Serpent-men

The Serpent-men, also called the ancient snake-men, are the hidden, inhuman reality behind the Cult of Set and its charismatic leader, Thulsa Doom. Throughout the narrative they exist as a pervasive but unseen menace, a nameless evil sensed by Conan's barbarian instincts long before it is given form. Their true nature is only fully revealed in the final confrontation, when Doom's sorcery is broken and he stands revealed before his congregation as a scaly, serpent-headed being, the living embodiment of the cult's worship of the serpent god Set. This revelation marks them as the timeless enemies of all mankind, the monstrous progenitors of a faith that glorifies death and promises a world-cleansing apocalypse.