Sekmin

The serpentfolk are among the oldest of all sentient creatures native to Golarion. In the Age of Serpents before Earthfall, the serpentfolk empire of Sekamina spanned across continents, onto neighboring planetoids, and even into the Great Beyond.

They are said to have ruled portions of the now-destroyed continent of Azlant, as well as most of northern Garund, and parts of Avistan. Serpentfolk subjugated any "lesser" race they encountered, and serpentfolk ruins depict cave-dwelling humans used as cattle or beasts of burden; it is unknown how many races the serpentfolk exterminated for pure pleasure.

Most monuments to their greatness have crumbled away in the past 10,000 years. Only their unusually smooth obelisks, built by their many slave races, can still be found from northern Avistan to southern-most Sarusan. It is unknown how long Golarion was dominated by the serpentfolk, but even the most conservative estimations put the length of their empire in millennia.

The serpentfolk went into decline during an ice age that saw their population drop, many of their holdings abandoned, and the Azlanti rising. As Azlanti power grew, the humans found themselves increasingly at odds with the fading serpentfolk empire; this often led to war.

The First Linnorm, the mighty Fafnheir, claims to have allied with the serpentfolk during these ancient wars.

The Sekmin civilization was eventually destroyed in a war with the growing Azlanti empire. In a final battle, the serpent god Ydersius was decapitated by Savith, an Azlanti hero; the serpentfolk continued to resist the ascendant Azlanti, but the war was clearly lost, and they eventually abandoned their surface holdings to retreat to the Darklands.

The destruction of Azlant caused by Earthfall saved the remaining serpentfolk from complete elimination. The leaders decided to enter a state of magical hibernation, waiting for a day when they could retake their lost empire. They seem only now to be beginning to awaken.

Most Sekmin cities, monuments and nations on the surface have crumbled away, either having been sacked by the Azlanti, destroyed by Earthfall, or taken by humans or monsters. Some underground have retained elements of their magically enhanced architecture.