A NEOPHYTE’S COMPENDIUM FOR QUD AND BEYOND - ARGENT EDITION
By Sar-Dur-Baz of the Wardens
A FOREWORD
My hope, I must correct myself, the hope of all wardens is that this book will serve as a guide to all those who come to Qud as well as all current inhabitants of this land that holds more mysteries than immortals will ever know. I have seen too many nomads have their arms bitten off by a crocodile in the swamp marshes or arrogant archeologists from a far off Eco-Dome succumbing to the rank pestilences in the ruins of Golgotha. Whilst Qud is indeed gorgeous, it is also one capable of great terror at a moment’s notice. Preparation and knowledge are not your only tools as is your ability to adapt to the cruelty this realm offers at a moment notice.
History is fluid in Qud. For example, woud you know that Uboroqu, the Ape King of the Blemished Hills, and the Baboon Lord, Oh-Ah-Ooo-a-o of the Frigid Swamps are in fact the same figure? Or that many of the deeds of the fourth Sultan, Nimswhour, are in fact the same as Reseph? Do not heed my words here as truth but merely as opinion. The ennui of millenia has set its fangs and like the River Svy, historical fact parted like tributaries into stories, myths and folklore. For the truth is that we embellish the mundane and diminish the epic.
Regardless, my dear reader, I know what precarious position you find yourself in. I myself was once an inanimate block of foamcrete until someone decided to animate me to life. Any existential anxiety about how I was thinking without neural pathways was forgotten in the name of surviving in the harsh and treacherous environment in front of me. Whatever fears you have, your survival must not be forgotten.
Live and drink, traveler.
CHRONOLOGY
Qud adheres to a strict 365 day lunar calendar with our years labelled after the death of the final Sultan, Reseph, and rely on noting the distinct positions of the sun and moon in place of days. The Consortium of Phyta have arduously advocated for the adoption of P.P (Prior to Publication) instead of B.R (Before Reseph) and A.R (After Reseph) at the previous Warden’s Moot.
The names of the 12 months are as follows.
Nivvun Ut
Iyur Ut
Simmun Ut
Tuum Ut
Ubu Ut
Uulu Ut
Ut yara Ux* (5 days)
Note: Controversial amongst many races. Some prefer not to recognise Ut Yara Ux, believing it to not even be worthy of demarcation as a month, whilst others cite its importance to the Fellowship of Wardens as a period of time where the annual Warden’s Moot is held, a yearly diplomatic conference held between all of the local principalities and major settlements in Qud.
Tishru i Ux
Tishru ii Ux
Kisu Ux
Tebet Ux
Shwut Ux
Uru Ux
Based on a millennia of observation, official consensus amongst Qud’s astronomers , with support of the Barathrumites, there are 9 distinct periods of time throughout the day. These periods can be identified by the changing hues of the sky when Qud’s sun intermingles with the clouds.
Waning Beetle Moon - Completely dark.
The Shallows - Magenta.
Harvest Dawn - Blue.
Waxing Salt Sun - Light Blue.
High Salt Sun - Yellow.
Waning Salt Sun - Light Orange.
Hindsun - Dark Orange.
Jeweled Dusk - Purple.
Waxing Beetle Moon - Dark Green.
Geography of Qud
At the end of their journey, Travellers will most likely first find themselves in the Great Salt Desert. The Moghra’Yi, as called in the language of the man-camels, serves as the first deterrence for any traveller looking to venture into Qud and is the main barrier between it and other regions. Dromad caravans and pilgrims are commonly harassed by the Issachari, the salt-kissed nomads of the ivory dunes. On the land, krakens ranging from the size of a ray cat to small hills make the dunes tremble in their wake whilst the sky is patrolled by flocks of dawngliders ready to roast any wanderer with their flaming choler.
In the northern reaches of this great desert sprouts the Six Day Stilt, the holy temple of the Mechanimists and where their main clergy is located at. Rumored to be built in the corpse of an elder salt kraken, the Stilt’s main attraction is the Sacred Well of Kaphascence. Crowds of religious pilgrims and zealots arrive to offer piety by offering technological artifacts into its neverending gullet. Like moths surrounding a glowsphere, bazaars and merchants part fools of their precious water,
Between the eastern jungles and the Moghra’Yi lies a marshy swamp bordered by rust-caves and the lips of desert canyons. The farming hamlet of Joppa is the most prominent of several settlements in this area, acting as the beating heart that supplies its smaller neighbours with watervine crop and trade routes. Warring snapjaw dictators and conquerors have made their home here in the Red Canyons, scavenging what they can to survive whilst hunting the weak to nourish their warpath. The labyrinthian nature of the canyons along with the ferocity of the local wildlife thankfully prevents these warlords and their armies from spreading all across Qud.
