Zakarum

"You'll find that the Zakarumites have the persistence of zombies, but without the charisma."

- Hratli

The Order of Zakarum, otherwise known as the Church of Light, Zakarum Church and Religion of the Light, is a religious order on Sanctuary. It is dedicated to the worship of the Light and its tenets, but often, its faith has led to fanaticism.

Lore
"It impresses me that someone with your intelligence continues to adhere to their religion when it has been so thoroughly discredited."

- Abd al-Hazir to a Crusader

The Zakarum Church is a hierarchal body, composed of differing offices. The highest authority is that of the Que-Hegan. Under this figure, attendant archbishops of the High Council were tasked with administering the various territories under Zakarum control.

The Church has maintained arms militant. The Church had twelve Grand Inquisitors originally to detect corruption within the populace. The number of inquisitors increased as the influence of the Prime Evils spread. Eventually, the priesthood itself took on the role of judge and jury, and sent out the Zakarum Zealots to play the role of executioner to any who were considered corrupted. Additionally, the Church has possessed at least two Paladin orders&mdash;the Protectors of the Word and the Hand of Zakarum. The former has long been defunct, while the latter collapsed under the weight of the Zakarum's corruption.

Tomes of the religion include The Visions of Akarat and The Holy Scriptures of Zakarum.

A test had to be taken to become a priest of the faith. This test could be taken as early as the age of fourteen. Followers of the faith can make the "sign of the Light" in the air.

Zakarumites have a negative view of the Priests of Rathma.

Prior to the Darkening of Tristram, the church tried to have its own currency accepted as the new gold standard. However, it gained little acceptance.

Zakarum architecture is distinctive and refined. Zakarum structures are adorned with ornate details, and are often accompanied by elaborate statuary. Relics are usually found inside Zakarum estates.

Tenets
"Your prayers do not fall on deaf ears. Just know they are being heard. There is justice within the Light. But you have to be patient."

- A Zakarum priest

Looking at available sources, Zakarum's tenets can be summarized as such:


 * The Light exists in everyone, regardless of race, religion, or social status (the most basic tenet of the faith).
 * Embrace the Light with total devotion.
 * Trust in the glory of the Light, for its authority supersedes all power in the mortal world.
 * Resist all things evil.

Origins
"Who, living today, does not know of the Zakarum faith? Who has not seen its loyalists preaching of the inner Light or of the founder, Akarat, from the cobblestone streets of Westmarch to the winding bazaars of Caldeum? Dear reader, in the last few centuries, this organization has impacted the world in fundamental and far-reaching ways. This is remarkable because the order began as nothing more than a humble group of ascetics. In time, these believers gained the power to forge nations and raise emperors to the throne."

- Deckard Cain

Zakarum has its origins in Akarat, an ascetic who claimed to have been visited by the angel Yaerius, who revealed to him the teachings of what would form the basis of Zakarum. These teachings stressed the necessity of resisting all things evil, and embracing, with total devotion, the Light. The angel appointed Akarat to be the prophet of these new teachings, and bade him take the word to the people of all lands.

Deckard Cain had his own views on this event however. In his mind, what Akarat had really seen was an echo of sorts of Uldyssian's final sacrifice, an act that some mystics have been reported to have seen. He believed this act echoed throughout space and time, and can only be seen by those deep in meditation. Thus, Cain believed that Akarat had witnessed the phenomenon himself and interpreted it as the being Yaerius, "Yaerius" translating as "son of light" in his own language. Whatever the truth of the matter, Akarat now had the fundamental belief that humans were powerful vessels of light, and that all should seek their "inner light" in order to live good lives.

Spread
Akarat's philosophy spoke directly to the common man, and the people of Kurast embraced it. They sent disciples throughout Kehjistan to spread the word and Akarat went himself, spreading the Word through Kehjistan's ancient cities. Over time, a number of disciples flocked to Akarat's side. In reality, Akarat never set out to create an organized religion, but simply wanted to spread word of the wonderous things he had seen so that people could live with goodness in their hearts. At some point (accounts vary on the date), Akarat disappeared into the jungles of Kehjistan, content that he had spread his word to as many people as he could. He was never seen again.

Over the following years, Akarat's ideals were carried on and preached in the streets of Kehjistan's cities by a devout few. Akarat had never given a name to his beliefs, for he had never intended them to become an actual institution. But nonetheless, the term "Zakarum" came into use in this period, a term used to describe those who followed the ideals of Zakara, or "inner Light." With the use of such a name, it was clear that the followers of Zakarum were becoming an organized group.

