Sarkaz

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Sarkaz (萨科塔)
Alias(es)	Tiracaz — the name used for the people in ancient times 180 532
Species/Race	A collective of numerous related races and bloodlines rather than a single uniform people 271 432
Affiliation	Various mercenary companies, the Sarkaz Royal Courts, Sarkaz City Defense Army, Rhodes Island elements, and later Liyue City
Status	Extant; dispersed across Terra, with a major refugee population resettled in Guili City 479 532
First Appearance	Chapter 41 41

Identity and Traits

The Sarkaz possess highly diverse sub-species and bloodlines. Documented variations include individuals able to breathe fire or water, immortals with two lives, and lineages with specialized sorcery or physical traits 271.

• Horns are a common identifying feature, though similar horns can cause non-Sarkaz such as Caprini to be mistaken for Sarkaz 430 457.
• Many Sarkaz are depicted with natural halos; these halos consume substantial energy, making weight gain difficult even with high-calorie diets 524.
• Sarkaz lifespans are generally longer than those of many other races, though this longevity is portrayed as contributing to technological stagnation relative to other nations 394 421.
• The race is particularly vulnerable to prejudice because Sarkaz are associated with war and are also described as prone to Originium-related illness 466 490.

Fallen State

The text describes a condition called Fallen, associated with a Sarkaz attacking their own kind.

• A Fallen individual's horns and halo turn black, while the halo dims 525 527.
• The condition is said to strip empathy and disable certain amplification permissions governed by the Laterano Commandment 532.
• The cause of an apparent Fallen state in a child who had not yet obtained a Guardian Gun is treated as an anomaly 527.

Known Bloodlines and Branches

Branch / Group	Documented traits
Children of Earth and Stone	Possess extreme affinity for rock; Mudrock's bloodline grants her unusually strong geological compatibility 42.
Flame Demons	The only Sarkaz lineage stated to manipulate fire. The Royal Flame Demons are extinct, though Flame Demon Shards were harvested from their remains for experiments intended to recreate their power 159 241.
Wendigo	Broca is identified as the last pure-blooded Wendigo and a member of the Ten Royal Courts 407 432.
Liches	A Ten Royal Courts lineage associated with spatial magic arrays, teleportation, and large-scale illusions 445 451 458.
Cyclopes	A Ten Royal Courts lineage with fortune-telling abilities 514.
Shapeshifters	Ancient Sarkaz beings who regard even Theresis as young; one Shapeshifter's death triggered a biological split that produced two weaker successors 448 451.
Blood Demons and Scavengers	Branches associated with feeding on humans and slaughtering civilians; they are specifically excluded from Liyue City's recruitment policy 432 469.

Background and History

The Sarkaz were formerly known as the Tiracaz and are described as the ancient rulers of Terra. Over time, they lost their homeland after being targeted by a coalition of nations and were driven back toward Kazdel 180 407.

According to information discovered by Shi Lei, the original Tiracaz were native inhabitants of the planet. The Pre-Civilization allegedly used Tiracaz genetic material to create the Sarkaz, equipping them with halos and binding them to survival rules later identified as the Laterano Commandment 532.

Kal'tsit is remembered by many Sarkaz as both a historical benefactor and a traitor. She once led the Tiracaz to become Terra's strongest race and accelerated their technological development, but later participated in the coalition that drove the Sarkaz back to Kazdel over two centuries before the Londinium conflict 407.

The loss of territory, entrenched discrimination, and long history of warfare shaped competing visions for the Sarkaz future. Theresis sought unity through military strength, conquest, and an artificial Storm Catastrophe, while Broca argued that continued war would lead only to extinction 421 432 471.

Society and Culture

Sarkaz society includes mercenaries, soldiers, laborers, scholars, healers, and craftspeople. Their reputation as uniformly violent is repeatedly contradicted by ordinary daily life and cultural preservation.

