Karrigan'Xalda
Daughter of the Karishzar
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify a location established in rp.
Image Credit: Here. Here. Map provided by
Valiens Nantaris
.Canon: N/A
Permissions: ARGH gear available to Firemane per this thread.
Links: Twilight of the Goddess, Daughters of the Destroyer, Xioquo, Seekers of the Sky, Liavondra, Vashyada, Qadiri, Karrigan'Xalda, Order of Fire, Varisanthra Lycaeni, Nova Bank, Quas'Ziru, GRU, Truthseekers, Kaylah Danton, Teaching Resilience, Benefactors of the Karishzar's Mercy, Banishers of the Night, Heralds of the Destroyer, Elpsis Kerrigan.
SETTING INFORMATION
City Name: Tlaxqui.
Classification: Subterranean City.
Location: Tygara.
Affiliation: Daughters of the Destroyer, Siobhan Kerrigan, Firemane, Xioquo, Seekers of the Sky, Liavondra, House Kerrigan.
Population: Heavy.
Demographics: Tlaxqui was founded as a Xioquo city, and to this day the population is almost entirely composed of them. The drows' first contact with off-worlders is still fairly recent and they are quite suspicious, though eager to learn about foreign tech. What non-Xioquo live in Tlaxqui tend to be Eldorai or Firemane employees. The Firemane contingent is a mix of Eldorai, humans and common alien species, along with Tygaran natives. There are also a few Kar'zun, who tend to be Firemane associates or independent contractors. Many of the stone people are engineers and miners. They work quite well with the Xioquo.
Wealth: Medium. In the past Tlaxqui suffered from serious mismanagement, extreme wealth inequality and corruption. These problems have not vanished overnight, but the city is getting back on its feet and has a lot of potential. It has helped that the government is no longer enslaving and oppressing the population. Free workers who actually receive compensation for their work are a lot more motivated than slaves who only have negative incentives. The breakup of the old patronage networks also means that the old noble families can no longer treat sectors of the economy as their personal patrimonies. However, income inequality, homelessness and poverty are still issues. Many Xioquo are illiterate and though seriously weakened, the old oligarchs still wield a lot of influence. Giving all those former slaves an education and helping them secure a dignified existence is still a huge task. Another problem is housing. Tlaxqui doesn't have a lot of space, and the Xioquo population is growing. Work creation schemes have been implemented to help the less fortunate find employment. Such drafts are not always pleasant, and have their share of critics, but it has helped get people off the streets.
Another issue is the city's remote location. It gives it high defensive potential, but also means it is not that easy to reach for outsiders who come with peaceful intentions. It is easier to reach Tlaxqui by water ship than starship. Nonetheless, the city has potential for further growth due to mining, manufacturing and rare animals. It will be a long road, but the potential is there. Firemane and Nova Bank have invested in the city. Aspiring businesses benefit from this. The fact that entrepreneurs are no longer at risk of being shaken down or expropriated by ruling oligarchs is also a benefit. The government has instituted social programmes to help the lower classes. This is pertinent because simply setting the slaves free does not help them much if they are left destitute, but there are still those who slip through the cracks. Nova Bank has provided loans to facilitate economic development. Firedawn, Firemane's freedman bureau, has set up a presence in Tlaxqui.
Stability: High. Tlaxqui is not without its problem such as social inequality and the continued influence of reactionary elements in the government and judiciary, but the Xioquo have become a pretty stable and reliable group now that they've dealt with the slavers. Not oppressing and enslaving your population can do wonders for domestic stability. Corruption exists, as it does in any society, but the government is committed to the rule of law. There is an independent court system and the police is not able to randomly arrest a citizen. The government has promoted former slaves and members of the under classes. Firemane has helped give them an education and the means to better themselves. This has obviously given the members of these strata of society plenty of incentives to support the new order, as they rightly fear that reactionary forces could take their freedom away if they were to come to power again.
Many of the hardline defenders of the old order have left. Of course, there are nobles who have proclaimed loyalty to the new order, but have retained their old views and may try to take advantage of any crisis. However, most have grudgingly made their peace with the new government and are now focused on worming their way into positions of influence. Some Xioquo believe the new government has not gone far enough in purging those who profited from the ancien régime. At the same time, if the government purged anyone who supported or profited from the old order, served as an informer or looked away when horrible crimes took place, there would not be many Xioquo left.
But by and large Tlaxqui is stable and the people are law-abiding. The calamities of the past have left deep scars, but also forged a sense of sisterhood and unity among the common people. Siobhan Kerrigan, called the Karishzar by many Xioquo, is quite popular personally. This does not automatically mean that her representatives are popular. Indeed, devout or pragmatic Xioquo are not above invoking her name when they have a disagreement with a local Firemane official. They are obviously loyal to the Karishzar, but her advisors are clearly acting contrary to her will. It is as a tactic as old as the autocracy. Siobhan sponsors a number of orphanages and welfare institutions and is a patron of the arts. Many former slaves have taken Karrigan as a surname.
Freedom & Oppression: In the past, Tlaxqui was an extremely oppressive city. Technically, the Xioquo were a monarchy, but but the throne was left empty for the return of Myrou, also called Mystra, and so what started as a regency council became a more formalised council over time. This Council of Ten, which in reality only had nine as one seat was left for the absent queen, was the heart of the Xioquo leadership. The great houses were mutually competitive and often violently opposed to each other. Assassin cults abounded. Nominally they worked for the Council, in practice they were employed by a noble patron and pursued their own interests. Xioquo society was also extremely misandrist.
For the Xioquo slavery was the defining aspect of their society. Slavery provided the labour which allowed mobilisation of their forces for war, kept the population subdued and prevented population explosion. For them, slavery was racial and caste based. Moreover, it was hereditary and almost impossible to escape from. It was a wretched, brutal and terrible institution which benefited only a small proportion of the population. Uppity slaves or other individuals accused of 'disloyalty' were often sacrificed to Myrou or experimented on in the Blood Forges. Overall, it was a brutal police state obsessed with survival and the power of the Dark Side.
