Summer 498
The Pythone Family of the Pitrius Clan was not an overly influential family within the clan. They weren’t involved in greater clan politics nor were they feared for their accumulated influence or how much “dirt” they had on others. Of course they once did maintain great respect and influence while also having a few memorable members that helped bring something to the family name. First there was Pythone Pitrius. It was Pythone who gave birth to the family centuries ago. Pythone was one of apprentices of the clan founder, Pitrius himself. Highly intelligent, Pythone was also a quiet man, devious and patient; patient even for an Isur. He was fond of setting plans into motion that wouldn't come to fruition for decades and by that time, any potential targets or opposition to those plans were caught completely unaware.
Pythone was also one of Pitrius' key assassins; striking from the shadows with a mastery of poisons unlike anyone else since. It is rumored that Pythone was responsible for the unexplained deaths of dozens of military, political and mercantile figures in the Pre-Valterrian Isurian Kingdom. Perhaps the greatest thing that Pythone is known for however is his supernatural affinity for snakes. He was never seen unaccompanied by at least one snake, usually several. He was able to communicate with them in a way few understood. His manipulations of djed almost always took a form related to snakes or poison and it is rumored that he had marks of gnosis from Siku, Alvina of snakes, that numbered greater than even those Pythone had from Izurdin. Some claim he was a full priest of Siku although such claims are impossible to prove after so much time has passed. Pythone's fate is as much of a mystery as the man was in life. It is said he was given a mission by his mentor, Pitrius; a mission of great importance that he never returned from.
While Pythone held great influence in his day, his successors didn’t have a taste for such things.
Pythone’s first granddaughter, Lavali was one of Pythone's favored apprentices. She was most known for her near flawless beauty even among Isur; a beauty that hid a rather cruel persona. Even at a young age, Lavali was adept at one of the more gruesome disciplines of Malediction. Eventually becoming a master Legate, Lavali was feared even by members of her own family. While magecraft was more scientific and refined, Lavali preferred the more personal nature of malediction. When combined with her use of Izentor, truly magnificent though gruesome creations came into being. It is rumored that Lavali, toward her later years, began sacrificing parts of her own body to the art in an attempt to attain some form of immortality. Whether she achieved this or not is unknown however it is said that she died at the unnatural age of 300 years old and that before her death, she ordered her corpse to be hidden away in a secret location that has yet to be unearthed in the many centuries since.
Lavali, while feared and respected, did not do much to maintain the family influence. After her death, the family fell into a bit of obscurity. Their influence had been built during the era of Pitrius. When Pythone vanished and with Lavali’s less than respectable status, there would be a few over the next few centuries who stood out yet for the most part, the Pythone family remained nothing special.
Following the Valterrian and the eventual foundation of the Silver Tower, the Pythone family saw a rise once more in their influence. This time however it wasn’t political influence or even fear that the Pythone family garnered, it was magical and religious influence. The first Pythone to become a Sentinel was Zyleron. Zyleron was an instructor at the Silver Tower and expert Reimancer and Auristic. It’s rumored that he also practiced the forbidden art of Leeching however such rumors were never spoken aloud. Father to Ialari Pythone and in line for the position of clan patriarch; although quite some distance down the line, Zyleron had accumulated a respectable amount of fear and respect from those under him and his influence within the Tower was expansive. Although not nearly as powerful as the Elder Sentinels, Zyleron carried himself in a way that displayed a strong presence. Formal, strict and often unforgiving, Zyleron dedicates himself to his family and his clan beyond all else. It is believed that Zyleron commands a select few marks of gnosis from gods other than Izurdin however such conjecture remains just that as none have been able to prove such accusations. While the Pythone name has always been synonymous with the breeding, care and keeping of snakes, it was Zyleron who returned this tradition to the forefront of the family structure. The family home as well as the homes of those who claim blood ties to the family, have all strengthened the tradition.
Ivani Pythone, Zyleron’s wife and a prominent magecrafter at the Silver Tower, was also one who helped restore some respect to the family. Ivani, unlike Zyleron, was kind, outgoing and a generous woman. Although vastly different from one another, Ivani and Zyleron were a devoted couple who enjoyed the company of the other to anyone else. Their conflicting demeanor balanced each other and formed a powerful union. Ivani is one of a handful throughout the Kingdom to bare a third gnosis mark from Izurdin. As such, her works of magecraft were some of the most potent throughout the kingdom. One of most patient and light-hearted of the Pitrius clan, Ivani is strict beyond measure when it comes to the worship of Izurdin and as an instructor at the Silver Tower, she instilled this dedication in all of her students.