• Mudrock's mercenaries train and study alongside Infected residents, seeking to improve their circumstances beyond mercenary work 109.
• The mercenaries rapidly learn mahjong after Exusiai teaches them, quickly becoming skilled enough to defeat her 155.
• Sarkaz apprentices teach Mudrock cooking, while her recycled radish snacks become popular among the warehouse residents 155 158.
• Heredrey's unfinished Sarkaz War History attempts to preserve dialects, recipes, poems, trench songs, graffiti, and ordinary memories that war threatens to erase 446.
• Sarkaz scholars in Sargon are encountered carrying books, directly challenging the stereotype that Sarkaz are uneducated 494.

Organizations and Political Factions

• Ten Royal Courts — Ancient bloodline-based royal lineages, including the Wendigo, Liches, Cyclopes, Blood Demons, and others 407 445 514.
• Sarkaz City Defense Army — The military force occupying Londinium under Theresis and Manfred. Its troops later face collapse, surrender, or withdrawal after Theresis's death 415 471 476.
• Confessors — An organization publicly associated with healing Sarkaz, though its members are also tied to human experimentation, royal politics, and the attempted activation of the Storm Catastrophe 206 471 476.
• Sarkaz mercenary groups — Numerous independent companies composed of swordsmen, greatswordsmen, snipers, Arts users, spearmen, and other specialists 247.
• Liyue City / Guili City refugees — Peace-seeking Sarkaz accepted under Zhongli's protection after the Londinium war 469 476 532.

Londinium War and the Third Path

During the Londinium conflict, Theresis positioned himself as the Sarkaz's central military and spiritual leader. His death risked triggering another civil war, as competing factions could fight to establish a new Demon King 461.

Broca proposed a Third Path: abandoning the cycle of conquest and seeking refuge in Liyue City. He argued that even a military victory in Victoria would invite another multinational coalition and leave the Sarkaz unable to recover 432.

After the Blood Demon Great Lord, King of Scavengers, and other violent factions were removed, Amiya negotiated with Shi Lei to accept the remaining Sarkaz. Shi Lei agreed on two conditions: recruits could not cause trouble or actively provoke conflict 469.

More than thirty thousand unarmed Sarkaz gathered following Theresis's death and were formally offered recruitment into Liyue City, subject to screening 476. Theresia retained responsibility for managing the resettled population, allowing the former Sarkaz Empress to guide her people without continuing the war 477.

Life in Liyue and Guili City

Liyue City's policy does not judge applicants by race, social status, or Originium infection. Peaceful Sarkaz may join provided they abandon violent conduct and accept responsibility for past crimes 469.

• Shi Lei accepts the Glass Gang and approximately thirty thousand Sarkaz into Liyue City after the Storm Cataclysm devastates Londinium 479.
• Rock Houses are created to provide housing for Sarkaz and Infected arrivals 479.
• Guili City becomes the principal Sarkaz settlement in Liyue, receiving elderly people, children, refugees, and Sarkaz from across Terra 532.
• At its peak, Guili City houses sixty thousand residents and becomes Terra's largest Sarkaz population center 532.
• Theresia works to improve living conditions and expand the settlement rather than pursue restored territorial dominance 532.

Discrimination

Sarkaz face pervasive hostility throughout Terra, including in places where they have committed no crime.

• In Lungmen, Infected status is often judged by visible Originium crystals, leaving mildly infected people undetected and unsupported 155.
• In Londinium, many Self-Rescue Army members openly celebrate the prospect of Sarkaz killing one another, reflecting deep racial resentment 413.
• In Sargon, Mudrock and Surtr are barred at the city gate solely because they are Sarkaz; the guard assumes they are spies despite no evidence 490.
• Even after Liyue's resettlement program, prejudice remains widespread enough that Shi Lei notes punishing an individual guard would not erase the beliefs held by thousands 490.

Notable Quotes

“The history of the Sarkaz is a long history of war. I try to prove to outsiders that beyond slaughter, there are still things worth remembering and contemplating.” — Heredrey, Sarkaz War History 446

“If they are Sarkaz who are war weary and peace loving, then as long as they promise to fulfill the two conditions mentioned above, the gates of Liyue City will always be open.” — Shi Lei 469