The Ophidians

Of course, just because one is the Avatar of Virtue does not mean that one is closed-minded toward other systems of belief. During his travels, the Avatar has embraced the understanding of other such systems in his own ever increasing quest for goodness.

Besides the virtues of the Gargoyles, during his journey to the Serpent Isle, the Avatar became the Champion of Balance, upholder of the beliefs of the ancient Ophidians of that land.

Balance – the harmony between the Principles of Order and Chaos – this is the one pure axiom we hold true. All three Principles are symbolised in our hieroglyphs: The Great Earth Serpent, keeper of Balance, lies on a vertical plane, around which the two opposing serpents of Chaos and Order wrap themselves.

Chaos and Order each embrace three Forces.

These six Forces, when combined, form the three Principles of Balance.

Chaos Tolerance is that which encourages the acceptance of all things. Enthusiasm is the energy that allows one to perform great tasks. Emotion is the ability to perceive those feelings that come from the heart, as opposed to those from the mind. Order Ethicality is the belief that there is great value in abiding by rules of conduct. Discipline is the drive to complete a task and avoid the distractions that will prevent its completion. Logic permits clear, reasoned thought, free from any instinctual biases. Balance From the marriage between two Forces, one each from Chaos and Order, come the principles of Balance: Harmony, from Tolerance and Ethicality, is the ability to be at peace with oneself, other individuals and the world. Dedication, from Enthusiasm and Discipline, is that which permits one to surmount obstacles and lead others. Rationality, Emotion tempered by Logic, results in the ability to comprehend life and understand the world around us. Imbalanced Chaos Tolerance without Ethicality = Anarchy, a lack of standards of conduct. Enthusiasm without Discipline = Wantonness, actions without self-restraint. Emotion without Logic = Insanity, the inability to overcome emotional impulses with rational thought. Imbalanced Order Ethicality without Tolerance = Prejudice, a disrespect for the beliefs and rights of others. Discipline without Enthusiasm = Apathy, a spirit of hopelessness that prevents positive action. Logic without Emotion = Ruthlessness, self-advancing actions taken without regard to the wants or needs of others.

The murder of Ssithnos, Great Hierophant of Balance, started the civil war that eventually led to the extinction of the Ophidians, due to the peoples of Order and Chaos each blaming the other for the crime.

Another view states the origin of the war to lie when the Great Earth Serpent, embodiment of Balance, was wrested from the Void by Exodus the Destroyer, leaving the twin Serpents of Order and Chaos, and their followers, to imbalanced conflict.

At the Temple of Discipline, the followers of Order created Metal Automatons as servants and warriors – the greatest of these, the Ultimate Order Warriors, had within them the actual minds of Order followers.

At the Temple of Tolerance, the forces of Chaos created hybrid creatures to fight on their behalf. However, even these creatures could not stop the Order forces from destroying the Temples of Chaos, and ultimately, all Chaos followers.

With Order’s victory, the Chaos Serpent left the void and split into the three Chaos Banes; Anarchy, Wantonness and Insanity, which were imprisoned in the Order temples.

But without Balance in the land, natural disasters forced the followers of Order to go through the Wall of Lights in search of another home.

No record is left of what became of the last survivors of the Ophidian peoples.

A point of note is that during the Avatar’s quest to restore the Silver Seed, somewhen during the War itself, he encountered servants of the Guardian, then calling himself “The Guide”.