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{{Info races
{{Info Lineage
|image = Newqd.png
|name = Qadir Ailor
|pronunciation = Ka-dir
|test = Ashkhas Minara (in Zahram)
|classification = [[Human]]
|test2 = [[File:Qadirflag3.png|80px]]  
|subraces = None
|test3 = '''Motto:''' "Between the Machines of Knowledge and Ages of Wonder."
|nicknames =  
|image = Amwwir2.png
*Machine-men (derogatory)
|state = Al-Alus
*Book Priests (praising)
|ruler = Technocratic Council by Examination
*Saar-[[Sariyd]] ([[Songaskian]])
|suzerain = [[Regalian Empire]]
|languages = [[Faraddi]]
|languages = [[Zahram]], Common
|naming = similar to [http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/arabic Arabic] and [http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/urdu Urdu] names found on Earth
|religion = [[Unionism]]
 
|first_recorded = 10,000 BC
|distinction = Dark to fair-skinned fortified city dwellers who are known for their technological prowess.
|demonym = Qadiriq
|maxage = 110 years
|height = 5’4 - 6’4
|eye = Sandstone-like
|hair =  Ranging from Black to dark brown, but also creamy beige, mahogany, and even crimson red, curly or straight.
|skin = [[File:Qadirskinsnew.png]]
|}}
|}}
Technicians, engineers, scholars and intellectuals, if ever the world had a people that could be described as the world’s most technically gifted intelligentsia, it would be the Qadir. Qadir are a fairly small numbered Race of humanoids hailing from the desert continent of [[Farah’deen]], a continent they share with their arch-nemeses the Songaskia, and where the ruins of their [[Sariyd Empire]] are still littered in the deserts, sending echoes of past technological glories to anyone brave enough to venture deep into the drought. The Qadir are generally considered the most studious [[Race]], with the highest rate of literacy, and a society with a strong emphasis on discovery, progress, inventions, and the development of the craft they became famous for, [[Clockwork]] technology. Across the world so called Hadrityas exist often in the middle of other nations, small walled forts built out of the distinct Qadir-Blue brickwork that store the libraries and trinkets of the Qadir, fiercely guarded from prying eyes, and passionately defended to preserve what little remains of the once powerful Sariyd Empire. Qadir also roam the land, exploring deep caverns and abandoned crypts, venturing into high mountains and deep valleys in the hopes of finding new resources or ancient references to technology lost to time, with the hopes of reviving it. Mysterious with their intentions, but always predictably invested in technology, they remain a much desired presence for anyone wishing to rely on technology to fight the encroachment of [[Magic]], and are clever enough to use whatever commitments they get into, to benefit their own long term goals of technological revival. The Qadir are not a people beset with wants of conquest and subjugation, but of progress and fame.
The Qadir Ailor are a Lineage of [[Ailor]] that shares a common ancestry with Ailor, but diverged at a point in history when their people moved northeast into the unforgiving deserts of [[Farahdeen|Ard-al Nur]]. Lineages sit somewhere in between a [[Culture]] and a Subrace, meaning the Qadir are not quite as distant from Ailor so as to be a full-fledged different Race altogether, but are also not as simple as just a different culture. Being technicians, engineers, and scholars, if ever the world had a people that could be described as the world’s most technologically gifted, it would be them. The Qadir were reborn from the ruins of their [[Sariyd Empire]], still lingering in the desert sands, sending echoes of past technological glories to anyone brave enough to venture deep into the drought. The Qadir are famous for their highly advanced technology, with most of the world's technological advances being generated by the studious Qadir engineers, producing clockwork devices ranging from household equipment to military technology and vehicles. There is no upper limit to the curiosity and capacity for invention among the Qadir: they are not a people beset with dreams of conquest and subjugation, but of progress and fame. When referring to Qadir Ailor, one can use either Qadir Ailor, or just Qadir, but they should never be lumped in with all Ailor, as that is offensive to their unique culture and history away from their Ailor cousins.  


==Physical & Mental Characteristics==
==Design==
[[File:Qaadifau.png|260px|thumb|right|Qadir men rarely shave their facial hair for cultural reasons.]]
Qadir are visually similar to their Ailor cousins, but different in some key ways. Skin tones for Qadir Ailor range only from Middle-Eastern, to Northern African, to Sahel-African, or Central Asian, strictly with darker to darkest skin tones (even if some white-coded people live in these regions). Qadir have a wide range of hair colors available, but also some that are unusual among Ailor: creamy beige, and crimson red. A very unique trait of the Qadir, is that they have sandstone-colored irises. Secondly, they have a curious skin-pigmentation that the Qadir Ailor call "Sirr al-Hayat" (Secret of Life), which involves a mandala-like pigmentation on the back of their hands that grows up their arms as they age, recording shapes reminiscent of important events in their lives in typical henna fashion. These pigmentations can have any color, change color part-ways, or faintly glow. Each Qadir Ailor has these Sirr al-Hayat, which usually end around their shoulders or chest when they die of old age. Qadir Ailor are a deeply intellectual and curious Race, valuing knowledge over (what their culture considers) the crude pursuits of warfare and combat. While this curiosity can just as well be averted to Magic or the pursuit of a martial lifestyle, most Qadir Ailor invest their time in technological innovation and scholarly learning. Qadir Ailor tend to be introverted and book-wise rather than street-wise, with other Race sometimes accusing them of being self-absorbed or abrasive, when in reality they lack an understanding of how other societies operate. 
Qadir are visually similar to some [[Ailor]], but different in other ways. They have skintones of those from Northern Africa to the Middle East and Central Asia in the real world, with facial features of these regions also. Qadir have a variety of hair colors, ranging from black to dark brown, but also creamy beige, mahogany, and even crimson red. A unique trait that the Qadir have in comparison to other Races is that their irises are sandstone colored, reminiscent of the sandy dunes of Farah’deen and the sand-blasted ruins that still stick out of the hills, a fading memory of ages past. Secondly, the Qadir have a curious skin-pigmentation that they are born with that grows as they age. Qadir have a mandala-like pigmentation on the backs of their hands, that grows up their arms as they age: clean, decorative, and symmetrical in good times, and jagged and thin in bad times.
===Why Qadir in Regalia===
Why Qadir in Regalia is a section designed to give (new) Players some idea for why a Race might want to be in Regalia, as opposed to their homeland, as some Races are heavily homeland-coded and may need some contrivances to actually Roleplay in Regalia, where all the on-server activity takes place. While you can usually extrapolate other reasons from the Lore on this page, this section provides a few easy-access suggestions.
* '''Center of Learning:''' While Qadir schools are great for learning, only Regalia provides a cosmopolitan environment with other Races, Cultures, and Religions all living together. This presents a unique environment for knowledge sharing, that Qadir will not have easy access to elsewhere. Regalia also has some of the best schools, causing Qadir to migrate to Regalia, and eventually settle after graduation.
* '''Center of Chaos:''' Qadir Technicians in general love having test subjects, and where better than the center of the world's chaos, Regalia, where there are plenty of gullible Nobles who will buy pointless tech gadgets, or criminals running around free upon whom to test new inventions without guilt. Regalia is a great place to get rich, or at least gain invaluable test-field insight in the function of inventions.
* '''Center of Wealth:''' While it was already partially mentioned in the previous point, Regalia is the capital of the world's commerce (at least the world which accepts the Regal as legal tender). Many Qadir have "made it big" by moving to Regalia, and peddling their services for Mercenaries who keep losing arms to be replaced with prosthetics, or Nobles who think: "It's bread, how much could it cost, 10,000 Regals?".
* '''Center of Freedom:''' Qadir society can sometimes have a suffocating focus on Technology. Sometimes Qadir are just born with zero interest in innovation and tech, and have a far greater curiosity towards Magic or the Occult. While Al-Alus has restrictions on the use of Magic, Regalia is generally seen more loose, and allows a Qadir to easily find teachers and mentors to widen their horizons with the forbidden arts.  


Qadir are deeply intellectual as a culture, valuing knowledge. As such, they are also defensive of the secrets they have, and slow to trust people or share information. They also usually have a burning hatred for the Songaskians, who not only killed most of their people in the event that created them, but also stole their former Empire and their cities, and buried what they didn't take under oceans of sand. Qadir are also negatively disposed to Magic most of the time, because they consider Magic a vulgar way to affect the world around them, a shortcut that requires no intellect and merely one’s hand wave, where-as actually inventing things to automate progress is proclaimed as the true pursuit of the better self. Qadir are always looking for ways to improve themselves, not necessarily always for their society, causing many of them to be prideful and self-absorbed, but obviously not without reason, as their insight is often unrivaled.  
==Heritage Traits==
When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.  


==Racial Traits==
Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).
Racial Traits are a set of Abilities, Free Packs, Limitations, and Mechanics that each Race has access to. Half-Race characters select a dominant parent, thus receiving all Racial Abilities & Talents of that Race only, unless specified otherwise, while also taking dominant physical traits like for example skin tone, hair and fur color, ear shape, etc. If Abilities, Free Packs, Limitations, or Mechanics are not mentioned, it is safe to assume this Race does not have one of those. Abilities are usually Combat-Roleplay based, Free Packs give free Proficiency Packs that fit in a Race's design, Limitations are limits imposed on Character design to stay consistent with lore, while Mechanics change the way a Character is played, or how certain Packs interact in Roleplay.
===Abilities===
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 60%;"
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
! Ability Name
! Ability Type
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
! Modifiers
|-
| style="background-color:#f2d5c4;" | Tech Breaker
| Skill Power
| {{#simple-tooltip: Self | Self Range means that it applies to the user themselves, or something they can directly touch after casting it.}}
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Tech Breaker | When using Gadget Combat Attack Emotes (Melee only) against a Target that is using Wisdom as their Main Defense Stat when derived from Tech Point Buy(not Magic Combat), their Main Defense Stat is halved when defending against these Magical Attack Emotes from the user (rounded up). If the Target has the Ability Tech Breaker, this does not apply to them. 
}}
| N/A
|-
|}
===Free Packs===
===Free Packs===
* '''Qadir Buff 1:''' Qadir gain the [[Invocation_Point_Buy#Tech_Invocation_Pack|Tech Invocation Pack]] for free, even if they are not religious. Point-buying the Pack again does nothing.
* Qadir gain a Pack from the [[Tech Point Buy]] or [[Chem Point Buy]] Categories for free.
* '''Qadir Buff 1:''' Qadir gain the [[Tech_Point_Buy#Tech_Suit_Pack|Tech Suit Pack]] for free, the [[Tech_Point_Buy#Tech_Ghost_Pack|Tech Ghost Pack]] for free, and [[Tech_Point_Buy#Tech_Talent|Tech Talent]] for free without Point Buy investment.  
* Qadir gain the Pack [[Mounted_Point_Buy#Familiar_Disrupt_Pack|Familiar Disrupt Pack]] for free.
===Limitations===
 
