Sorgati

The Sorgati are an odd species, but nonetheless intelligent. Initially hesitant about joining the Collective, they agreed on the condition that their homeworld become a private Exile planet.

Appearance
The Sorgati have four highly muscled legs, facing in opposite directions from each other. At the ends of the legs are manipulators - three thick fingers and a smaller thumb, which is able to fold up inside the foreleg. The legs support a body, which sports no other limbs. Their mouths are centered at the top of the body, with three eyes set equidistant around the mouth.

Biology
Despite the configuration of their legs, the Sorgati are able to move at high speeds. They are also able to go from quadrupedal to bipedal, using one set of legs to stand with, and using the other set as arms, though their primary state of locomotion is as quadrupeds. Originally preyed upon, the Sorgati evolved the balance and the ability to switch to being bipedal in order to scare off predators.

They soon became predators themselves, but retained some of the features from when they were prey. Their eyes allow them to see in all directions at once, allowing them to easily avoid danger. Around their eyes are small, barely visible holes and flaps, which serve as extrasensory organs. They make low, vibratory sounds using another set of organs beneath the torso, as a method of communication.

Their mouth is used as both a nutrient intake and a chemical processor. Their internal organs are able to efficiently process certain compounds and gain as much energy from food as possible. The Sorgati are also flexible enough to reverse the orientation of their body, using their legs to flip themselves over so that the mouth is on the underside. They do not stay in this position for long, however, as it exposes their vulnerable underside and does not allow for significant locomotion.

A rigid skeleton is present beneath the flesh and muscle of the Sorgati. Plates of bone cover the areas around the top of the torso, around the eyes and mouth. A rib-cage extends from the sides and protects the underside of the torso. Beneath the top plates is the Sorgati's brain, running the length of the torso. Beneath the brain are the internal organs, which rest against the underside rib-cage.

History
The Sorgati enjoyed a quick evolution over tens of thousands of years. At the inception of intelligent thinking, the Sorgati began dividing themselves among packs in order to increase their chances of survival and to increase their resource-gathering efficiency.

As time went on, and as the Sorgati became the dominant species of their planet, their evolution slowed, and their packs became more and more fragmented. Soon, they were working apart, competitively, for individual gain. The Sorgati packs formed their first permanent settlements amongst the grasslands of Bavika, building from stone and clay.

Many years of raids, invasions, and pillaging followed. Tensions and conflict between the divided Sorgati civilizations rose exponentially, as wars soon ravaged their planet. This prompted higher and higher levels of technological evolution that allowed the Sorgati to improve the quality of life while also improving the deadliness of warfare.

Some civilizations signed peace agreements, and fewer formed alliances. Over the years, disparate Empires coalesced and became enemies, fighting increasingly intense wars. It was this competition that also drove them to space.

As the Sorgati became masters of the land, the air, and the sea, there was only one domain left to conquer - the space and bodies above. Active warfare continued as the Sorgati Empires colonized the moons of Bavika. They pushed further, and began efforts to colonize their solar system.

The Sorgati eventually developed faster-than-light travel, and began to colonize space around Vortigern. The fighting still continued, as interstellar warfare became a real threat. However, things changed when the Sorgati made contact with the Core Empire. The war grew cold as this new discovery prompted them into an era of wonderment and knowledge.

The Cre Empire and the Sorgati made sparse contact over the decades. Eventually, the Collective's expansionary movements through space drove them to discover Vortigern and the Sorgati. Having direct access to communication with yet another alien alliance, the Sorgati turned their back towards the Core Empire and began conversations with the Collective, and the two studied each other.

The Collective made their offer to the Sorgati, inviting them to join. Still divided among their Empires, the Sorgati considered this offer for many years. Eventually, a great majority of Sorgati across their conquered space accepted the offer, and joined the Collective on one condition: that Bavika be left to its own devices. The planet became a private exile world, allowing the Sorgati to continue their conflicts on their own.

Culture
Sorgati culture is complicated. The majority of Sorgati will take multiple partners, and enjoy extensive polygamous relationships.

Music and song is extremely important to the Sorgati, as it has developed around the conflict the Sorgati have faced over the years. There is no such thing as music outside of relating it directly for purposes of war or tales of war.

Despite this, art is prominent amongst the Sorgati. Sculptures made by them are abstract, geometrical and intricate. They are highly prized across the entirety of the Collective.

Little attention is paid to food and drink, as it is deemed only as sustenance. There is an immense attraction to technology amongst the Sorgati. They take both technology and conflict very seriously. To them, space was seen only as an area to expand into.