Sethrak

Sethrak
	; Concept art
Classification	Medium Humanoid
Faction/Affiliation	Faithless, Devoted
Racial capital	Temple of Sethraliss
Racial leader(s)	Emperor Korthek †; Vorrik
Racial mount	Krolusk; Pterrordax
Homeworld	Azeroth
Environment	Deserts
Area(s)	Vol'dun
Sources: Battle for Azeroth

Not to be confused with Sethekk.

The sethrak are a race of serpent people living in Vol'dun on Zandalar. ^[1] They are split into two factions - the loa-worshipping Devoted, and the war-faring Faithless. The Faithless Empire has existed in Vol'dun for millennia, but remained mostly underground until recent times.^[2] Wherever the sethrak go, sand begins to spread as they magically change the environment into what they are comfortable with.^[3]

Background

The sethrak once lived united as one, just as their loa Sethraliss would have wanted.^[4] Thousands of years ago, they and Zandalari trolls lived in harmony in Vol'dun and worshiped Sethraliss together.^[5]^[6]^[7]

During the war between the trolls and the aqir^[6] roughly 16,000 years ago,^[8] the C'Thraxxi warbringer Mythrax the Unraveler descended upon Vol'dun. He slaughtered trolls and sethrak alike. Sethraliss sacrificed herself to save them, but though she struck Mythrax down, Mythrax was still able to destroy the disc at the heart of Atul'Aman. After witnessing the destruction firsthand, the sethrak knew that something had to be done to prevent anyone from raising Mythrax again. The great sage^[9] Sulthis - known for being immensely powerful - therefore became the first Keeper^[10] with Vorrik and Korthek soon chosen to join him. The three worked together to seal Mythrax within the great pyramid^[11] using three keystones^[12]. Only with all three keys, one held by each Keeper, could the great beast ever be released again.

Despite the defeat and imprisonment of Mythrax, with Sethraliss' death the jungles of Vol'dun transformed into a vast desert, causing most of the trolls to abandon the region. The sethrak, however, remained, and continued to survive and thrive in Vol'dun. They considered the dunes the holiest of holy grounds.^[6] The sethrak appear to have inhabited the abandoned troll city of Zul'Ahjin during this time, as the three Keepers are immortalized as equals there. ^[13]

As the sands continued to spread, Korthek grew power-hungry and sought to free Mythrax, intending to use it as a weapon to conquer all of Zuldazar. He gathered like-minded sethrak, who became known as the Faithless, and declared himself emperor. The sethrak who follow Vorrik and still worship Sethraliss, known as the Devoted, have been fighting the Faithless ever since.^[11]

There is a sethrak incursion into the neighboring Nazmir, looking for shadow magic to power their [Skycaller Gem].^[14] They have also destroyed the village of Dol'watha in Zuldazar.

Culture

Sethrak Spire.

The Devoted sethrak worship the loa Sethraliss and wield lightning magic. There is an ancient sethrak belief that loa can be reborn.^[15]

Sethrak are a very long-lived race. Vorrik and Korthek were alive 16,000 years ago to witness Sethraliss' demise. Emeni, a sethrak princess in life, may be even older, as it is said she lived in a 'time of peace'^[16], and at a point in history when the title of 'princess' was still applicable to sethrak culture - suggesting she lived in the time before the Empire's rise at a minimum, and prior even to the Aqir war at maximum. While Emeni is dead, it is revealed in the quest [60] Ember Court: Maldraxxus Army that her childhood rival still lives in the present day.

The sethrak skycallers, gifted with the power to command the storm, use their magic to summon great spires that turn the earth into sand.^[17] Lightning strikes that hit sethrak spires are used to send messages across large distances in a manner similar to smoke signals.^[18] The spires are also used to transport sethrak, who emerge from underground via them.^[19]

Korthek's empire has slave markets comprised mostly of vulpera,^[20] but keep tortollan^[21]^[22] slaves as well. They even sell children.^[23]

Sethrak weapons are crafted from skyglass and other materials that can only be found in Vol'dun.^[24]

Sethrak keep krolusks as mounts, packbeasts, and warsteeds.

Some sethrak practiced the ways of blood inscription since before the Faithless and Devoted split.^[25]

Notable

Name	Role	Status	Location
Sulthis	First of the Keepers	Deceased	Unknown
Vorrik	Keeper, leader of the Devoted	Alive	Vol'dun
Emperor Korthek	Former Keeper, emperor of the Faithless	Killable	Vol'dun
Serrik	Follower of the Devoted	Deceased	Vol'dun
Emeni	Former Sethrak Princess	Active	Maldraxxus

Notes and trivia

Due to the many similarities between sethrak and trolls, some players previously speculated that the sethrak used to be trolls at some point. However, Alex Afrasiabi confirmed in a BlizzCon 2018 interview that this is not the case.^[6]
The sethrak are partly inspired by Bedouins.^[26]
The sethrak make for the third humanoid snake model in Warcraft, after the naga and the slith.
Sethrak may reproduce very slowly, as the quest [60] Ember Court: Maldraxxus Army reveals Emeni's neighbor's descendant, Fangcaller Srillik the Twelfth is only twelfth in a bloodline that is likely multiple-thousands of years old.
The same quest suggests the Faithless still have a hold over the Temple of Sethraliss even in the present day, and maintain impressive numbers despite their Emperor's death.
They look similar to the titan-forged refti.