The Vision Serpents once revered by the Classic Maya, used often in their images belching gods, ancestors and other spirits from their open maws, have like the Seraphim fallen into a state of ruin and no return. Their original function within the Illusion was within Dream where at the birth of a soul within a body inside the illusion of man, they would approach within the womb and console with images of spirituality restrained and comfort the soul within its new vehicle. Also they would be there at the death of man, to guide him from form and mask his memories within powerful dream labyrinths to either a new form or leave the soul adrift for the Nepharites. Vision Serpents used to associate themselves with 64 souls each, but with the disappearance of the Demiurge their tasks fell by the wayside. Some still apply themselves, and have taken on more souls as more and more of the Vision Serpents lose their way and stumble, slipping between Dream and Metropolis, others summoned by Death Magicians, forgotten gods and others beyond the Illusion intent on manipulating the Vision Serpents for their own means. Besides their roles, Vision Serpents have been used by those breaking the Illusion as a means of unraveling the dream shroud the Vision Serpents weave over the soul to mask the former life. The summoning of the Vision Serpents is a death magic ritual requiring the tongue and penis to be pierced (only men can summon the Vision Serpent - a link to the divinity and biased masculinity of the Demiurge), by a jade replica of a stingray's barb, so serrated that removal is less painful if pushed the entire way through, or severe tearing occurs, the blood dripped upon strips of paper then placed in a broad, flat-bottomed bowl and set afire. From the smoke that would arise, a Vision Serpent would manifest captive to the conjurer. Prior to the Demiurge's dissapearance, the Vision Serpents were almost automatons, following an edict laid down for ages, but with his dissapearance, the concept of free will has destroyed their original states. Some now find themselves drawn to those partaking of drugs or any disturbance in the Dream for a lack of a suitable strong fixture to associate from. appearance: The Vision Serpents would often appear as either a double headed rattlesnake, lost within amorphous clouds, bristling with lightning and fire, or as a single rattlesnake with a golden halo. Since the Demiurge's disappearance, the Vision Serpents shift form madly, barely able to retain their form, blood and flesh spewing from their mouths, pressing into the Illusion, while the storms rage more fierce and out of control.