Shakrim Kobrin

The Kobrin is a Blessed; the descendants of the first political exiles to the Shakrim Isles granted the Kamal a karb, the glorious change. The Blessed were given changes that mirrored the likeness of the Great Shakkamal. This deity took pity on the exiles and helped them to adapt and survive in the harsh environment of what would become known as the Shakrim Isles.
The Blessed are as close to a ruling class as the Shakrim get. As a society, the Shakrim tend to be very libertine and adhere to the ancient adage that only the strong survive. The Blessed, however, have the likeness of their god Shakkamal. Their political sway over the Isles is recognized and, in most cases, tolerated.
Most Blessed shy away from any ruling-class drama and live their lives by their own rules and to their own liking. However, the ruling bloodlines are groomed for governance, as priests and priestesses to Shakkamal, or to defend the island.
Like all Shakrim, young Blessed are brought up learning to hunt and fight to survive. They are taught that the Great Shakkamal has given them the gift of fangs and the ability to carry weapons and that they should use both when they fight. From an early age, they learn the importance of strength and intelligence, both things they will need to lead the very independent Shakrim.
The Shakrim have a warrior society where the strong survive, and the weak quickly become food for something more robust. The Blessed must prove themselves worthy of their leadership, and they do so through the formal coming of age ordeals, the first being the Trial of the Coils.
It must be noted that not all Blessed will undergo the trials, nor is there some mandate that makes them do so. That is not the way of the Shakrim. However, members of the Ever Serpente’s extended brood, the ruling elite, are expected to honor this tradition and take the trials. Shakrim wishing to serve the Ever Serpente in any capacity, will also be expected to take the Trials.
The Trial is a test of wit and brawn, and it may only be taken after having served a time in the wild with a mentor. The young Blessed prove themselves in the thick jungles, jagged highlands, and sandy beaches of the Shakrim Isles. They patrol their island and keep it safe from interlopers, be they the hated Iron Men or Shakrim raiders from another island looking for plunder and glory.
The Kobrin, as these young Blessed are called, display their worth by mastering themselves, their environment, and any enemies they encounter. They often perform these duties with brood-mates or another similarly aged Shakrim preparing for the Trial of the Coils.
These groups are called Passatai or Trackers, and the Kobrin in them are often referred to pejoratively as Shakijal or snakelets by their elders. They are led, guided, and judged by an older Blessed known as a Ssokreen or a Wisefang. The traditionalist Blessed sees the time spent with the Passatai as a right of passage.
Passatai are often made up of the Ssokreen, several Kobrin, Viperon, and sometimes a Hairanai or speaker that has befriended and communes with the local lizards. The Hairanai are After that have a special bond with their brother and sister lizards. Their charges sniff out and locate trespassers, which the Kobrin will then hunt and exterminate.
The Kobrin is armed with an Atlatl, a traditional weapon of the Shakrim. It becomes more and more proficient with the atlatl as it spends its time surviving in the wilds of its dangerous homeland. Beyond this, they carry only a tiny serpentine dagger and Shakkamal’s gift to them in the way of their fangs and wits.
A Kobrin’s time with their Passatai begins at the Trial of the Coils, held on the Spring Equinox. As last year’s Kobrin gather to take the Trial, the next group of Kobrin leave their homes and begin their year-long journey protecting their island.
After service in the Passatai, the Ssokreen will judge the Kobrin as worthy or unworthy of the Trials. It is uncommon for a Ssokreen to deem a Kobrin unfit, as the environment and the enemies of the Shakrim will have weeded out the weak ones during their year of service.
The Trial of the Coils has two parts, an interview of the Kobrin by a group of ruling Blessed and then a show of martial skill against the Kobrin’s Ssokreen. If Kobrin passes their trials, they may choose what direction their life will take, whether it be military, the priesthood, or civil government.
Kobrin that do not pass the trials have several options. They cannot retake the tests, so many will melt back into the everyday life of the Shakrim, unable to serve the Ever Serpente as they aspired to. Others choose to remain a Kobrin and devote their lives to keeping their island safe. This path is seen as honorable. Some of these Kobrin have become Ssokreen after proving themselves worthy in their extended service to the Passatai.