Qairus
"Qairus" (kaɪərɪs), officially the "District of Qairus" is a vassal state of Vedea on the Qairusian Peninsula in south-east Summum. Its borders extend from the southern banks of the Hijlakin River to the Unbound Seas, including Farpoint Isle, Smugglers Run, and Penruck Island.
Qairus' terrain is chiefly arid scrublands and desert similar to its ruling nation, however it also possesses floodplains along the Hijlakin River. Qairus is officially overseen by Vedea's Unbound Trading Company in '''Fort Ophelian''', though the country's largest and most successful city has historically been the twin-cities of Luan Mai.
Qairus was settled by Vedean settlers during the Resurgence Period as part of its early attempts at establishing a colony in Summum. Qairus was widely considered a failed colony in mainland Vedea as Edos fully controlled the Ayoric Lowlands and staved off Vedean settlement further into modern Ordun, though no quitclaim was ever produced. The discovery of the Hijlakin Ruins during the first age of adventuring saw the Unbound Trading Company formally petition the Vedean High Chamber to grant it governance of the region and formally became its administrators in 473. The end of the first age of adventuring and the Edos Civil War saw Qairus once again fade into obscurity as legal trade into the region vanished, the Unbound Trading Company outright abandoning the cities of Luan Mai and Farpoint. The nation now finds itself primarily overseen by local crime organizations similar to Elyra, though the black market trade in the region has brought renewed interest from the Unbound Trading Company.
Geography
Landscape and Rivers
Qairus' primarily arid terrain has left it mostly barren in terms of agricultural development save for the areas around the low lying regions of Luan Mai. The flood plains south-west of Luan Mai are primarily used for the growing of grapes, with Qairusian wine considered an exceptional luxury. Travel between Fort Ophelian and Luan Mai by land is exceptionally rare, save for smuggling operations and those unable to afford sea-passage up the Quillic Bay.
Climate
Qairus receives little to no rainfall during its year, the Hijlakin river mostly comprised of snow melt off the southern Dawncrest Mountains. Farpoint exists as Qairus' exception, receiving ample rainfall and brutal flood conditions from the Slough's irregular weather conditions. The dense fog surrounding the two bays of The Slough have adopted something of a mythic terror, most ships entering the gloom never returning, its sailors washing up on the shores of Farpoint with no memory of their journey after leaving port.
Nature and Wildlife
Qairus is home to a number of hyena, coyote, and dingo species spread across its rocky peninsula, and have been a historic issue for Qairus' small nomadic livestock farmers. Qairus' eastern seas near the Slough are known for bizarre and monolithic marine life - reports of glowing whales, kraken, and mermaids are frequent from many shaken sailors returning to Farpoint.
History
Settling
Qairus exists at the intersection of three worlds - designed with Copoan spirit, built with Vedean industry, and run by Elyran practicality. Qairus emerged with the discovery of Summum alongside its two sister nations Ayoria and Kratis and has adopted the outlier role since. Originally Vedea’s attempt at a powerful colony its chaparral and shrubland proved unfruitful for agricultural needs and Vedea’s own barely arable land could not offset Qairus’ deficiencies. The eventual consolidation of the entire Ayoric Lowlands by Edos solidified Vedea’s ultimate decision to abandon further developments in Qairus - a fact that many modern Qairian have not forgotten. Despite the dereliction, life in Qairus continued in its sandy hills and became a favorable location for Copoans and Elyrans looking for new starts in Summum.
Unbound Trading Company Adoption
Some 65 years after the initial founding and abandoning of Qairus (though no quitclaim was ever produced by Vedea), the creation of the Unbound Trading Company (UTC) returned focus onto Qairus’ tropical shores. While Qairus had little in terms of natural resources for exploitation, its location against the Quillic Bay would be an extremely powerful trading hub with Edos’ settlements in the region. The eventual discovery of the Hijlakin ruins cemented the Unbound Trading Company’s interests in the province, and the group moved to become Qairus’ official governing body by proposing the Vedean government in exchange for a sizable taxation increase on the UTC’s profit.
Qairus would see fifty years of unprecedented and explosive growth under the UTC, becoming one of Vedea’s greatest capital producers and attracting attention the world over. The people of Qairus became exceptionally wealthy, and eventually focused that wealth into the river bisected city of Luan Mai. Luan Mai became a hotspot for the trade of artifacts pouring forth from the Dawncrest Mountains, particularly from what is now known as Solana. It received heavy amounts of attention from Vedea (though the official capital of Qairus is Fort Ophelian, the location of the UTC’s Summum counting house) by means of having Summum’s first Unbound Archive, as well as the only city in Summum to have a Vedean Academy approved college.