These things have changed since the final battle. Slavery has been abolished and the old patronage networks have been broken. Change has not been easy, but it has helped that many of the old noble families were decimated by the war. The Xioquo also have a queen who walks among them instead of a distant figure who sleeps in a tomb and demands blood sacrifices. Tlaxqui is governed by a constitutional monarchy. The Queen retains significant authority, though power is shared between her and an assembly. The new government is committed to leading the Xioquo out of the darkness and has guaranteed basic sapient rights. The Xioquo possess basic sapient rights such as freedom of expression, right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness etc. The radical wing of the Daughters of the Destroyer has been agitating for the introduction of a right to work.
However, worship of Myrou is prohibited. This is understandable given her actions and those of her worshippers. The government still has broad authority to deal with emergencies, such as a food crisis, invasion or insurrection. The Xioquo have spent centuries under tyrannical regimes and so it will take a while to wean them off despotism. But the intent is there. The new Xioquo army and militia is governed by a principle called 'citizen in armour'. This is a response to the excesses of the past, when atrocities were par for the course and the army was a boot stomping on the face of the common people. In a nutshell, it means that soldiers not only have a right, but a duty to refuse unlawful orders, such as an order to murder civilians or prisoners of war. A soldier must be a civic-minded defender of the people, rather than 'just following orders' that are evidently criminal. It rejects the belief that a soldier bears no responsibility for her actions under orders.
It is pertinent to note that while Myrou worship is banned, being a Dark Side practitioner is not. At least not automatically. It would not make much sense since the Queen is a vassal of Firemane, whose numbers include Dark Jedi. However, dark side adepts are monitored and certain practices are outlawed. An example would be necromancy and similar techniques that violate the natural order or the liberty of others. The Daughters of the Destroyer, a Xioqo cult that worships the 'Karishzar', has cornered the market on the legitimate expression of the dark side. It is a double-edged sword for the government, as it produces loyal warriors, but their zealotry can also be a source of trouble.
Moreover, some Xioquo see them as a throwback to a darker time they would rather move away from. Likewise, there are Xioquo mistresses who have executed a smart ninety degree pivot and sworn fealty to the new order, but have obviously retained their old views, even if they disavow them in public. The Seekers of the Sky, a Light Side sect that propagates Lia's teachings, has become popular among the common people. Far from being a foreign import, they are a Xioquo group formed in response to Xioquo problems. They see themselves as the authentic representation of the Xioquo nation, as they place the people first, not an uncaring, unseen dark goddess. In terms of alignment, the Seeker can be classified as Lawful Good. They believe that Lia is Queen because of her virtue and strength in the light. They believe that the Light is obtained through consensus, righteous action, knowledge and obeying of just laws. It is pertinent to note that they are not pacifists. Instead they believe in what could be described as just war theory.
Both the Seekers and the Daughters promote social programmes to help the less fortunate and are quite populist. Broadly speaking, the Daughters are socially conservative, but economically left-wing, whereas the Seekers want to maintain the traditional political and economic setup as it is now, but support greater inclusiveness socially. Sexism is still a problem in Tlaxqui though. The Xioquo have had a misandrist culture for centuries, and this will not vanish in a few years, especially since not every reformer automatically has progressive views on gender roles and hierarchy. Firemane's counterintelligence service maintains a presence in the city to monitor it for signs of insurrection or cultist agitation. It keeps a watchful eye on a number of old noble families. A few Truthseekers are always present at Firemane's residency.
Description:
Map provided by Valiens Nantaris. It shows the Underrealm prior to the Firemane campaign. Slavery has been abolished, so the slave ship anchorage is used for peaceful trade, not slaving, and free workers labour in the mines. The beast pens have also been reformed.
Many Qadiri, especially those from Amikaron, as well as Eldorai regard the Xioquo as barbarians. This is not true. Tlaxqui has a blood-soaked history it has only recently begun to emerge from, but the underground city is also a marvel. The city has been set up beneath a mountain in the subterranean land the Xioquo called the Underealm. Over the centuries, the caverns and tunnels have been extended to make room for the population. The sea entrance to the Underealm is guarded by two strong citadels. On the land, two strong, alchemised gates barr entrance. The most practical way to enter the Underealm is by sea. Once one has passed the fortresses, one comes across a naval dock, where the Xioquo water fleet anchors. The sea leads past the mines and anchorages into the city of Tlaxqui.
Building underground, the Xioquo have not had to worry much about the weather, but damp and cold. As a result, freestanding structures are a rare sight. Instead, most buildings have been built into the natural or excavated walls of the caverns. The wealthy and powerful can afford homes that are well-formed with dressed wals covered in tiles, mosaics and plaster. Commoners and low class citizens must live in more humble dwellings. However, many of the mansions of the rich were looted during the final battle. Since many mistresses died during the battle, were sentenced to death for their crimes at the subsequent war crimes tribunal or expropriated, a number of mansions now serve communal purposes. Some have been turned into hospitals, others schools. However, some members of the upper class have made their peace with the regime to preserve their positions. The architecture in Tlaxqui is angular and plain. Murals are a common sight in public spaces.
But much has changed in Tlaxqui since the overthrow of the ancien régime. In the past offworld visitors would have to land outside and enter the physical gates. Now the very mountains above the Xioquo city have been shaped. Docking bays have been cut in the stone, landing pads smoothed out, defences and gun batteries emplaced to thwart attackers. Strict controls have been imposed to regulate incoming traffic and keep an eye on offworld visitors. The Xioquo take paying customs duties very seriously. Once they have been cleared for landing and handled the necessary formalities, an elevator will take visitors down. Heading out, they will soon behold the giant cavern of Tlaxqui. It stretches near as far as the eye could see and nearly two hundred metres high, now lit with dim electric lights. Once the Xio had relied on gas lamps or just their people's dark vision, but now the lights ae on every corner. Many of the buildings have been rebuilt, and even a few towers grow in the centre, reaching for the sky. Day and night are kind of tricky in the Underealm. Certainly they existed, but do so hidden from the inhabitants. So instead, like in space, time is measured artificially, and by an agreed cycle. Lamps are brightened during the 'day', and dimmed at night. It is artificial, but it does the job.
