Endubis

Endubis was a general of the Aksumite Kingdom active in the 9th century CE. Once a Christian soldier of the kingdom, the desolation of the land and of its people in the wake of invasions by Abbasid slavers and the many civil wars led to his loss of faith. Believing himself to be Arwe, the serpent-king, Endubis began to lead a snake cult.^[1]

Choosing to base himself out of the Church of Abuna Yemata, a veritable fortress, he infiltrated the location, pretending to come in peace before revealing himself and forcing the monks into servitude. Endubis also began forcibly conscripting men from Adulis, kidnapping them and holding them in the city's slaughter district before having them moved to the church, where they would be put into work digging defensive tunnels to lure and trap his imagined enemies.^[1]