* '''Techsavant:''' This is not really a limitation, but a strong recommendation not to play Mage-Qadir, due to their cultural hatred for Magic. It is technically permitted, but severe contrarian character design in a not good way.
===Mechanics===
===Mechanics===
* '''Shieldtech:''' While using Tech Suit would normally prevent the use of a Shield, Qadir are still able to use a Shield while using this Ability. They still cannot use Shielding Point Buy Abilities (except the Ability Shield Cover, which they get by default) but are permitted to use Constitution as a Main Defense Stat, instead of being forced to use Wisdom as a Main Defense Stat.
* Qadir do not need to choose a Tech Branch, they are able to build/edit/repair any Branch. Try to be conscientious when other players feel pushed out of their niche however!
* '''Memtech:''' All Qadir have Membanks installed in their skull when they become adult, that record all their memories and store them on Memkeys, small key-shaped storage devices that store roughly a week worth of information. When a Memkey is full, it can be put into a Memstore (which is usually in a Qadir's Rental/Estate/Base Region and thus can be stolen). If a Qadir would for any reason lose memories, they can restore memories by sampling their old Memkeys from their Memstore, though a Memstore is worthless to anyone but the Qadir who made it since it is imprinted to them. Memkeys when they are still inside a Qadir's skull however, can be forcibly ejected if a Qadir is restrained or knocked out. Such a Memkey can show the memories of the last 24 hours to any other Qadir with a Membank, or anyone watching through a Memsave (a Clockwork Virtual Reality helmet), which grants a full-body experience re-enacting all the emotions and feelings while watching the Memkey's contents of the last 24 hours of recording.
* Qadir are able to store memories being recorded in Memkeys. This does not stop Magic from tampering with Memories, but allows visual-auditory storage at the end of the day.
* Qadir can make lore equivalent VR glasses to watch Memkeys, recommending players to write Lore Stories about experiences as recordings for others to watch (read).
* Qadir can trap/rig their Rental/Base/Estate to give them advance warning of a break-in or unauthorized entry, needing to be OOC notified when and where a break-in occurs.
* Qadir may be able to do a perception check on Machines or Tech during Events to learn more about them or unlock unique interactions that other people do not have.  
 
==History==
==History==
Much of Qadir history was lost when the [[Great Storm]] swallowed their civilization and killed most of their people, however intrepid explorers have recently been starting to piece fragments back together into a cohesive story. Supposedly, the Qadir Race properly unified around 1000 BC, meaning their Race probably entered some semblance of sentience at around the same time as the [[Altalar]], though took longer to unify and collectivize, probably because of the desert-like conditions they lived in which made agriculture very hard. Unlike the Altalar which are to some degree different from the early [[Allorn]] people, the Qadir have remained exactly the same since those first Qadir founded the Sariyd Empire. Because of this, whenever anyone refers to pre-modern Qadir as Sariyd, they are referring to the Qadir who lived in the Sariyd Empire, not some ancestor Race that was distinct from their modern variant. The Sariyd Empire was also not strictly speaking an Empire, but rather a technocracy. Interpretation demands it be seen as an Empire, as the political structure of the Sariyd Empire was more akin to smaller states, each headed by a council of technocrats that made up a larger Empire bound together by a common goal of progress. Information was shared and new discoveries were brought to the public at yearly traveling science fairs that rotated between the 14 great cities of Farah’deen, occasionally visiting smaller towns, Hadrityas and places of learning in between. Farah’deen was an inhospitable landmass, however the Qadir managed to build a wide and far spanning thin web of cities and towns and outposts that allowed them to cover most of the desert with great efficiency.
This section covers a brief version of Qadir Ailor and extended Sariyd history. For a full understanding of [[Sariyd History]], read said page. It is however possible to roleplay a Qadir correctly without ever having read this page. The Qadir are an old Race that long pre-dates the Cataclysm, though is not older than the founding of the Allorn Empire. The Qadir were one of the first branches of the Ailor Race that civilized into formal sovereign nations, and were able to largely deter Elven interference in their development. Somewhere through history, one Qadir tribe fell in with the [[Ordial Cultism]] God the Machinist, who they eventually betrayed and "killed", making them the only Race to have verifiably killed an actual God. However, due to infighting and politics after the fact, this God was reborn and plotted an ultimate revenge on the Qadir without them knowing. Drawing the Qadir into conflict with the Dragons, the Machinist eventually tricked the Dragons into accidentally wiping a large portion of the Qadir population out of existence with the Great Storm, leaving them greatly diminished. Through a pre-Unionist manifestation of a Unionist God, the Qadir were able to replace the corrosive death-magic fueled machines with Everwatcher-fueled machines. Over the centuries since, the Qadir have fought an unending war with the Songaskians, who walked from the Great Storm as the inheritors of the Dragons and usurped much of their once held territory. In the modern Era, the Qadir are not nearly as limited in number as the Dwarves, but are still considerably reduced in global power due to their population numbers. They are still considered the world's most gifted technicians and engineers, constantly at the forefront of technological advances, and having been formally allied (but not incorporated) to the Regalian Empire, creating a sense of security and community, with a healthy movement of ideas and people between the Al-Alus homeland and Regalia.  
 
It is often claimed by the [[Regalian]]s that the [[Regalian Empire]] has the world’s first true bureaucracy but this is not strictly speaking true. In fact, many Qadir claim that the Regalians got the idea of their bureaucracy based on the Qadir Iqth, a complex system of wealth tax and state data registration. The Qadir claim that this bureaucratic system of their own was once so complex that every birth was registered in a matter of minutes, and that long distance communication was made possible through tall Clockwork signal towers. It is in fact even claimed that the Qadir had an immensely complex network of flying cities called Haatzaar, which chiefly were responsible for ferrying large quantities of raw resources between the pearl cities, massive city-states named after the pearl-white bastion walls that rose like mountains out of the desert sand, with the azure and dark-blue domes and spires reaching out far above like an oasis. Trouble for the Sariyd Empire began around 600 BC, when the [[Black Desert Dragons]] started getting more involved with their progress. It is not entirely clear how or why, but it is said that around that period, the Black Desert Dragons made “the Haatzaar unsafe, grounding them all one by one until the skies were no longer lit up with the reflections of [[Brass]] and [[Copper]].” Over the decades following, it was claimed that more and more liberties that the Qadir had made through technological progress were limited or removed, either out of fear of [[Dragon]] attacks, or by outright Dragon attacks.
 
At first, the Qadir did not truly have a military. The Qadir Race was alone on Farah’deen and the Altalar had never shown interest to go that far east for slave expeditions. While some slavery occured on the coastline, explaining some Qadir people in [[Daendroc]] to this day, by far and large the Qadir in the pearl cities never knew there even was such a thing as an Altalar. The oceans were wildly disinteresting to the Qadir, as oceans were considered (ironically) vast empty deserts with nothing interesting in them, while even the desert sands hid quarries and underground treasures waiting to be found. Due to their lack of military and largely focus on spiritual and technological progress with an educational angle, the Qadir were unable to resist the demands of the Dragons each time they acted out, and these acts became more and more violent. Eventually, Qadir society split into three distinct factions, factions which last to this day and provide a clear ideological rift between the Qadir people in terms of how to interact with the world at large. One group, the Bila’Anjila, could best be described as the ultra-nationalists who believed that the time of pacifism and non-militarism was over, and that the Qadir should redirect their immense technological prowess into making machines of war, ostentatiously not to wage war, but to defend themselves from the oppression of the Dragons. The second group was the Alqurra’, who believed in perpetual balance with the world through submission. Their ideology proclaimed that the world was damaged by millennia of conflict and magical invasion (it is thus assumed that the Sariyd had a more complex understanding of [[Void Invasions]]). In order to spare the world further damage, they believed that the Qadir had merely to observe and obey anyone coming to tell them to correct course in the physical, and as long as it did not involve complete destruction or annihilation, that they should relent and focus on their educational pursuits, as the body and world could be limited, but the mind was limitless. The final faction was the La’ahad, who believed neither in open warfare with the Dragons, nor completely ignoring and submitting to them, but wildly developing new technologies and exploring further and wider to find out more about the world, so that the Qadir could speak to the Dragons on equal footing. Because of this belief, it is also often assumed that the Sariyd had a greater understanding of the role of Dragons in the world, and did not simply see them as dumb animals like the Altalar did.
 
These factions more commonly referred to as the Nationals, the Scripters, and the Finders respectively in modern times, started dividing Sariyd society. Most of the pearl cities supported the Nationals and started re-arranging their Clockwork industries to produce war machines, massive Clockwork spiders and centipedes that could quickly traverse the deserts and use terrifying weapons of so called “death lances” to fire at the Dragons and injure them. Most of the coastal settlements and the oasis towns supported the Finders, resulting in a number of Qadir vessels leaving Farah’deen over the following centuries that would end up founding Hadrityas in far away states. In the modern era, Hadrityas that have been around for nearly 500 years not only exist in far flung lands such as [[Fendarfelle]], but also in cold lands like [[Ellador]] and [[Essalonia]], and even within the landmasses currently owned by the Altalar. The Qadir turned out to be shrewd negotiators that would lease properties of land to build their Hadrityas on in exchange for technological contributions to local life, while fiercely hoarding everything else they could find, usually [[Meraic]] [[Crystaltech]], away from the eyes of the locals. This allowed Hadrityas to exist in a pseudo-legal state where they did indeed exist within the sovereign boundaries of an [[Elven]] Principality, but were not part of that Principality and thus not beholden to its laws or customs, a microstate effectively locked inside another state. Most of the inland Hadrityas, libraries and centers of learning back in Farah’deen, however, obviously supported the Scripters. The Scripters were first to fall to the power plots of the Nationals and the Dragons alike. Over the centuries, many of their homes simply went dark, answering daily and then one day just stopping, with anyone sent to find out what happened to them never returning. Centers of learning faded one by one as the Dragons claimed more and more land. The Finders equally dwindled in number as more and more of them sailed away from the homeland never to return, leaving only the Nationals in control of the vast majority of the Sariyd population. As such, in around 300 BC, the Nationals announced the Red Hunt, in which they started a massive campaign against the Dragons, a campaign of annihilation. It is highly likely that the Qadir called the Red Hunt by this name because Altalar ambassadors had shown up on Faraddi shores, bringing with them tales of the success of the [[Green Hunt]] back in [[Daen]], that was approaching its final 40 years by this time. For two hundred years, the Sariyd fought the Desert Dragons, never quite killing any of them, but certainly pushing them back further and further. The Dragons retaliated by summoning massive sandstorms that swallowed whole towns in the desert but could not hurt the massive bastion pearl cities besides coloring them in a sickly red hue with each storm. The destruction of these small oasis towns caused even more of the Sariyd to join with the Nationals, creating the Great Gear Armada, a massive fleet of automaton giants built to assault Kouriyasui, the last stronghold of the Black Desert Dragons.
 
It is said that the assault was both a sight of splendor and horror as massive machines whirred, venting towers-tall plumes of steam, grinding metal and dust blowing as the thuds of thousands of pincers and feet barreling through the sand filled the valley, using Death Lances to fire projectiles at Kouriyasui Mountains, to finally rid the Sariyd of the Black Dragons. The Dragons, resorting to Magic to make their final last stand, cast one spell so massive that the sun was blotted out by the sands rising higher than they had ever been. It was as if the very desert itself had decided to become the air. With one mighty shockwave, the entire Great Gear Armada collapsed, their operators and power supplies killed and drained instantly, collapsing on top of each other or simply falling apart, their remnants still littering the sands around Kouriyasui to this day, massive wrecks larger than the grandest Unionist temples. The shockwave continued, wiping out whole communities, centers of learning, and every living thing in such a wide area around Kouriyasui that eventually only the southernmost last two Pearl Cities remained, every other Pearl City having been wiped clean of all life as plant and people alike choked from the sand in the air. To make matters worse, from this Great Storm came the Songaskians, who proclaimed themselves the children of the Black Dragons, invading the cities and taking them for themselves, and immediately declaring war on the Sariyd that had just lost their Empire, and an estimated 94% of their population within Farah’deen.
 