The slave pens are defunct, as slavery has been abolished. After the final battle, it was decided that the war crimes trials should be held in the pens. It was only fitting to judge those who had made the slaves toil and suffer there. The area has been maintained as a memorial to the victims of tyranny. Firedawn and the new government have set up homes to provide for emancipated slaves, give them provisions, an education and help them find jobs. Firemane maintains a presence inside Tlaxqui. It is represented by a Resident, who acts as an advisor to the Queen. It also still has troops, advisors and so on. However, self-governance has been restored to the Xioquo state. In contrast to the lavish splendour the aristocrats of the ancien régime lived in, the court of the new Queen is a Spartan affair, though this is by choice.
For Tygara, the Xioquo were quite advanced technologically. Before the fall, they could field steam-powered vehicles and primitive aircraft as well as metal ships. Now they have been given the chance to use modern technology. Fittingly, Tlaxqui is rather industrialised. The city has several factories. Xioquo alchemists created golems, and so the drows are more used to artificial life than their 'cousins'. They have adapted well to using droids, such as in the mines slaves used to labour in. The city aims to become a major manufacturing centre. The streams in the caves are icy, but the Xioquo are resistant to cold temperatures and excellent swimmers. Depending on how well they can handle the cold, outsiders may find taking a swim to be less pleasant.
Despite the stereotypes, the Xio have some great artistic flourishes in their homes, as any visitor to a reasonably well-off home in Tlaxqui will discover. Qadiri and Eldorai like to stereotype them as not being able to enjoy art that is not spiky and featuring skulls, but this is nonsense. Proper Xioquo favour bright colours as much as anyone and like having decorations and art just as much as any Eldorai. Due to being underground they tend to favour stone and metal art because that's what was at hand, but they do like bright colours, especially of tiles and mosaics. The rich Xioquo use alchemical lights which could burn for years without needing replacement, but most people had to put up with slow burning candles and lamps. Now of course it's much easier.
Outside of Tlaxqui, vast fungal arms are cultivated in the caverns. These fungi can be compared to those found on Felucia. They can reach heights of ten metres. The giant mushrooms are logged and divided up. Kelp and other plants are cultivated to. Food supply is an issue, as it is scarce in the Underealm. However, now that the Xioquo are no longer isolated from the rest of the world, they are able to do business with outside groups, trading rare metals, machines and manufactured goods for food they cannot grow themselves.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Pinnacle of the Inner Earth: A place in the city where you can ascend by seven hundred steps to the highest point of the cavern and look down on it from nearly half a kilometre in the air. In the old days it was called the 'perch of traitors', as the ancien régime used to cast criminals from it to splat below. This gruesome practice has been outlawed, and it has been renamed to something more politically correct.
The Glittering Cavern: A beautiful little cavern covered in luminescent fungi and lichen which reflects like a rainbow in the light. It used to be monopolised by the high ladies, but now it is open to anyone. One could compare it to a park.
Tlaxqui Unity Skyport - the spaceport, essentially. When a spaceship descends from the sky and receives clearance, the pilot will no longer have to land outside and enter the physical gates. The very mountains above the Xioquo city have been shaped. Docking bays have been cut in the stone, landing pads smoothed out, defences and gun batteries emplaced to thwart attackers. Many people on Tygara will still arrive via boat since traffic on the waterways is more common than via spaceship, but it makes it easier to reach the city. All visitors are required to pass through security and customs. The customs service does not take kindly to Jedi and other Force Users using mind tricks to avoid paying docking fees. For this reason droids and cameras record everything. Anyone caught is expelled at best.
Fungal Farms: Locaed within the Underealm, but outside the actual city. Most of the food is grown here by cultivating vast fungal arms. The giant mushrooms can be compared to those found on Felucia. Efficiency has improved due to the introduction of droids and modern agricultural techniques. However, Tlaxqui is not self-sufficient and has to trade with others to feed its entire population.
Firemane Embassy: Firemane's diplomatic mission. Appointed by the megacorp's Diplomatic Bureau, the Firemane resident performs the duties of an ambassador and provides advice to the Quen's government. Located in the city centre. Firedawn, Firemane's freedmen bureau, and the Order of Fire, its Force-using division, also have branch offices here. Firedawn is responsible for providing aid and education to emancipated slaves and helping them find employment. Some of its employees are former slaves themselves, which is helpful for their work.
Per the treaty with the Queen, the Order of Fire has the right to recruit Force-Sensitive natives, though this is governed by guidelines to prevent them from cornering the market or applying coercion. This can also take the form of an exchange programme, as young Xioquo join the group to see the stars, learn new things and enhance their skills before returning to their people. The embassy is guarded by a contingent of regular Firemane soldiers and Order of Fire Force warriors, who are assigned on a rotational basis. Proficiency in Xio is essential for a posting. Firemane's intelligence service is also present.
The Rewards of Freedom: This used to be the location of the slaver ship anchorage shown in the map of the Underealm. Now that slavery and slave raids have been prohibited, the area has been repurposed. Today, it is a trade port. The Xioquo have set up a customs service to collect tariffs and supervise the flow of goods. While Tlaxqui has a spaceport now, the typical Tygaran will come to the Underealm on a ship that traverses the waterways instead of the void of space.
Galactic Outreach Shipping: Officially, the rather unremarkable building is just the home of a business that aims to provide competitive shipping services and thereby facilitate mutually beneficial trade relations. All of the business' dealings are above board and fully in line with commercial regulations. Secretly, it is an unofficial diplomatic representation of the Shadow Knights. The Courts of the Exchange and the Veil run the show. Unofficially, because the Xioquo do not have diplomatic relations with the renegade nomad fleet. Firemane's intelligence service monitors what goes on here. Sometimes an employee of 'Galactic Outreach Shipping' is expelled or taken in for questioning, but the Xioquo secret service figures it is better to deal with a known quantity than a bunch of unpredictable underground agitators.
Shrine of the Karishzar and Her Blessed Daughters: Or just Shrine of the Karishzar since the Xioquo, like the Eldorai, like to make things so damn long. This is a place of religious worship for the Daughters of the Destroyer, a Xioquo sect that worships Siobhan as the Karishzar. The sect is a very martial one. It sees itself as the sword of the Karishzar and the voice of the oppressed who suffered under the ancien régime. It also offers social services for the poor. The shrine has a meeting hall where the faithful can congregate. There are also meditation areas and private chambers for the highest-ranking clerics of the sect, such as Quas'Ziru. Needless to say there is a lot of art glorifying the Karishzar. Some of it tries to make her look more like a Xioquo and thus less foreign. Siobhan pouted when she saw a mosaic of herself with a shadowed face and whitened hair, as she is fond of her firemane.
