Sarkanszül

The Sarkanszül, commonly shortened to Sarkans, are a race of dragon-like humanoids originating from the central plains of Knightspire, particularly the region known among their people as the Plains of Rovina. Though not among the most numerous races, the Sarkanszül are widely recognized for their strong inclination toward industry and statecraft.

Visual depiction of a Sarkan

"Hunger drives the wolf out of the forest."

Among the Sarkanszül, this phrase is frequently interpreted not merely as a lesson of necessity, but as an expression of ambition and advancement through hardship.

Physical Characteristics

While still remaining humanoid overall, the Sarkanszül are often described as “Dragons” or “Dragon-blooded”. They have scales, usually dotting their skin in patches which concentrate generally on the legs, base of their tail, arms, hands, and sides of the chest. Some Sarkanszül even have fully digitigrade “draconic legs”. They are often taller than the average human, with the average height sitting somewhere between 6 and 7 feet. Adorning their heads, there’s usually a pair of horns, and their irises are slitted, like that of a reptile.

Even with these features, they are still warm-blooded creatures. The colors of their scales and horns usually vary heavily, whites, reds, blacks, greens, blues, even in rare cases pink. Their skin tone and eye color are equally as varied.

The Sarkans often possess long tails, which are surprisingly prehensile. They generally are fully scaled, and some even have a somewhat sharp tip at the end. These tails not only give them the ability to grip things with them, but also provide ample balance, making them harder to knock to the ground. While not as strong as perhaps some of the strongest races of Knightspire, they still are often noticeably more physically fit than the average human, but most importantly, they are much more resilient, with their scales and tough skin often providing some degree of protection.

Lifespan

The Sakranzül mature at the age of 18, and live up to 120 years old. They generally keep a surprisingly good physical condition compared to humans all the way to their death, even a 110 year old Sarkanszül can hold their own in combat.

Culture

"A blade is not considered valuable merely because it is ornate, but because it remains reliable after prolonged use and hardship."

The Sarkanszül are order-driven creatures, who seek structure and stability. Some theorize this comes from their nomadic past, where their appearance drove them to seclusion within the eastern mountains of Kovarsir, right next to the Plains of Rovina, due to their association with dragons and other beasts. In the inhospitable environment, a culture of innovation and industry grew as a form of necessity, first to defend their kin, but then to establish order in the plains that had driven them to where they were. Nowadays, the signs of their earlier lives still seem to haunt them, often seen as ambitious and appealing to authority, as well as the maintenance of order. Societies born from the Sarkans are denoted for usually having a strong form of leadership (such as the case of noble councils, kings or otherwise similarly feudal systems), with a tendency towards developing industrial complexes and similar work, such as smithing, charcoal burning, large agrarian developments, and any physical crafts. While study and writing are not discarded, they often take the supporting role in other physical crafts like in the case of engineering.

Relations with Other Races

Humans

Humans and Sarkanszül have coexisted extensively throughout history and generally maintain productive relations. Human and Sarkan societies often complement one another economically and politically.

The Lordship of Drakenholt is an example of this coexistence, containing large human populations governed primarily by Sarkanszül nobility.

Other Peoples

The Sarkanszül tend to evaluate foreign peoples based on their perceived ability to maintain structured societies and lawful governance.

They are generally distrustful of:

• Raiders
• Nomadic bandits
• Lawless groups
• Highly chaotic societies

Banditry and disorder are not tolerated within most Sarkan-controlled territories.

OOC Notes

Out-of-Roleplay Notice: This page contains information that may be out-of-character (OOC) or not fully integrated into established lore. Details may be subject to revision.

The physical resilience of Sarkanszül is purely roleplay flavor and does not grant mechanical combat advantages. Their scales are not intended to function as armor equivalent to equipment or plugins.