who have received these powers have begun to take on reptilian aspects, with the most favored servants taking on even more reptilian features.
Unlike the Poison Dusk at large, the Cult of the Venomous Word are not wholly lost to the darkness. They retain their free will, and most of them have no desire to actively see the release of the Cold Sun. Rather, they are more invested in their own personal power, which Masvirik is currently providing. It’s possible, however, that the fiends have larger plans that will culminate in the release of their overlord. Nevertheless, the actions of cult progress the goals of the Poison Dusk, and harm the Masvirik’uala.
The cult has even infiltrated House Tharashk, taking advantage of the House’s prominence to join the advocates for war with the scaled folk. Most members of the House are not corrupted, but enough of them are to shift the opinion of those who have suffered at the hands of lizardfolk raids.
Source: Sarhain's Guide to the Silver Flame