To the north lies the Black Shelf, a flat-topped plateau of obsidian from where the canyon walls sprout and spread across Qud. Asphalt and molten rock bubbles out from the various caves that pocket it, yet, none seem to be worried about the encroaching eruption that may occur. The pastoral Flower Fields burgeon to the south and dot Qud’s dirt with kaleidoscopic petals.There are rumors that a hidden settlement of hindren exists in the kaleidoscopic flower fields, though, the rainbow forest more often than not wards off any searchers with the bushes of feral lahs.
Parted in half by River Svy, Qud’s jungles claw over the chrome caves and ancient rubble of a thousand civilisations, buried underneath layers of loam and dirt. The most famous of these ruins are Golgotha, the Graveyard of Fester, Bethesda Susa, the Cryo Spire and Grit Gate, home of the Barathrumites.
Despite the hidden treasures deep within these rust caves, danger is liable to snap up unprepared adventurers. Naphthaali tribes roam through the brush whilst the brutal goat folk clans decimate unwary travellers who traverse into their territories. Of all the forest villages that persist in this dangerous environment, the mushroom village of Kyakukya stands tall behind their worship of Oboroqu, the Ape God.
Besides that, there are only a few other spots of interest in these jungles other than the neverending chrome ruins that are uncovered everyday. The Rainbow Grove is the domain of the fungi, a breeding ground of life and death where tributaries of primal creation flow through living geysers of riches. A tremorous footstep marks the northwest, where countless live in the shelter of the Crater. Finally, the Bore of Omnoch carves a chewed tunnel into the wells of youth where the Screaming Men lie, waiting.
To the northern jungles lies the alien Spindle, a gargantuan needle of endless sliver that punctures the blue firmament into the unknown. Under its shadow is the Corrupted Groves, where daccas wait to rob unsuspecting humans of their fluids as they stare at the succulent fields of bananas. In the center of the grove is Omonporch, the base of the Spindle and considered the consecrated grounds of the Consortium of Phyta. Nearby is the tree village of Ezra, where humble banana farmers make a living harvesting their wild brethren.
Beyond Qud’s jungles, further east, past the scabbed Red Mountains, lie glowing ruins where few dare venture into.The Deathlands. The level of radiation in this region is toxic enough to blemish the sky violet.
Needless to say, there are some things there that should never be unearthed.
Regions Beyond Qud
Please keep in mind, dear reader, that the information in this section is based on hearsay from dromads who wander beyond the Moghra’Yi, fungal spores that drifted on the salt-spangled winds and glowfish spawn who swam down River Svy from beyond the Black Shelf.
The trio of Eco-Domes where most True Kin in Qud originate from are the Toxic Arboreta of Ekueimikuye, the Crustal Mortars of Yawningmoon and the ice sheathed arcology of Ibul. Out of all of these three arcologies, the Fellowship of Wardens possess the most knowledge about the Toxic-Sheathed Arboreta and Ice-Sheathed Arcology from collaboration with Sheba Hagadias, the librarian of the Stilt. Most Eco-Domes operate on a hierarchical caste system with each caste having certain roles that allow the arcology to function.
The Holy City or the Toxic Arboreta dwells in the undergrowth of Ekueimikuye, located to the far east. Horticulturalists tend and prune the overgrown rabid gardens that threaten to throttle and infest the poisoned air that its inhabitants are forced to breathe in everyday. The Holy City gives birth to new ecosystems everyday, petri dishes of evolution to sustain the hunger of the arcologie’s growing population. The Sun and Moon Priests tend to the woes of the masses by offering them faith in the breathtaking sunset and moonlight that dawns upon them everyday and to take solace that every lungful of corrosive air that they swallow is a gift from the gods. Finally, the Sygyzyrior caste are honor-bound hunters, dedicating each of their kills to the Sun and Moon Priests whilst providing the population with questionable sources of protein.