The news was received with shock and horror in the Hadrityas out in the wider world, however the situation cemented their independence from the homeland, believing even more now in the principles of the Finders, that they should lock down to prevent the loss of the last remnants of Qadiriq society. The last two remaining pearl cities loosely organized themselves into what is now the [[Confederated Hadrityas]] in modern times, attempting to brace the impact of the Songaskian armies slowly moving south and conquering everything in their way. Eventually, the Qadir were able to hold the Songaskians back, but were too weak to begin a war of conquest of their own with a counter-offensive. To this day, the Qadir-Songaskian border is one of the most hotly contested regions in the world with frequent battles between Magic and machine, though with no progress being made with blood spilled on dry sand. Even when the Songaskians were in civil war and being invaded by the Ailor, the Qadir were unable to push back to reclaim the thousands of lost intellectual sites, libraries, palaces, workshops and quarries that now lie buried in the sands, their locations closely guarded secrets of the few homebound Hadrityas remaining. Qadir society also returned back to an equilibrium of balance. After the complete destruction of the Gear Armada, it was believed that the Nationals pushed the matter of offensive-war strategy too far, and that Qadir society should act more balanced and with more defensive intentions. The Nationals as such did not abandon their demand for more military development, but chose to limit their military pursuits to just defensive as opposed to playing conqueror in protracted wars abroad. Some Finders returned, while Scripters rose again from the ranks of the intellectuals, until eventually Qadir society was equally divided between the three factions that continue to loosely dictate Qadir politics to this day, as each Technocrat Council also has an equal division of 3 members of each faction.
 
In modern times, the Qadir have developed policies such as “No soul left behind” and “Communal autonomy” to loosely connect all Qadir states and Hadrityas together with technological communication, while also preserving the souls of the dead and preventing them from properly passing into a dead-state so as to not diminish their numbers. Unlike for example the [[Dwarves]] or the [[Maraya]] who have to compensate for small population numbers after calamity, the Qadir have become extremely comfortable with the small foot-print of their Race on the world. They have adapted all their societal structures and planning to include the idea that the Qadir will probably never acquire Sariyd-like population numbers, and to be adequately satisfied with that situation. Their Race never had the intention to conquer or subject anyone, never engaged in slavery, and largely lost religion as a result of the Great Storm. As such, the Qadir nowadays are mostly content just living the life they want to live in pursuit of happiness, intellectualism, and personal fame, while equally being far too disinterested in geo-politics to get involved beyond their peripheral attempts to secure rare resources or technological blueprints when they are discovered.
 
==Society==
Qadir society is complex to understand for outsiders, as to regard the entirety of Qadir society is to also consider the disparate populations far away from the homeland in Farah’deen, many of which exist further away from the unofficial Qadir capital of Al-Alus than even the longest distance between Regalia and its most far-flung territories. It is a testament to the technological prowess of the Qadir that they remain able to connect, communicate and exchange services and goods over massive distances in relative short amounts of time, something that sustains their asymmetrical federation, where constituent parts of their federation have more local autonomy the further away they are from Farah’deen. There are also the Rashiq, or the Hardened Qadir, Qadir who have left behind their cities and centers of learning for the deep deserts of Farah'deen from which they strike out at Songaskian targets as warriors of shadow, vanishing as fast as they appear and cause havoc. In conclusion, Qadir society is not just those found in the cities of the Confederated Hadrityas, just one of the many Qadir cities still left in Farah’deen, nor just the far-flung Hadrityas that exist as enclaves in many other states and even Empires, like the Regalian and the Allorn Empire, but also in the deep sands of their harsh homeland.
===Politics===
Qadir politics is driven by their self-named Algocratic Government, which may sometimes also be referred to as a Cyberocracy. What this means is that the Qadir do not have any living hierarchy of rulers, rather, their society is ruled by a network of massive Clockwork machine-minds which contain the collective of inserted souls of all dying and expiring individuals the Qadir could get their hands on. Except in extraneous circumstances (such as a dangerous criminal, or a person who does not want to join the collective), all Qadir that die in the homeland or are near death in the homeland, have their souls removed from their body and inserted into the machine-minds where they join a collective of semi-independent hive-minds, thus denying the soul of the dying person from properly passing on and entering a state of immortality, for as long as the machine runs.
 
These machine-minds are called Alat-Alhakim, powered by Qatil batteries and capable of speech. The souls inside the machine-minds reach consensus through internal debate and a form of interconnected soul democracy. It is not true to state that when a soul is inserted into the machine, it loses its own independent personality or being, but to call a soul completely independent is not correct either. An inserted soul’s personal considerations and angles to questions and requests remain intact, but their knowledge and memories are shared with all other souls, so that the machine may make the most educated and well-considered decision. Each Qadir Hadritya has one such Alat-Alhakim, and in the homeland numerous Alat-Alhakim exist in the cities. These machine-minds are all loosely connected with each other through a network of so called Burj-Alnuwr or Burja, sometimes also referred to as Towers of Light. These tall Clockwork spires use a sequence of flickering lights and shutters to produce a morse-code like language that can be seen from far away, and allow the machine-minds to communicate long distances. It is actually a little known fact that the major artery of Qadir communication occurs from such Towers of Light built on the coastlines of [[Sendras]], as the sea distance between Farah’deen and other lands is too large, and building these spires on hostile Songaskian land is considered futile.
 
On a local level, elders and administrators execute the will of the machine-minds in a collaborative and consultative process. The administrators and elders take smaller paperwork decisions such as filing new documents and arranging the transfer of resources between the Hadrityas. When it concerns larger political decisions however, such as where to attack the Songaskians, how much foreign resources to buy, whether to let a foreigner into the Hadrityas, or what to do about an impending drought, the Alat make the decisions. Indeed, the Alat-Alhakim aren’t only just decision machines for politics, they are also brilliant inventor minds in and of themselves and can communicate complex Clockwork designs to the living Qadir for construction. As such, many Alat-Alhakim are also considered living libraries in and of themselves, and some particular Alat-Alhakim are known to produce specifically useful blueprints for Qadir tech. Some of the notable named Alats are:
* The Alat-Alhakim of Hadr Qizmukh, which is known to produce the most elegant and well-designed Clockwork-powered seafaring ships that are small and have little in the way of armaments, but can outrun any other non-magic powered sea vessel.
* The Alat-Alhakim of Hadr Al-Alus, which is known to have the most complex understanding of bureaucratic efficiency, and is also a single bureaucratic department in itself, as it was upgraded with a thousand arms capable of writing and flipping pages of documents, producing thousands of documents a day in Qasr script, which is a form of punctured paper that can be read by certain Clockwork machines.
* The Alat-Alhakim of Hadr Shdh Jazira, which is known to produce the most complex and fearsome warmachines of Clockwork, defending the border against the Songaskians. The infamous Walker-Almashi or the walking terror, a bipedal Clockwork giant with wrist-mounted cannons is their most widely known creation.
* The Alat-Alhakim of Hadr Al’Aradi Altya Faqaduha, which is known to actually be its own bipedal walking Alar-Alhakim. Where-as most Alat-Alhakim are vast interconnected machines that take up entire rooms and hallways, the Qadir of Al’Aradi have managed to compress the Clockwork machinery inside the Alat into tiny parts, thus giving it a fully functional and humanoid appearing body that is able to speak and move around.  
* The Alat-Alhakim of Hadr Maas-Darrah situated in the heartland of the Allorn Empire, which is known to have hoarded thousands of years of Allorn technology and even some Dewamenet technology taken from archeological dig sites.
* The Alat-Alhakim of Mokraq situated in the heartland of the [[Dread Empire]], which is known to conduct live-experiments on slaves from the Dread Empire given by the [[Kathar]]. This Alat-Alhakim is considered unstable and dangerous to other Qadir because the local Hadritya has permitted more unstable minds to join the collective for their brilliance. This Alat-Alhakim is also known to produce the most effective torture methods and interrogation tactics.
* The Alat-Alhakim of Shufbaq situated somewhere in the north of [[Ithania]] (now lost), which is known to have gone “insane.” The Alat had to be shut down (thus “killing” all souls within) after it started trying to systematically kill everyone living in the Hadriya by flooding poisonous gasses through the piping systems for air conditioning. It was discovered that [[Void Essence]] had somehow seeped into the machine and corrupted the souls within, which in modern times was believed to have been a Demon Lord. The Hadritya was abandoned shortly after, as the loss of an Alat-Alhakim usually means a Hadritya no longer has a functional government, forcing the Qadir to leave for another Hadriya. The population was well received by the nearby Hadritya of Tolroq’ql in [[Nordskag]].
 
