Skorpios
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History
The Life of a Serpent Mage. While VIPER does not overtly discourage mystics joining their ranks, they also do not actively seek them out. The central circle of Serpent Mages consist of 21 individuals that have a very specific focus. There are 3 Grand Masters, each of whom have two masters under their command who in turn each have 2 apprentices, typically one acolyte and one novice. All other mystics employed by VIPER are 'hopefuls' awaiting their chance to join the inner circle. While the three Grand Masters are technically equals, the most senior of them, Francois Mercy, is the de facto leader. The primary endeavor of the Grand Masters is to search for signs and portents of people or events that threaten VIPER in the mystic world. They spend most of their time at the central scrying pool at their base in Africa. The Masters and their apprentices are the hands of the the Grand Masters, being sent into the field when and where needed.
Recently, the Grand Masters divined that the Serpent Lantern, which had been lost decades before, was now retrievable through their magics. The summoning required the combined power of the entire inner circle. One of the masters involved in that summoning was known as Scorpios. During the ritual, Scorpios experienced a powerful vision. A vision of the world in turmoil and a green serpent, long and sleek approached and encircled the world, quelling it. The Serpent sat contentedly but began to grow, it's body thickened but did not loosen it's grip on the world so that the serpent began to crush it it. The surface began to crack and fracture, turmoil again erupted, worse than before. The world seemed doomed to crumble under the weight of the ever growing snake but then an iron fist smote the head of the snake causing it to uncoil slightly. The fist struck again, the serpent turned to strike but the iron fist ignored the bites. Finally, the great hand grabbed the serpent and choked the life out of it, the Earth was saved. Scorpios was not the only mystic to experience a vision then, but he was the only one that seemed to have a negative experience. The others had all experienced visions of triumph for VIPER.
Shortly after the Serpent Lantern had been retrieved, the increased activity at their base had attracted the attention of UNTIL who then sanctioned intrusions by 'super heroes'. One assault was by someone clad in armor that shrugged off some of their most potent magics. Scorpios himself fought this person and was defeated. He wondered if this was the iron fist that was destined to bring down VIPER. But he sensed the intense fear of the man inside the armor, and though he penetrated deeply into their sanctum, he was ultimately fooled with a series of illusions. More visions came to Scorpios. This time when the iron fist fought the snake, the first bite seemed to have an effect. A bright glow emanated from that spot, slowly engulfing the hand and causing it to explode, taking the Earth and the snake with it. The visions progressed, causing Scorpios ever greater anxiety and trepidation. Now he could see what seemed to be a figure in the light, the source of the explosion. It was a man. Scorpios determined to go on a vision quest, to settle once and for all what this meant. He returned to his homeland of Armenia and on the slopes of Mount Ararat, used a potion containing both snake and scorpion venom to induce the visions. In this way the vision was much more lucid and clear but also changed again. This time, the fat serpent was struck by the iron fist, but then began to dodge and weave, avoiding the blows. It began to return to it's sleek shape and eased it's grip on the world which remained quiescent. The vision then divided, now there were two Earths one with the sleek snake avoiding the iron fist, and the other, was the old vision of the fist defeating the snake. He also now saw that each Earth was being held in a great hand. Those hands belonged to a great gleaming white man shaped figure with a snakes head. Scorpios now realized that it was great Nama himself that was sending the visions. Visions that seemed to say that if VIPER were left unopposed, it would eventually collapse under it's on weight and take humanity with it. He was left with a choice, oppose VIPER fully, bringing about it's defeat, or oppose it just enough to keep it lean and hungry. And in-between the two, central to the whole scenario, was the exploding man. Scorpios accepted the vision, realizing that he had to leave VIPER and join this man, while saving him and the Earth in the process.
Scorpios abandoned VIPER and using his powers of divination learned who this man was and what needed to be done. He learned he was almost too late already. The man was about to embark on the path that led to destruction. Scorpios sent his own visions to the man to delay him long enough for him to arrive. The visions worked and Scorpios was able to convince the man to accept his help in achieving his true potential. The man, who now called himself the Director, was a staunch adversary of VIPER but he also had a vision of world peace, through order and discipline. Scorpios was perplexed why great Nama would want him to join a group so dedicated to VIPER's destruction, but he believed he must follow the visions.
Scorpios believes his visions are from Nama, he is incorrect.