Economic Downturn
Qairus’ trend of prosperity would not last forever, the death of Queen Ladina Vecatus of Edos marking the beginning of the Edosian Civil War and the withering of trade in the region. The ruins of Solana had been on a downward trend of artifact discovery and its separation from Qairus by the founding armies of Irrigan severed any major economic resources of Summum from accessing the peninsula. The Unbound Trading Company was battered by the events of the civil war, and the ten years that have passed since its start have greatly changed the landscape of Qairus.
A modern Qairusian city.
Modern Qairus
What was once an affluent province of Vedea quickly became a rapacious country of smugglers, pirates, and black market connections. The town of Luan Mai is nearly unrecognizable from its original form - a cold stone wall built by Qairus’ elite was constructed at the river's edge on the side of Luan barring it from the shanty town of Mai. The Six Lords of Mai, criminal enterprises of Elyran design now dominate the twin city - the Good Folk of Ophelian and the Low King of Farpoint controlling similar levels of power in their own towns. The Quillic Bay has since descended into absolute chaos of piracy, smuggling, and privateering between the anarchy of Qairus and the recently reclaimed Ordun. Scholars remain unsure of why the Vedean government has not stepped in to compulse the UTC to restore order to the region.
Governance
Qairus is formally overseen by the current Governor of the Unbound Trading Company - currently Ulric Egnatius, a famed trader and brother to popular Vedean politician, Volos Egnatius. The UTC's near abandonment of the region has left Fort Ophelian as the only Unbound Trading Post still fully in use in the region, and acts as its seat of power.
Guilds and Organizations
The Unbound Trading Company
See Also: The Unbound Trading Company
The Hijlakin College
Summum’s only Vedean Academy recognized university, the Hijlakin College is built atop the ruins they are named after. Well known for its strict research structure (and immediate access to first-hand study) Hijlakin College produces some of Summum’s finest archaeologists, anthropologists, artificers, and mages. Initially a fine university that allowed any of Qairus’ populace to study in its dignified halls, the last ten years have seen it become something of an elitist organization. It has received several castigations from the Unbound Archives in recent years for attempting to shutter access to the Luan Libai. Still, its research into the former empires of Summum have proved invaluable for research and it receives an incredible influx of students and researchers every year.
The Six Fiefs of Mai
See Also: The Six Fiefs of Mai
Overlooked by the grandiose walls of Luan lies the now shanty town of Mai, where buildings have been built on buildings and the sprawl of the city has bled into the surrounding countryside. Criminal syndicates practically rule the city - now divided into six “fiefdoms” under the Six Lords of Mai. Criminal activity primarily revolves around smuggling runs on the river attempting to break the trade blockades in the Quillic Bay, but alchemists and artificers find steady work on the influx of rare materia and artifacts trickling in from raiders and bandits that have burst over the Ayoric Lowlands. While not wholly disallowed, the Lords of Mai have historically avoided interfering with Luan and each other. Recent pressing from Edos’ return to the region has seen this change, and smaller groups have been incentivized to attempt criminal activity in the prosperous city above - prompted especially by Elyra’s Ivory Syndicate now cooperating with the Six Lords.
The Good Folk of Ophelian
See Also: The Good Folk of Ophelian
Ophelian, the capital of Qairus, was the last to fall to criminal enterprise as the UTC continued its diminished governance of the region from its fortified counting house. The township could not hold out forever, though, and eventually came under the influence of the Good Folk - a crime syndicate many believe to have originated from the UTC itself. Originally a tongue in cheek name for the dock workers who ran rampant on the town’s many alehouses, the Good Folk of Ophelian now act as the world’s leading smuggling operation between Summum and Solum. It is said that no contraband leaves Summum without Good Hands passing it along, and recent cooperation with Elyra’s Venom Syndicate has all but solidified that position.
The Court of the Low King
See Also: The Court of The Low King
Next to nothing is known of the current status of Farpoint save for its self proclaimed “Low King”, a man of uncertain origin. Farpoint was the first to be seized by the underbelly of Qairian society, the UTC completely abandoning the region (and having diverted interests for many years prior). The emergence of illicit substances in Summum seems to find its origin in Farpoint, producing a near implausible amount of alchemicals on a yearly basis. Some have suggested the Low King of Farpoint managed to gain access to The Slough to the north with assistance from Elyra’s Harvest Syndicate, but the city appears to have adopted the same degree of secrecy as their Elyran benefactors. Regardless of their origin, the exotic alchemical and creature trade of Farpoint dominates contraband export in the region.