===Culture===
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Qadir Cultures
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'''Alqurra’'''
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The Alqurra’ or Scripter Qadir are the best known of the Qadir subgroups, and the one outsiders have most easily contacted. It is important to note that the three main Qadir subcultures have a roughly equal population to them, and blend in certain locations across Aloria. Alqurra’ Qadir are devoted to intellectual and cultural pursuits, and are the main source of modern innovations or new inventions of the Qadir people, though often not in the military field. They are also known for their focus on the arcane, rarely to use it directly themselves, but instead to seek ways of blocking it or containing it. The Alqurra’ culture is based on medieval Islamic scholar culture and medieval Arab culture.
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*The Alqurra’ are commonly called the “normal” Qadir by outsiders, in somewhat of a pejorative against the other three groups.
*The Alqurra’ seek to innovate and enhance their works of engineering to allow for greater comfort and discovery by their own kind, on their own terms.
*The Alqurra’ are the most evenly spread Qadir, existing both in and beyond the homeland in roughly equal numbers.
*The Alqurra’ speak Faraddi, a language based on real-world Arabic and Urdu, and are also the developers of the Qasr script, able to be read by Qadir machines and those without sight.
*The Alqurra’ have worked with foreign groups of means in the past to produce new technologies, and are overall seen as the most approachable of the Qadir groups.
*The Alqurra’ are devoted to the Qadir’s faith, their belief in being able to build machines of godly power strong, especially after the recent creation of Esrah Alwattah ‘Awal Mushaya.
*The Alqurra’ were the culture to develop Azraqtech, and there are often flourishes of wealth and finery within their technology as unlike the other groups, they have the greatest sense of leisure time, which often comes in the form of quite literally doing nothing, or “people watching”.
*The Alqurra’ have an ambivalent viewpoint on the Occult, cautious of it, but also studying and seeking to understand it to aid in perfecting and protecting their machines.
*The Alqurra’ love the colors of dark blue and brown, symbolism of joined gears and solar eclipses, alongside clocks, books, scrolls, high towers and lounging chairs.
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'''Bila’Anjila'''
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The Bila’Anjila, or Nationals, are the acerbic military arm of the Qadir people. Having survived since the ancient era of the Sariyd, the Bila’Anjila serve on the frontline of the Qadir’s conflict with the Songaskia, but also on the high seas, their pirate vessels almost exclusively targeting Songaskian vessels. The Bila’Anjila are also some of the most accomplished machine repairers in Aloria, as they have been putting broken and wartorn machines back together for literal centuries now. The Bila’Anjila culture is based on a blend of the Barbary pirates of North Africa and the Indus River Valley Civilization.
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*The Bila’Anjila are the warrior-engineers, protectors, and repairers of the Qadir world. While they possess leisure time, it is often spent in more practical tasks, such as watching battles rather than works of art.
*The Bila’Anjila have developed a significant amount of the Qadir’s weapons technology, from powerful ranged proto-firearms to intricate close-combat warrior machines. They are most often deployed on the border in the trench warfare between them and the Songaskia, who deploy their mindless Necroservant hordes.
*The Bila’Anjila also command much of the Qadir’s navy, with small, sleek machinery-powered crafts striking out against Songaskian trade ships or pirate vessels loaded with treasures taken from others.
*The Bila’Anjila speak Faraddi, but a rougher, older dialect still mutually intelligible to other Qadir. This is because it is drawn most from the ancient Sariyd. This dialect contains much of the real life Urdu inspiration of the Faraddi Language.
*The Bila’Anjila are rarely found outside of Farahdeen, but when they are, they often serve as agents of their home Hadritya in finding and acquiring promising technology from outsiders. Some also seek to protect Qadir enclaves in other parts of Aloria.
*The Bila’Anjila are also known for running the mines and processing facilities that convert metals into usable parts for Qadir machines.
*The Bila’Anjila of the seas commonly find port in the half-finished Pearl City of Istiniyye, where the lack of completed walls hide robust defenses engineered by the culture’s members.
*The Bila’Anjila have actively sought ruins and remains of the Sariyd civilization, for in contrast with the La’ahad focused on the past of other regions, the Bila’Anjila are obsessed with the past of their homeland.
*The Bila’Anjila have a negative view of the Occult, being the ones to suggest and then build many of the Occult containment bunkers in Hadrityas across Aloria, but also due to their experiences with Songaskian Mages.
*The Bila’Anjila love the colors black and blue, as well as symbolism of turrets, high walls and towers, shields, bipedal war machines, repair tools and colossal machines.
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'''La’ahad'''
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The La’ahad, or Finders, are commonly said to stand apart from the other cultures of the Qadir by being the least known, and the least concerned with the outside world. Originating with scholars, adventurers and experimental creators who sought knowledge beyond their homeland, the La’ahad spread out across Aloria to found new Hadrityas to explore the wider world, but on their own terms. Isolationist, and rarely interacting with the outside, the La’ahad tend to hoard knowledge and seek ancient relics of the past for copious study and exploration. They are the ones who built the Towers of Light. The La’ahad culture is not based on any real world culture.
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*The La’ahad are Qadir with an obsession about experimentation, pushing boundaries, and the technologies of other Races, and extinct groups across Aloria.
*The La’ahad are known to avoid other Races, rarely asking permission to plunder or dredge their past knowledge up from depths both underground or underwater.
*The La’ahad have a great interest in [[Meraic]], which is to say [[Maraya]], technology, and have stripped at least three Tohns of their relevant technologies.
*The La’ahad speak Faraddi, but are better known as the Silent Speakers. Some Hadritya under their control do not even greet guests in person, instead using machines or signaling devices.
*The La’ahad have been responsible for worsening relations between the Qadir and Races like the Maraya and [[Asha]], leaving some other Qadir to be irritated with them while others do not care, so long as it results in a net benefit of knowledge.
*The Lah’ahad built the Towers of Light across the seas and landmasses of Aloria, and equipped them with heavy defenses to prevent interference by other parties. Routine patrols across the network by Lah’ahad ships also seek to prevent damage.
*The Lah’ahad who live in Farahdeen commonly go to the wilds to test their most advanced machines in terrain which can withstand any possible problems.
*The Lah’ahad have the most varied view on the Occult, some Hadritya embracing what the Occult can bring (such as the inhabitants of Mokraq) while others shun it.
*The Lah’ahad favor shades of blue, yellow and brown, and enjoy the symbolism of ancient ruins, lost libraries, lighthouses, cloudy nights, museums, and ornate gates.
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'''Rishiq'''
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The Rishiq, Rashiq, or the Hardened Qadir, represent a small minority of the Qadir population. They are the exiles, renegades, and ancient survivors of the Qadir people, coming from a myriad of backgrounds, but all united by some common threads. First, they shun the lifestyle of the Hadrityas, be that from personal bitterness, long-held belief, or sorrow, and exist in the desert. Second, they avoid threats rather than confront them, melding back into the desert when met in force. This is aided by their small numbers. Third, they are scavengers, rarely making technology new as they instead take old, discarded pieces, and revitalize them as best they can. They are also not above stealing loosely-guarded supplies and equipment. The Rishiq culture is based on the Bedouin.
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*The Rishiq are known as the Desert Children, for they now view their home as the great expanse which has swallowed up the world of their ancestors.
*The Rishiq are also called the Desert Children in mocking terms by other Qadir, who believe the Rishiq are simply criminals and rogues, delinquents in every sense of the term, with their sand-surfing machine boards, and strange mannerisms.
*The Rishiq have stolen Regalian-provided supplies from the Qadir of the Al-Alus Peninsula, giving them firearms which they now make frequent use of.
*The Rishiq speak Faraddi, but a broken, harsh version of it filled with slang terms unfamiliar to other Qadir which, while intelligible, must be learned.
*The Rishiq have mapped the sites known to be epicenters of [[Seleya, the Sandmother]]’s influence in detail, avoiding them at all costs, and warning fellow Qadir to avoid such places should they intercept them in time. Songaskia, meanwhile, get no such treatment.
*The Rishiq are sometimes confused for the Sadeir, as both are enigmatic desert beings, but also due to the wrapping of bandages around their form. The Sadeir, however, are as hostile to the Rishiq as they are to all others.
*The Rishiq are extraordinarily rare to see away from Farah’deen. The most likely reason for such a visit is family related, as the Rishiq absorb social outcasts from the other three cultures, and so may have ties in other lands. Some younger Rishiq are also just plain restless, and desire to see how other Qadir in other places get on.
*The Rishiq have a neutral to negative view about the Occult, having suffered attacks by the Songaskia for years. However, some in their number are Magic-users, and are often viewed as exceptions to the rule due to their efforts benefitting their small community.
*The Rishiq favor shades of orange, brown, yellow and red, the hues of the desert, while they are represented by the symbolism of shadows, daggers, rusting parts, and firearms.
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====Language and Naming Customs====
The Qadir all uniformly speak the Faraddi language (similar to real world Arabic/Urdu), with little to no dialect or accent variation, despite the long distances of isolation between Qadir communities. Whereas Ailor accents and dialects rapidly split, the strong communication and travel between the Hadriyas continues to enforce a single language interpretation that has stood the test of time and has likely barely changed since the days of the Sariyd Empire. Qadir naming principles are very similar to Ailor principles, following the first name to surname principle, though how they construct their names differ. While for example an Ailor might be called Albert Alvington, naming principles that define where a person is from, Qadir rather name their children something specific that says something about them after reading their Soul-skin. For example, if a Soul-skin reader predicts that a child will become a witty scholar, their parents may call them “Wise One”, or Hakim in Faraddi, or Hakimi as the female variant. Here follows a list of possible first names with male translation first, followed by female translation:
* Wise One = Hakim, Hakimi
* Money Maker = Sanalmal, Sanalmali
* Deep Digger = Hafaream, Hafareama
* Beautiful One = Jamil, Jamila
* Strong One = Qawiun, Qawiuna
* Commander = Amir, Amira
* Liberator = Muharar, Muhara
* Fleeting One = Aabirah, Aabiraha
* Brilliant One = Baahir, Baahira
* High Reacher = Aalih, Aaliyah
* Devoted One = Aakif, Aakifa
* Light Bringer = Zohar, Zoha
 
Surnames follow much the same logic, though are often more based around what the majority of the family is known for. For example, a child born from Qadir that produce Clockwork lights and maintain a network of street lamps would be Light-Bringer, so Zohar. A child that is predicted to become a commander of the Zohar family would thus be called Amir Zohar, though it is also possible for a child to be predicted to become a skilled light-crafter, and thus be called Zohar Zohar or Zoha Zohar, this is not considered strange in Qadir culture even if outsiders think that double names sound silly.
 
====Laws====
Qadir society has very strict laws, but tends to be more loose on scientific scrutiny than other nations. Whereas many acts of scientific research in Essences are tightly regulated, no such restrictions exist in Qadir society. That being said, the Qadir do have the Bayt Al’akhlaq, or the House of Ethics, where a board of members determines the societal ethics of certain research, which can sometimes come across as overly controlling to ensure ethical research. Qadir while still in primary education (which is what the Qadir call schooling up until adulthood) are rigorously taught and tested on an ethical compass for their research (with the exception of the Hadrityas in the Dread Empire which are known to skirt the rules out of pragmatism while existing in such a cruel nation state). The Qadir legal system never imprisons or kills, rather, if a criminal is deemed too dangerous for society, they are simply expelled and banished from Qadir society, their name struck from the records and entry into Hadrityas banned.
 
====Family Lifestyle====
Qadir families are very similar to Ailor families in that they have a nuclear mother and father parentage, and immediate children. Grandparents usually live nearby but in different buildings, and siblings usually live across the city or Hadriya of one another. Same-sex relations are very normal in Qadir society, but polyamory is not. Marriage does not traditionally exist in Qadir society, but they do have a system for registered cohabitation or civil-union for the purposes of bureaucratic paperwork and taxation, as the Qadir do not have an income tax or tariff, but rather pay a property tax on things owned at all times, which tends to be more lenient to reproducing families. Households in Qadir society are usually considered well-off, as many of the simple household tasks are taken care of by Clocktik spiders and other Clockwork devices, and so children play a lot in their early years, while being nannied by very basic Clockwork nannies. Once reaching the age of 5, Qadir children enter primary education, which can last up to age 20, but it is also possible to leave earlier at age 16 to travel the world. Qadir education is upheld as one of the most efficient and well-thought out education systems in the world, nearly the entirety of Qadir society is literate, and capable of performing complex arithmetics, philosophy, and physics understanding. Children live at home with their parents for much longer than is usual in other cultures. Qadir children sometimes do not leave the house of their parents until the age of 30, or if they are bonded in union with another person a few years earlier. This is largely because, while still living at home, the property tax system defers to the household-leader (which can be either the mother or father) while the child gets a considerably lower tax rate. Gender roles in Qadir society are effectively nonexistent. The state is in all intents and purposes blind to gender, there is no difference in gendered tasks, occupations or expectations. Men can wear women’s clothing, and women can wear men’s clothing. Gender of a child is not registered at birth either, and truly the only gendered data that is recorded by the state is the name, which usually has a suffix when given to a woman, where-as the man simply has the straightforward translation of the words as his name.
 