Much to Elpsis' embarassment, the temple also has a statue of her. The Daughters congregate under a statue of the Karishzar, murals of the broken enemies of freedom and progress all around them. They are very loyal to Siobhan, but obviously have a strained relationship with the Seekers. One of the cell leaders of the Daughters, Karrigan'Xalda, participated in Firemane's Tephrike campaign. She received a medal for her valour and is a bit of a local hero for the members of the sect. To them, she's a local girl who made it in the sky-realm.
Basilica of the Seekers of the Sky: A place of religious worship, training and education for the Seekers, a light side sect that propagates the teachings of Queen Lia. It is a place of worship, but also a sanctuary for those in need. The building has a tall, almost spire like design. Those who are more senior stand higher than the others as a way to show their ascension to the sky. The building uses white and grey stones.
The Seekers are Light Siders, but also Xioquo patriots. They have been formed to respond to Xioquo problems and help their people. This is their foremost concern. Foreign Light Siders such as Jedi who come here and preach while being ignorant of the Xioquo people get short shrift. They see the Light as truth, justice, civilisation and benevolent laws. Power is a responsibility that should be bestowed on those who have earned it through service to the community. It is a very Lawful Good perspective. Needless to say the Seekers and the Daughters dislike each other. Hence the separate spaces.
Sisters of Mercy Resthome: An old manse built into the walls of the great cavern. Once it had housed a great family and from here slaves and minions had scurried to and fro. But now it is a very different place, having been seized and turned into a poorhouse by the Daughters of the Destroyer during the chaos following the collapse of the old order. The Benefactors of the Karishzar's Mercy run things here now. Xio from impoverished backgrounds flock to the Resthome. Some receive soup from a pot out the front, others come for medical treatment or to bring petitions to the priestesses. There is a soupkitchen inside the building and an office for the priestess.
There is also a classroom for lessons for orphaned or homeless children. A room that used to serve as a servants' quarter and minor storeroom has been converted into a bedroom for children in the care of the sect. Bunk bends have been stacked in the narrow room along with an armoire propped up with a box. The beds are indeed nothing fancy but it is better than sleeping rough outside. Since the Xio have not invented springs yet they are of simple stuffed mattresses on cheap funguswood slats and surrounds with iron frames. Rooms that once had a more grand purpose have been converted into storage, bunkrooms or small workrooms.
What is less known is that the former residents of the manse were secretly acolytes of the light. Recently, Phylis Alince and Jedi Diona discovered a secret room warded by runes. It was the hiding place for a staff imbued with the Light. It had been forged by Ashira for her daughter Myrou, but was hidden by adepts of the Light after the Paragon fell to the dark side. For centuries it taught generations of Xioquo in secret, until its last wielder was slain. Having been rediscovered, it is now in the possession of Xioquo once more, except it can now share its teachings openly.
7th Station of the Seeker: Outwardly it is a fairly plain, multi-storey building cute into the rock of the cavern walls. It used to serve as a barracks. Fighting took place here during the invasion of the Underealm. Today, it has been acquired by the Seekers. Tlaxqui is crowded and space is at a premium, so it is best to put vacant building to use. The Station is located near the 'entrance' of Tlaxqui. The Seekers stationed here are of a more martial bent and help provide security. The occupants are bunke dtogether in austere dormitories. The building also has a mess hall, training areas and other essential facilities.
Palladium Forge: a nicely built tower that houses a high quality hotel for the 'great and good' of society. The restaurant can provide 'galaxy food' as well as Xio cuisine. The place caters to the well-off, such as matriarchs, merchants, dignitaries and affluent offworlders, so the rooms are predictably luxurious. From here it is not far to the city centre and the rooms on the top floors offer a magnificient view of Tlaxqui. The rooms and halls feature beautiful mosaics and tiles, for contrary to Qadiri stereotypes Xioquo enjoy bright colours and art as much as anyone. They favour stone and metal art because that's what is at hand.
Flame of the Eternal Memorial: A light side nexus that lies within what used to be the Blood Forges. Once, terrible things happened here. Slaves toiled to manufacture machines of war and terror, and were sacrificed to the forges when they had grown too weak. The place was permeated by darkness and suffering. But there were still sparks of light. During the collapse the slaves rebelled. Many perished, but their sacrifice was not in vain. The forges run cold, and the slave factories have been turned into a memorial. Former slaves act as guides for visitors. A monument has been built to commemorate those who perished during the uprising.
The Force is thick here, but the darkness of the forges seems to be drained away, conducted like a lightning rod away. In its place sits a beacon of the Light Side. There is no physical light, but the power of the Force is oddly peaceful, oddly soothing. The Eternal Memorial keeps, as the name implies, the flame of memory alive. It also serves as a place of mourning and remembrance for those who lost friends and family under the old order. And the spirits of the dead still linger, but they are not in torment. Rather they have formed a benign hive-mind that seeks to give the bereaved closure, offer guidance and ensure the lessons of the dangers of tyranny are not forgotten, lest future generations repeat them. It is a place of remembrance and pilgrimage for the Xioquo.
The Royal Palace: Lia's old family manse. It has been repurposed to serve as the residence of the Queen and seat of government. Though called a palace it is more of a villa. Only the necessary ornamentation is on display. Some wanted a more dramatic name, but Lia has rejected 'the Obsidian Sanctum' and prefers 'the Royal Palace', which sounds a lot less cool. It is almost like being ruled by an Enyo Typhos who's not evil. Some people still prefer the cooler name. Regardless, the building is guarded by Force-using Paladins strong in the Light Side.
The palace is no great monument of indulgence. Indeed, it seems like places where decorations or ornamentation used to be are empty. The main room is a dining and ballroom which might have once hosted a hundred guests. In the space poor Underealm it might have housed five families rather than being rarely used. At the far end of the room is a table which looks like it is from a ballroom. The Queen's chair is not even that much bigger or more ornate, it just has a cloak draped over the back.
