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AKA the QSC, formerly known as the Quo'kar Republic and Sha Cruz Empire
Overview: |
The Quo'kar / Sha Cruz Coalition or QSC is a new Minor Empire, formed by two Minor Empires inhabiting the same quantum zone. It was formed to create a united government of the zone, at least with respect to the Galactic Union and the Omnet. Being newly formed, much of the Coalition's constitution has not yet been properly defined and in many ways, the Quo'kar Republic and the Sha Cruz still act as separate entities.
The QSC is one of the most influential Empires in Sector E. The old Republic was one of the founding members of the Delsym Alliance and was formed by the Union of the Quo'kar's 17 Guilds. Their technology, magic and religion is based upon the Union of Elements: Earth, Fire, Water and Air. The Sha Cruz are exiles from a Quantum Zone spanning war between two Empires unknown to the Omnet. As their homeland prepared to use planet-destroying weapons to prevent the advance of the Enemy, the Sha Cruz were sent to find a new homeland. Their sole purpose now is to regain their former strength and revenge their people, regaining their ancient homeland. Their contact with the Quo'kar came after 30 years of living hidden in a system unexplored by the Quo'kar, but considered within the Republic's domain. Visitors are welcome in the QSC as long as they adhere to the strict customs regulations. Those wishing to live in the old Republic may apply to become 'permanent visitors' as one may only become a Quo'kar citizen if adopted into one of the Guilds, difficult for even one very skilled in elemental magic. However, the nature of Cruzian society means that while visitors may be allowed into the QSC, they are unlikely to be welcomed by the Sha Cruz. |
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Navigation:CoLC Index |
Index:Q-dex / Technology / Magic
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Q-dex: |
T 709.1259/496.484 M 414.1726/962.32
In this Tech Life Nodal zone, Matter manifests as one of the four elements: Air, Fire, Earth and Water which combine to create all forms of matter. Energy manifests as either Fire [a combination of Matter and Energy] or the energy flows that criss-cross the zone. Technology is heavily used and easily advanced with large amounts of resources, although the energy flows have very unstable currents. Quantum storms are few and weak, although when they do occur they span large areas. The Coalition is friendly but wary of both outsiders and the Omnet. There is an orderly transition of power from the two Empires to the Coalition. Mystically the zone is Enchanted Life Linear, with the majority of Quo'kar and native born Sha Cruz able to inherently manipulate and convert the elements using the weak Essence that pervades them. Mystic Life manifests as Unity, the underlying Order of the zone. There is little obvious use of magic in the Republic, as development is difficult and mystic resources are scarce. Mystic storms are frequent and manifest as a incapacitating headache for anyone who attempts magic during the storm. The Quo'kar have developed a system to determine when such mystic storms will arise and so are warned when not to use magic. Foreign mages are warned not to use magic until certain a storm is not currently 'passing over'. There are two sentient races within the QSC: the Quo'kar and the Sha Cruz. The Quo'kar are basically human, with some slight evolutionary differences, mainly based on the lack of animal life on Union. The Sha Cruz differ more obviously, having three genders and average seven feet in height. Cruzians also do not age past the age of 25, but suffer rapid physical deterioration soon after reaching 75 years. |
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Technology: |
The technology used in the QSC is mainly based upon Quo'kar science, since the Sha Cruz ares still adapting their technology to the new Quantum Zone, although in some areas the Cruzians are clearly more developed.
The elemental technology and magic of the Quo'kar is based on the four elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. The technology is blended with the less powerful magic to produce efficiently, using the advantages of both types of science. Each of the elements also represents part of the Universe: Earth = Matter, Fire = Energy, Water = Thought and Air = Life, the Order of the greater Galaxy. These secondary representations are used as often in the Quo'kar's technology and magic as their status as the four forms of Matter. The highly unstable energy flow technology, when it is available, is utilised for only two purposes: by the Lo'kar to provide power to the population and as an alternative drive system for starships. Due to its unstable nature, this form of energy is only available some of the time and when it fails these Guilds rely upon the steady elemental energy source of compounds of Fire. |
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Magic: |
According to current theories, all sentients born within the QSC quantum zone (except those who join the Dan'lek Guild) are imbued with the inherent ability to mystically manipulate one or two Elements. Thus the many Sha Cruz native to this zone are now discovering the ability taken for granted by the Quo'kar. This affinity decides which guild they enter after 'testing' at the age of five.
