Cleopatra's Bane is a group of Exotic hedge magicians (most, if not all, of whom are now members of the Order of Hermes) whose Tradition is centered around serpents. The group takes its name from an apocryphal tale that the Tradition is descended from a wizard who shapeshifted into an asp and murdered Cleopatra (and her two maidservants).
The sole requirement for prospective apprentices is that they possess Parseltongue, a Major Supernatural Virtue that allows the witch to speak fluently with all serpents and to influence them to some degree, and to have serpents not be bothered by the effects of the Gift. The words used by Cleopatra's Bane to cast their spells are, in fact, Parseltongue and not Latin or Greek.
In addition, Cleopatra's Bane almost always suffer from being seen as hedge wizards (at best) and have a bad reputation as being individuals whose moral compasses deviate from true north; this is due to the fact that the training that brings out their serpentine nature and affinity also tends to bring out their baser nature.
Favored Tribunals: Cleopatra's Bane are historically found in the southern Mediterranean areas of Europe: primarily Provençal, Roman, Transylvanian, and Thebes, with one or two in Iberia and Normandy.
Major Non-Hermetic Virtue: Shapeshifter. All members of Cleopatra's Bane take Asp as their first shape. Any subsequent shapes they learn are almost exclusively serpents of some kind (in fact, any Cleopatra's Bane who takes any other shape is almost persona non grata[ among his sodales.).
Minor Hermetic Virtue: Withstand Casting.
Major Hermetic Flaw: Chaotic Magic.
Miscellaneous: All Cleopatra's Bane have Exotic Casting and should take Hedge Wizard and a Personality Flaw that shows some degree of moral turpitude (Avaricious, Compulsive Lying, Greed, Lecherous, Slothful, etc.)