====Literature====
Qadir treatises on physics and Clockwork [[Metallurgy]] are famous around the world, but the Qasr script is often forgotten about. Qasr script is a vertical line of holes and dents in paper that can be read by certain Clockwork machines. It is frequently used to make Clockwork machines read lots of information quickly, but can also be used to teach a Clockwork machine designed to imitate an orchestra or organ to play a tune. Finally, Qasr is actually also readable to blind people, and any blind Qadir is taught to read Qasr script by feeling the changes in the texture of paper, meaning that the blind among the Qadir are the only blind in the world that are able to read to some degree (only blind Qadir are allowed to be able to read Qasr, it cannot be taught to other Races). Qadir literature is very pragmatic, and very little in the way of fantasy or fiction exists. Libraries usually contain more scholarly documents than writings for pure entertainment, though this does not mean that the Qadir are devoid of linguistic leisure. In fact, many scholarly treatises often have an element of comedy, as it is very usual for Qadir scholars to try and make the endless intellectual pursuits and productions at least somewhat fun to consume, without sacrificing on the intellectual value of them.
 
====The Arts====
Qadir art, which should not be surprising, is largely dominated by Brass and Copper construction, particularly statues. There exists an art called Jadar Alharaka, or the art of the Wall of Movement. In this practice, a wall-segment or lattice is built where-in a set of Clockwork wheels spin or move back and forth, against each other, creating a motion within the wall. This motion is often considered artistic, with the gears having colors or drawings on them that while in motion produce optical illusions. The art also praises the harmonious construction of such Walls of Movement, with each gear carefully placed, symmetrically or asymmetrically, each with a specific intent and meaning. Sometimes gears are meant to imitate the landscape and the movement of grass in the wind, and sometimes the rolling clouds and thunder is emulated with copper rods that spin downward each time a gear rolls them into position, before pulling it back. These Walls of Movement have sometimes also been called perpetual-paintings, in that the gears are often moved together in such a way that shapes can be made out, but in an always moving fashion on account of each part being interconnected and powered by Qatil batteries. Besides the obvious gear and brass based art, Qadir paint and also draw, though pottery and glass art is nearly nonexistent in Qadir society, as most of their Hadrityas have no windows, but simply open air holes. Despite having no windows, Hadrityas are still filled with light, powered by Clockwork devices that regulate the inside environment. While Qadir art does exist, there is no such thing as a Qadir artist. Qadir art usually comes as a byproduct of someone’s employment, for example: Walls of Movement are usually made by metallurgists who are metallurgist first, artist second. Artistic still-life drawings might be made by stencilers, who are Qadir that draw out Clockwork plans on paper, while their skill to realistically draw shapes comes in handy with art, they primarily work for the workshops. Aesthetics in Qadir society are strong, but they do always come second to pragmatic design and intent.
 
====Fashion====
Qadir fashion is nearly nonexistent. While they do have a national dress-style, Qadir more often than not simply take the dress-styles of other countries and societies as their own. It is very normal to walk around in a Hadriya in Farah’deen and see Qadir wearing clothes from Regalia, the Allorn Empire, and sometimes even from the Songaskians. The Qadir do not really have their own dress-style and in fact enjoy adopting dress-codes of other nations and societies. That being said, Qadir clothing does tend to favor blue and brown/yellow tones for their fabrics, though black is also frequently seen particularly in the military. Turbans are notably Qadir in origins, likely Sariyd, and are widely worn by both men and women in the Hadrityas, but usually not used at all for Qadir living outside of the Hadrityas unless they wish to particularly honor the memory of their home. There is also a wide range of Turban fashion variants, some with a long sash on the back of the head, some with a sash wrapped around the neck and chin, some with a lattice of tassels in front of the face, some with metal plates forming a cone hat, some with varying color patterns and even some worn more like a veil.
 
A strong taboo in Qadir society is for a man to shave their hair, or for a woman to cut their hair short. While it is possible for women to bind up their hair into buns or up-do’s, to cut a woman’s hair short to the Qadir is to emulate the Songaskian women (who frequently are bald), which the Qadir consider uncivilized and barbaric (owing to their history with the Songaskians). Similarly, because most Songaskian men shave their facial hair off, Qadir men tend to keep theirs, and a whole industry of beard fashion has been born in the Qadir lands. Beards can be accessorized with jewelry, and sometimes even hair extensions to make beards fuller and longer with a more stylized look. Another reason why beards are important to the Qadir is likely from the Sariyd culture. While much of the actual context of religion has disappeared since the Qadir long stopped believing in the Sariyd Gods, the superstitious belief that loss of hair was considered a sign of the ill-will of the gods translated even to modern times. Indeed, male-pattern baldness is extremely rare among the Qadir, and most Qadir die of old age with a full beard and hair on their head, or just long hair when female. Some beards are artificially curled with hot tongs, with the ends capped with some sort of brass or gold cap, causing beards to have a more lock-based appearance. Personal grooming for men is very important in Qadir culture. Indeed, it is very rare to find a Qadir male that is un-groomed with a unibrow and unkempt body hair sticking out of a shirt. If any culture were to be described to have metrosexuals, it would be the Qadir.  


====Recreation====
==Language & Naming==
Qadir recreation is often very passive. Many Clockwork theatre devices have puppet shows or whole orchestral compositions, which the Qadir passively listen to while consuming grapes and date wine. While many other Alorian cultures have very physical recreation, Qadir are the exact opposite, wishing to avoid physical strain or even breaking a sweat. Sweat in Qadir society is considered vulgar and embarrassing. It is, in fact, believed that the Qadir invention of the Clockwork cooling box was not meant to create technology for the keeping of food items in a colder environment, but rather a self-cooling device that could prevent transpiration. Qadir have also perfected the art of doing nothing sometimes. For a society that is hyper-productive and so fixated on efficiency, sometimes Qadir recreation just involves “people watching”, where a Qadir might recline on their porch, balcony, or just a chair next to their front door and just watch people passing by. Sometimes this forms conversations, and sometimes the Qadir simply want to sit in silence and watch passers-by. This can also become a more uninvolved form of doing nothing by simply reclining on a sofa and staring at the ceiling. Many Qadir claim this is healthy for their mind and creativity, as it allows their imagination to wander and many brilliant ideas were formed from just taking a break from the world.  
The Qadir Language called [[Zahram]] is based on modern-day Arabic, particularly in the dialects of the Arabian Peninsula. This language has remained unchanged since the Sariyd days, and has only occasionally found the need include foreign words wholesale, as the Qadir approach linguistics with formal educated councils deciding on how to correctly apply Qadir grammar and vocabulary to new concepts. Zahram is spoken across the world particularly because of the Qadir Qasr Al-Muneer which act like small enclaves in foreign lands. Zahram is often used as the language of technology, with a variety of technical terms having been adopted in other languages to describe complex mechanical processes or applications. Qadir naming practices follow Arabic also (but are strongly encouraged to avoid Islamic prophet/persons of importance names like Muhammad, Esa, Adam, Ibrahim, Yaqub, Yusuf, etc.


====Cuisine====
==Conflicts==
Qadir cuisine is not overly complicated and mostly centered around the act of making stews. Because the Qadir take so much time out of their day to work, perform tasks, or specifically do nothing for lengths at a time; stews are the ideal food for Qadir because they often just involve throwing food items into a pot and letting it simmer for hours unattended. Lamb is a staple protein in Qadir society, though the introduction of soy-whey-based protein has also made vegetarian dishes popular in Qadir society. The Qadir are very focused on the concept of micronutrients, believing that each meal must contain a set amount of meat, grains, fruit, nuts, and legumes. Thus, a hearty Qadir stew will have lamb, [[Rice]] which is sometimes also fortified with flour, tomatoes, dates and almonds, celery, and some other leafy or squash vegetable. Qadir always eat with family or friends around a large so-called Tahine, a cone-shaped earthenware cooking pot meant for stews. Single-portion Tahines exist, but most Tahine are family-sized, and some even are jumbo-sized, requiring a large fire to keep warm as the stew simmers. Communal eating is important in Qadir society, as their busy daily lives do not allow for much socialization between family members. As such, dinner is always an important time to let work rest and simply come together to enjoy the company and the food.
A lot of MassiveCraft's lore is constructed around conflicts that are based on religious, historical, or societal grievances. This section aims to set out the various conflict points for this Race, while also attaching some nuance, so that there is wiggle-room for players to not get stuck in endless loops of arguing the basics of societal conflict without clear Character Development or Resolution.
* '''Songaskians:''' The immediate most obvious case of conflict, is with the Songaskians. For hundreds of years, the Qadir believed that the Songaskians (being the inheritors of the Bronze Desert Dragons) were the byproduct of those responsible for the deaths of millions of Qadir during the Great Storm. This resulted in the never-ending war on the Al-Alus to Songaskian Masaya border, where hordes of necromancer corpses fight unmanned machines, a war with no victims, but one that seems endless. The Qadir-Songaskian conflict has since progressed into one less formed around historical reasons, but more about who has rights to own the land. The Qadir claim that the whole of Farah'deen was once their land, and Songaskians quite literally just occupied the cities that were left when the Qadir inhabitants choked out on the Great Storm. As such, this conflict is less about ideology, and more about land ownership.
* '''Ordial Cults:''' The second most obvious case of conflict, is with the Ordial Community. The Qadir care less so about the other Ordial Gods, and can in some cases tolerate them, but have a burning hatred for the Machinist and his ilk. If there is room to tolerate Songaskians in Regalia, there absolutely is not for Machinist worshipers. Yet, the reality is also so that the Machinist still controls hidden schematics and tech that any Qadir would kill for to acquire. This causes a difficult situation where some Qadir may be forced to work with the very thing they hate to get the very thing they love.
* '''Maraya:''' The Maraya conflict is far less about historical grievances and more of a friendly rivalry over technological prowess. The Maraya are dependent on incorporating modern Qadir designs to revive some of their old tech, but in the same vein also deny the Qadir much of their old designs in return. This is not enough to cause open conflict, but many Qadir would describe the Maraya as selfish and duplicitous.
* '''The Occult:''' For the Unionist faithful Qadir, their conflict with the Occult forms much in line with how Dogmatic or Guided Unionism feel about them. There are tolerant Qadir, progressive Qadir who like the inclusion of Magic in society, and purist Qadir who agree with the Lothar Order and want it pushed back. Generally speaking, there is a lot of flexibility, but most Qadir would avoid learning Magic themselves because culturally Magic is seen as a "hack" to avoid having to learn actually intellectually challenging skills.
* '''Dragons:''' The conflict that Qadir have with Dragons (and Archon/Dragon worshipers) is complicated. It is well known now that Dragons were not directly to blame for the Great Storm, and that they too were puppeteered by the Machinist, but the reality still remains that the Dragons just started attacking the Qadir instead of parlaying with them regarding the use of Death Magic during the Sariyd Era. For a Race so reliant on intellectual pursuit, debate, and empiricism, the Dragons and their supporters seem very narrowminded and fanatic to the Qadir. A Qadir will only very rarely agree to become an Archon, because any alignment with the Dragons while not overtly hostile, is certainly problematic.
* '''Rishiq:''' The Rishiq are a branch of old-worship Qadir who still follow the Machinist, and mostly reside in the Farahdeen deserts while avoiding the detection of the Songaskians who patrol the desert sands. The Rishiq are old believers in that they were mostly accidental or fringe survivors of the Great Storm who did not want to join up with the Al-Alus survivors, or who rejected Al-Asir as their new God/Leader. These Qadir have advanced technology, but retain their loyalty to the Machinist, while their Sirr al-Hayat are still the old Death-script rather than the more modern cleansed variant. Qadir aren't openly hostile to Rishiq, but approach them with great caution as Rishiq are fiercely territorial and hostile to anyone trying to steal or learn tech from them. (Rishiq can be played in Regalia, but recommended for more underworld/hermit characters, because they do not thrive so well in highly populated areas, but could reasonably exist because of other Ordial Cultists in Regalia).  