Recent developments in mystic advancement have shown that it is possible to create mystic effects without this inherent ability. However, this 'wizardry' is being closely controlled by the QSC governments, although it is known that many years of study are necessary to acheive proficiency. Contrary to earlier theories, it is now predicted that extrazonal mystics from Enchanted Life Linear zones will be able to perform their magics by utilising some aspects of Unity. Unfortunately this includes the forbidden art of Necromancy. |
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Size: |
The QSC has a dominion of two star systems: the original homes of the Quo'kar and Sha Cruz before Coalition. In the Quo'kar home system of Lok'ya, a single large habitable planet known as Union orbiting the red-orange star. Union is orbited by two moons: Shan'kiir [large uninhabitable] and Kend'dlai [medium habitable]. This system is surrounded by a vast asteroid belt.
The Sha Cruz inhabit a solitary planet around the star Kir'thel. Their planet is medium-sized and habitable, orbiting further away than the asteroid belt surrounding the yellow star. Vyqwirepr, translatable as Base, as they call their planet, is orbited by a single habitable moon, Gedeg. There are indications that other astral bodies lie on the outskirts of our system and within the 8 star systems of the Quo'kar's claimed sway, but the Quo'kar, since acheiving interstellar drives and contact with Omnet have halted nearby exploration as research via the Omnet indicates there are very few civilised Empires nearby. The other explored star system, Yak'anis, has only one inhabitable planet, which has been named Ith'kerikis after the perpetual quantum storm that surrounds the planet. Its weak effect causes all tech items to fail, unless powered by mystic sources, such as batteries in which elementals are trapped. The legend of ancient riches on this planet has the result that many adventurers each year come to the Coalition to explore Ith'kerikis. Unfortunately, many do not return and those that do are silent about their experiences. |
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Population: |
All three planetoids in the Lok'ya system are reasonably populated with about 160 billion on Union and 200 million on Shan'kiir [in colony domes] and 8 billion on Kend'dlai [in floating cities]. The Kir'thel system is much less populated with only 2 billion on Vyqwirepr and only 5 million on Gedeg. In addition, there is another 10 million in space stations and outposts across the QSC zone. Both male and female work equally and the young and elderly are supported, so there is an estimated work force of 108 billion people. Due to the hot temperatures that are normal within the Lok'ya system, the Quo'kar tend to have a large amount of pigment in their skin, so Quo'kar skin colouring ranges from gold to bronze. The gender distribution of the Sha Cruz is markedly different from human: 70% of Sha Cruz born are male, 10% are female. The remaining 20% are neuter, resembling slightly built males. Females bear an average of 10 children. Each gender has different roles within the society even within their Guilds. |
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Climate and Geography: |
Union has a very slight axial tilt and so there are no specific seasons. 35% of the planet's surface is covered by water. The remaining surface area is a mix of jungle, desert, mountains and cultivated plains. The poles are covered in thin icecaps, surrounded by a band of temperate region; around the equator is the tropics, either jungle or desert. The average day temperature is 30°C. The Quo'kar live in massive megapolises, usually surrounded by dense forest or jungle, as the people of Union rarely use surface transport.
