Serkam



Serkam, otherwise known as The Great Serpent, Shaz'lah, or refered to as Great One by the Sehras, is a Manaës and the central figure in the monotheism that is Zaharism. He is arguably one of the most worshiped deities in recent times, with almost thirty millions zealots within the Southern Sehras alone. It is believed that Serkam was one of the Gods of the Svarts and that he had an active role in the Divine War against the Primordial Gods and their minions.

He takes on the appearence of a colossal and slender serpent, sometimes a cobra, with crimson scales, colorful feathers and giangantic wings. According to the Dreams of Naka'le, Serkam briefly appeared in the concrete during the Fall, alike most of the major Manaës, such as Trè and Cynis.

It is said Serkam is the embodiement of pride and valor.

Cosmogony
In Zaharist mythology, Serkam isn't depicted as the architect of the world, but as a traveler and an observer of mortal conflicts on Zael. A being of "pure might and glory" Serkam traveled across the stars, seeking for a world worthy of his attention. For eons he went from world to world, without ever finding a mortal race which bore the seed of valor, until he finally reached Zael. There he found the Sehras, blood-thirsty warriors with a passion for violence, but with the potential in their hearts to become beings of honor, and he judged them worthy of receiving his teachings to venture on the path of the Skhad. "History thus began..."

Zaharist theology makes the case that Serkam's arrival to Zael birthed a new world, where "honor and compassion" could exist. The Age of Savagery started to decline as many came to realize that a war waged against a brother was a war not worth fighting. The book of The Manifestations  describes the signs of a coming age following Serkam's arrival on Zael as witnessed by many prominent Sehras of the time. The manifestations are considered to be epiphanic experiences which triggered a radical transformation of Sehras society, thus pushing them out of the era of savagery and towards a new age of civilization.

The tale itself is a metaphor which explains that before the descovery of honor and nobility, the Sehras were nothing but mere beast; upon embracing these values, they became something else: Skhads.