Setting development - Rise of Serpents

[Adamaro]

I'd ask for your 5c on the probable turn of events regarding this setting I am developing.

Here's what happened:
- millenias ago, there were proto-deities, one of them the Serpent, god of magic
- the Serpent sort of died/was phased out of reality/was killed/became un-existent a few thousand years ago
- great lizard kingdoms which bowed to the power of the Serpent fell apart and were also subdued by appearance of dragons in this world
- recently, a great arcane war erupted. So much arcane power was unleashed that entire regions of this Material plane got traits of other planes and a large numbers of outsiders and even abominations (rank 0 deities) got warped into reality
- most of the world is now boiling, gravity-shifting, time-rippling, negative/positive energy booming place where abominations roam
- in this conflict, the Serpent has been resurrected
- it had a great plan for re-ascension of serpent species and had in fact created "A promised land", a place where serpent species could cast stronger and greater magic then other species
- what happened was, that this region was one of those, warped by arcane war

Now I'm thinking of all those scaly creatures who somehow endured and survived millenias of reign of dragons, all those hunts by adventurers and conflict with other humanoids and monsters. What would these creatures do? Their "promised land" is infested with fierce energies and CR 50+ monsters.

Mechanically I was thinking of giving all scalys with sufficient stats a gestalt class of sorcerer and an ability to cast some spells other species can not. (after the war, max spell lvl is 5. If you fervently worship the Serpent you get lvl 6, if you also ARE a scaly specie, you get lvl 7, if you are in Promised land, are scaly and a fervently worship the Serpent, you get lvl 8 and 9 spells, but lose them as soon as you leave the land)

It is 3.5 ed, but I posted this in general gaming, since it is more of a setting developement.

[Midnight_v]

Their "promised land" is infested with fierce energies and CR 50+ monsters.
What? I don't know of anysuch creatures. I was initially gonna say, maybe you should check out 1. The Serpent Kingdoms, and 2. The Elder Evil: Serrotuss, but I started thinking you might be playing something other than dungeons and dragons till you got to the 3.5 part.? Cr 50? Hmph. Weird. As much as I'm interested in campaign development, I'm not sure what something like that even entails.

[Adamaro]

What? I don't know of anysuch creatures. I was initially gonna say, maybe you should check out 1. The Serpent Kingdoms, and 2. The Elder Evil: Serrotuss, but I started thinking you might be playing something other than dungeons and dragons till you got to the 3.5 part.? Cr 50? Hmph. Weird. As much as I'm interested in campaign development, I'm not sure what something like that even entails.
For high CR monsters check out Epic monsters, they are even in SRD. Actually I did check The Serpent Kingdoms (great reading), but I would like some ideas on how would in Playgrounds' opinion scaly species react to the way things are - having Promised land infested with all this c*ap and their new patron-god now alive? Do you think they would strive to liberate this land, establish a kingdom in untainted lands, throw down other humanoids ... ?

I think there was a similar plot in NWN 1 regarding rise of serpents. I thought to steal idea a bit and re-modify it.

[Morghen]

I'd imagine that the first thing they do is carve out a Safe-Zone in their Promised Land. Pacts would be made to keep out the 100'-tall undead crab-men, spells would get thrown around to tame the areas with floating lava, giant fortresses would be constructed, leadership would get nailed down, that kind of thing.

Then, offense.

If I know that my people, who have been oppressed for LITERALLY millennia, are now more powerful than any other race because our god made it so, I'm straight-up going on a rampage. I've got 7th-level spells and you've only got 5th? Guess who's sweating?
(Hint: It's not the lizards. They don't have sweat glands.)

So here's my checklist:

Safe area in our Promised Land. Probably close to the edge. Trading has to happen somehow.
Conquer the non-lizard areas nearest your safe zone. (You need a buffer area.)
Finish pacifying the Promised Land.
Total dominance of areas nearest the safe zone.
World domination, one kingdom at a time.

[Adamaro]

@Morghen
Awesome man :) Just what I was looking for. Any other input much appreciated.