Aapoph Sovereign Guard

Physically, aapoph sovereign guards tower over other aapophs, but their hulking stature and unquestioning obedience belie an intelligence unique even among the zyss. Despite their cunning, sovereign guards are rarely treacherous or self-serving; rather, each guard is expected to devote their existence solely to the advancement of their superiors. Even when beset on all sides by treacherous political machinations, zyss monarchs implicitly trust their sovereign guards, whose powerful bulk, keen senses, and whirling halberds are more dependable than any shield.

Serpentfolk society is riddled with secret organizations, many of which preserve long-lost traditions from the height of the ancient sekmin empire. Exclusive orders of aapoph sovereign guards and zyss assassins, among others, trace their origins back millennia, training in the same techniques they employed in the days when mammalian humanoids were nothing but servants or prey.

Aapoph Training

The towering aapophs employed as sovereign guards aren't born larger than their siblings. Rather, zyss trainers select certain aapoph hatchlings to be raised as guards. These young aapophs are reared in isolated nurseries where they're trained in advanced weaponcraft. According to rumor, the secret of a sovereign guard's increased cunning and stature lies in a diet regarded as blasphemous even by other sekmins.