Rise
During the 11th century, the Horadrim were engaged in a hunt for the Prime Evils, who had been banished to the mortal realm in the Dark Exile. With the capture of Mephisto and the binding of the Lord of Hatred in a soulstone, the Horadrim turned to the Zakarum believers, who were at that time, still a small and humble order. Tal Rasha, who had an affinity with the faith's monks, believed that they were the only individuals who could be trusted with guarding the soulstone and entrusted it to them. As the Horadrim continued their hunt for the Primes, the Zakarumites set about building a temple in which they could safeguard Mephisto's soulstone. It was in the jungles of Kurast that they thus founded what would be known as Travincal. This humble place of worship would later grow into a massive temple city at the heart of eastern civilization.

Thus, Zakarum grew even more. Popular religious leaders soon sprung up, endorsed by the new church, and within half a century Zakarum was the dominant order of faith and binding political force in the East. As the religion of Zakarum took hold in the East, they encountered many enclaves of demonic followers. Some of these were fully corrupted, and easily identified, but many were under subtle demonic influence, and appeared to be noble and good. With this, the Zakarum codified their beliefs and created a religious hierarchy composed of differing offices.

The Crusades
During the mid-twelfth century, after the Church of Zakarum had gained prominence in the East, the Church decreed that the visions of Akarat would be spread throughout the known world in order to redeem the masses. Thus, the Church selected a group of its most charismatic and devoted priests and sent them on a mission to proselytize the people of the West.

Unfortunately, the Church had not prepared these men for the rigors of travel nor the hazards of the world. The priests who survived their missions recounted tales of harsh weather, inadequate supplies, attacks from bandits and even encounters with horrible monsters. To ensure the success of future missions, the Church set about training holy warriors, Paladins, to accompany and safeguard their missionaries. In practice, these "Protectors of the Word" proved to be more successful at converting the native peoples than the Priests that they were assigned to defend. Impressing the locals with daring deeds, powerful weapons, and martial prowess was far more convincing than the condemnations of a soft-spoken monk. However, once the Word had been spread to every major city of the West, the "Protectors of the Word" faded from public view.

Some decades later, Paladins were again called into service. During the height of the Time of Troubles, the Church commenced a second campaign of conversion. This time, however, the inconvincible were deemed evil. The Zakarum Inquisition spread through the lands like a tempest, laying waste to all suspected of demonic possession or corruption. Leading this crusade was a new generation of Paladins, known as the "Hand of Zakarum." These cavaliers of righteousness swept through the lands, expunging the taint of demonic contamination wherever they found it.

In the midst of this bloody crusade, a rebellion arose within the ranks of the Paladins of Zakarum. The rebels condemned the methods of the Inquisition, proclaiming that the new Order of Paladins should protect the innocent, and that the evil corruption was rooted in their forebear's failure. They resolved to fight the true source of corruption, the Prime Evils. And so, these rebellious Paladins left their Zakarum brethren and ventured west.

With the end of these crusades, Zakarum had spread to almost every corner of the world, with few regions untouched by its influence.

Corruption
"A believer who finds comfort in his faith fears that he will discover it has all been a lie."

- Adria

By the 13th century, tensions existed between Westmarch and Khanduras, as the priests of Zakarum began to preach their foreign dogma in Khanduras whether they were welcomed or not.

By this same century, Mephisto had succeeded in corrupting the High Council of Zakarum, and the body became a mockery of its former glory. Mephisto's corruption stemmed back at least two centuries, but now, the Lord of Hatred had control of the Church. He had been able to overcome the soulstone enough to have the Zakarum priests to work spells to shatter the soulstone into seven shards, breaking the mystic seal and freeing him. The Que-Hegan Khalim proved immune to his corruption, so Mephisto had the priesthood slay and dismember him. The priest Sankekur became the new Que-Hegan and consequently, Mephisto's embodiment on the mortal plane. The corrupted High Council fashioned the Compelling Orb to control the rest of the Zakarum faithful and used their powers to conceal the lair of their master. Years passed, and eventually, Lazarus was sent west to reawaken Diablo in Khanduras. This was in the company of Leoric, declaring himself to be king. That Tristram was chosen by Lazarus to be his seat of power was no coincidence, as it was here that Diablo was sealed beneath the Tristram Cathedral.

