Sarkaz

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Sarkaz
Original	萨卡兹
Alias(es)	Demon-folk
Species/Race	Sarkaz
Affiliation	Kazdel
Status	Extant
First Appearance	1

Background / History

The Sarkaz endured centuries of war and displacement before retaining a foothold in the desert nation of Kazdel. Even after external conflicts temporarily subsided, civil war between the factions of Theresia and Theresis fractured the nation further. The King of the Scavengers warned that, without royal leadership, the Sarkaz risked being gradually destroyed or scattered by Terra’s other races. 1

Following Theresia’s death and Theresis’s disappearance, Theresica was crowned King of Kazdel on May 1, 1070. His coronation activated the royal ritual, causing the Sarkaz banners to respond and allowing the gathered population to sense the presence of a superior being. 2 3

At the beginning of Theresica’s reign, much of Kazdel faced acute deprivation. Residents scavenged food mixed with human remains after an explosion, while regular soldiers were malnourished, poorly armed, and largely responsible for their own food, medical care, and equipment maintenance. 1 3

Theresica’s administration began a population registry, a unified education program for children aged six to twelve, and efforts to improve mine conditions, healthcare, industrial capacity, and food security. 3 4 10 12

Appearance

Sarkaz physical traits vary significantly between individuals and tribes. Horns are a common identifying feature, though they may be small or not yet fully grown in younger Sarkaz. Their racial traits can be distinctive enough to require concealment when traveling through hostile territories. 6 12

• Some Sarkaz possess prominent horns; Theresica’s were noted as not yet significantly grown. 6 12
• Racial features differ in intensity from person to person, allowing some Shapeshifters to conceal Sarkaz identity more easily than others. 6
• Sarkaz are commonly labeled “demon-folk” by other peoples of Terra. 15

Abilities & Skills

Originium Affinity

Sarkaz possess an exceptional natural affinity with Originium. They can activate it directly without machine assistance and can refine Originium at unusually high efficiency. 3 4

• Sarkaz refineries can process Originium above 95% purity. 4
• At this purity, Originium enters a stable state, ceases eroding impurities, and becomes non-infectious. 4
• High-purity Originium became a major prospective export for Kazdel despite its desert environment. 4
• The same affinity that strengthens Sarkaz Arts also makes them especially susceptible to Oripathy. 3

Originium Arts

Sarkaz forces make extensive use of Originium Arts in warfare, including bombardment, terrain alteration, concealment, and field effects. 3 26 28

• Arts Masters can conduct sustained bombardments against enemy formations. 3
• Formation casters can alter terrain, such as raising spikes to disrupt cavalry charges. 28
• Absolver cloaks can conceal soldiers through Originium Arts. 26
• The field spell Soul Erosion continuously drains vitality within a prepared area; it requires ground nodes, protection, and suitable terrain, making it poorly suited to ordinary human warfare. 20

Royal Bloodline

Sarkaz royalty possess a distinct authority over other Sarkaz. Royal bloodline suppression was believed to prevent ordinary Sarkaz from murdering royalty, while a confirmed king could awaken the combat symbols carried on Sarkaz banners. 1 3

• The banners can grant Sarkaz immense combat power when unfurled under the proper conditions. 3
• The King of the Scavengers states that royal authority does not bind him, despite his loyalty to the Sarkaz people and Kazdel. 1

Society and Conditions in Kazdel

Discrimination and Cultural Loss

Sarkaz face widespread exclusion across Terra. Theresica’s school rejection letters explicitly stated that the institutions did not accept Sarkaz applicants. 2

A shelter of Sarkaz children demonstrated the consequences of cultural decline: the children could speak Columbian but did not understand the Sarkaz language. This encounter became one of the immediate motivations for Theresica’s education reforms. 2 18

Health and Oripathy

Oripathy is a central crisis for the Sarkaz due to their Originium compatibility. A completed census found that Infected individuals comprised 30% of the Sarkaz population; it also recorded high birth rates alongside high infant mortality. 19

• Theresica pledged to make suppressive medication available to all Infected Sarkaz. 4
• Kazdel later prioritized refinery workers for containment medicine and monitoring because of their exposure risk. 37
• Warfarin was tasked with producing medical guidance and helping establish a health department. 12

Education and Industry

Low literacy hindered both civil administration and industrial development. Mine construction and factory work required leaders and tribal representatives to personally supervise tasks because many workers could not read. 5 12

• A unified education system was ordered for Sarkaz children aged six to twelve. 3
• Soldiers with repair aptitude were selected for an industrial skills school to expand Kazdel’s limited technical workforce. 9
• Military literacy programs later supported the creation of formal military textbooks and an academy system. 32
• Kazdel Polytechnic University was established in Siracusa with equal numbers of Sarkaz and Siracusan students. 36

Military

The early Sarkaz military was irregular and under-equipped. Many soldiers wore ordinary clothing, carried crude spears, lacked field medical support, and relied on enemy weapons as replacements. 3

Theresica’s reforms introduced more standardized formations, specialized support units, modern equipment, communications, and formal officer training. 18 24 32

• Experimental infantry squads were organized into thirteen-person units with leaders, crossbowmen, shield guards, and melee soldiers. 18
• Platoons incorporated Arts support teams and drone reconnaissance teams; companies added communications, medical, and logistical personnel. 18
• Semi-automatic crossbows used Originium battery-driven mechanisms and detachable bolt magazines, allowing sustained fire without conventional reloading. 26
• The Palette Squad—an elite force armed with concealment cloaks, advanced crossbows, drone-guided Arts support, and warhammers—helped annihilate 5,000 Kazimierz Beastmaster Knights alongside allied Sarkaz forces. 26
• Square formations, crossbow volleys, heavy infantry, and terrain-altering Arts enabled the Second Division to repel a charge by 10,000 Beastmaster Knights with fewer than 100 losses. 28
• Following the Kazimierz campaign, Kazdel established cavalry units using captured siege rams, Kuranta instruction, crossbowmen, and Arts users. 30 31

Notable Events

• Theresica’s coronation — The royal succession ended the immediate leadership vacuum after Theresia’s death and Theresis’s disappearance. 2 3
• Kazdel reconstruction — Population registration, education, mining reform, industrialization, medical services, and food-import agreements began addressing the Sarkaz’s survival crisis. 3 4 10 11 12
• Eden Accord — Kazdel and Laterano ended their hostility through an accord signed by Theresica and Pontiff Evangelista XI. 14
• Kazimierz War — Sarkaz forces defeated the Kazimierz offensive, captured high-ranking knights, besieged the remaining army for nineteen days, and accepted its surrender on May 1. 28 29
• Siracusa intervention — Sarkaz forces evacuated civilians and used mortars, communications, and semi-automatic crossbows to defend Palermo against Leithanian forces. 41 42 43
• Refugee aid — Kazdel provided desert refugees with clothing, salt, medicine, Oripathy inhibitors, diagnostics, and hospital treatment. 38 39