The aptly named Ice-Sheathed Arcology of Ibul is located in the Ibul Ice Sheet, a treacherous tundra of mammothian bergs and inhospitable for most lifeforms. The most technologically advanced of all known arcologies thus far, they carve geometrically impossible structures out of the glaciers, pathing lit streets of chiseled ice so smooth you could mistake it for glass. The Ibulians favor diplomacy and knowledge amongst all. The caste of Artifex maintain research and development of lost Eater technology whilst the Ibulian Consuls rule above all other castes, making executive decisions and diplomatic deals with other arcologies and settlements. In terms of servitude, the Eunuch caste serves as the left hand of the Consuls, dealing in everyday tasks and assignments that would be a waste of their precious time. The Praetorians, meanwhile, are the main military branch of Ibul, utterly organized, disciplined and strong enough to lay waste to any cretin that dares touch their arcology.
The location of the Crustal Mortars remain ever mysterious to us, buried somewhere beyond the Fuming God Sea, south-west of Moghra’Yi. There are rumors that they live underground near the trembling wake of calderas and volcanoes but such a location would be inhospitable for any life, much less a human. The inhabitants of Yawningmoon, named explicitly thus due to the moonlight penetrating the cracks in the geologically active earth, are a hardy lot, dealing in industrial trade. The Crustal Mortars are known amongst traders for being the primary source of refined metals and glassware. The traditional caste system is revoked in favor of a more egalitarian hierarchy that consisting of two classes. The lower classes are known as Children and primarily engage in trade work. The Children of the Hearth engage in metallurgy, the Children of the Wheel pottery and sculpturing and the Children of the Deep responsible for overseeing mining operations. The upper class are known as the Children of the Fuming God who are the clerics of the Yawningmoon. Using noxious emissions from geothermal vents to fuel their visions, they share their faith with the other Children after a busy day of toiling with jolly shanties.
Of course, there are countless other eco-domes mentioned by word of mouth. The Truncated Oasopolis of Erranea. The Savannah-Shrouded Byesh Calipharchy. The Indigo Sky-Lattice of Occ. These names and more have been uttered by True Kin who have come into Qud.
Apart from the innumerable Eco-Domes located across the world, the closest region to Qud is a land known as the Sunderlies, located far west of the Moghra’Yi. In these sandstone bluffs lie great cave cities known as freehold where the tides of the Pale Sea break upon the Shore of Songs. Although there is a considerable population of mutants in the Sunderlies, a large portion of the demographics is composed of true folk clans, unmutated cave humans who emerged from the depths of the Sunderlies. However, multiple civil wars and internal strife have reduced their number to a paltry five consisting of Oth, Athenreach, Perth, Irisveld and Goldmouth. Each freehold is controlled by a clan and their vassals.
The eponymous freehold of Oth was established by Oth, the freeman, and a clan of espers known as the Tyrants. Ruled by the Free Seer, Oth maintains an geopolitical advantage over other freeholds through having their leader possessing psionic prescience. Debate remains whether or not the caste of non-psionic workers are there of their own will or psychically thralled by the Tyrants to remain there as their servants. Oth is seen by other espers as a safe haven from other psychic assassins that seek to absorb their mind, although, the cost is of their own autonomy and forced membership into the Tyrant Cult.
Athenreach, once a humble fishing kingdom, is now the center of the Eustace-Sutta monastery. Originally established by mountain and river nymph clans, civil war and strife from a succession crisis led to the local population embracing the Eustace-Sutta discipline. There is considerable tension between the fishing villages who worship the river and mountain gods and the mass majority of the other population who are all initiates and followers of the Eustace-Sutta doctrine. It is common to see vast groups of pilgrims walking across the mountains to Athenreach.
Old and mighty Perth is the oldest of all the Freeholds, maintained by the founding trio of Clans Karst, Sotur and Rowen. Being the first to set foot and establish settlement in the Sunderlies, they possess the most land, the most armies, the most resources and the most influence out of all the freeholds. However, interclan rivalry exists with Sotur battling the ambitions of Clans Karst and Rowen in an attempt to maintain stability.
Irisveld is an pastoral freehold that is the beating heart that supplies all other freeholds with sustenance and quench. Their fields of verdant green are a blessed sight in the arid region and the beauty of their people is beyond compare, well, in terms of human subjectivity. To most mutant species and sentient plants, they are unremarkable. Due to claims perpetuated by the ruling class of Irisveld about their genetic purity, this has made their population ripe for recruitment by the Putus Templar, much to the disapproval of other freeholds.