Hall of the Liberator: The Liberator in question is Siobhan. The Hall serves as an assembly and meeting hall, housing the Xioquo parliament. Under the old system, only the highest nobles had a voice. The new one tries to be as inclusive as possible by giving everyone a voice. However, it is obviously not practical for every adult to attend and vote on every issue, so the city's population has been organised into chapters, which then elect delegates for a general assembly. Ironically, Siobhan does not like democracy and thus felt strange when she attended the opening of the assembly. However, she got lots of praise, which put her in a good mood.
The Underforge: The main industrial sector of Tlaxqui. Several manufacturing plants are based here. It uses the lava and steam vents for power. Factories are vertical up the sides of the cavern in places, with chimneys cut into the cavern ceiling to take the smoke out. The Xioquo were always technologically advanced by Tygaran standards and are adapting well to modern technology. Firemane recently built a droid foundry here to provide new jobs. Labour laws have been overhauled since the fall.
The labourers are now free workers instead of slaves or indentured servitors. The government has introduced a series of social programmes to win over the working class. These include accident insurance, health insurance, old age and disability insurance. A law has also been introduced to ensure greater workplace safety, establish a maximum working day and clamp on exploitation of children for labour. It has also set up industrial tribunals to arbitrate disputes and provide redress from employer abuse. These measures have not created an utopia and there are progressives who claim they do not go far enough as authoritarian attidues are still pervasive, but they are a significant step forward for the Xioquo.
Garden of Solidarity: These used to be the slave pens. Countless slaves lived in squalour and misery here, until the fall of the Underealm. After the final battle, war crimes trials took place here. The defendants were held in the pens they had once locked their slaves in. They also received the same food as slaves. Today, the place has been turned into a garden and serves as a memorial to those who were oppressed by the ancien régime. To symbolise this, there are two statues, showing a female and male Xioquo holding hands with broken chains at their feet. They stand on a pedestal with the monuments and implements of oppression beneath them. The two look straight, not up. A black stone monument provides information on the horrors that took place here as well as the war crimes trials.
Collegium of the New Dawn: In the old days, those who were discovered to be Force-Sensitive and were free were trained by the temples in their house. After this, assuming they lived, they became powerful members of their family, as a Force-User was automatically seen as more prestigious. Force-Sensitive slaves were taken away to be trained in the most brutal ways possible. The survivors formed a Janissary corps for their house. The Dark Side had become part of Xioquo culture to such an extent that it was practically a requirement for one to gain power. Holding power in the ruthless world of the Xioquo required compromises a Light-Sider could not endure.
Now that the ancien régime is gone and many old noble families have been decimated or diminished in power, Force training has been nationalised. The Queen supervises an academy called the Collegium of the New Dawn, using some foreign and local experts. She is very keen to ensure the number of dark adepts are low and the responsibility of the Daughters. Training is mandatory for Force-Sensitives so that they learn how to control their abilities and use them responsibly.
Hospice of the Beneficent Saviour: Used to be known as the Grand Palace of Her Divine Majesty and Her Serene Council. Back then it served as the palace of the Council of Ten and thus theoretically Mystra. Since she spent most of her time in the Underealm in a tomb, Mystra never really made use of it. However, the Council that ruled in her name convened here.
There were calls for the new government to occupy the palace rooms and Siobhan considered claiming them herself. Others wanted to tear the building down. In the end, the new government decided to give the palace a more socially useful purpose by turning it into a huge hospital that is open to the general public. The staff is a mixture of Force healers and conventional medical practitioners. The old Council had a taste for grandiosity, and so the building is quite large, which means it can accommodate a large number of patients.
In the old days, medicine for all but the richest was almost non-existent. Most Xioquo had to resort to folk remedies. Ironically, medicine was also rather ineffective for the rich, though more expensive. The dark side is poor at healing, after all, though some priestesses specialised in draining the life from slaves to heal themselves or another. This has been prohibited. Xioquo healers who work here have received training from other groups, such as the Order of Fire or Vashyada willing to work with the 'Dark Ones', to use the Force to heal in non-harmful ways. Medical droids have also been introduced.
Greyfangs: The two fortresses that guard the seaways into the Underealm and thus Tlaxqui. They were major battlegrounds during the first phase of Firemane's assault on the Underealm. The fortresses sustained severe damage due to Firemane air strikes, but have been rebuilt. Moreover, the defenders have received modern armaments. No water ship can enter the Underealm without going past Greyfangs. The fortresses have a strong garrison, has been equipped by Firemane. The corporation has also attached advisors and technical staff to the forts. The naval dock is not far from here. The Xioquo water fleet is based there.
SECURITY
High
- Not only is it hard for outsiders to infiltrate, but the people themselves are much more prone to report dark side activity than before. They have won their freedom, they do not want to give it up. Moreover, the city is almost entirely inhabited by Xioquo, many of whom do not speak Basic. Thus outsiders who try to infiltrate the city will stick out. Xio is an extremely obscure language, so few outsiders will know it.
- Tlaxqui has a police force and a strong Xioquo garrison, whose members have been trained and equipped by Firemane, using modern weapons such as bolters, shotguns, missile launchers and blaster weapons. The garrison includes Force adepts of varying skill, with a focus on elemental and stealth Force abilities. Moreover, it includes a small contingent of Firemane troops and advisors, including Force adepts of the Order of Fire. The defenders have access to various walkers. Beyond that, there are limited entries to the city at all, and each entrance is either heavily guarded and gated, or both. Tlaxqui is located deep beneath a mountain. Thus it does not need a shield generator to protect itself against orbital bombardment. The spaceport is shielded though since it is not located under the rock. Cameras and sensors are used extensively at the spaceport to monitor for disturbances and incursions.
- Fortresses guard access over the waterways. Defensive weapons' emplacements like Rotary Cannon, mortars, Balista, Keraunos and Javelin turrets have been set up there. There is a shield over the water entrances, which allows the inhabitants to block all access with a giant barrier. There is also a naval base for the water fleet. Triton Surface Corvettes and Wayfarer Patrol Boats are used for patrols.
- Access over the land is barred by two heavy, alchemised gates. The rock itself is difficult to penetrate and enemies advancing over the plains are good targets for bombardment from the mountain.
- The Underealm itself is a labyrinthine maze of tunnels and caverns. The Xioquo are well-adapted to the dark and good at using the terrain to their advantage, as they can see much further in the dark than humans or many alien species. They also make ample use of miners and combat engineers. Xioquo mountaineers patrol the mountains the city has been erected beneath.
