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===Sarrukh Society=== At its height, sarrukh civilization was as grand as that of any humanoid empire that has risen since. The arts flourished, and anything was available in the great markets of the sarrukh empires. ====Relationships==== Sarrukh form lasting friendships unmarred by the petty jealousies and bickering that mark many of their servitor races. They take mates for life and treat other sarrukh with respect. In the days of the empire, one or two sarrukh constitutes a household, but circumstances have since forced many to live in communal groups. ====Life Cycle==== Sarrukh hatch from eggs that are protected and tended by both parents until they hatch. A sarrukh can live up to a thousand years, or much longer if it undergoes periods of hibernation. This deathlike sleep, which can last for years at a time, preserves the sarrukh’s body and temporarily eliminates its need for food and water. Beyond these facts, little is known about the life cycle of these creatures. Few creatures living today have had occasion to study the race up close, and the sarrukh, for their part, aren’t willing to share their secrets with “lesser beings.” Thus, they have remained godlike in their obscurity. ====Organization==== While the three great empires thrived, the sarrukh were organized into several great clans that lived in relative peace with one another. The clans that commanded the most troops and held the most political pow er ( by virtue of either wealth or social standing) made up the leadership structure. The acting leadership body of each empire was called the Sh’arrim and consisted of five to eight sarrukh drawn from the great clans. This group elected an emperor, called a kudzar, from its membership. The Sh’sarrim from the three great empires occasionally came together in Okoth to form a council called the Kazim, but that body had authority over the entire race only when a unanimous vote could be achieved. The khuzdar provided spiritual, strategic, and social leadership for the rest of the sarrukh. The two most famous khuzdars were Ghiz’kith, founder of Mhairshaulk, and Pil’it’ith, the albino sarrukh who drove Ghiz’kith from Okoth. Pil’it’ith ruled Okoth until its fall, then used powerful magic to prolong his life into the modern day. (Pil’it’ith remains the leader of the Okothian sarrukh, but he no longer wields any authority over the sarrukh in Serpentes or Anauroch.) Sarrukh law, which was administered by judges known as kleigmasters, was strict but flexible. Penalties were stiff, and the burden of proof fell to the accused rather than the prosecutors. The sarrukh disliked jailing citizens, so the preferred methods of punishment were death for more serious crimes and disfigurement for minor ones. Incarceration occurred only when the leaders felt that the offender had something important to contribute to the realm, despite his crime. Penalties were assigned on a case-by case basis for greater flexibility, but the system became corrupt over the years. The same crime might result in death for one defendant and only disfigurement for the next. In any case, even the highest-ranking kleigmaster could be bribed into setting free the worst-offending defendant if enough money changed hands. ====Slavery==== The sarrukh began keeping slaves even before they had any dealings with other species. Enslaving their own kind was viewed as right and proper, as long as the slaves received proper care and fair treatment. Sarrukh slaves lived in their masters’ homes, received good food, and were not overworked. Occasionally they were sold or traded from one sarrukh to another, but for the most part, slaves remained with the same family for life. When a slave became too old to work, he might be freed, or assigned to rear the master’s young, or be sacrificed to the [[World Serpent]], according to his own wishes and his past performance. Upon discovering the other progenitor races, the sarrukh quickly realized that such creatures would make passable servitors and enslaved them. Since the sarrukh felt little social responsibility for creatures of other races, nonsarrukh slaves were not treated nearly as well as sarrukh slaves. A Scaleless One might be starved for days at a time and then beaten for her inability to work. In the early days of the sarrukh expansion, Scaleless Ones were not even viewed as worthy sacrifices for the World Serpent. This abysmally low status meant that they could be killed with impunity and eaten by their masters. By the founding of Isstosseffifil and Mhairshaulk, the sarrukh had enslaved so many creatures that they had stopped keeping sarrukh slaves at all. Each sarrukh lived in comfort, surrounded by the finery that had once been reserved for their leaders. Eventually, the sarrukh stopped fighting their own wars and trained their slaves to fight for them, promising that the