===Religion===
==Power Source==
The Qadir once upon a time believed in the Sariyd Gods, a barely recorded or remembered polytheistic pantheon of gods of the desert. Belief in the Sariyd Gods has long faded, however, as the destruction of the Sariyd Empire was such a traumatic event to the proto-Qadir that there came into being a societal belief that the Gods had abandoned them, or that the Gods were simply dead. There is some evidence to suggest Sariyd Gods might have at some point or another existed and interacted with the Sariyd, but their interactions waned in the last few centuries leading up to Cataclysm. Their utter abandonment during the arrival of the Songaskians and subsequent wars meant that the Gods were simply dead. As such, many Qadir are believed to be god-less, but this is not exactly true. While it remains so that many Qadir say “The Gods are Dead”, the second half is often omitted by outsiders, being: “So we built our own God.” Indeed, the Qadir believe in a religion called the Faith of Esrah Alwattah, or just Esrah Alwattah. The core tenet of this religion is technological progress, but more-so for the sake of building a more perfect god for the Qadir people.  
Many would wonder, where does much of the Tech Qadir produce come from? Originally, this technology was all fueled by the Machinist. Power was directly drawn from the Beyond and Ordial Magics, meaning all Qadir technology was in essence fueled by Death Magic. This choice became their downfall, but with the arrival of Al-Asir, their power source changed. While the original Qadir were covered in Death-Script Sirr al-Hayat (tattoos) which were used as a conduit to funnel Death Magic into the power sources of their machines, when Al-Asir was adopted by the Qadir people, their Sirr al-Hayat changed to what they are in the modern era, cleansed of the influences of the Beyond. In essence, the Sirr al-Hayat are a method for the Qadir to manifest the power of their Gods into the work that they do, even for those who do not believe in Al-Asir as a Unionist deity and rejection Unionism as a whole, their spiritual connection still moves their machines. As such, Qadir machines (Clockwork largely by extension) in the modern era is fueled by Unionism or more specifically the endless power of the Everwatcher, which is invested in Al-Asir, who shares it among his people through the Sirr al-Hayat. There exists however Ordial powered Clockwork as well, particularly that made by the Rishiq, and in theory any other power source can be used to substitute (Leylines/Dragon power, Estelley power, Arken power, etc.).


More recently, the massive Clockwork giant built in Hadr Noor has been dubbed “Esrah Alwattah ‘Awal Mushaya,” meaning the First walking Esrah Alwattah. The Qadir do not outwardly worship this machine but do acknowledge its artificial-divinity from the tasks it has set out for itself, which is chiefly to protect the Qadir people. This Esrah Alwattah walks the deserts of Farah’deen, pushing back against the Songaskians and wiping out armies sent forth to continue the endless war against the Qadir. Indeed, the Qadir have a very expectant relationship with their gods; they do not outwardly praise them or pray to them but simply expect to be protected and helped by their gods in exchange for their belief. Religion is highly transactional in Qadir society, where the Qadir consider the very concept of even believing in the divinity of a being as all the praise and worship needed. A Qadir will never pray or go to sermons because these are considered time-wasting trivialities. It is also possible that, while there is currently only one official Esrah Alwattah, in the future there may be more and the Qadir will then officially become a polytheistic religion again. There is almost an expectation that the current Esrah Alwattah eventually breaks down, or will need to be upgraded, so much in the ways of religious practice is about researching new ways to perfect the Esrah Alwattah, or build more, with different purposes. As such, it could best be said that the Qadir have an entirely artificial religion with artificial gods and the intention to make more of them.  
==Religion==
Qadir Religion is both a matter of faith and civics, because the line between them is fairly blurry, at least in Al-Alus. Most of the Qadir are Unionist, observing primarily Al-Asir as machine-hand of the Everwatcher, and by extension many of the other Unionist Gods. Most Qadir profess a preference for Guided Unionism, because of its inherent mixing of intellectualism with faith, though a sizable Dogmatic community does exist. Below that in number are Al-Asir Unitarians, which means they acknowledge Al-Asir as their God, the Everwatcher as the greater entity that Al-Asir represents, but reject the divinity of the other Unionist Gods and the Emperor of Regalia (though still acknowledging his secular power). Below that in number are the agnostics, those who acknowledge the existence of gods, but prefer to see Al-Asir more as a civic secular figure than a figure in needing of worship. This is both acceptable to Qadir society at large and very viable, Al-Asir never forces faith in him, and treats everyone fairly, even those who do not observe the Everwatcher because of his intense generosity, kindness, and curiosity to all visitors in Al-Alus. Much the same are the anti-theists, those who are forcefully against the concept of religion as a whole and blame spirituality for much of the ails of Qadir history. And finally, there are the Ordial Cultists, either those in Al-Alus who hide their old loyalties, or the Rishiq who openly still worship the Machinist, believing his technological promise of power to be more true than Al-Asir's promise of unity.


===Attitude to the Occult===
==Death Rites==
Qadir have a very ambivalent attitude towards any Occult such as for example [[Mages]], [[Silven]], [[Vampires]] or Cahal. Normally speaking, the Occult are not legal within the Qadir Hadrityas. The Qadir generally believe that the Occult represent an infection risk to their highly fragile and sensitive Soul-Essence powered machinery. Many Occult, even when benign, are expelled from Hadrityas and Qadir society because of the risk of collateral damage. That being said, there are no overt negative attitudes towards them, and this precaution of banishment is only taken to protect the machines, not because the Qadir hate them. Vampires and Cahal are more universally disliked and illegal in Qadir society, but Vampires barely have a presence among them, as Hadrityas already tend to be very closed off to foreigners. Hadritya living conditions are also relatively packed with very little free space away from prying eyes, and as such, Vampires find it hard to thrive, lacking dark alleys and tunnels to perform their sanguine craft in.  
Qadir Death Rites are extremely unique in the world, and considerably strange in the view of Unionism. Both in contradiction of Unionism, and yet encouraged by it through Al-Asir and the necessity of loss of population during the Great Storm, the Qadir do not actually let the souls of the dead pass on fully to the afterlife. This is also the reason why Qadir are the only people who can reasonably be Atheist without having their soul condemned to the Beyond in death (superhell), as part of their soul remains anchored on the mortal plane during death, so long as other Qadir are nearby to perform the final rites. When a Qadir dies, their Membanks are connected to the Mehd al-Maut (translated to Cradle of Death), which are a type of machine that collects all the memories of the deceased person, even after death, so long as they haven't been dead for more than a few days. In the Mehd al-Maut, part of the soul is anchored, meaning it is prevented from passing on, but it is also made incapable of turning into a Spirit or Undead because the core of the soul is locked up in the machine. The Mehd al-Maut usually houses several hundred souls, and become a collective of thought and knowledge that is very useful to the Qadir. They are often treated as super computers capable of complex calculations and logical predictions. Mehd al-Maut are usually scrubbed of emotions and individuality, it is not the same as a formal afterlife, though Al-Asir has promised that when Unionist Paradise comes, that the Qadir who watched over their kin in death will be freed from Mehd al-Maut and rejoin the living. Mehd al-Maut are an ancient technology, dating back to the Sariyd Empire. This means that some Mehd al-Maut can in fact be Ordial controlled, and contain malicious Spirits from the Beyond, especially those controlled by the Rishiq. Many are also still rumored to be dormant, hidden in old Sariyd ruins.  


There are exceptions: Some Hadrityas have developed insulated underground tunnels using a mixture of [[Magestone]] and [[Lapis Lazuli]] plated walls to house the occult in underground complexes with very little sunlight. These regions are not so much prisons, as the Occult are free to roam within, as they are more like bunkers to prevent any Essence from corrupting machinery above ground. Living conditions in these underground complexes are usually fairly good, with air conditioning and lots of light. That being said, many Occult end up being experimented upon or with, as the Qadir seek to better understand the place and functions of Soul Essence. It could perhaps be said that the Qadir have in fact funded the most research into Soul Essence and Planar Essence theory in general.
==Fashion==
Qadir fashion is varied, ranging from what we IRL would consider fantasy Arabic, to the traditional wear of the Rajput or Omani people. A very common fabric choice for the Qadir is silk because of its breathing and light yet strong properties, especially with shades of blue, brown, and orange or copper. Gold is a color frequently avoided in traditional Qadir clothing, preferring brass or bronze for jewelry, while the color green as a strong accent or dominating color is avoided because of the inherent associations with the Beyond. Qadir Fashion tends to be fairly fluid because many of them do not spend a second thought on clothing expressions, preferring the merit of their mind and words to do the talking than impressions of their dressing style. Additionally, many Qadir live in foreign lands where it often pays off to adopt local customs, so truly traditional Qadir clothing is often only worn in Al-Asir, while Qadir living abroad (and particularly Regalia) experiment a lot with styles and clothing types of foreign cultures. The Qadir do not formally have a dress-code, they can wear as much or as little as they like, and have no real distinction between female or male styled clothing either.  


