Twenty Five years ago a child was born in Cairo, Egypt. She had been born three months premature as a result of hemorrhaging after her mother was involved in an accident, and her survival was nothing short of a miracle. However, even as she was separated from her mother and was found to be quite alive and very alert the baby refused to cry. In many African cultures if a newborn doesn't cry then it doesn't live and is Dead. Therefore even though the baby was breathing and warm she was considered a stillbirth, and the living 'corpse' was taken to the fringes and abandoned lest it bring ill fortune to the household. Had the baby simply died of exposure or fallen prey to natural predators no one would have missed her, she was Dead and unwanted. It is not known how long she was left there, alone, nor is it known how she survived, but she did. Twice now the baby that would later become known as Eve had cheated death, but it certainly wouldn't be the last time she did it. She was found by a man who called himself simply the Snakemaster, or 'Serpent'. It was part of his daily routine to take his spear and hunt for rodents and small animals to feed the sacred snakes of the cult he was a Priest for, but he was quite surprised to find little game on this day but instead stumbled across a hungry newborn baby. He took her back to his home, meditating often over the next few days while the baby slowly began to starve, in an attempt to determine why his gods had set this baby before him. Perhaps, determined the Snakemaster, she was the desired sacrifice and would bring the people of the cult good fortune. He spent the next month tending her, feeding her with goat's milk until she returned again from the brink of death. When the next cycle came she was thoroughly cleaned and prepared to be the sacrifice to the great Asp known as Thulsa. But the baby would surprise them again, and she would again leave Death shortchanged. When she was dropped into the pit of hundreds of writhing, deadly, poisonous snakes of all sorts not one of them struck or seemed to show more than passing interest in the month-old baby. The baby didn't cry, didn't seem phased in the least as she was crawled and slithered over. The appearance of the great asp Thulsa was always a very sacred moment. He rarely emerged from his own den into the pit but very lowly this time he crossed to the enfant. As the other snakes scattered he slithered over the baby, coiled himself around her, hissed and spat and continued to dance around her in such a manner for what is said to have been twelve days and twelve nights. The baby didn't cry |
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The appearance of the great asp Thulsa was always a very sacred moment to the members of the cult; He rarely emerged from his own den into the great pit but very slowly this time he crossed to accept their offered sacrifice. The priests were pleased, but Thulsa still had a mind to surprise them. As the other snakes scattered he slithered over the baby, coiled himself around her, hissed and spat and continued to dance around her in such a manner for twelve days and twelve nights. The baby didn't cry, the snake didn't strike, only sang his serpent's lullaby. At the end of the twelfth night all the smaller snakes returned, and Thulsa stopped his dance. The baby had not died of hunger, nor uttered a single wail of protest. Nor would she still, as the abrupt finale of the dance was performed and hundreds of venomous snakes pierced her skin with their teeth, releasing their venom into her body. Thulsa, last of all, took the baby by the throat and poisoned her. Again, death was cheated. The baby was retrieved from the pit and nursed back to health once again. This time she was not a sacrificial lamb to be given to the snake gods, but rather the Chosen of Thulsa. It was believed that her apparent immortality and connection with the snakes was akin to the ancient belief that snakes were of the Underworld and were the guardians of Pharaoh and of pregnant mothers. For five years the baby was trained as a Priestess and would lead the ceremonies and worships of the snakes in the temple, and at the beginning of her firth year among them she was given the name Eve. ("Adam named his wife 'Eve' because she would become the mother of all the living." Genesis 4:20) For the next twenty years the cult thrived, isolated from the world and its ills, devoted only into seeing the end of this world and beginning of a new one by the guidance of the only serpents to possess the knowledge and wisdom of the afterlife, and to guide mankind. |
| In August of 2001, Eve's temple was raided in the night, many were killed and the temple destroyed. Thulsa (Believed to be immortal, as he had been alive for as long as any of the existing members could recall and was evidently at LEAST twenty five years old simply by comparison to Eve's age) was tranquilized stolen. The few remaining cult members and priests gathered information and determined that Thulsa had been taken to Gotham City. Eve was taken to Cairo where she was taught English, and promptly sent off to Gotham to find the snake before he was slain by ignorant fools of the Western world. |
