Lakamaté

A Lakamaté (plural: Lakamaté) is a Serenza gifted with extremely powerful inherent talents and abilities connected to their affinitive element. They come in six varieties, connected to the six Mencuan Elements; meaning that there are Lakamaté of Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Light, and Darkness. While Kasil Races can occasionally produce Lakamaté, they tend to be born as Kavasazi instead. Serenghe are never Lakamaté, but instead produce Žkha. Collectively, alongside the Žkha and the Kavasazi, Lakamaté are considered one of three different types of Crested Serenza, also known as Tzurendi.

History & Origins
The Lakamaté were primal elementalists that were rare births among the ancestral Vartiz. Like all Serenza, they were able to learn any and all of the six elements if they so desired, but they always had an extremely powerful connection with their affinitive element that allowed them to wield powers that could essentially alter the landscape. Unlike grandmasters who train for years to achieve this level of power and control, Lakamaté have this power inherent from birth. However, they still need to learn how to master control over it, and so they tend to live active and somewhat disciplined lives as they figure out how to best control their abilities.

Naturally, creatures as powerful as Lakamaté drew attention from the Jalenga, who performed extensive research of Lakamaté and their associated Crests over the ages while they were still alive.While they were not able to emulate the Lakamaté's power, they managed to make great scientific strides in alchemical and elemental forming, among other things. They were successful in ensuring that Zaderei could become Lakamaté, however, to the point where a much higher per capita ratio of Zaderic Lakamaté exist. Similarly, they were able to configure the Kumenza so that they were sometimes born as Lakamaté as well. However, this only applies to Natural Kumenza.

Today Lakamaté are still very rare, with only a few dozen alive and around at the same time. Tracking them down is generally difficult since they're viewed differently in every culture, and because they tend to prefer to avoid attention and people, which draws them to wilderness regions away from most civilization. However,since many of them are Zaderei, a good handful of Lakamaté can be found roaming Krippa, particularly the more rural or sparely populated areas of the hostile desert.

Traits
A Lakamaté's first and foremost trait is their elemental prowess with one of the six Mencaun Elements. On a physical level, however, the most telltale sign of a Lakamaté is a Crest in the form of elemental symbol on the upper surface of the right hand. In appearance, it is not unlike a tattoo, except that there is no physical way to remove this marking short of cutting the Lakamaté's hand off. There are six different types of Lakamaté Crests, one for each of the elements. These are identical in appearance to the corresponding racial emblems (such as the Shinzoka Emblem being the symbol for the Lakamaté of fire, the Madizi Emblem being the symbol for the Lakamaté of Water, etc), even if the Lakamaté in question is not of that race. Crests belonging to Lakamaté are referred to as Essence Crests.

Apart from that physical difference, Lakamaté are the same or as different as any other Serenza. on an emotional level, however, Lakamaté have an innate bond with five other Lakamaté of the other five elements. This is not always a bond of friendship, or even a positive bond at all, but rather, an innate ability to sense the presence of these other Lakamaté, no matter where in the world of Mencu they might hide. Despite this ability, most Lakamaté seldom hunt each other down, and so this connection generally goes unused.

Abilities
Lakamaté are best recognized by their unmatched abilities in their respective element. While many scholars and skeptics claim that the Lakamaté's abilities are drawn from the Crest on their hand, a rare situation in the 181st Age where a Lakamaté of Fire lost her right arm proved that her elemental prowess was not diminished even if she had lost the physical manifestation of her crest. Curiously, less than a week later, the Crest of Fire reappeared, this time on her left hand.

Men and women with Essence Crests are Lakamaté by nature, and these individuals have the power to alter the landscape on a significant enough level that sometimes it can even require maps to be redrawn. While it is rare for a Lakamaté to push themselves to this level, the combined efforts of four Lakamaté led by a woman named Tenoko, led to the destruction of an entire country during the 182nd Age.

Role in the Series
Lakamaté have various roles throughout The Crest of Zabutur, with many of these individuals appearing throughout several volumes of the different books. In some, they play central and pivotal roles, and other times their roles are more minor or don't even appear at all.

The Crown of Zivia
No Lakamaté appear or are mentioned in The Crown of Zivia.

The Crusade of Zulera
Lakamaté have little to no appearance in The Crusade of Zulera short of a Lakamaté of Air named Eka-Wanda being mentioned a few times in passing by Nevada.

The Shadows of Shinzoka
The ancestors of Lakamaté Zadok and Liberty are seen in the form of Zadok's father and Liberty's mother in The Shadows of Shinzoka, with Zadok appearing as a young man and Liberty appearing as a little girl.

The Rebirth of Krippa
Four Lakamaté play pivotal roles in The Rebirth of Krippa, where a Lakamaté of Earth named Liberty leads a coup and builds an empire from the ashes of the old republic. She is supported indirectly by a Lakamaté of Air named Zadok, and later by Idoma, a Lakamaté of Light. Tenoko, a Lakamaté of Water, serves as a minor antagonist before joining the Krippan Empire, where she, Idoma, and Liberty join with Zadok in search of a way to end the Krawvill-Krippa War. Tenoko, Idoma, and Liberty lead a campaign into Krawvill and abuse their abilities to erupt Scarlet Mountain (with Zadok assisting in their retreat), effectively crippling Krawvill and leading to its eventual subjugation by the 79th Krippan Empire.

Trivia
Regardless of which hand is their dominant hand, a Lakamaté's Crest will always manifest on their right hand.