The tale of the Zelorrgosz Drum

[Matt Nickolette]

Long before humans dominated Faerun the Creator Races ruled Toril. The
reptilian Creator Race, the Sarrukh, were foremost amongst these and
built up great empires. They bred the first yuan-ti. They bred them
by magically combining human and snakes. This way they also created
naga, and through a similar fashion, Lizardfolk.
They eventually fell from power and the resourceful yuan-ti rose up to
claim their Creators' power, even while sustaining the empire of
Mhairshaulk. Of the Serpent deity that the sarrukh had worshiped, the
yuan-ti venerated the strongest aspect, a cruel and despotic deity,
Merrshaulk, who grew distant and aloof.
As the yuan-ti's power became less visible on Faerûn, and they instead
fell to infiltrating human and demihuman society through their
organizations and long-sighted plots, Merrshaulk had sunk into a
slumber, ignoring his followers. Eventually, around the time of the
collapse of the human empire of Netheril, Merrshaulk himself was also
reborn as a winged yuan-ti avatar named Sseth, who became the
yuan-ti's new primary deity. In the end, though, Sseth too sank into a
solemn slumber.
But enough on the history of the Yuan-ti, let me tell you of one such
infamous snake bastard. Zstulkk Ssarmn of Hlondeth. He is considered
a slaver without peer in Skullport and he was one of the strongest
members of the Iron Ring consortium that he helped found. His gangs of
halfblood and pureblood yuan-ti thugs and overseers were well known
and constantly stalking alleyways in search of easy marks or escorting
chained slaves into the city. My great great great grandfather Selo
Zelorgossz was one of these such slaves. He was a bard much like
myself though not in the traditional ways. He was never taught
formally but he had a primal talent as a Tethyrian musician. Well
Zstulkk Ssarmn had a nephew Nhyris D'Hothek. He was a lazy but
ruthless jailer in the Iron Ring Consortium. Nhyris didn’t like being
under his uncles control and wanted to leave Zstulkk rule. Nhyris had
in his possession an artifact that he stole from his uncle. One of
great power (or so the tale goes). A drum made from the flayed skin
of a Yuan-ti Avatar Sibyl. It was supposed to have the power to
entrance all snakefolk who heard the ring of its percussion. Nhyris
could not get it to work though. Hearing the rumor that one of his
slave’s was known in the bardic arts, he could not pass up this
opportunity to use this slave as a means of escape. Late one night he
presented this drum to Selo and forced him to play it. As Selo’s
hands methodically beat the drum it echo’d through the prison halls,
all of the yuan-ti in earshot stopped what they were doing started to
sway to the beat. (Nhyris obviously did not have a well thought out
plan) Selo realizing what had just happened did not wish to miss this
opportunity. He stole the keys from Nhyris and began to play as he
led the other slaves out of the holdings of the Iron Ring Consortium
prison. This was the only time an escape has ever happened in that
prison. From there my father and the other slaves fled to Amn and
stayed there until my family moved again to Longsaddle. We have kept
this drum in our family as a reminder that when the gods call on us
for our destiny… we heed that call!

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