Shan'kiir is a rocky moon with no atmosphere and a very tectonically reactive crust. Many of its volcanoes are so large that they can be seen from Union. With no atmosphere, the only climate changes are the ash clouds caused by volcanoes and the frequent earthquakes. People here live in domed cities or their mining vehicles known as kav'nare. Kend'dlai is very different. It has a small dense center of rock with its entire surface covered by water [different from Water, the pure form] and a thick atmosphere. The high amount of water vapour causes a mild greenhouse effect keeping the air temperature at sea level at just below body temperature for most of the day and night. Due to the high temperature, the large amount of precipitation falls as rain, and the poles have very small icecaps. Due to the high temperature the Quo'kar are accustomed to, weather is not seen as a problem and a rainy day and fine day are treated the same, with people playing sport and being outside almost as much when it is raining. Wet clothes quickly dry out and all guildrobes are treated so as not to lose colour or shape when wet. Vyqwirepr is a jungle world, with all but the icecaps and oceans covered in dense rainforest. The Sha Cruz have only settled a small area and much of the planet's surface remains unexplored. Otherwise the weather is very similar to that of Union, with high temperatures, humidity and precipitation. |
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Flora and Fauna: |
There has been no proposal that fully explains it, but the phenomenon that the vegetation on planets in the Lok'ya and Kir'thel systems are similar in all essential respects has been conclusively proven. There is a great abundance of plant life on both Union and Vyqwirepr, mostly green in colouration, with shades of blue, so coloured by the combination of Water and Fire that allows them to harness the Fire-Air mixture radiated from Lok'ya and convert it into useful energy. The most efficient plant on Union is the in'kalek, with its four wide purple-red leaves, each a tem'ka [equivalent to a galactic metre] in length. It harnesses so much Fire that at night it releases the energy it could not convert as light, making it useful as an outdoor light source. The Ral'bir grow a variety of food crops to feed the growing population of the Republic, the most common being the pir'tes or 'strip plant' whose thick leaves can be ground into flour or eaten whole. There are no native animals within the QSC as due to the Quantum Index, it is impossible for evolution to combine the necessary elements to form life. Theories abound at the cause for the Quo'kar's existence, but the flux of elements and the abundance of plants has eradicated all detectable archaeological sources. However, there is an abundance of marine life in the seas of Kend'dlai and Union, and fish and sea plants form the basic diet on Kend'dlai, while all food has to be imported to Shan'kiir. The most common form of 'life' are the elementals. Believed to be a combination of a pure Element and a strong energy flow, elementals are the embodiment of an Element. Generally taking humanoid form, in previous years they were hunted as the easiest source of a pure Element. Their size varies upon the strength and direction of the energy flow through the pure element. Now they are more frequent on the moons than on Union, but a large elemental can still cause havoc to a community lacking Ori'dar or Mo'dar defences. |
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History: |
In the Quo'kar's earliest history, the Quo'kar [they were known differently then] lived in tribes that were constantly at war. Most tribes consisted majorly of those with a single elemental affinity. In such uncivilised times, children found to have no affinity for the elements were exposed soon after birth. They believed in four deities: Kend'dlai or Father Sky, Shan'kiir - Mother Earth, Lok'ya - the fiery Fortune goddess, and Ob'lek - Void or the Unmaker. In this mythology, Kend'dlai and Shan'kiir created Union and Lok'ya placed the Quo'kar upon it. They circle Union every day to protect it from the destructive grasp of Ob'lek. This was how the sun and moons of the Lok'ya system were named. Like many early mythological systems, the resemblance of the major characters to those in the <I>Lay of Kendis-Dai</I> has been noticed, lending credence to those historians who believe that the Quo'kar were trapped in their current Quantum zone after the Shattering of Suns and forced to revert to primitivism. But each tribe also believed in its own supremacy of elemental affinities, and did not mate with other tribes. This lack of genetic diversity is believed to have caused what is now known as the Plague. Many Quo'kar were struck down by this debilitating disease until the Great Prophet, Dai'gei of the Bi'lar led his tribe in healing the other tribes and introducing the Union of Four, and with this new 'religion' united the tribes into the Guild system that the Quo'kar use today in 1597 AD or 0 Unity. It was he who renamed the people Quo'kar, which roughly translated means 