Qu'sra
/Ko͞os-rah/
Qu'sra is the last bastion of civilization on a world which was destroyed by a catastrophic magical event which occurred ~300 years prior.
It sits in a valley surrounded by tall, sharp mountains and a thick, impenetrable wall.
The city itself is surprisingly prosperous, chiefly thanks to the education conducted in Wa-Tika, which trains people with various magical and sub-magical abilities how to control the Static within them for the survival of civilization and them as individuals.
In the great event the soil was rendered sterile and all of the water evaporated. Despite this, the residents have ingeniously used Static to supply themselves with a reasonable supply of resources and the things they need to live.
Only the Brights and select students from Wa-Tika are permitted to leave the city walls. Few want to however, for death in many forms goes on for miles and miles into the endless desert known as The Hellish Expanse.
Demographics
Due to a variety of races being shielded from the great event, there's a mixture of elves, dwarves, humans, halflings, and so on.
Government
The Bright Torches are the religious and civil leaders of Qu'sra.
They are a council of 6 high priests who probe the Static threads of the world for the betterment of civilization.
They provide water, food, and security asking for nothing in return. Because of this the citizens are generally quite happy and many pursue arts and crafts if they aren't accepted into the Wa-Tika.
Defences
An impenetrable series of walls and mountains that surround the city like a forcefield.
Industry & Trade
There are no imports or exports, since Qu'sra is the only city left in the world.
Magic builds most things in Qu'sra. The water that flows from fountains is conjured, as well as most of the food.
Many of the daily needs of people are accounted for, so money is generally made through art, writing, and craft.
The primary food source is Na'ma the magical product of the spell Create Food and Water.
Depending on the caster it can vary in flavor to some degree, but is generally bland. Because of this the na'ma is supplemented with figs, dates, olives, pine nuts, and mushrooms. Very little else grows as these were some of the only seeds the people fleeing the Great Event took (the fruits were originally brought to the Mountains for food, except pine nuts which were discovered in a crevice.).
More wealthy citizens are able to eat magically prepared food from other sources like restaurants that serve Hero's Feasts or even secretly guarded restaurants on other planes.
Gold and gems are common resources and come from the Mining District a section of town that has a mine shaft which goes down hundreds of feet to a rich mineral deposit.
Olive and pine trees are also harvested for wood which goes into buildings as decorations and other arts and crafts. There's a Forest District dedicated to their cultivation.
Clothing is almost entirely silk which only exists due to the presence of moths frequenting the caves during the Great Event. They are tended to on rooftops of the South Market District.
Infrastructure
Waste is composted and remediated in the Forest District in the South.
Water is supplied via the Create or Destroy Water spell. The heat quickly evaporates most of it if exposed, so there are Sparks responsible for replenishing it on a daily basis.
The roads are tan stone tiles. There are carts and wagons which use major routes, and smaller alleys which are used more frequently by pedestrians to avoid the traffic.
There's a rich mine shaft which operates in the Mining District in the East edge of the city.
Architecture
Buildings are primarily marble, granite, and sandstone. Most are in shades of red, pink, beige, and white.
Decorative wooden posts and glass ornaments usually adorn the buildings.
Geography
Qu'sra sits at the center of a mountain chain and at the base of one particular mountain known as Mount Iron Heart.
It's approximately 5mi2, ~2mi at it's widest and 3mi at it's tallest.
The climate is generally that of a desert. It's hot, dry, and rocky.
The city at it's heart is actually quite lush, more like an oasis in the desert.
Natural Resources
Stone is the primary building material. In Qu'sra it is prolific, durable, and sacred.
Additionally, there is little room in the valley for trees to be grown, and the number of people in the city has expanded pretty dramatically from its original 48 inhabitants to thousands.
The peaceful creatures of the world perished in the great event and nothing but vicious creatures roam the planet.
Plants do not grow in the soil, but due once again to the Brights, soil inside city limits has been remediated to some degree. Here a few supplemental food crops are grown almost exclusively.
These consist primarily of Dates (Risat), Figs (Calymna), Grapes (Ajen), Olives (Fihaj), Pine Nuts (Quion), and Mushrooms (Sprets).
Moths and caterpillars are raised for production of silk. These only exist by accident and without them the population would need to resort to bark or skins for clothing, a proposition they consider barbaric.
Maps
-
The City of Qu'sra
Type
City
Population
~33,300
Inhabitant Demonym
Qu'sarians
Included Locations
Owning Organization
Related Tradition (Primary)
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