Goldmouth, unlike most freeholds, was not established by a clan and instead, through the collaboration of several merchants' guilds. They are the most affluent and wealthy of all the freeholds, forgoing a monarchical system in favor of a council composed of representatives from each guild. However, excessive lending and bribery has led to severe corruption. Its relative youth compared to other freeholds
Alas, for all that I have said, our knowledge is still incomplete.
What lies beyond the Deathlands?
Are there other cities beyond the Pale Sea?
How many other Eco-Domes exist beyond Qud?
What other civilizations lie beyond Qud and the Sunderlies?
Races
The number of beings that inhabit Qud range from the atomic to the gigantic, to the pacifist to the bloodthirsty and from the humanoid to the inhuman.
Mutated humans are the most populous race in Qud, outnumbering their True Kin cousins by ten to one, and the most varied. From gills to quadrapedic feet and scaled skin, mutants are the new normal. It’s said that no two mutants in Qud are ever the same. However, from natural selection and geographical pressures overtime, new species have erupted from the loose conglomerate of mutated humans.
The urshiib are a race of bipedal quilled albino bears who have a propensity for engineering and technological modification. Most live in the closed off enclave of Grit Gate although a few can be spotted walking around Qud. They are a peaceful race, concerning themselves with more philosophical and abstract matters, and rarely engage in combat.
The dromads, otherwise known as the man-camels of Moghra’Yi, are occupational caraveners and merchants who travel from and to Qud across the Great Salt Desert, bringing with them riches from afar. They are typically the most knowledgeable when it comes to the affairs of foreign regions. Great Saltbacks, alabaster turtles the size of houses, are typically used by the dromads to carry their heavy load of goods afar as well as for transport.
Otherwise, this leaves us with the less refined races. The snapjaws are a crude, motley group of hyena scavengers who have easily spread all over Qud. The vast majority of snapjaw kind has been forced under the warlike ambitions of snapjaw dictators who seek to conquer and ransack the neighbouring settlements of Qud. The jungle-dwelling goatfolk, in spite of their higher level of organisation, are not behooved as some might think. These 6 foot tall muscular bipedal goatmen are aggressively territorial and will gore any stranger on sight with their horns or chop them to bits with their carbide weaponry.
Unlike mutants, sapient animals are fewer in comparison despite the abundance of wildlife in Qud. Only a few members of any species are capable of transitioning into sapience. The mayor of Kyukukya is the foremost example of this, being a fully sentient albino ape fully capable of cognizant speech. Typically, sapient members of a species act as de facto leaders of small tribes.
Unmutated humans are known amongst the denizens of Qud as True Kin. In spite of their genetic purity, some True Kin, particularly from the Putus Templars, suffer from extreme physical deformities due to excessive inbreeding and genetic alterations to prevent mutations. They are perhaps the only individuals in Qud able to properly interface and utilize the lost artifacts that the Eaters left behind. True Kin are the only race in Qud properly capable of undergoing cybernetic augmentations to bolster their dwindling organic physiology.
Alas, who can forget about the wide range of sentient plants in Qud. These can range from fractus, flowers, lily pads and the odd vine. Despite their unassuming appearance, they are some of the oldest and wisest races in all of Qud with a lifespan measured in millenia. In order to communicate with other species, plants in Qud have developed a form of universal language through the quivering of their leaves. Most species of sentient plants within Qud are formal members of the Consortium of Phyta with the exception of fungi.
Robots found in the chrome ruins of Qud are typically hostile towards all organic lifeforms as a result of their pre-Sultanate subroutines. Robots that have integrated within Qud’s societies often do so as a result of malfunctions, programming errors or being built intentionally to do so. An example of the latter are the chromelings, miniature humanoid droids built by the Barathrumites to assist with their experiments.
We come to my race. Newly sentient beings. We only number by a dozen but we are slowly emerging everyday. From folding chairs to walls of fulcrete, newly sentient beings can be anyone and anything. The typical way to create a newly sentient being is to artificially induce a nervous system within an object through use of nano-neuro animators or concentrated brain brine in high enough doses. Regardless, the experience of being a newly sentient being is unempathisable. Imagine that you wake up from a long nap and suddenly realize that you’re a door with feelings. Could you imagine that?
