Hamutian Pantheon: The Scorpion and the Toad (Serqet and Kek)

Every child in Sublanarya is told the story of the Scorpion and the Frog.

A scorpion asks a frog to carry her across the river on her back. The frog refuses for fear of being stung by the scorpion. The scorpion points out that if she were to sting the frog, they would both drown. The frog considers the offer and agrees to carry the scorpion across the river. About halfway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog. This dooms them both.

When the frog asks the scorpion why she stung him, she replies "It is in my nature to do so."

But the story is more than a lesson to teach children that sometimes things, animals or people are incapable of being anything other than what they are (which fits neatly in the Ptah-Hamutian orderly view of the universe). It is also about the relationship between the beautiful but deadly Scorpion Queen Serqet and her brother The Mad Toad Kek.

Serqet and Kek are twin children of Set and Nephthys.

Serqet inherited powers over the realm of death directly from her mother. Her most famous duty among the guards was to guard Apep when he was imprisoned. Apep traded her the art of poison in exchange for his freedom and her father Set was forced to assert himself by defeating Apep in single combat.

She would proceed to user powerful poison for the arts of deception and murder, being the patron god of assassins and femme fatales, and is considered an enemy of the gods. She is also known to test out her poison on other gods...including the venom from one of the Old Ones.

Kek had been a deity of swamps, nights and rain and was transformed into a deity of chaos, madness and hunger. He is a corrupted god and associated with slaads and bullywugs. Among humankind, his worshippers are known for their disturbing feasts and the use of poisonous toads to induce hallucinations among their kind. His worshippers usually devolve into mad primitives, participating in human sacrifice and cannibalism, and many consider him to be a fused incarnation of the old one Tsathoggua.

His worship is very much forbidden among the populace but his cults pop up from time time to time.

SERQET THE SCORPION QUEEN

Title(s)

The Best Assassin, The Viscera Guardian, The Deadly Dancer, The Traitorous Sting, The Daughter of Grief

Pantheon(s)

Hamutian

Power Level

Lesser Deity

Alignment

Neutral Evil

Symbol

A bronze scorpion

Portfolio

Assassins, poisons, scorpions, deserts, dancing

Domains

Death

Worshipers

Murderers, spies, assassins, temptresses, alchemists

Favored Weapon

Daggers

KEK THE NIGHT CROAKER

Title(s)

The Whisperer, Tsathoggua/Zhothoqqua, The Mad Toad, The Great Slaad, The Corrupted Brother

Pantheon(s)

Hamutian

Power Level

Lesser Deity

Alignment

Chaotic Evil

Symbol

A black frog or toad

Portfolio

Madness, amphibians, darkness, gluttony, bullywugs, slaads,

Domains

Tempest

Worshipers

Cannibals, primitives, gluttons, lazy and slothful criminals, swamp dwellers

Favored Weapon

Whips