'People of Unity'. He also founded the Dan'lek Guild, for those Quo'kar without inherent magic. The Guild system altered significantly during the next two centuries, with each Guild taking on their particular responsibilities, and finally formed the Republic in 216 Unity (1816 AD). In more modern history, this century has seen many changes for the Quo'kar. Contact with the Valdori Empire and later with the Omnet forced many changes upon the originally xenophobic Quo'kar. Later the Golcondans joined the Delsym Alliance and all three members were awarded Minor Empire status. Then, less than 5 years ago, contact was made with the Sha Cruz. Little of Cruzian history is known except that after being exiled from their homeland, using untested drive technologies, they arrived in the Quo'kar Quantum Zone. Having no knowledge of the nature of the Q-dex, their scientists required 30 years to develop intra-stellar drives. Their first scouting ships encountered a Quo'kar scientific outpost and what little contact the Greater Galaxy had with the Sha Cruz originally was through the Quo'kar as intermediaries. The Quo'kar and Sha Cruz have successfully kept secret the true reasons for their newly formed Coalition, officially using only trite phrases, such as "The Coalition was formed to enhance the original mutual defense and alliance treaties, by presenting a united front to the Galactic Union." |
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Government: |
The newly created government of the QSC is currently made up of a small council of the leaders of both races. The bureaucracies of the Quo'kar and Sha Cruz have not yet been integrated, so each system is still run by the Ken'kar Guild and the neuter bureaucrats respectively.
Foreign policy for the QSC seems to be solely the responsibility of the Quo'kar diplomatic Guild, the Dan'lek. Since they have no affinity for elemental magic, they are believed by the Quo'kar to be able to associate more easily with those who are unenlightened to the Union of Four. Visitors are very welcome but should be warned that the customs laws of the Quo'kar are exceptionally strict, generally resulting in confiscation of all property and imprisonment for any breach. Permits are available for carrying restricted goods. Visitors should also note that the crime, 'intent to perform Necromancy', carries the immediate death penalty. Domestic Policy:Local policy for the Quo'kar is set by the Council of Guilds. Each Guild has three seats on this Council of 51 members, ensuring that there is always a majority. The Sha Cruz Government is, like everything Cruzian, militaristic in style, led by a Cruzian known only as the Leader. He is attributed with a life-span longer than normal and seems to be a remnant of an ancient ruling family. He rules through the leaders of each gender: the Vhiri, Homhiri and Mulhiri. Under each is a pyramidic hierarchy of officers. |
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Society: |
Quo'kar Society:
Before the age of 5, each child is tested for affinity for each of the elements [a combination of magic and tech affinity]. The results of these tests [primary and secondary affinity] determine which Guild the child enters. After the testing, the child is trained [depending on the strength of their affinity] and enters the workforce at age 17-21 [depending on length of training]. The new apprentice continues to live at the Guildhouse where they work, rising through the ranks, unless he or she decides to have a family. In Quo'kar society, this occurs when two people move into couple accommodation. To 'divorce', one person moves out. If the split is seen to be permanent, both move back into single accommodation at the Guildhouse. Any children of the pairing live with their parents until the age of 5, when they are tested and enter a Guild. Twins are very uncommon, but when a twin birth does occur, often the parents are cajoled into fostering one of the two because it has been found that the bond between twins can be stronger than the loyalty to the Guild and so prevent the twins from attaining Unity. This has been the cause for treason in the past, but since it has not happened in the last century, the pressure to split up twins has weakened. For the Quo'kar, a pairing between two of the same Guild is as damning as incest. This moral value has its beginning at the dawn of the Quo'kar Republic [see History above]. However, liasons between fellow Guildmembers have become accepted, as long as there are no children. When a child is born, he or she is given a childname, by which he or she is called until joining a Guild. At this point the child is given three names: a rankname, truename, and his or her Guildname. Inside a Guildhouse only the second is used, for each person has an individual truename within the Guild. Outside the Guild the latter two are used, unless two people meet who do not know each other's ranks. Ranknames change as Guildmembers rise through the ranks of the Guild. Due to the lack of animal life on Union, the Quo'kar diet consists of vegetables and fish; meat cannot be digested by Quo'kar