No, I didn’t think so.
Mutations
Mutations can roughly categorized into two types: physical mutations that alter the physiology of the mutant or mental mutations which allow the user to use psychic abilities. There are three specific morphotypes of mutants: chimeras who can only express physical mutations, espers who can only exhibit mental mutations and hybrids who display both types of mutations. With the exception of non-biological beings such as robots, anyone is able to mutate given the right circumstances.
Physical mutations can vary from more subtle mutations such as infravision, enhanced regeneration and hyperflexibility to the more visible such as wielding bioorganic hydro-pressure cannons, growing multiple noses, a prehensile tail or a belly face. Like a muscle, wielders can condition or shift the growth of their mutations as they mature over time through practice. Mutagens can be used to spur up growth but it is ill-advised as severe physical deformities can occur during this process.
Mental mutations allow the wielder to achieve psionic powers and are generally considered to be more dangerous than their relatively mundane chimeric counterparts. From freezing entire fields to imploding warriors in their own armor, there is little an esper can’t accomplish if they are trained well enough.
Those who accrue significant mental mutations over time begin to exhibit a phenomenon known as a psychic glimmer. From hypothesis and observation, we conclude that this glimmer is a form of extra dimensional energy that emanates from an esper. The degree of this exponentially increases with the esper’s abilities. From the perspectives of espers we have interviewed, the glimmer is the radiance of the soul. Whilst undetectable by normal means, it is visible to other espers who describe it as a “ window to the self”. The more powerful an esper’s psychic glimmer is, the more likely they will be hunted down by psychic beings whose appetite will only be satiated by melding their minds with the esper in question, usually killing or reducing the esper to a catatonic state.
I weep for those espers whose minds have been consumed. If only we Wardens could do more to stave off this threat.
Major Factions of Qud
The Barathrumites - A hidden enclave of technologically savant urshiib, albino quill bears, hidden underneath the abandoned complex of Grit Gate. All follow the leadership of Barathrum the Old, an elderly urshiib who is said to have existed since the dawn of Qud itself. Although they live an isolated life from the rest of Qud, they do occasionally share their technology with other settlements and accept non-urshiib as apprentices from time to time. Their willingness to do so has led to the proliferation of tinkers, both human and non-human, throughout every village in Qud. Sworn enemies of the Putus Templars.
The Putus Templars - A violent fascistic sect of extremist True Kin who seek to rid the world of mutants by any means necessary, claiming to be the original descendants of the Eaters of Earth and therefore, the sole inheritors of Qud itself. However, their dedication towards genetic purity has led to severe inbreeding, even amongst the standards of most True Kin arcologies. They have attempted to circumvent the toll of genetic disorders by using a cocktail of tonics and heavy cybernetic augmentation. They inhabit the north-east of Qud’s jungles and are one of the worse threats to the sanctity of civilization in Qud. Enemies to everyone outside of True Kin.
The Consortium of Phyta - An organisation of sentient plants and flora who are ironically one of the most technologically advanced factions in Qud, rivalling the Barathrumites in expertise and surpassing them in knowledge of Eater history due to their location near the Spindle. They are responsible for the transfer of information and local news in Qud through a network of sentient plant informants who use complex signals of pheromones to transmit data. Whilst more friendly than the templars, their moral values are considerably more stranger and off-putting than what most mutants are used to, bearing contempt towards most fleshy beings. However, this attitude is only present in the more conservative members of the Consortium with progressive members adopting a more holistic view of other species.
They have a considerable hatred of fungi and have banned any fungi from joining their organisation. No, don’t expect them to explain their reasons to a fleshy outsider like you unless you’re one of their own.
Friends and allies to nobody except if you have enough water.
The Fellowship of Wardens - A loose guild of law keepers whose members are commonly hired by almost every settlement and village to protect them from outside threats. Each warden is unsupervised and given total independence on how to handle situations with the settlement they are charged with protecting. Notable for their lax standards for acceptance which means anyone of any race or background can join the Wardens. Hold the annual Warden’s Moot on the fourth day of Ut Yara Ux, a conference for Wardens and representatives from every faction to report and discuss the current state of affairs in Qud. Friends to everyone except the Putus Templars.
