The School of the Snake is one of the three major disciplines within the Emris Adventuring Guild, prized for its sharp-eyed survivalists, silver-tongued diplomats, masterful spies, and morally ambiguous rogues. It is the home of the cunning and the calculating—those who understand that the battlefield extends far beyond sword and steel. For members of the Snake, a blade slipped between ribs in the dead of night or a carefully spoken word in a sultan’s court can do more than an army of a thousand.
Where the Phoenix seeks glory and the Owl seeks truth, the Snake seeks control—of self, of perception, and of circumstance. Its members are expected to operate with utmost discretion, maneuvering through the Serrakhan Sultanate's courts, criminal underbellies, and foreign embassies alike to safeguard the guild’s interests and longevity.
Role in the Guild
After passing the Trials of the Sun, prospective initiates are judged by their skills, disposition, and decision-making. Those who demonstrate finesse, resourcefulness, and adaptability are offered placement in the School of the Snake. Each is expected to study espionage, subterfuge, survivalism, and political manipulation under the watchful gaze of senior agents.While often distrusted by more straight-laced members of the Phoenix or the Owl, Snake members serve a critical role. They act as the Guild’s eyes and ears in the cities and sands of Osira—rooting out corruption, sniffing out conspiracies, and ensuring the Guild remains several steps ahead of its enemies.
The Serpent's Scandal
In the early Fifth Age, the school was cast into infamy during the serpent's scandal, when multiple members were revealed to have ties to the resurgent Snake Cult—a long-banished heretical sect devoted to deceit, domination, and the worship of primordial ophidian entities. Among the implicated was the Tabaxi rogue Eskel, who assassinated Phoenix adventurer Arian Hamaldor to silence him after he uncovered the infiltration plot.The Sunsations were framed for the killing, leading to a months-long purge and investigation that nearly crippled the guild’s reputation. Ultimately, the truth was revealed, and with the help of loyal Snake operatives, the traitors were executed, the Snake Cult’s influence rooted out, and the school's integrity painfully restored.
Legacy
Despite the damage to its reputation, the School of the Snake has since re-established its value through critical intelligence work. Snake operatives were essential in uncovering the Order of the Flaming Sun's false-flag operation involving Gharazh'uul, and for revealing clandestine manipulation by the Holy Order of the Sun, who had been secretly controlling the Sultan’s decisions through religious coercion.The Snake has since embraced its role as the guild’s most controversial yet vital arm. Its members walk the knife’s edge of morality—but they do so for the guild, for its future, and for the good of Osira itself.
Notable members include Losk the Wanderer, Ralex, Eskel, Simmeon, Kal & Lak, and The Queef Conglomerate.