as their digestive tract has not evolved to do so. Animal products are banned from galactic trade as the Quo'kar have no use for them and have violent allergies to many animal products. Quo'kar clothing is a symbol of Unity: almost all Quo'kar wear a wrap-around robe or tunic (choice dependent on age) made of light material to cool the body in the hot temperatures Quo'kar are comfortable in. The colour of the robe symbolises the Guild of the wearer and the stripe on the robe displays the wearer's rank within his Guild. This custom has meant that ranknames are dispensed with except in written documents. On formal occasions, Quo'kar wear more elegant and detailed robes, with metal jewellery, as gemstones do not naturally exist in the QSC zone. A current fashion for younger Quo'kar is wearing a jyd'keth, an ancient Quo'kar duelling weapon. These are not used except in sport, as disputes are now settled by mediation through the Guilds. However, jyd'keth clubs are appearing all over the Republic and Guildmembers are being challenged to prove their proficiency with a jyd'keth before being allowed to wear one openly. A jyd'keth consists of a metal pole 80 - 90 centimetres in length with the end curved into a hook with sharpened point and inside edge. Sporting duels are usually fought with a single weapon and bracers on both arms, although some skilled jyd'kethi have been seen wielding one in each hand. Sha Cruz Society: Sha Cruz children live with their mothers until the age of 5 when they go to primary school. This is boarding school for all genders until the age of 10, when each gender in trained for their role in the Cause. Males go to military school where all are trained to fight and build, their grouping being in platoons. Neuters are trained as scientists, teachers and administrators. Females return to their mothers to be trained to grow the algae that serves as the Sha Cruz's sole food source and as medics. Upon reaching 75, the quick deterioration of health kills most Sha Cruz quickly, but those who live longer stay with female relatives. Males typically wear black, grey or camouflage jumpsuits. Females most often wear white or lightly coloured robes. Neuters may wear either, and often adapt their dress to be more similar to the people they are working with, even those from other races. The common language of the Quo'kar and the QSC as a whole is Quo'karn. Pronounciation of Quo'kar terms is similar to Omnet Common except that ' is pronounced either as a pause or an extra vowel, depending on whether it is followed by a consonant. All nouns in Quo'kar contain ' but it is only rarely found in verbs, never in adjectives. To pronounce a Quo'kar's name without the ' is tantamount to saying you consider them a non-person, and as such is considered the highest insult. Religion:It has been predicted by cultural scientists that religion is likely to be the provocation that breaks up the Coalition if such ever occurred. This is because both the Sha Cruz and the Quo'kar have strong philosophical belief systems. All Quo'kar can be said to believe in the Union of Four [or Union of the Elements] but the Unity [as it is abbreviated to] is more a philosophy than a religion. It sets down moral laws similar to many other cultures religions and teaches the superiority of the Four Elements. The Bi'lar can be said to be in charge of this religion, as they teach its tenets, but there are no churches of the Union, and no prayers to superior beings. The Union of Four describes the feeling of well-being when a Quo'kar realises the strength of unity. The only thing that can be loosely described as a religion in Cruzian society is the Cause, in which each Sha Cruz knows their role. The Cause has never been detailed to non-Cruzians, but it is believed that the Cause affects all decisions made by each Sha Cruz. Castes:The Sha Cruz have no hereditary castes. All Sha Cruz have a role to play dependent on their gender, but as all begin with the same schooling, each has equal chance to rise within the ranks of their own gender. In contrast, Quo'kar society is divided up into 17 Guilds, and each Guild is divided into ranks according to training and seniority from apprentice to Guildleader. All ranks mix together with lower ranks showing respect to higher ranks. This table shows all the Guilds, their members' primary and secondary affinities, Guild colours and their responsibilities to the Republic:
Rank within the Guild is shown by a different coloured stripe along the edges of the guildrobe. The rank colours are as follows:
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Economy: |
Since the Sha Cruz did not have a monetary based economy, the currency of the Quo'kar, the kol, has become the currency of the QSC. Originally a kol was a small coin whose value was based upon Ioun [a material made of equal parts of each of the elements] and there were many other denomination coins from 256 kol to 1/16 kol. With the advent of computerised banking, gradually physical money was phased out of society. The standard rate paid to an unemployed Guildmember of working age is 256 kol.