The Mechanimists - The most dominant religion in Qud and beyond the Moghra’Yi. Followers worship a pantheon of deities known as the Argent Fathers. They primarily revere the ‘chrome’, a term that refers to advanced technology abandoned by the Eaters of Earth, seeing it as holy and a part of the Kasaphascence. One of their central beliefs is the ideal of chrome guilt, the belief that all individuals who use these complex machines incurs a heavy price on their soul. In order to redeem themselves, they must cast off all artifacts in their possession and live a life of technological chastity. However, the Fellowship of Wardens have observed high ranking members of the Mechanimist clergy using artifacts and are unsure whether or not to point out this contradiction in the next Warden's Moot.
The identities of the Argent Fathers, unlike the Sultanate, are known and not up for debate with each of their statues erected in the center of the Six Day Stilt. There is some turmoil between sects about whether or not the Argent Fathers were earthly beings or not but it is this table’s belief that the very existence of Reseph puts all claims of immortality to rest. There are seven primary gods that the Mechanimists worship, including the Kasaphascence.
Shekhinah, the Father of Fathers. The lead deity of the Argent Fathers and the one most worshipped by the faith. Considered to be the creator of all life, organic and inorganic alike.
Bel the Protector. Stated to be a warrior of incomprehensible weight whose epochal aegis blotted out the stars.
Carthax the Athlete. The man of motion who inspires Qud’s mutants and true kin to accomplish physical feats of athleticism.
Dagon the Orator. His curled frown of pride and ego teaches all to cow underneath his spoken word.
Nisroch the Star Mason. Sitting on top of the earth, he weaves the stars with his neutronium hammer and tongs, forging great works in the heavens.
Reseph the Above. The foiler of mercury and healer of the sick.
And lastly, the Kasaphascence. The mother of all chrome where the spillage of her womb birthed all of creation. She ranks the highest amongst all of the Argent Fathers, even Shekhinah.
Though the number of myths surrounding the Argent Fathers and the Kasaphascence, though only two are of great importance. The first is the Sacred Joining, whereby the Argent Fathers first discovered the Kasaphascence and used her womb to birth the chrome of Qud, akin to a cosmic furnace. The second is the Edification whereby the primordial metal birthed from the Kasaphascence womb was used by the Argent Fathers to shape the ruins of Qud.
Different believers of the faith will pick and choose who is worthy of their worship, based on their own interpretation. The favoring of one Argent Father over the other has led to schisms within the faith, leading to formation of groups such as the Cult of the Coiling Lamb who dedicate themselves to the teachings of Reseph.
Generally friends to everyone except those who defile their holy monuments.
Technology of Qud
The works of the Eaters of Earth dot the soil of Qud. At the height of their power, the Eaters explored a hundred thousand heavens, shaped flesh into euclidean geometries, siphoned starblood and negotiated with beings from beyond the aether. Ever since their fall, more and more of their technology has been lost to the ages and rendered unstudiable by their own efforts by future generations. The Barathrumites and the Consortium of Phyta are the only independent entities within Qud who are responsible for the progress, development and rediscovery of old and new technologies left behind by the Eaters. Due to Qud being the center of Eater civilization, adventurers and arconauts commonly venture into its chrome caves or ruins in search of lost artifacts left behind.
Data disks are the most typical method of transferring and obtaining blueprints, information or info signatures from one person to another through psycho-crystallic inscription. Though their construction varies between each tinker, data disks are invaluable in their ability to instantly communicate vast quantities to an individual’s brain at a moment’s notice, provided the individual’s psyche and intellect is capable of handling the vast strain.
Modern day cybernetics in Qud are only usable by those who lack mutations, or True Kin. A mutant who attempts to use cybernetics will find themselves at the wrath of the Eater’s built in ‘purity’ countermeasures designed to harm those deemed unworthy. There are very few ways to be safely modified without extreme harm and to this date, there has been no mutant or true kin who has been able to produce stable cybernetics. Usage of a Becoming Nook is the common way to implant cybernetics. However, this comes with the caveat of having to use rare cybernetic credits, a once common currency in the Eater civilization, to upgrade your license and increase the quality of your procedure.Cybernetics can range from benign such as telescopic vision and built in drug synthesizers to more invasive augmentations such as detachable forearm zweihanders or jet powered rocket feet.
Transportation within Qud is limited to walking on foot with faster means considered to be unwise due to the rough terrain and number of hazards that favor more caution. Personal teleportation through the use of hand held recoilers is another method but is rare and limited in terms of power and versatility. Recoilers typically can only be coded to a single coordinate and require rare power cells in order to function properly.
