Of Fenthira’s two immortal children, the second was Sitheus, master of serpents. Deft and intelligent, He easily established Himself within Sythtys, the great swamp over which His mother had dominion. During this time, he warred with His brother-rival, Sythrak, as both attempted to assert themselves as worthy of Fenthira’s favor. Sitheus coveted the talent His brother possessed for magic, but could not command himself: it only deepened his loathing when Fenthira chose Sythrak over Him to create the first clutch of srryn. The War of Fire, sparked by Sythrak’s ambition and self-assurance, maddened Sitheus, drawing into sharp relief His own perceived shortcomings.
As Sythrak’s war ultimately failed, He was then left vulnerable; when His following was at its weakest, Sitheus struck. Having long sharpened his claws for the opportune moment, Sitheus’ viciousness was legendary. He savaged Sythrak, but did not banish Him from Sythtys– rather, the greatest punishment He could imagine was a long, painful, and relentless impotence in the shadow of His former glory. With Fire’s power broken, Sitheus encouraged the srryn to hone their natural guile. As well, He was the first of the race to recognize the growing power of Void. How He came to that revelation remains a mystery; Sythrak’s chosen assert it was gained through cavorting with warmbloods.
Sythrak, however, would not be denied His claim to Sythtys and the srryn. His rage at Sitheus’ backstabbing drove Him to greater and greater command of Fire. At the dawn of the modern era, Sythrak returned with a vengeance. The battle of Fenthira’s sons was protracted and spectacular; srryn shamans say that fire rained down on the swamp for seven months as the two struggled for supremacy. In the end, Sythrak smote Sitheus, vaporizing His body and exiling His undying spirit from Sythtys. Sitheus’ deathless spectre roamed the Prime Material, mad with jealousy and defeat. Capitalizing on His new ethereal state, He began to tap into the power of Gamaloth and its otherworldly command of the dead.
Sitheus fashioned for Himself a new body from the remains of dead srryn, rotting plant life, and brackish slime. Reveling in His new form, He began to craft His own utterly obedient following of undead. As He mastered the intricacies of negative energy, He raised countless twisted constructs of vine and bone into His service, and claimed the Fens as His own. Soon, His abominations would siege human settlements and Sythtys alike; giving rise to His own Sept, known as the Thissa, within the heart of Sythrak’s domain. Outcast but unwavering, Sitheus continues to seek greater power through undeath, asserting His own twisted form of srryn dominance upon mortal Avendar.