Each Guild houses all its members [in a Guildhouse or in paired housing] and pays each member (including those unemployed) a wage for food, domestic products, entertainment and luxury items depending on their standing within the Guild. The unemployed usually are only the young and elderly as all able hands in a Guild are utilised. These young and elderly are dependants of the Guild and hence are not paid wages. The Guilds that earn money for services: Sha'dar, Shi'lai, San'kar, Kel'for, Ral'bir, Ber'rid, Ri'typ, Kev'shi, Par'el, Ob'kar and Dan'lek pay a levy to those that do not [Ken'kar, Mo'dar, Ori'dar, Lo'kar, Kor'bek, Bi'lar] depending on the amount of free services they themselves provide to the population. This is the form taxes take for the Quo'kar. Due to the fact that each Guild has a monopoly on its products and prices are loosely controlled by the Ken'kar and Cruzian bureaucrats, there is almost no inflation in the QSC economy, the only slight variation in prices in the QSC is due to supply and demand. |
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Military: |
Until Coalition, the Mo'dar Guild performed the military functions for the Republic. All Guildmembers are taught martial skills and are expected to fight if necessary. In recent times, the Ori'dar have taken over most of their ground-based duties, leaving the Mo'dar to patrol space, due to the increasing fear in the Empire of interstellar invasion. However, this situation is set to change as the Sha Cruz adapt the military to their own tactics, a strategy agreed upon quickly by the Quo'kar upon seeing the greater experience of their allies. All QSC warships use laser weapons, most larger ships in conjunction with a unique Quo'kar weapon: the elemental engulf launcher. This launches a large homing missile containing a detonator and a large amount of a pure Element. Upon contact with the enemy ship, the detonator replicates the natural conditions for elementals creation, thus creating an elemental. The newly-formed elemental will proceed to attack the enemy ship from within. Energy shields will not deflect such a projectile, for as the missile detonates, the energy of the shields contributes to the elemental's creation, making it larger and stronger. The ancient combat code of the Quo'kar does not allow the QSC ships to use stealth technology, a belief much derided by their Cruzian compatriots. However, using the alchemy of the Quantum Zone, larger warships can be equipped with shields that absorb energy weapons fired at them, converting it for the ship's use. Quo'kar battle tactics were based upon the ancient strategies used in tribal warfare, involving small groups of ships spread out across large formations, each with independence to launch charges, stage ambushes or retreat as necessary. However, the Quo'kar have never been involved in a major naval battle. |
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Sports and Leisure: |
Art, literature (except for Kor'bek records) and music creation are all considered to be leisure activities and Quo'kar Guildmembers are encouraged to spend their time creating and enjoying art as it encourages Unity. Sha Cruz males are more likely to spend leisure time in personal training or sports, but major Sha Cruz artists have been known to come from all genders. The Sha Cruz tend to prefer the fine arts, dance and music rather than literature and poetry, possibly due to the blunt nature of their language. Art of all kinds is very popular in the QSC, almost entirely 3-dimensional art, both solid and the illusions of the Par'rel. Quo'kar art mainly takes the theme of elemental representation: the few remaining pre-Union pieces emphasising one or two elements over the others whereas post-Union concentrates on the blending of all four. Each Guild tends to have its own style; for example, San'kar artworks tend to be made of metal and stone, while the Par'rel do not use solid materials at all. However much their art differs, Quo'kar and Sha Cruz musical instruments are both mostly percussion with a variety of wind instruments. Quo'kar music is generally written for quartets or the 16-piece band, with the Sha Cruz having similar sized groups. Lately, there has been a return to the classical instruments from the recent fashion of electronic instruments. Kern'relkyn: The major sport of the Quo'kar is a complicated game known as Kern'relkyn, which in recent years even before Coalition had become almost as popular with the Sha Cruz. Kern'relkyn has four teams of one to ten players who attempt to move the square 'ball' [or kio] made of Ioun out of the playing ring into their area each an eighth of the circumference of the ring for a goal. The kio can be moved in any manner a player wishes [including magic] but must be