Sarufi

Draco Ignis

K'ethik

Brown

*“The Sarufi are majestic creatures of legend. Such is their rarity in the galaxy that most believe that they're merely a myth made by those that have intoxicated themselves in fantasies and psychedelics. However, those that have seen and experienced these star crossing dragons know better than to dismiss them as legend; they are very much real, and are feared as fierce warriors and revered as scholars of great intellect.”*

The Sarufi are an advanced draconic race native to the terrestrial planet of Kali. They are all psykers capable of using telekinesis, as they lack the manipulator limbs other sentient races have. They are feared and awed in equal measure; one soldier of their own is greater than a platoon of their lesser foes. Still, their numbers are low, and the species is in a bid to stop their slow decline.

## Biology

Predictably, the Sarufi are able to breath tongues of flame unto those they dislike, using a mixture of ionized acetylene and oxygen in order to produce what has been described as 'plasmatic fire'. However, they are most well known for two things: telekinetic abilities and high dependence on technology. Their telekinetic powers allow them to manipulate objects and tools with utter efficiency, which gave them a high technological edge over their erstwhile rivals despite their much smaller numbers. Also, Sarufi are usually ritually given cybernetic enhancements from a young age, and their elders are more machine than flesh, giving the nickname of "iron drakes" across the known galaxy.

For some reason, Sarufi are quite a delicacy when eaten, very much unlike the awful taste of the Kalisi, and are said to be second only to Dasath flesh. Because of this, the exiled Sarufi avoid Ragon space at all costs, and their ships are usually camouflaged amongst asteroid belts.

## Background

### History

After their exile from Kali due to their defeat against the Kalisi, the Sarufi and their sister species, the Alseri, were organized into twelve fleets according to their kindreds, which would then wander the neutral zone as they mined asteroids and planetoids for resources. However, many Sarufi would eventually find employment in the various factions within the Neutral Zone, as their telekinetic capabilities and their prowess in battle were highly valued, and Sarufi soldiers were richly paid to do what they did best: burn their foes with jets of flame before turning their opponents to swiss cheese with heated chainswords and blaster fire. The Archelian Technocracy, the Kiellar Command, and even the Gollar Confederacy found great appreciation for their talents. They would be very rare to be found though.

Due to their ignorance, one fleet would wander too close into Ragon space, and they were targeted by the Ragon. While most of the Sarufi ships managed to escape, several transports, loaded with several hundred Sarufi, were captured. All but one of these Sarufi would end up in a Ragon dinner plate, and the species would be a rare delicacy that only the most daring of Ragon would consider hunting. The lone escapee survived by incinerating the single Ragon that attempted to slaughter her, as most of the others were killed by multiple Ragon due to their size. The Sarufi escaped by commandeering a passenger ship, and after a tedious escape that involved lots of lasers, disappeared into the neutral zone. Beginning from then on, the Sarufi would label the Ragon as a barbarian enemy, and instructed its raiding fleets to be especially vigilant against the great lizards.

## Culture

The Sarufi have always been a cautious, calculating lot. These dragons are known for their cunning and intelligence, as many often rise to prominent positions in many different organizations, even outside their species. Sarufi are slow to showing their anger and are often seen as calm and collected, but inside their minds, they are devising countless ways on the best methods to destroy their enemies.

Sarufi are especially open minded, as their wandering has opened their minds to many different ideas from across the galaxy. Thus, they are by far by most standards a highly progressive species with liberal ideas, though they frown upon what they call “unconventional“ relationships due to the low population of the species.

## Technology

The Sarufi are an advanced species, thanks in no small part to the fact that they were originally created as a race of living weapons. They are advanced enough that cybernetics is but a commodity in their society and an integral part of their lives; as mentioned before, the Sarufi integrate cybernetic parts to themselves from a young age. They usually start by replacing one eye with a cybernetic one with a holographic projector and a thermal scanner. Due to this, all adult Sarufi are able to replay events that they had witnessed firsthand, making them valuable witnesses. As they grow older, they add more and more cyberparts to themselves. Once they reach a ripe age of 250, up to 50% of their mass is completely artificial. A select few individuals that display unaturally powerful telekinetic ability become Technomancers and become almost completely cybernetic in nature.

The Sarufi also have powerful and sophisticated warships, which are characterized by heavy armor plating and redundant shields. They are usually outnumbered by a wide margin, but the Sarufi make up their lack of numbers with force multiplying vessels that are quite literally covered with weapons. However, due to the nature of their existence as nomadic fleets, they usually avoid open confrontation.

## Knot Timeline

The Sarufi Migrant Fleets were mostly annihilated as they found themselves increasingly hunted by the Ragon despite the losses they incurred whenever the dragons were found. However, the Lokem Migrant Fleet, led by Yare-Lokem, were able to find their way into the Core Regions with the aid of the Corsair Band led by Kaleso Stralbane. The 12 million Sarufi of that Fleet soon settled on a jungle world within Gnosara territory, confident that their robotic overlords would keep them safe.

## To Boldly Go Timeline

The Sarufi would continue their idyllic existence in the wake of the collapse of the galactic hegemons, though they would thrive in the power vacuum that the Command and Empire left behind. The race had settled down on several jungle planets in former KC space, and had begun to recover their population as a result. Some of them would later on become prominent figures in the numerous warlord states that would be left behind in the wake of the war.