The story of Tlaxqui is a dark, and a grim one. But it is also one of a people rising from the abyss they have long been trapped inside. Millennia ago, after the collapse of the so-called Infinite Empire, Tygara was engulfed by war. Mystra, the Paragon of the Xioquo and first of her race, waged a campaign of conquest to bring the planet under her control. The Xioquo were the smallest of the Eldorai races, but she was able to bring the Qadiri under her control. Her armies marched against the Vashyada and her dark sorcery blotted out the sun. However, opposition arose in form of Tylania, the Vashyada Paragon.
The final battle was fought in the shadow of the Great Pyramid, from which the Rakata had once ruled. Tylania and Mystra met in single combat. For a while it seemed the latter would prevail, but then Tylania was able to dispel the clouds and let the sun shine down. The sun is harmful to the Xioquo, and so they fled the battlefield, pained and blinded. Mystra was wounded by a powerful weapon of the Light, but escaped with her followers.
The Vashyada and the Qadiri pursued them for a while, but soon broke off. However, the Xioquo kept retreating to the north. Finally they halted their retreat by the Black Cave. It led to the Underealm, a subterranean lair. There the Xioquo found a place to hide from the sun and the stoke the fire of hatred inside them. Resources were scarce, the catacombs were infested with monsters and Mystra was close to death. One night she retired to her tomb and sealed it. However, she did not die. The Xioquo came to believe that the dark goddess would awaken, lead her people victory over their foes...and judge them. Thus they introduced the practice of sacrificing sentient beings to her. Their blood sacrifice would nourish the goddess.
Centuries passed, and history faded into the realm of myth. Scarce food supplies caused a population crisis, depleting the Xioquo. But they managed to endure. They adapted well to living in the mountains, becoming adept miners, artisans and inventors. Indeed, their scarce resources drove them to innovate. In time they would build steam-powered machines, including gyrocopters, tanks and ironclads. The species that dwelt in the underground were enslaved or wiped out.
A city arose close to Mystra's tomb. The Xioquo called it Tlaxqui. It became their capital. In time, some Xioquo founded settlements outside of the Underealm. But these tended to be fortifications or slave camps. A few Xioquo settled even further north, erecting settlements in the arctic. These tended to be exiles or escaped slaves though. The vast majority of the Xioquo lived in Tlaxqui. The Underealm was a home that shielded them from the sun and their foes, but also a trap.
The government that ruled over it was a despotic, tyrannical one. It had a strict hierarchy. Slavery, religion, misandry and oppression were its foundation. The great achievements of the Xioquo were built on the backs of slaves. The drows were governed by a ruthless mageocracy where only those who pursued the path of Darkness ended up on the top. Thousands laboured as slaves to serve the whims of the mistresses who sat on the top of the pyramid. The disobedient were brutally punished and often sacrificed in ghastly rituals.
Believing that Tygara was theirs by right and that one day their 'demigoddess' Myrou would awaken to lead them to conquer it, the Xioquo warred against their neighbours and rivals, the Qadiri and Vashyada. While the technologically most advanced of Tygara's natives, their low population, incessant power struggles and the constant need to be on their guard against slave revolts kept them from fulfilling their potential. The Qadiri tried many times to storm the Underealm and put Tlaxqui to the torch, but they always failed.
Equally, though they were more technologically advanced, the Xioquo could not conquer the Qadiri lands. They could launch raids to pillage and enslave, but not hold territory. The Qadiri tended to live in hot climates the Xioquo were unsuited for and had a far larger population. Moreover, the Xioquo were held back by internecine strife. With Myrou slumbering, a Council of influential noble families ruled in her stead. The oligarchs vied for power and jockeyed for positions. Power belonged to those who had attained mastery of the Dark Side and they would not share it. At the same time they lived in fear of slave revolts. The mistresses' desire to obtain power at all costs and push industrial progress led to the creation of the Blood Forges, a place of indescribable suffering and pain.
They were a place not just of the miseries of slaves forced to make machines, but a place where the Force was used and corrupted. Powered by the heat from far below, and fed with minerals extracted from long, dark tunnels, the Blood Forges manufactured some of the most devastating war machines of the old Xioquo. Slave labourers would be executed or sacrificed to power the machines for the pettiest of reasons. Cruelty and corruption were endemic. Guards and overseers blackmailed, beat, humiliated, tortured or murdered slaves with impunity. Occasionally they were reined in...not for moral reasons, but because the facility was wasting labour assets far too quickly. But at the end of the day, the slaves were a production ingedrient. They were only useful for as long as they could work. Once they became too weak or sick, they would be consumed by the forge.
The Blood Forges fell under the purview of the Grand Circle of Glorious Armaments. Everyone in the Underealm knew about what happened here in a general sense, but people either profited too much from it, were too scared to speak out, or wilfully ignored it. Life was hard in the Underealm, slaves and their labour made things a bit easier. Raids and wars often brought back treasures the Mistresses would distribute to all to gain favour. The few who saw the truth understood that the Mistresses were deliberately making it difficult in order to aggrandise their roles. The government's propaganda apparatus made the citizens believe that all of this was necessary, good even. And that those who went here were criminals, traitors, heretics. And most people believed it until the Council Guard arrived at their door because they had been condemned, or because they had property another wanted, or because they knew something inconvenient.
But in the darkness, there was light. The slaves were starved and worked to death, but there were those who shared what meagre rations they had with their fellows, or who stole supplies to help the young, the old and the infirm. Among the camp staff, there were nurses who hid patients from being sacrificed or secretly provided them with medical supplies. Some educated slaves illegally taught their fellows how to read and write, although this was forbidden. This was also an act of resistance. There were even, here and there, guards who showed sympathy for those they should torment. And there were slaves who fought back, be it through attempted revolt or passive resistance. Some even tried to sabotage the war machines, under pain of death. These brave souls often paid the price. But these were the first embers of light.
Then one day Nemesis came to the Underealm and Tlaxqui.When the 'sky people' arrived, the Xioquo took notice. A Xioquo attack on the Qadiri city of Mansura was thwarted by the unexpected intervention of a Firemane task force. The canny Shahbânu Semiramis III, ruler of the Amikarese Empire, allied herself with the outsiders. From that moment onward Firemane was at war with the Xioquo, who menaced the settlements established by Eldorai colonists. Low-intensity skirmishes soon turned into all-out war.