carried out of the ring in the hands of a player to be counted as a score. The other four eighths of the circumference are between the four goal areas and if the ball enters one of these kyn'es the teams with the goals adjoining the kyn'e each score half a goal. The ring is ten tem'ka wide plus five tem'ka for each player on each team [ie 15-60 metres] but this rule is only used strictly for larger games [5 or more players per team]. These rules create a game filled with strategy and alliances especially in a one man team game, because a single man has little hope of scoring against three defenders whereas two on two each aiming for a kyn'e makes a balanced game. Kern'relkyn leagues can be found in all major cities of the QSC, usually playing the ten-a-side game. The major professional competition is the Republic League in which all major cities of the Republic have a team with the addition of the unified miners' team, the Shan'kiir Lava. To be selected for the Republic League is the greatest honour a player can gain. There are 16 teams in the league of which only 4 go into the finals. Players come from all Guilds as there is also the Guild Competition where all current players in major leagues are given points on their performance and the Guild with the most player points wins. This title was held by the San'kar for three years running, but this year the Kor'bek won the trophy for the first time since the Competitions' inception. |
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Major Population Centers: |
The great majority of the QSC's population lives in the Lok'ya system, and so almost all of the Coalition's major population centres are situated there. The government and central Guildhouses for all Guilds are located in Buk'li, a megapolis just above the Equator of Union. Dek'tir is said to be sited on the place where the Great Prophet began his Union of Four and the Unity festival held annually is a major tourist attraction.
Yil'ari is known as the city of catastrophe as disasters such as earthquakes, volcanos and tornados strike the desert city each year. The Yil'arians merely rebuild their city after each strike and stubbornly refuse to move elsewhere. This practice has resulted in Yil'ari remaining the most modern and disaster-proof city in the Republic. The most southern city on Union, Sop'norg is almost perpetually shrouded in rain clouds, having an annual rainfall four times the global average. Other major cities on Union [in the Republic League] are: Or'nio, Lel'k, Har'sl, Ver'ren and El'forn. There is only one major city on Shan'kiir: Rik'sha, with the rest of the population living in small mining communities. Kend'dlai, however, has many floating cities, the largest being Har'nek, which is usually situated south of the equator [floating cities have no fixed position]. Other major floating cities are Lor'ga, Bid'par and Id'ani. In the Kir'thel system, there is only one population centre, the old Sha Cruz capital on Vyqwirepr. Known only as the Base, it was built up around the grounded landing shuttles of the exiled Cruzian colony ship. The shuttles can still be seen in the centre courtyard of what is now the Leader's Palace as they are used as museums of the Cause and the remnants that remain from the Cruzian homeworld. |
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Chronic Problems: |
As with any new form of government, the first few years of the Coalition will be unsettled as its details are developed and finalised. Fortunately, although their cultures seem highly different on the outside, the Quo'kar and Sha Cruz have much in common. The most dangerous problem to the stability of the Coalition will be religion, with many Quo'kar fearing this will lead to Disunity, and equally Cruzians fearing that it will lead them away from the Cause. However, the Coalition has also solved internal problems for both Empires, not only the conflict with the Omnet. The Coalition has served to increase Quo'kar interest in the Greater Galaxy, and more funds allocated to galactic trade and exploration. It has also to some extent alleviated the Cruzian problem of untrained inherent magic-users, since all Cruzians now have the right of Guild training, whether they remain within the Guild or not. Not all problems have been solved by the Coalition, since the Quo'kar still have problems with smuggling cause by their strict customs laws, and many necromancers have risked the death penalty to practise their art without Leveling difficulties. Many of the Ori'dar that could be used more profitably in other duties are wasted patrolling for these criminals. |
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Submission Information: |
Submitter's Name: Donald Campbell
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