===Relations with other Races===
==World View==
The Qadir are a monolithic state, meaning all Hadrityas are part of the same asymmetrical federation and there is no such thing as a Qadir society or community outside of this interconnected web of fortified scholar-cities. Generally speaking the Hadrityas in Farah’deen are more centralized and have less autonomy than the ones further from the unofficial capital of Al-Alus. As such, Qadir relations with other Races are usually defined through the lens of what the federation sees as good diplomacy. In the modern day, the Qadir are most closely allied to the Ailor, and many Qadir and Ailor exchange places in each other’s society. It is generally believed that nearly 5% of the Regalian Empire’s population is Qadir, while nearly 10% of Qadir society has now become Ailor, making both societies interlinked. That being said, while Qadir do live very interconnected with Ailor society, the Ailor living in Qadir society often live segregated in Ailor neighborhoods or quarters away from the more closely guarded secret archives and storages. There is always still a healthy level of distrust from the Qadir for their Ailor allies and distant [[Asha]] friends, while their hatred for the Songaskians remains strong, and their apathy to the Nelfin Races continues.  
* Qadir relations with Regalia are fairly complex. At a base, they are natural allies, because of their Ailor proximity to each other, but the Qadir also fiercely refuse to be incorporated into the Regalian Empire and to become a part of it fully. They trade and are part of the Regalian economy by using the Regal as legal tender, and allow Regalian navies to lay anchor in their harbors, but refuse to become part of this "Beautiful mess" - as they call it. The Qadir consider Regalia to be an inefficient bureaucracy led by a morally corrupt nobility. The Qadir believe Regalia is far too anarchy ridden to be a good state to be part of, with anti-intellectual movements within its own leading classes, but still acknowledge that Regalia is the most viable path for them to exist in the world with a formal protector and ally.
* Qadir Ethics are sometimes criticized by other Races and Societies because of its apparent lack of any standard whatsoever. The Qadir value progress above most other things, so as long as they can avoid causing harm to sentient other persons, most experimentation is permitted. This includes but is not limited to the creation of artificial homunculi for the purposes of experimentation, as soul-less homunculi lack sentience and awareness to express or experience suffering. When a Qadir applies a standard of ethics, that is entirely imposed by themselves, and only by their own moral guiding.  
* The Qadir lack nobility in the sense that Regalia has it, inherited wealth, fame, and power, bereft of actual skill. This is largely also a point of criticism of the Qadir of Regalia's autocracy: the fact that Nobles can sabotage the government either because they want to, or because of sheer incompetence and a sense of entitlement to power. Qadir do however have famous families, descendants of famous investors who are held to a higher standard and may approach more public funding than other poorer families would for the hopes their descendants might rub off on some of the genius of their ancestors (it usually does not).  
* Qadir are body purists, largely because damaging or replacing parts of their body has adverse effects on their ability to produce the technology they are famous for. Removing both arms of a Qadir for example, seriously hampers their ability to call upon the powers of Al-Asir to fuel the Qatil batteries that power their Clockwork machines. The concept of replacing all one's organs with Chassis modifications as such is considered taboo among the Qadir, but very common among the Rishiq, who are not hampered from funneling the powers of the Machinist through their prosthetic replacements.  
* Despite being intellectually informed about the ongoings of the world, the Qadir are woefully bereft of actual policy on many Affinities, Afflictions, and Magical conditions. They vaguely know they exist, like Marken, but show utter indifference to them, and have no common policy in society on how to deal with them or how to interact with them. As such, there is no communally enforced opinion or stance towards the Occult, save for the general sentiment that those reliant on Magic are probably a little bit intellectually challenged because they replace actual complex thoughts and understanding of physics and the world with Magic shortcuts.


==Trivia==
{{Peoples}}
* There is no such thing as research patents and secrets in Qadir society. When a Qadir has invented something, it immediately becomes public property. The inventor is usually rewarded with a few years of tax exemption.
* That being said, funding for research is extremely lax and easy to acquire in the Hadrityas. It is even possible for foreigners to pitch a concept for research to the Alats of the Hadrityas to request funding.
* The loss of a Hadritya is considered extremely traumatizing to the Qadir, though luckily it has been over a hundred years since the last Hadritya was destroyed by an Altalar Prince who was dissatisfied with the Qadir hoarding technology behind closed walls. Indeed, many Hadrityas are not well liked by nearby living locals, as the Qadir within those walls remain closed off and secretive, while only helping outsiders with the bare minimum.
*Qadir have developed a unique script, called Qasr Script, which is a form of hole/dented writing. It also allows for blind individuals to read, using it.
*The Rishiq Qadir are said to sometime speak of the ancient Sariyd pantheon as if they were still present in Aloria, and not dead, as many suggest they are.
{{Races}}
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[[Category:Races]] [[category:Human Races]]
[[Category:Races]] [[category:Human Races]]

Latest revision as of 21:42, 10 March 2024

Qadir Ailor
Ashkhas Minara (in Zahram)
Qadirflag3.png
Motto: "Between the Machines of Knowledge and Ages of Wonder."
Amwwir2.png
Nation State Al-Alus
Ruler Technocratic Council by Examination
Other Present Regalian Empire
Languages Zahram, Common
Religion Unionism
First Recorded 10,000 BC
Demonym(s) Qadiriq

The Qadir Ailor are a Lineage of Ailor that shares a common ancestry with Ailor, but diverged at a point in history when their people moved northeast into the unforgiving deserts of Ard-al Nur. Lineages sit somewhere in between a Culture and a Subrace, meaning the Qadir are not quite as distant from Ailor so as to be a full-fledged different Race altogether, but are also not as simple as just a different culture. Being technicians, engineers, and scholars, if ever the world had a people that could be described as the world’s most technologically gifted, it would be them. The Qadir were reborn from the ruins of their Sariyd Empire, still lingering in the desert sands, sending echoes of past technological glories to anyone brave enough to venture deep into the drought. The Qadir are famous for their highly advanced technology, with most of the world's technological advances being generated by the studious Qadir engineers, producing clockwork devices ranging from household equipment to military technology and vehicles. There is no upper limit to the curiosity and capacity for invention among the Qadir: they are not a people beset with dreams of conquest and subjugation, but of progress and fame. When referring to Qadir Ailor, one can use either Qadir Ailor, or just Qadir, but they should never be lumped in with all Ailor, as that is offensive to their unique culture and history away from their Ailor cousins.

Design

Qadir are visually similar to their Ailor cousins, but different in some key ways. Skin tones for Qadir Ailor range only from Middle-Eastern, to Northern African, to Sahel-African, or Central Asian, strictly with darker to darkest skin tones (even if some white-coded people live in these regions). Qadir have a wide range of hair colors available, but also some that are unusual among Ailor: creamy beige, and crimson red. A very unique trait of the Qadir, is that they have sandstone-colored irises. Secondly, they have a curious skin-pigmentation that the Qadir Ailor call "Sirr al-Hayat" (Secret of Life), which involves a mandala-like pigmentation on the back of their hands that grows up their arms as they age, recording shapes reminiscent of important events in their lives in typical henna fashion. These pigmentations can have any color, change color part-ways, or faintly glow. Each Qadir Ailor has these Sirr al-Hayat, which usually end around their shoulders or chest when they die of old age. Qadir Ailor are a deeply intellectual and curious Race, valuing knowledge over (what their culture considers) the crude pursuits of warfare and combat. While this curiosity can just as well be averted to Magic or the pursuit of a martial lifestyle, most Qadir Ailor invest their time in technological innovation and scholarly learning. Qadir Ailor tend to be introverted and book-wise rather than street-wise, with other Race sometimes accusing them of being self-absorbed or abrasive, when in reality they lack an understanding of how other societies operate.

Why Qadir in Regalia

Why Qadir in Regalia is a section designed to give (new) Players some idea for why a Race might want to be in Regalia, as opposed to their homeland, as some Races are heavily homeland-coded and may need some contrivances to actually Roleplay in Regalia, where all the on-server activity takes place. While you can usually extrapolate other reasons from the Lore on this page, this section provides a few easy-access suggestions.

  • Center of Learning: While Qadir schools are great for learning, only Regalia provides a cosmopolitan environment with other Races, Cultures, and Religions all living together. This presents a unique environment for knowledge sharing, that Qadir will not have easy access to elsewhere. Regalia also has some of the best schools, causing Qadir to migrate to Regalia, and eventually settle after graduation.
  • Center of Chaos: Qadir Technicians in general love having test subjects, and where better than the center of the world's chaos, Regalia, where there are plenty of gullible Nobles who will buy pointless tech gadgets, or criminals running around free upon whom to test new inventions without guilt. Regalia is a great place to get rich, or at least gain invaluable test-field insight in the function of inventions.
  • Center of Wealth: While it was already partially mentioned in the previous point, Regalia is the capital of the world's commerce (at least the world which accepts the Regal as legal tender). Many Qadir have "made it big" by moving to Regalia, and peddling their services for Mercenaries who keep losing arms to be replaced with prosthetics, or Nobles who think: "It's bread, how much could it cost, 10,000 Regals?".
  • Center of Freedom: Qadir society can sometimes have a suffocating focus on Technology. Sometimes Qadir are just born with zero interest in innovation and tech, and have a far greater curiosity towards Magic or the Occult. While Al-Alus has restrictions on the use of Magic, Regalia is generally seen more loose, and allows a Qadir to easily find teachers and mentors to widen their horizons with the forbidden arts.

Heritage Traits

When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.

Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).

Free Packs

Mechanics

  • Qadir do not need to choose a Tech Branch, they are able to build/edit/repair any Branch. Try to be conscientious when other players feel pushed out of their niche however!
  • Qadir are able to store memories being recorded in Memkeys. This does not stop Magic from tampering with Memories, but allows visual-auditory storage at the end of the day.
  • Qadir can make lore equivalent VR glasses to watch Memkeys, recommending players to write Lore Stories about experiences as recordings for others to watch (read).
  • Qadir can trap/rig their Rental/Base/Estate to give them advance warning of a break-in or unauthorized entry, needing to be OOC notified when and where a break-in occurs.
  • Qadir may be able to do a perception check on Machines or Tech during Events to learn more about them or unlock unique interactions that other people do not have.

History

This section covers a brief version of Qadir Ailor and extended Sariyd history. For a full understanding of Sariyd History, read said page. It is however possible to roleplay a Qadir correctly without ever having read this page. The Qadir are an old Race that long pre-dates the Cataclysm, though is not older than the founding of the Allorn Empire. The Qadir were one of the first branches of the Ailor Race that civilized into formal sovereign nations, and were able to largely deter Elven interference in their development. Somewhere through history, one Qadir tribe fell in with the Ordial Cultism God the Machinist, who they eventually betrayed and "killed", making them the only Race to have verifiably killed an actual God. However, due to infighting and politics after the fact, this God was reborn and plotted an ultimate revenge on the Qadir without them knowing. Drawing the Qadir into conflict with the Dragons, the Machinist eventually tricked the Dragons into accidentally wiping a large portion of the Qadir population out of existence with the Great Storm, leaving them greatly diminished. Through a pre-Unionist manifestation of a Unionist God, the Qadir were able to replace the corrosive death-magic fueled machines with Everwatcher-fueled machines. Over the centuries since, the Qadir have fought an unending war with the Songaskians, who walked from the Great Storm as the inheritors of the Dragons and usurped much of their once held territory. In the modern Era, the Qadir are not nearly as limited in number as the Dwarves, but are still considerably reduced in global power due to their population numbers. They are still considered the world's most gifted technicians and engineers, constantly at the forefront of technological advances, and having been formally allied (but not incorporated) to the Regalian Empire, creating a sense of security and community, with a healthy movement of ideas and people between the Al-Alus homeland and Regalia.

Language & Naming

The Qadir Language called Zahram is based on modern-day Arabic, particularly in the dialects of the Arabian Peninsula. This language has remained unchanged since the Sariyd days, and has only occasionally found the need include foreign words wholesale, as the Qadir approach linguistics with formal educated councils deciding on how to correctly apply Qadir grammar and vocabulary to new concepts. Zahram is spoken across the world particularly because of the Qadir Qasr Al-Muneer which act like small enclaves in foreign lands. Zahram is often used as the language of technology, with a variety of technical terms having been adopted in other languages to describe complex mechanical processes or applications. Qadir naming practices follow Arabic also (but are strongly encouraged to avoid Islamic prophet/persons of importance names like Muhammad, Esa, Adam, Ibrahim, Yaqub, Yusuf, etc.

Conflicts

A lot of MassiveCraft's lore is constructed around conflicts that are based on religious, historical, or societal grievances. This section aims to set out the various conflict points for this Race, while also attaching some nuance, so that there is wiggle-room for players to not get stuck in endless loops of arguing the basics of societal conflict without clear Character Development or Resolution.