People and Society
To live in Qairus is to be of staggeringly great wealth or to struggle daily against the gnawing of hunger. What was once a prosperous trade hub for neighboring Ayoria, Edos’ continent spanning empire, Qairus has been reduced to a phantasm of its former glory in only ten short years. The Edosian Civil War and union riots of newly founded Solana devastated trade into the region as conflict burned the countryside between. The Unbound Trading Company (UTC), the Vedean trading guild given governorship of the region ebbed from the country in response, leaving behind meager custodians to keep the peace. The higher classes of Qairus, typically of Vedean descent, set about safeguarding their status by bulwarking the Luan peninsula with walls, separating it from its sister city of Mai. Over the following years the towns of Mai, Fort Ophelian, and Farpoint descended into anarchical rule as criminal enterprises from Vedea, Copoa, and Elyra set about dividing their newfound spoils.
Life in Qairus is now largely divided into three categories. The upper echelons of Qairus’ former elite now reside in the haven city of Luan, equipped with access to the Quillic Bay via river, and the shining monuments of the country’s former glory. The dwindling population of those in Qairus before the civil war who had the misfortune of not being gloriously wealthy were left at the walls on the river banks to see their country descend into chaos. Most recently seen is the blossoming criminal class that has all but captured day to day life in Qairus, implementing Elyran-like utilitarianism in their organizations. The settling of the civil war saw the UTC’s uncertain return to the region, though many were taken by surprise when little changed locally with their return.
Those who found themselves fortuitous enough to be affluent in Luan at the time of Qairus’ collapse continue to live their lives fully, the town not unlike the Vedean cities it was modeled after. Food flows in plentifully from the recently recaptured Ordun, and artifacts have begun trickling their way back in from Solana’s many ruins. The protection of the UTC’s warships and Edos’ small fleet has all but guaranteed the safety of the denizens of Luan. The city itself boasts the Luan Libai, the first Unbound Archive on Summum (and with the burning of Irrigan, the largest as well), and the Hijlakin College, Summum’s only arcane research school recognized by the Vedean Academy. The general consensus of Luan’s public is general indifference towards the struggle of the rest of its nation, most Luanites shielded from the disarray outside their walls.
The self proclaimed ‘Remnants’ of Qairus’ old society left outside the walls of Luan have seen the nation descend into madness over ten years. Many attempted to flee the country, fearing that the armies of General Rhodes in Irrigan would march in to claim the country for his own - but the UTC’s early abandonment of the ports left few ships for evacuees. The Counting House of Fort Ophelian shuttered its doors and implemented guards to protect its walls, and the entirety of the Farpoint trade fleet vanished overnight. The blossoming of the criminal empires in Qairus converted unrest into full panic for the Remnants, now forced to face severe changes to their daily lives. Poverty, anarchy, and strife ruled the streets of Mai, Ophelian, and Farpoint and the return of the UTC to the region in 518 briefly brought hope back to the Remnants. The UTC’s return brought no changes to the port towns - guards bearing their sigil stood at corners but lawlessness remained a constant, unanswered by their swords. Many Remnants have since slumped into compliance and acceptance to the crumbling of their former eminence.
The criminal enterprise of Qairus sprouted, blossomed, and fruited overnight at the receding of the UTC sentries. While Elyran nationals received the brunt of blame for the corruption, most of the initial crime groups to flourish in the area were of Vedean and Copoan origin. The groups began as hundreds of unique organizations in each of the remaining townships but quickly came under Elyran-like syndication as turf-wars depleted resources. Fort Ophelian and Farpoint find themselves at the mercy of single syndicate rule (though burgeoning groups play an important role in their functioning), but Mai’s shanty has been divided into six ‘fiefdoms’. Those part of the criminal class of Qairus find themselves in a diverse ecosystem of roles: smugglers, thieves, enforcers and spies all can find comfort in Qairus’ crimebed.
Culture
See Also: Vedea, Copoa, Elyra
Nation Info
Official Name: The District of QairusCapital: Luan (Formerly Luan Mai)
Population: ~225,000
Government: Company Rule
Leader: Ulric Egnatius
Leader Title: Governor
Demonym: Qairusian
Major Exports:
- Smuggled Goods
- Old Empire Artifacts
- Fish
Military
- 5,000 Combatants
- Warships: 15 Warships
Breed Distribution
Religion Distribution
- 60% - The Tower
- 20% - The Ember Light
- 15% - The Highlord
- 5% - Other
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas