Serpentine

"Bow to your master, Serpentine!" - Pythor claiming the title of "The Snake King"

The Serpentine are an ancient race of reptilian humanoids who were once the dominant species in Ninjago. They warred with each other for centuries until the people of Ninjago had an uprising and locked them away in five separate tombs, one for each tribe (Hypnobrai, Fangpyre, Venomari, Constrictai, and Anacondrai). The Anacondrai are assumed to be extinct, as the last surviving member, Pythor, was eaten by The Great Devourer. They obey The Great Devourer as their all-powerful god and ruler, due to its immense strength and superiority over others. They believed that the Devourer could have been used as the ultimate weapon for ruling the Ninjago as well as its existing inhabitants. They now follow Skales.

Ranks (From highest to lowest)

 * The Snake King


 * General


 * Warrior


 * Soldier


 * Scout

Biology
The Serpentine generally appear as scaly humanoids with snake-like heads. This differs in the case of the Generals, who have snake tails instead of legs, though they retain arms. Only Generals have snake tails, and as soon as a different snake takes dominance in a tribe, its legs will become a tail and the conquered Serpentine will have its tail replaced by legs.

All of the tribes have unique abilities. The Hypnobrai can control others by eye-to-eye contact, or put in place post-hypnotic commands, essentially turning the target into a sleeper agent, allowing the Serpentine who did the hypnotizing to see whatever the victim sees.

The Fangpyre can turn anything they bite into a snake. In the case of mechanical objects or simple organisms, they take on snake-like attributes almost immediately, whereas more complex living victims slowly become Serpentine themselves. Interestingly, though the Fangpyre are red, the snakes they create are green. The process can be reversed in living beings with the anti-venom from the Fangpyre Staff or if the victim can significantly accelerate his or her heart rate.

The Venomari have resistance to acid, and will dive into the Toxic Bogs for refuge. Their hallucinatory venom can make anyone experience realistic and often terrifying visions. The effects of the venom are temporary.

The Constrictai have powerful squeezing bodies and are skilled tunnelers, and their constriction can prevent a target from breathing. The coils can be escaped, however, if the victim can fully relax his or her body as demonstrated by Cole.

The Anacondrai, which may be extinct, appear to be the most devious tribe and have stealth abilities, as demonstrated by Pythor's ability to become invisible.

Skales's and Fangtom's dialogue shows that they know one another from before their centuries of imprisonment, meaning that the Serpentine can survive for hundreds of years.

It is unclear if there are female Serpentine. Lloyd dictates that no girls are allowed in his tree house, which means either that all the builders were male and the females were elsewhere, that there is no apparent way to tell the difference and that Lloyd, thus, did not care.

Trivia

 * Lloyd has been betrayed by the Serpentine three times: first by the Hypnobrai, once by the Fangpyre, and once by the Anacondrai General, Pythor.
 * All five Serpentine tombs are in line with the Ninjago symbol for serpent.
 * Lasha, Mezmo, and Fang-Suei have been said to like candy, so this may mean candy is a popular food choice for the race. Ironically, this is the same food item Lloyd requested when he became leader of the Hypnobrai.
 * The Venomari and the Constrictai seem to be immune to the toxic in the Toxic Bogs. It is unknown if the Hypnobrai, Fangpyre and Anacondrai are immune.