Millenia ago, in the wilds of Britain, there lived a small lost colony of Elder Worm, inhabiting deep caverns in the north of England. Their numbers were few but over time, even their infrequent forays to the surface were eventually noticed. The local tribes began to plot the demise of these demons and made incursions into the caverns to find them. The Elder Worm here did not have the ability to transform humans into Worm but did have other magics they could use. They took a specimen of legless lizard, called a slow worm, and experimented on it with both technology and magic. It grew and became fearsome and was set to guard the cave entrances against the invaders. As it fed on the bodies of those it killed, the magics used to create it also helped it consume some part of it's victims souls. Eventually it ceased to be an animal. It became crafty and malicious, now leaving the tunnels to hunt prey and make it's self stronger. It had grown far beyond what any mortal could combat, so the chieftains made a bargain with great Red Dragon from the south to fight the white worm in return for virgin sacrifices each solstice. The two monsters did battle and the white worm was defeated but the magics of the Elder Worm had worked a miracle in the worm so that each time it died, it was reborn again, stronger and more fearsome than before. The chieftains declared the bargain unfulfilled as long as the worm was alive so the Red Dragon was forced to do battle each year with the alien worm. Finally the Red Dragon, Kalgikovor, called on the aid of the mighty serpent Nama it had met years before. He asked that Nama transform the white worm into something he could easily defeat, but Nama was feeling capricious that day and transformed both of them into pigs which the king then caught and imprisoned in a cave in Wales. There they returned to their true forms and resumed their yearly conflict, though Kalgikovor, continued to win, the margin narrowed every year.
Eventually the legend of their imprisonment faded and in time, a new lord attempted to build a castle directly over the cavern in which the two beasts fought. The battle made the ground unstable and no tower would stay up. This continued for many weeks until the King was advised to seek the help of a boy not conceived by a mortal man. He sent his soldiers out across the land to find such a lad. The boy they found was called Myrddin Emrys whom some call Merlin. Following the advice of his councillors, the King was planning to sacrifice the boy in order to appease supernatural powers that prevented him from building a fortress here. The boy however was not Merlin, it was Nama in disguise. He informed the King about the Red Dragon and White Worm battling under the ground and offered to free one of them to stop the unrest. The King chose to set the Red Dragon free deeming it at least able to be bargained with. The White Worm was cognizant enough to know what was going on, and to realize who it's tormentor really was. Left trapped in the caverns, the White Worm languished and vowed vengeance. As time wore on the White Worm would occasionally moan pitifully, disquieting the those that dwelt above it. Finally the site was abandoned after an attempt to dig a well pierced the cave holding the worm, and making it's protestations even more audible and disquieting. The legends of the White Worm spread, some of the more unhinged tribesmen sought out the well and began to worship the White Worm beneath the ground whom they named Dionin. Some few of them were genuine mystics and sacrificed themselves to their god. In this way Dionin began to learn power for itself. It began to directly influence those that came to serve it, each sacrifice making it stronger and smarter. It's hatred for Nama never diminished, though it had not only come to accept it's imprisonment, it felt comfortable there, having grown so large now that nothing short of serious excavation could ever free it. It also knew that Nama's power still dwarfed it's own, it would need to bide it's time.
Centuries passed, the cult of Dionin had grown until Christianity had taken a firm hold over England and all of the pagan religions were forced to disband or hide themselves. Dionin's increase in power slowed as the sacrifices became few and far between, so it slumbered, sometimes for years at a time. Centuries passed, Dionin became aware of the world at large and watched it, and studied it. It witnessed the destruction of it's former masters, the Elder Worm, far to the north at the hands of men. It also began to feel the power of Nama reach out into the world. Dionin's own cult had shrunk to a single family tradition that no longer gave it enough to increase it's power, only to keep it alive. Dionin realized it would never attain the power necessary to oppose Nama directly, but it might influence people and events to hinder him. It's mystic sense had grown acute and far reaching, it sensed the powers invoked in Nama's name across the world. It watched the serpent mages and hid from their questing eyes. It found doubt in one, and fed that doubt. It began to push, a little here a little there till finally, while all other serpent mages were distracted, it made contact with it's cats paw, sending a powerful vision to bring about VIPER's destruction. Eventually it dared even to appear before the serpent mage who took him to be Nama himself, as was intended. Dionin's glee was boundless as the serpent mage abandoned VIPER and joined it's enemies, while still believing he served Nama faithfully. He would have his revenge.
