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- "My Lord Apedemak, I sensed it was you. Please accept my gratitude for saving my life."
"Why should I not save the life of my handmaiden, little princess? This is my place, and here my will is what matters."
"Which is as it should be, Lord." - ―Amenirdis and Apedemak
Apedemak was a god worshiped by the natives of Kerma.
Biography[]
Ancient times[]
- "Apedemak...he's your main god, right? Since ancient times, I suppose?"
"There are a number of lesser gods, but yes, Apedemak is special to us, and has been ever since my people left the city of Old Kerma in ancient Kush, just below the third cataract of the Nile." - ―Jack Sparrow and Amenirdis
Apedemak was worshiped as god for thousands of years in Kush. He was also worshiped in Egypt where he was known as Maahes. His mother was Sekhmet, the lion goddess. He had the appearance of a human with the head of a lion.
Around 1300 BC, Apedemak instructed the citizens of Kerma to leave their homes and travel to the West. Kermans took their most sacred possesion, the green stone of power, and crossed the Great Desert, finally reaching the Atlantic Ocean. There, they built ships and sailed until they found an uninhabited island. They settled on the island and named it Kerma, in honor of their old city. Kermans built the city which they named Zerzura, and the temple for their god. The green stone was placed in the labyrinth beneath the temple, and became known as the Heart of Zerzura.
18th century[]
- "And thank you also for sparing Jack Sparrow's life. He did not know, as I did, who you were when you entered this holy place."
"Why should I not spare him? I chose him, after all, to do my will. To protect my people. To protect the Heart of Zerzura." - ―Amenirdis and Apedemak
Thanks to the power of the Heart, Kerma remained isolated from the outside world, hidden by the magical fog. At some point during the early 18th century, on Apedemak's advice, the ruler of Kerma, Pharaoh Taharka, left the island so he could find the cure for his ill son, Prince Aniba. Taharka traveled to the Caribbean and obtained the cure from the voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, but his ship was attacked and captured by the infamous rogue pirates led by Christophe-Julien de Rapièr. The Pharaoh was mortally wounded during the battle, and Apedemak sent him a man to whom he could give his magical wristlet, Jack Sparrow. But the wristlet was stolen by Christophe.
Five years later, Jack, Christophe, and Taharka's daughter Amenirdis were on Kerma, where they entered the labyrinth beneath Apedemak's temple. Christophe attempted to cheat Jack Sparrow and steal the heart of Zerzura, but Apedemak himself intervened, transformed into a lion. The rogue pirate escaped, thinking that the Heart is in his bag, but he was tricked into taking a large rock instead. Amenirdis then thanked her god for saving her life and the life of her lover, Jack Sparrow.
