Only in recent years have Her surviving Children been able to venture forth once more and spread Her word, the word of Chaos, and the truth of Rebirth, to the rest of Her Children, the Vipers, that they may have the chance to live by the true path and so defeat time, following the Great Mother Home at last. Finally, after many years of persecution, the church is beginning to grow again, and draw more and more Vipers back to Her arms.

Heirachy

Sithis displays to us more female characteristics than male, and therefore female mortals are naturally closer to the Goddess. It is for this reason that the church places females more highly in the priesthood than men. However, the church does appreciate the vital talents which men have, valueing as She does all forms of strength. The structure of the church is as follows: At the head is the High Priestess Gris, and below her seven other High Priestesses of Sithis, each one penetrating further than the last into the mysteries of Sithis. This group does not ordinarily leave the inner sanctum of the Mother Temple, where they spend their time communing with Sithis and performing sacred rites and rituals. However, in times of need they may be sent out to perform important tasks or to take the word of Sithis directly to Her children, as in the cases of Sissya and the Vipers, and Harissa and the reformed human Cobras. Ordinarily the priests have the responsibility of taking the word of Sithis out to the people, and as such they are scattered in towns, cities and villages across Teutonia. The High Priest is the link between these two groups, seeing that the will of the High Priestesses is done in the outside world, and coordinating the efforts of the priests and acolytes. The acolytes, or 'preachers' as they are sometimes known, assist the priests and priestesses in their work, aspiring one day to become a full priestess or priest.

Attached to the church is the Inquisition, a body formed centuries ago to fulfill certain roles, ensuring the continuting strength of the Vipers. The Inquisition is currently led by Lord Tathlarien.

The warriors of the Church are known as the Gladius Dai, and currently form one of Teutonia's main armies. Their sworn duty is to protect the priestesses, priests and acolytes of the church, as they do Her work.

The summer of 1100AF saw the reformation of another branch of the church, which was shattered in the distant past, and has lain dormant ever since. The Orders of Sithis exist to teach and assess the Children of Sithis in each of the three main aspects of strength. The Order of the Fang, currently led by Sir Collm, teaches strength of the body, the Order of the Soul, currently led by Sir Willhelm, teaches strength of the spirit, and the Order of the Thoughts teaches strength of the mind. When a person is found to be worthy in a particular area, through a series of tests set by the leader of the relevant Order, then they will be admitted into that Order. Every Child of Sithis should attempt to gain entry to every Order during their lifetime.

A Brief History of the Church

Although it is likely that the Snake Mother was worshipped in some form from the beginning of Time, it was not until the first century that the Church arose to bring the true glory of Sithis to the people. By the middle of the second century, much of Teutonia had been brought to the Truth, and Sithis was one of the regions major religions.

As Teutonia was originally a feudal state (the first king was established during the early fourth century), so the duty of supporting the church in its mission to bring all of Her Children to the True Path of Venom lay with the noble houses of Teutonia – who then ruled the nation with iron fists. Recent evidence has come to light that beside the church of the Great Mother arose a sister-religion, that of the Maiden, Voivre, which grew up with almost as much strength and speed.

The last half of the second century saw religious intolerance rising steadily, encouraged largely by the bickering feudal houses and exasperated by the attacks made upon the Sithis church by the followers of Teutonia's ancient pagan deity, Baba Yaga, who sought to turn the sister-religions upon one another, in her desperate bid for power. The role taken by the sister-religion during this time is both unclear and uncertain, but it is reasonable to assume that the religion – to avoid total destruction – at least made some attempt to defend itself.

241AF saw the tensions rise to the point of civil war, which finally broke in the autumn of that year. The noble houses, split into two sides, stood by their respective religions as Teutonia was dragged down into a holy war that would rage for the next thirty years, before the broken and demoralised forces of the Maiden were crushed beneath the weight of the Sithis Church. Despite three decades of bloodshed, the aftermath of the war dragged on for a further 63 years before finally coming to an end in 334AF. The country spent those 63 years in economic and political ruin. The five houses, bloody and broken, returned to their castles and fortresses to gather their strength, whilst the Church of Sithis – weakened yet victorious – set about the slow process of rebuilding it's shattered faith.

Only four of the noble houses rose back up after the slaughter, the fifth, House Tepes – who fought on to the end on the side of the sister-religion – was declared unrecognised. The five feudal houses of Teutonia had become four.

In 334AF, Gustav I – later the first king of Teutonia – united the bickering houses and feuding warlords, bringing about a centralisation of power. A supporter of the Church of Sithis, he aided in it's rebuilding and spread throughout the land. The religion of Sithis rose once more to its rightful place as the most powerful church in Teutonia, as the King and the noble houses opened more and more of Her childrens' eyes to the Truth.

The next few hundred years were a time of prosperity for the Church of Sithis, and it concentrated on expanding it's temples and churches throughout the land. Then, in 598AF, and in direct defiance of the rule of Wilhelm III, the pagan deity of Baba Yaga released a twelve-thousand strong army from the Great Forest in northern Teutonia, and allowed them to sweep south in an orgy of blood and fire. The Church of Sithis came as close to being threatened as it had since the holy war. The four noble houses backed the king and together the people of Teutonia raised an army to fend off the attack. The battle concluded in 600AF at Brenner Keep when the she-troll leading Baba Yaga's army met with – and was killed by - the champion of the Teutonian army in single combat.

The church suffered potential embarrassment when king Lothar ('Lothar the Martyr' – 1004 to 1031) declared recognition for House Tepes, the house who had fought on the side of the sister religion nearly a thousand years before. The house enjoyed only a brief reintroduction before, fearing another civil war due to bickering barons, Frederick VII (1031 to 1064), reversed the decision to recognise House Tepes. And so Voivre faded from sight once more.

During the occupation of Teutonia by the Cobras, who were led by Lord Kruger, the leader of one of the noble houses which had historically worshipped Sithis, the Church was seen as a bastion of Viper strength and a potential rallying point, and consequently it was crushed. However, the structure of the church was never completely shattered, and during the rule of the False Snake the followers of the Great Mother fought on as an underground resistance force.

Today, with the reemergence of the Maiden and the hag, the Church of Sithis is striving to work together with the other parts of the Trinity, to restore the balance to Teutonia. It is hoped that this will make the Vipers stronger, and this is what Sithis, the Eternal Renewer, wishes, for Her Children the Vipers to be strong, to prove themselves worthy of Her Guidance and Salvation.

Unfortunately, much of the early history and teachings of the church have been lost over the centuries, as the followers of Sithis have faced trials at the hands of Kruger and others. This loss includes even the holiest of texts, the Book of Sithis. However, in recent years Sithis has begun to guide us back to much of what was once lost, that Her teachings may flow once more as blood through the veins of the Vipers. What little has been preserved from ancient times we owe to Gris, the High Priestess of the church. Unlike most of Her other Children, Gris returns in the same skin in each incarnation. For as long as there has been Time, for as long as there has been Sithis, there has been Gris. She occupies the highest incarnation possible, and will do so until the End.