  • Songaskians: The immediate most obvious case of conflict, is with the Songaskians. For hundreds of years, the Qadir believed that the Songaskians (being the inheritors of the Bronze Desert Dragons) were the byproduct of those responsible for the deaths of millions of Qadir during the Great Storm. This resulted in the never-ending war on the Al-Alus to Songaskian Masaya border, where hordes of necromancer corpses fight unmanned machines, a war with no victims, but one that seems endless. The Qadir-Songaskian conflict has since progressed into one less formed around historical reasons, but more about who has rights to own the land. The Qadir claim that the whole of Farah'deen was once their land, and Songaskians quite literally just occupied the cities that were left when the Qadir inhabitants choked out on the Great Storm. As such, this conflict is less about ideology, and more about land ownership.
  • Ordial Cults: The second most obvious case of conflict, is with the Ordial Community. The Qadir care less so about the other Ordial Gods, and can in some cases tolerate them, but have a burning hatred for the Machinist and his ilk. If there is room to tolerate Songaskians in Regalia, there absolutely is not for Machinist worshipers. Yet, the reality is also so that the Machinist still controls hidden schematics and tech that any Qadir would kill for to acquire. This causes a difficult situation where some Qadir may be forced to work with the very thing they hate to get the very thing they love.
  • Maraya: The Maraya conflict is far less about historical grievances and more of a friendly rivalry over technological prowess. The Maraya are dependent on incorporating modern Qadir designs to revive some of their old tech, but in the same vein also deny the Qadir much of their old designs in return. This is not enough to cause open conflict, but many Qadir would describe the Maraya as selfish and duplicitous.
  • The Occult: For the Unionist faithful Qadir, their conflict with the Occult forms much in line with how Dogmatic or Guided Unionism feel about them. There are tolerant Qadir, progressive Qadir who like the inclusion of Magic in society, and purist Qadir who agree with the Lothar Order and want it pushed back. Generally speaking, there is a lot of flexibility, but most Qadir would avoid learning Magic themselves because culturally Magic is seen as a "hack" to avoid having to learn actually intellectually challenging skills.
  • Dragons: The conflict that Qadir have with Dragons (and Archon/Dragon worshipers) is complicated. It is well known now that Dragons were not directly to blame for the Great Storm, and that they too were puppeteered by the Machinist, but the reality still remains that the Dragons just started attacking the Qadir instead of parlaying with them regarding the use of Death Magic during the Sariyd Era. For a Race so reliant on intellectual pursuit, debate, and empiricism, the Dragons and their supporters seem very narrowminded and fanatic to the Qadir. A Qadir will only very rarely agree to become an Archon, because any alignment with the Dragons while not overtly hostile, is certainly problematic.
  • Rishiq: The Rishiq are a branch of old-worship Qadir who still follow the Machinist, and mostly reside in the Farahdeen deserts while avoiding the detection of the Songaskians who patrol the desert sands. The Rishiq are old believers in that they were mostly accidental or fringe survivors of the Great Storm who did not want to join up with the Al-Alus survivors, or who rejected Al-Asir as their new God/Leader. These Qadir have advanced technology, but retain their loyalty to the Machinist, while their Sirr al-Hayat are still the old Death-script rather than the more modern cleansed variant. Qadir aren't openly hostile to Rishiq, but approach them with great caution as Rishiq are fiercely territorial and hostile to anyone trying to steal or learn tech from them. (Rishiq can be played in Regalia, but recommended for more underworld/hermit characters, because they do not thrive so well in highly populated areas, but could reasonably exist because of other Ordial Cultists in Regalia).

Power Source

Many would wonder, where does much of the Tech Qadir produce come from? Originally, this technology was all fueled by the Machinist. Power was directly drawn from the Beyond and Ordial Magics, meaning all Qadir technology was in essence fueled by Death Magic. This choice became their downfall, but with the arrival of Al-Asir, their power source changed. While the original Qadir were covered in Death-Script Sirr al-Hayat (tattoos) which were used as a conduit to funnel Death Magic into the power sources of their machines, when Al-Asir was adopted by the Qadir people, their Sirr al-Hayat changed to what they are in the modern era, cleansed of the influences of the Beyond. In essence, the Sirr al-Hayat are a method for the Qadir to manifest the power of their Gods into the work that they do, even for those who do not believe in Al-Asir as a Unionist deity and rejection Unionism as a whole, their spiritual connection still moves their machines. As such, Qadir machines (Clockwork largely by extension) in the modern era is fueled by Unionism or more specifically the endless power of the Everwatcher, which is invested in Al-Asir, who shares it among his people through the Sirr al-Hayat. There exists however Ordial powered Clockwork as well, particularly that made by the Rishiq, and in theory any other power source can be used to substitute (Leylines/Dragon power, Estelley power, Arken power, etc.).

Religion

Qadir Religion is both a matter of faith and civics, because the line between them is fairly blurry, at least in Al-Alus. Most of the Qadir are Unionist, observing primarily Al-Asir as machine-hand of the Everwatcher, and by extension many of the other Unionist Gods. Most Qadir profess a preference for Guided Unionism, because of its inherent mixing of intellectualism with faith, though a sizable Dogmatic community does exist. Below that in number are Al-Asir Unitarians, which means they acknowledge Al-Asir as their God, the Everwatcher as the greater entity that Al-Asir represents, but reject the divinity of the other Unionist Gods and the Emperor of Regalia (though still acknowledging his secular power). Below that in number are the agnostics, those who acknowledge the existence of gods, but prefer to see Al-Asir more as a civic secular figure than a figure in needing of worship. This is both acceptable to Qadir society at large and very viable, Al-Asir never forces faith in him, and treats everyone fairly, even those who do not observe the Everwatcher because of his intense generosity, kindness, and curiosity to all visitors in Al-Alus. Much the same are the anti-theists, those who are forcefully against the concept of religion as a whole and blame spirituality for much of the ails of Qadir history. And finally, there are the Ordial Cultists, either those in Al-Alus who hide their old loyalties, or the Rishiq who openly still worship the Machinist, believing his technological promise of power to be more true than Al-Asir's promise of unity.

Death Rites

Qadir Death Rites are extremely unique in the world, and considerably strange in the view of Unionism. Both in contradiction of Unionism, and yet encouraged by it through Al-Asir and the necessity of loss of population during the Great Storm, the Qadir do not actually let the souls of the dead pass on fully to the afterlife. This is also the reason why Qadir are the only people who can reasonably be Atheist without having their soul condemned to the Beyond in death (superhell), as part of their soul remains anchored on the mortal plane during death, so long as other Qadir are nearby to perform the final rites. When a Qadir dies, their Membanks are connected to the Mehd al-Maut (translated to Cradle of Death), which are a type of machine that collects all the memories of the deceased person, even after death, so long as they haven't been dead for more than a few days. In the Mehd al-Maut, part of the soul is anchored, meaning it is prevented from passing on, but it is also made incapable of turning into a Spirit or Undead because the core of the soul is locked up in the machine. The Mehd al-Maut usually houses several hundred souls, and become a collective of thought and knowledge that is very useful to the Qadir. They are often treated as super computers capable of complex calculations and logical predictions. Mehd al-Maut are usually scrubbed of emotions and individuality, it is not the same as a formal afterlife, though Al-Asir has promised that when Unionist Paradise comes, that the Qadir who watched over their kin in death will be freed from Mehd al-Maut and rejoin the living. Mehd al-Maut are an ancient technology, dating back to the Sariyd Empire. This means that some Mehd al-Maut can in fact be Ordial controlled, and contain malicious Spirits from the Beyond, especially those controlled by the Rishiq. Many are also still rumored to be dormant, hidden in old Sariyd ruins.

Fashion

Qadir fashion is varied, ranging from what we IRL would consider fantasy Arabic, to the traditional wear of the Rajput or Omani people. A very common fabric choice for the Qadir is silk because of its breathing and light yet strong properties, especially with shades of blue, brown, and orange or copper. Gold is a color frequently avoided in traditional Qadir clothing, preferring brass or bronze for jewelry, while the color green as a strong accent or dominating color is avoided because of the inherent associations with the Beyond. Qadir Fashion tends to be fairly fluid because many of them do not spend a second thought on clothing expressions, preferring the merit of their mind and words to do the talking than impressions of their dressing style. Additionally, many Qadir live in foreign lands where it often pays off to adopt local customs, so truly traditional Qadir clothing is often only worn in Al-Asir, while Qadir living abroad (and particularly Regalia) experiment a lot with styles and clothing types of foreign cultures. The Qadir do not formally have a dress-code, they can wear as much or as little as they like, and have no real distinction between female or male styled clothing either.

World View

  • Qadir relations with Regalia are fairly complex. At a base, they are natural allies, because of their Ailor proximity to each other, but the Qadir also fiercely refuse to be incorporated into the Regalian Empire and to become a part of it fully. They trade and are part of the Regalian economy by using the Regal as legal tender, and allow Regalian navies to lay anchor in their harbors, but refuse to become part of this "Beautiful mess" - as they call it. The Qadir consider Regalia to be an inefficient bureaucracy led by a morally corrupt nobility. The Qadir believe Regalia is far too anarchy ridden to be a good state to be part of, with anti-intellectual movements within its own leading classes, but still acknowledge that Regalia is the most viable path for them to exist in the world with a formal protector and ally.
  • Qadir Ethics are sometimes criticized by other Races and Societies because of its apparent lack of any standard whatsoever. The Qadir value progress above most other things, so as long as they can avoid causing harm to sentient other persons, most experimentation is permitted. This includes but is not limited to the creation of artificial homunculi for the purposes of experimentation, as soul-less homunculi lack sentience and awareness to express or experience suffering. When a Qadir applies a standard of ethics, that is entirely imposed by themselves, and only by their own moral guiding.
  • The Qadir lack nobility in the sense that Regalia has it, inherited wealth, fame, and power, bereft of actual skill. This is largely also a point of criticism of the Qadir of Regalia's autocracy: the fact that Nobles can sabotage the government either because they want to, or because of sheer incompetence and a sense of entitlement to power. Qadir do however have famous families, descendants of famous investors who are held to a higher standard and may approach more public funding than other poorer families would for the hopes their descendants might rub off on some of the genius of their ancestors (it usually does not).
  • Qadir are body purists, largely because damaging or replacing parts of their body has adverse effects on their ability to produce the technology they are famous for. Removing both arms of a Qadir for example, seriously hampers their ability to call upon the powers of Al-Asir to fuel the Qatil batteries that power their Clockwork machines. The concept of replacing all one's organs with Chassis modifications as such is considered taboo among the Qadir, but very common among the Rishiq, who are not hampered from funneling the powers of the Machinist through their prosthetic replacements.
  • Despite being intellectually informed about the ongoings of the world, the Qadir are woefully bereft of actual policy on many Affinities, Afflictions, and Magical conditions. They vaguely know they exist, like Marken, but show utter indifference to them, and have no common policy in society on how to deal with them or how to interact with them. As such, there is no communally enforced opinion or stance towards the Occult, save for the general sentiment that those reliant on Magic are probably a little bit intellectually challenged because they replace actual complex thoughts and understanding of physics and the world with Magic shortcuts.

Accreditation
Writers MonMarty
Artists MonMarty
Last Editor Firefan96 on 03/10/2024.

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