The Serpiverse is a Verse written by Bryn, Faye, and Cicada. It includes elements of various fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres and heavy queer and anticapitalist themes.
It was not originally intended as part of the Fear Mythos, though Mythos elements had been added prior to the first stories published in the setting. As a result, it includes a number of elements not seen in most Fear Mythos settings.
All Serpiverse stories currently published or planned take place in the early 35th century.
Characters
- Abaddon (he/him): A Dying Man shard who claims that the Dying Man was destroyed by the Brute, whom he considers his father.
- Guildenstern Dolores (he/she): A self-taught oracle and finder of lost things.
- Dr. Jackson Crown (he/him): An Archivist researching HISH. He is the host of Abaddon, who claims that Dr. Crown's hypothesis that HISH is a god with 777 forms is giving HISH power and shape.
- Milkwood Um Vathath (she/her): A shadow demon, former assassin, current cafe proprietor/barista, and friend of Guildenstern. She comes from Noctis, a region of Hell.
- Neobacchus (he/him): A mysterious god linked to the PNW winefields.
Concepts
- HISH: Means King-Dreamer-Serpent in an unknown language. It is Absolute Divine Egocentrism, associated with violence, domination, solipsism, immortality, cannibalism, and eternal hunger. One who has attained HISH is known as a HISHINNE; the adjective for that which relates to HISH is HISHINNATE.
- Megaspheres: Arcologies enclosing various major cities, including Seattle.
- Planes of reality: Different realities or parts of reality, the exact nature of which is contested. The Serpiverse equivalent to our reality is known as the Center, the Waking World, the Mundane World, etc., though these terms are defined by natives to said reality, so they aren't necessarily objective.
- The Shattering of Masks: An event in 2096 in which Nyarlathotep revealed the existence of the supernatural to the people of Earth, changing the course of Earth's history forever. It is a matter of debate how the illusion was kept up for so long; many believe in the former existence of a force known as the Veil which kept most individuals from perceiving the existence of the supernatural.
- Spirits: Numinous beings of variable nature, including angels, demons, gods, ghosts, etc. Entities written as Fears in most Verses are not a distinct category, but are instead treated as gods.
- Thaumaturgy: The academic term for what is colloquially known as magic. It is highly personal and variable in nature; there are many forms of magic, which are culturally defined rather than objective categories.
- VOMS: A Favorist religious concept and form of currency, believed to be a measure of luck and divine favor.
Locations
- The Gorepolity of New Dis: A region of Mars, formerly known as Amazonis Planitia and heavily associated with Hell. Various locations in New Dis are named after the Oths of New Dis, such as the city of Oth Meathate.
- Hell: An extraplanar monarchy and, according to many, a plane in its own right. Ruled by aristocrats known as Vulths; the lowest of the landed Vulths are the provincial rulers, with Gorets ruling larger regions known as gorepolities and Oths ruling cities within gorepolities.
- Old Lost Mu: A sunken continent, once ruled by the Dead and Faceless King of Old Lost Mu. May or may not actually exist.
- The Pacific Northwest winefields: A series of regions in the American PNW in which water has been replaced with ethanol by mold-based livestock turned pests colloquially called dronecows. Home to pen-tailed treeshrews, which migrated there by unknown means.
Organizations and belief systems
- The Archive: A Book-Man cult and supernatural research institute. Rather than designating paranormal phenomena as PREs, UXPs, etc., it uses the term Recurrent Supernatural Narrative Element (RSNE). The Dying Man, for example, is designated RSNE0444.
- The Durand Corporation: A megacorp based on Earth and the de facto ruler of the inner Solar System, run by HISHINNE Elias Durand.
- The Hart Extraontological Institute (HEI): A supernatural research institute.
- Hemoworks Organ Solutions: Formerly known as Dobie-Coltrane, the company responsible for genetically engineering dronecows as a form of livestock, which led to the creation of the PNW winefields when Durand bought out Dobie-Coltrane and left the dronecows to run rampant. Dobie-Coltrane was later revived as Hemoworks, and now works with Iron Creek and Legatus Labs in the creation of ATT constructs, if only supplying the organs.
- Ineffable Favorism: An obscure Baptist sect turned major religious organization, centered around the attainment of VOMS through acts of altruism and self-sacrifice.
- Iron Creek: A Durand subsidiary and private military/weapons manufacturing company, run by Thomas Yew and associated with Nug and Yeb. It is best known for the creation of thaumaturgically and genetically engineered animatectic (ATT) constructs in cooperation with Legatus and Hemoworks.
- Legatus Labs: A Durand subsidiary and military technology company. Works closely with Hemoworks and Iron Creek.
- The Neo Navy of the Hydrogen Millennium: A fascist cultgang centered around the search for vanished Australian Prime Minister candidate Frank Ferraro, whom Neo Navy members, known as Larissinists, believe was taken to the lost city of Larisse. The Neo Navy isn't officially HISHINNATE, but shares a number of traits with a Progressive Awakening religion.
- Professional and Private Apophenic Services (PPAS): A tiny company in the business of finding lost things for pay, owned by Guildenstern Dolores (also, legally speaking, its sole employee, though Milkwood Um Vathath is the de facto other member).
- Progressive Awakening: A blanket term for various religious traditions centered around the attainment of increasing levels of "awakening," with the end goal of HISH.
- SIXFINGER Multiplanetary: A major Favorist bizcult with ties to Durand.
- The Special Intelligence Branch (SIB): An FBI branch which deals with the supernatural.
- The Syncreticate: An uneasy alliance between hundreds of cultgangs, born in New Dis but with members elsewhere in the Solar System. Directed by the Big Five; the Ceres Sweet Fire, the Coldrage Street Motte, the Mountebank Club, Neon Parabola, and the Timberwolves.