Uthuk warriors are natural raiders, and none more so than the viper legion archers. As befits the vile ways in which the Uthuk wage war, members of the viper legion make extensive use of sorcerous poisons to tip their arrows. Brewed by the viper war leaders and blessed by the Blood Coven, these toxic elixirs are often tailored to the enemy’s weaknesses. Heroes’ Bane works against a foe’s courage so as to kill the brave faster than the cowardly, while Nightshood is made from the powdered remains of powerful undead and can steal an enemy’s sight. Perhaps the deadliest of all is the Kiss of Set, crafted from the distilled blood of a naga, which turns the target's heart into a bomb, bursting from their body and leaving a toxic cloud in their wake.
The archers of the Viper Legion practice Hgri’ech, roughly translated as “hero-living,” where they devote themselves to embodying the ideal set long ago by Kul the Serpent, who killed thousands though his use of ambushes and mastery of poisons. These warriors hope to honor Kul by continuing his life’s work, and as Terrinoth goes to war, there are countless enemies waiting to be sacrificed.
For their arrows to do their work, viper legion archers train constantly amid the storm-lashed wastes of the Darklands, testing their hunting skills on vicious beasts and hapless travelers. In this manner, each legion archer becomes a master of ambush and mobile warfare, striking swiftly with surprise and then vanishing again before their foes can retaliate. Every aspiring member of the Viper Legion crafts their own longbow, fitting it with jagged spikes or the teeth of wasteland beasts so that the bow may be used in close combat should the need arise.
For full-scale battles, the Uthuk mass their viper legion archers, favoring overwhelming force against the benefits of lone hunters. When the archers loose their snake-like arrows, the skies darken with writhing forms, and the din of battle is momentarily drowned out by the long hiss of a hundred serpentine arrows hungry for blood.
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The Viper Legion is divided into several sects. There are three known sects. The Viper Children proudly protect a sacred ravine filled with vipers, which they believe to be Kul’s final resting place. Meanwhile, hunters of the Ash Walkers favor cunning and concealment as they slink across the Ru and the mysterious Scions of the Lotus brew their own venom and consume it in sacred rites to inoculate themselves against its effects.
References
- Realms of Terrinoth
- Runewars Miniatures Game