History and Culture of Qud
If we must start at a beginning, it begins with the Eaters. The influence of the Eaters of Earth are heavy in Qud with the Spindle being just one of the main examples of their legacy. The chrome ruins buried underneath loam and soil were once their homes, their government, their lives. We walk on their history yet we’ve nearly forgotten all about them. We know little about them, yet, ironically, they are responsible for Qud as it is.
After the Eaters, the Sultans took advantage of the chaos left in their wake, taking charge to define the past, present and future of the land. Consisting of six rulers, each of their eras has left their mark on Qud and represented severe technological decline and loss of knowledge. The history of their accomplishments and lifetime is ill-defined and has been lost. Little has been officially archived and historians of Qud believe that many of the ‘Sultans’ worshipped by various settlements may be false along with their proclaimed feats. Memorials can be found scattered all over Qud as well as abandoned cities and ruins that were built in their name.
Only the identity of the Sixth and Last Sultan, Reseph, is universally agreed upon. Unlike his predecessors, Reseph is widely beloved throughout all of Qud for defending its populace from the Gyre, a series of malignant plagues that befell Qud, and the Girsh, hideous black-blooded abominations from the deep. Sightings of Reseph as a ghostly apparition have been spreaded by wayfarers and debunked by scholars who claim it to be the result of hallucinations brought on by excessive dehydration.
Throughout your travels, you may come across the phrase ‘Live and Drink’. Whilst this may seem strange to you, it is a common greeting of respect throughout Qud in recognition of the profound status of Water. Unlike other regions, potable water is rarer in Qud and even rarer to properly harvest. Most water found in Qud is either contaminated for purification to work or far too saline for consumption. Its inhabitants cannot count on precipitation as rainstorms rarely occur in Qud. When weather does occur, it is not the relief of fresh water but sleets of burning acid rain and the shearing brunt of glass storms from the Moghra’Yi.
Such is the economic importance of water that it is the main currency in the region, measured by the dram. The infamous water Barons maintain a stranglehold over the market price of goods in the region due to their monopoly over most available water sources. Qud’s economy is therefore built on a simple barter system where valuables are traded for other items with precious water being used to balance the transaction.
We must not forget about the water ritual, though.
The water ritual is the key facet that underscores Qud’s diplomacy. The exact details and minutiae of the water ritual differs amongst every culture and every settlement but the constant between all of these variations is that it involves the act of selflessly giving your own water to another person. It is the act of unity, of trust, of friendship, of a sacred connection so deep that severing it would be akin to tearing your heart out. Alliances have been forged, trades brokered and marriages annulled due to this time-honored ritual. To enact a water-ritual with a stranger is to call them your water-sibling.
Killing or betraying your water-sibling is a horrific act and doing so is considered a crime greater than any act of murder, robbery, rape or slavery. It is morally indefensible. Exile is the least of your worries. Death would be too kind for you.
Glossary
Artifacts - Items or technology too complex for the average individual to comprehend.
Arcology/Eco-Dome - Name for the self-sustainable domed environments that most True Kin live in.
Baetyl - A group of mysterious spherical robots who are said to offer unimaginable rewards in return for a certain favor.
Dram - Shorthand term for a unit of measurement for liquids and unit of currency in Qud.
Carbide - A lightweight blue metal alloy constructed from nanotubes. Typically oulded into weapons and armor.
Fullerite - A dense black heavy metal found in synthetic deposits in the chrome caves of Qud.
Crysteel/Zetachrome - Two types of synthetic metal unique to Qud itself. Though both are different in their uses, their origins are the same. Both are synthesized by manipulating the very fundamental forces of space-time to form star-enriched plasma into solid material. No current method exists for producing either of these metals, though, the Consortium of Phyta has claimed success in producing shards of crysteel.
Gaslight - Term for a type of weaponry that emits an ethereal blade of energy from a hilt instead of metal.
Live and Drink - Standard greeting and parting phrase in Qud. Other races and factions have twisted the phrase for their own uses as to reflect their culture.
Parasang - The metric unit of distance in Qud, with one parasang the equivalent of the distance travelled for one hour on a Great Saltback. Competes with the imperial unit, Svymax, for dominance of the standard system of distance measurement in Qud.
Charley
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