Eventually, a combined Firemane and Qadiri assault force stormed the Black Citadel, an important Xioquo fortress. There they came across a disgraced Xioquo noblewoman called Liavondra. Lia had secretly embraced the Light Side and been branded a traitor for this. She was brought before Siobhan Kerrigan. The two could see that the other was both similar and yet very different from the other. Lia followed her version of the Light and was technologically primitive, yet she had a steely resolve and reliability of character which made Siobhan at least respect her. Further, Siobhan recognised the uses of a Xio who was not a murderous Dark Sider; as puppet she could be a useful pawn to control the Xio once their threat had been dealt with. For her part Lia recognised what Siobhan wanted with her and did not argue against it. She knew in her heart that the Xio could not face this enemy and that the old, bloody ways had to be broken if her people were ever to survive and move on. Thus a deal was made; Lia would advise on the Xioquo defences and capabilities and would be their puppet, and in return she would rule them afterwards.
However, it was not an easy campaign. The impetuous Mirza of Lakish, a vassal of Semiramis, assembled a large army to assault the Underealm on her own. But the Xioquo revealed their secret weapons and routed her army. The intervention of a Firemane task force saved the Lakishi from being slaughtered, but the battle was grave blow. The Xioquo celebrated victory, but it was not too last. As more farseeing leaders knew, Tlaxqui faced a food crisis. Even if it weathered the storm, things might fall apart. Moreover, the slaves were growing restless. Xioquo propaganda called Siobhan the Karishzar, which was the Xio word for Destroyer. But some slaves dared to hope that she would tear down the old order and set them free.
The end of the ancien régime came when a large invasion force, led by Firemane and including Qadiri and Eldorai elements as well as a small number of Xioquo defectors, assaulted the Underealm. The campaign against the Underealm was a bloody affair, even with the technology of the off-worlders and the numbers of their allies. The battle was waged over the course of several days. The fighting was relentless. First, a combined force of Firemane soldiers and Angelii took the two strong fortifications that guarded the sea entrances. There they faced dark sorceresses, slave-soldiers as well as alchemical monstrosities, including a huge golem. Firemane gunships provided close air support. As Firemane's battleship advanced with the main force over the water, it was attacked by a massive kraken, though fortunately the invaders had shaped charges to take care of it.
Meanwhile, their Qadiri allies approached from the west over the snow. Firemane sent a force of commandos to land on the beach to assist them. Their goal was to secure the two gates. When they saw the enemy advance, the Xioquo deployed their steam-powered tanks. These were smashed by Eldorai artillery, but the drows launched an air strike with steam-powered gyrocopters, causing significant damage to the artillery. Eventually the allied forces were able to push forward. Blowing up the alchemised doorways proved impossible, but the engineers found a way around this by simply blowing a hole into the wall around them.
With these areas secured, the allied forces entered the Underealm. While the Angelii were dispatched to assault the beast pens and the Qadiri to the Xioquo's main military base, Firemane headed for the slave pens. Upon executing a beach landing, Firemane and Eldorai troops were assaulted by Xioquo troops, including children who had been indoctrinated into becoming living bombs. Moreover, the Xioquo dark mages deployed zombie hordes. The allied forces were able to secure a bridgehead. Appalled by the Xioquo leaders' action, Siobhan had a number of high-ranking officers and clerics summarily executed. However, common soldiers who had surrendered were spared and given good treatment. The Xioquo base was taken by the Qadiri, who took revenge on their foes by killing them to the last drow.
On the next day, the allied forces made the push into the Underealm's interior. Firemane forces reached the slave pens. Firemane guns shot broken slave collars into the pens. Promised freedom by the invaders, the beaten and abused slaves rose up against their outnumbered guards. Upon entering the pens, Siobhan was greeted as a liberator and breaker of chains by the slaves. Meanwhile, the Xioquo Council had grown desperate. The enemy was inside the Underealm and their machines had failed. Led by Taal’Xioas, the most powerful oligarch, they decided to make the ultimate gamble and awaken Mystra. All of the Council knew that waking the Queen could be…dangerous. There was a reason why no one had tried it for twenty thousand years. What would the Queen think of her people, or the ladies who ruled in her name? However, a councillor called Qual'Ixtar dissented. She and her sister Qual'Zyanya plotted to sabotage the ritual.
To this end, they planted a bomb while the sorceresses were carrying out the sacrifices and sacred rites to awaken Mystra from her slumber. The bombing was successful, killing most of the Council. However, Mystra rose regardless, for she fed on death, regardless of who was dying. Ixtar was consumed by her, while Zyanya narrowly managed to escape into the tunnels, pursued by Mystra loyalists. However, it soon turned out that the dark goddess did not care for her people. She regarded them as a disappointment due to their technological regression, and saw them as sustenance to feed her power.
Thus she commanded them to fight to the bitter end or be drained by her. Her awakening was felt by all sensitive to the Force and led to a stiffening of Xioquo resistance, but morale was collapsing. Xioquo leaders with better survival instincts were raising the white flag when possible and slave-soldiers were mutinying. The next stage of the campaign began when the allied troops advanced upon Tlaxqui itself. Drones had been sent ahead and found few defences. However, just a few Xioquo fighting from the buildings and forcing a methodical campaign could be highly damaging and severe in collateral damage. Thus the allied identified enemy forces using probe droids, then used small groups to move in quickly and neutralise the enemy and shepherd civilians. Mystra was sighted leaving the city and heading towards Siobhan's location. Recognising the threat she posed, regular troops were pulled out of the city to lure her away.