best warriors would be freed to enjoy the same lifestyle as the sarrukh. Occasionally they actually kept this promise and freed a particularly powerful warrior as an example to the others. The lure of freedom and wealth created an enormous and loyal fighting force that helped the sarrukh maintain control over their empires. Eventually, Scaleless Ones were deemed suitable sacrifices for the World Serpent, thereby freeing the sarrukh from the need to choose sacrifices from among citizens of supposedly equal rank. Though the World Serpent did not object to the decision, it did violate his original agreement with the sarrukh. To maintain the letter of the agreement while accommodating the changing needs and demands of his worshipers, the World Serpent split off an aspect of himself that was called M’daess, whose task was to purify the souls of unclean sacrifi ces and make them equivalent to sarrukh. ====The Scaled Races==== Part of the reason that nonscaled slaves were treated so poorly was the fact that their masters actually loathed them. They found the Scaleless Ones’ odor offensive, their primitive languages grating on the nerves, and their smooth skins unsettling. While exploring Faerûn, the sarrukh encountered numerous scaly animals in the wilds, including dinosaurs, snakes, and lizards. Some of these animals were developing along the same lines as the ancestors of the sarrukh had, but they hadn’t evolved to the point of sentience yet. The sarrukh collected thousands of such creatures in hopes of breeding one or more new intelligent races to serve them. Realizing that breeding programs alone would not be enough, the sarrukh began magical experimentation on the creatures they had collected. They combined a few of their scaly specimens with humans to see whether a single servitor race that was less offensive to them could be formed. Their earliest experiments resulted in badly deformed creatures that didn’t survive long. But through selective breeding and more subtle forms of magical manipulation, the sarrukh finally managed to create viable races that were much more to their liking. Their first successes were the [[asabi]]s, the [[lizardfolk]], and the [[pterafolk]]. Though not as intelligent as humans, these creatures had the same bipedal form and were relatively easy to manipulate. Once they had reassured themselves as to the loyalty of these races, the sarrukh began handing off fairly easy tasks to them. At first they were trained as personal servants, then as warriors. Finally, entire groups of them were planted in the wilds of Faerûn in the hopes that they would multiply and conquer the surrounding territories. The next successful experiment produced the [[naga]]s. Though the sarrukh approved of the serpentine form with a humanoid head, the nagas proved difficult to control. Rather than destroy their creations, however, the sarrukh allowed those who posed little threat to remain in their service as guards, explorers, and magical researchers. The rest were freed. Their final—and perhaps finest—creation was the [[yuan-ti]], developed by the sarrukh of Mhairshaulk. This race represented the first truly successful cross between human and sarrukh, with a touch of serpent thrown in. The yuan-ti came in several different physical forms, depending on the amount of sarrukh blood used. Though not as obedient as the [[lizardfolk]] subraces, the [[yuan-ti]] were more biddable than the [[naga]]s, and highly intelligent besides. Because they greatly enjoyed being in charge of Scaleless Ones, the yuan-ti became the slavemasters, military leaders, and managers of the sarrukh empires. With so many highly skilled servitors, the sarrukh were no longer forced to find their own food, build their own cities, or even care for their own slaves. The sarrukh of Mhairshaulk slowly withdrew from the cares of the world as they turned over more and more of their responsibilities to the [[yuan-ti]]. For their part, the yuan-ti appreciated the lifestyles that their creators allowed them to h ave, so they remained mostly loyal. A few, however, would periodically withdraw from sarrukh society, strike out on their own, and form their own groups. The sarrukh knew of such defections but ignored them, knowing that yuan-ti who were allowed to leave in peace would go out into the world and create their own societies, which the sarrukh could later call upon for aid. ====Dwellings==== The sarrukh lived in stonework buildings, which were typically adorned with the holy symbols of the [[World Serpent]]. Icons set into the walls depicted the sarrukh concept of divine creatures, which often appeared demonic by modern standards. Statues of sarrukh in plazas, courtyards, and along the roadways depicted either the noble sarrukh leaders, resplendent in their flowing robes, or armored sarrukh in dramatic battle stances.
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