Diablo was freed and arrived in Travincal in the form of the Dark Wanderer, alongside Baal, possessing the body of Tal Rasha. By this point, many of Zakarum's Paladins and their commanders had been corrupted by Mephisto's influence. However, there were still those in Travincal who had not been corrupted, for all the good it did them. Reportedly, when the Wanderer arrived, many of the temple's defenders fell prey to overwhelming fear and fled the complex altogether. Additional reports suggest that many more turned on each other, further decimating Zakarum's ranks. Regardless, Diablo and Baal freed Mephisto, who took Sankekur's body as his own.

However, the Wanderer had been pursued by a group of heroes, who fought their way into Travincal, killing demons, corrupted zealots, and the High Council's members. Deckard Cain would later reflect that it was unlikely that any of the heroes gave thought to the fact that they were toppling the world's greatest religion. Regardless, they made their way to Mephisto and slew him.

Reorganization
"Zakarum has fallen to disgrace....What faith can save us now? It is the end of the world, can't you see that?!"

- Brother Malachi the Healer

The revelations of Mephisto's corruption nearly destroyed the faith. The church moved its headquarters from Kurast to the Saldencal in Caldeum. Under the leadership of a new Que-Hegan, Dirae, the Zakarum faithful began nursing their wounds and mending their reputation. Of note, the Zakarum faithful in Westmarch further distanced themselves from their eastern breathren, hastening a process that had been going on for some time. The church had always held great sway in Westmarch, but with the revelations of Mephisto's corruption, Zakarum lost any influence over the affairs of state in the country. Zakarum has been held responsible for many of the world's ills, and the year of its founding has even been counted as one of the Bleaked Years.

After the death of Hakan I, Emperor of Kehjistan, the Zakarum priests were forced to find a new heir to the throne. Through a series of elaborate rituals (possibly a spectacle for the sake of appearances), they determined an impoverished infant in the north was Hakan I's spiritual successor. After the priests' rituals were complete, they employed the Iron Wolves, to retrieve the child. They dubbed him Hakan II and installed him on the throne despite his scant years. Caldeum immediately fell into decline.

Over two decades later, Zakarum was still recovering from the effects of Mephisto's corruption and the actions of the heroes that defeated the Lord of Hatred. The Zakarum remained an intolerant organization and remains based in Caldeum, where it quarrels with the city's mage class.

Reign of Enmity
"The Orbei Monastery is an isolated and secretive feature in the rural Dry Steppes. While the Zakarum’s presence has diminished, the Orbei Monastery carries evidence that places of worship for the Zakarum can still quietly function."

- Area description

After Malthael's genocide, a power vacuum developed within Sanctuary. The Zakarum was among those who rose to fill it. However, they ended up being confined to Kehjistan, and even then, years of decadence and corruption caused the faith to fall apart and lose the hearts and minds of the people who lived in the region. The church desparately tried to gain that faith back, but found little success.

Despite this, the tenets of the faith endured. Isolated Zakarum structures continued to function independently from the church proper.

Trivia

 * The faith of Zakarum is possibly based on the Catholic Church of the 15th century.


 * The appearance of an angel to the first member of the faith parallels several real-world religions, such as Islam and Mormonism.


 * The "sign of the Light" may be similar to making the shape of a cross on one's chest by Christians.

Symbology

 * In Diablo and Diablo II, the symbol of Zakarum faith was an archetypical Christian cross; for Diablo III, it has been altered to resemble a Greek letter Psi (Ψ). According to Bashiok, this was done for the sake of worldbuilding, to make the world more unique rather than relying on real-world imagery.


 * In Diablo III, the Crusaders similarly use the Psi symbol. However, the traditional cross appeared on a Crusader's shield in Diablo: Issue 1.


 * For Diablo IV, it has been indicated that crosses will likewise not be in the game. According to Sebastian Stepien, this reflects a more "agnostic" way of viewing Sanctuary. The developers took inspiration from how Hell was viewed in the Middle Ages, and transported this mindset into the game itself. The new symbol for Zakarum was revealed in the trailer for the ; visually, it appears to be a combination of both the cross and Psi. In the same trailer, the symbol is seen being held in a manner similar to the Christian cross.


 * In Diablo Immortal, the same style from Diablo IV is used.