In the final stages of the battle, a slave revolt erupted in the Blood Forges. The slaves had been primed to be sacrificed in a last bid to feed Myrou by her fanatics, but would not go quietly. They were malnourished, often sick and only had improvised weapons in the form of tools. But they rose up nonetheless - Xio, Qadiri and Vashyada. Many perished in the fight, but they were able to overpower the mistresses and guards who had inflicted so much torment on them. A Force-Sensitive slave called Nazar'Tlachinolli was one of the ring leaders of the revolt. She sacrificed herself in order to help rescue others and slay one of the mistresses. The noble deed was a truly light side act in a place of darkness. A Qadiri slaves named Arriza led her gang even though they were still in a chain gang at the ankles and bring down the supports of the overseers' watch tower. She perished saving others in her group. The surviving overseers and whipmasters were pitched into the forges or cast into the volcanic pits as a final revenge. The sacrifice of the slaves who did not make it irrecovably changed what had once been a cursed place tainted by the horrors that had been perpetrated here.
Siobhan and Grand Seraph Aeda Shaytari assembled some of their best warriors. Meanwhile, allied central command assembled column of troops to outflank the battle and secure the area behind Mystra to prevent Xioquo reinforcements interfering. It all came down to a confrontation in a wide chamber deep beneath the mountains. There, Siobhan, Kaida Taldir, Aeda Shaytari, Tempest and a force of Angelii engaged Mystra. After a furious duel, the Paragon was slain. To this day, the place of her last stand is known as Mystra's Echo.
When she fell, a blasting shockwave rippled outwards, toppling pillars, raising the dust and shaking the floor. Every one of the Alliance Force Users were knocked to the ground. For some the blast of energy was too much and they fell dead, but most managed to stumble upright to see that where their enemy had been now there was just rubble, dust…and a powerful feeling of the Dark Side remaining where the Dark Goddess had perished. A great wind blew out of the dark tunnel and voices on the edge of hearing wailed and finally faded. The place where Myrou perished is now a place of darkness. The area is called Mystra's Echo. It has been placed under lockdown and is now a maximum security area that is closed to the public. It is mostly guarded by droids and Kar'zun, as they cannot be affected by the taint.
When Alliance troops pushed into the city though there was now no resistance at all. Their Goddess had fallen and there was now no fight in any of the Xioquo in the city. Those few who could not stomach submission had slipped away into the tunnels, seeking deeper caves and chambers from where they could carry on, but for all intents and purposes the battle was over. The occupation forces organised food, medical aid and accommodations for the former slaves in the Blood Forges and elsewhere. It was now for the Alliance to win the peace, a far more daunting task than attaining victory in battle. As promised, Liavondra was crowned Queen; the first to bear the title since Myrou. Firemane and the Eldorai set up a provisional military authority to manage the transition. They worked with Xioquo leaders deemed reliable enough. The first order of business was averting an imminent food crisis by delivering food supplies to countless Xioquo on the edge of starvation. The freed slaves needed food, homes and work.
Moreover, the transitional administration made it a priority to put Xioquo leaders who had committed war crimes on trial. Xioquo who had suffered under the yoke gave evidence at the trials. The assistance of former slave scribes proved invaluable. A new Xioquo national army and police had to be created in order to safeguard the peace, for there were still holdouts in the lowest levels of the Underealm who continued fighting. With the blessing of Firemane, Liavondra abolished slavery and broke up the old patronage networks that had shackled the underclasses. The redistribution of assets by all those who had fought the invasion gained her an immediate and loyal following. Further, many mistresses saw the way the wind was blowing and pledged their loyalty to her, knowing open resistance was doomed.
Yet, it was far from easy or smooth. Despite being defeated many Xioquo were not willing to put aside their pride or old ways easily. Rebellions were common and Lia had to survive several assassination attempts. Always her message was the same; work with me and prosper or fight me and be destroyed. She would not kill, even the assassin who had come close to stabbing her, but nor would she forgive them. The Light was justice, truth and virtue; nowhere did Lia believe that to mean she had to be naïve or ‘nice’. Thus her enemies were sent to exile in remote lands as servants or made to work rebuilding the Underealm.
A further complication was a profusion of cults and groups brought about by the end of the old order. Groups which saw Siobhan Kerrigan as the Karishzar, or Destroyer, and worshipped her power. Cults like the Daughters of the Destroyer were a double edged sword; on the one hand they were skilled and loyal warriors, but on the other they were difficult to control and Dark Side in leaning. The Daughters had been founded by a former slave and priestess called Quas'Ziru. She had been arrested for 'treason' and 'defeatism' prior to the fall. Her husband and children were murdered by the ancien régime and she was brutally tortured. Myrou's demise saved her from being sacrificed. Ziru came to believe that Siobhan was the worthier goddess, for she was someone who deserved worship and appreciated it. Her cult soon spread, though many Firemane officials were wary of it. To counter such tendencies, Lia formed her own group of Xioquo she could impart her teachings to. They called themselves the Seekers of the Sky and soon acquired a martial arms of paladins, the Banishers of the Night, whose leader was a former slave-soldier and resistance fighter.
Years, passed and the Xioquo were able to recover somewhat. When the Kraal assaulted the Underealm to acquire slaves and booty, the Daughters and the Seekers had to work together to resist the invasion. Loyalist Xioquo troops and their allies also thwarted an attempt by the Blood Wraiths, a cult of Xioquo necromancers, to spread the plague of undeath and use it as a massive blood sacrifice to resurrect Mystra. Lia worked with Firemane's resident in Tlaxqui, Kaylah Danton, to restructure the government and the economy. Firemane invested in Tlaxqui, as did Nova Bank. Tlaxqui did not become a wealthy city, but the wounds of the past were slowly healing and people were able to express themselves freely. The Xio had suffered great trauma, but with time that could heal and make them productive. They had always displayed remarkable skill with machines, and adapted well to modern technology. The new government sent out delegations of Xioquo to learn from the foreigners. Many worked with Firemane for a while, then returned to their people to share their know-how.
Years later the major rulers of Tygara convened aboard the Arx Aeternae. There it was decided that the elves would move into space to go off and colonise. This was motivated bya sequence of galactic crises and the downfall or dissolution of several galactic powers. Firemane, the host of the conference, agreed to provide technical support, know-how and ships, and got concessions in return. The Xioquo's Queen was supportive of these space exploration ventures. It would give the growing Xioquo population places to expand to, relieving the burden on Tlaxqui. The Xioquo did not a lot to offer, being both few in number and having more destructive Force users. However, the Xio were swiftly learning to accommodate with modern technology and so could offer that service. It would also be symbolic of them cutting ties with the old for a new future. Their first worldship was called the Caverns of the Overealm.
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