Editing Dark Ring (section)

= Qis Gazetteer =

=== Overview ===
[[Qis]] stands alone on the Dark Ring. Under the leadership of the lich Soris, Qis has begun the longest existence nation on the Sea of Screams. Through expansion the country has continued to grow despite the efforts of its neighbors. With every passing year, the threat that Qis possesses to the sovereignty of all people on the Dark Ring grows. Their ultimatum has not changed: kneel with the living or serve with the dead. 

==== ''Land of the Lich'' ====
In 156 AR Soris completed his ritual for lichdom in Gharib. By the turn of the next century he had escaped to what is now Jahat where he took control of the local government. Since those early days he has been the undisputed leader of Qis. With power enough to level entire armies, few have met Soris on the battlefield and lived to tell the tale.

==== ''Betrayed God'' ====
There is no Material God ruling Qis. Instead, there is one imprisoned within its borders. Hawass was once the god of Jahat who was challenged by Soris to a duel. Using his new lichdom, Soris defeated Hawass and imprisoned the god within his left eye. The lich cut out the eye, with Hawass inside, and sealed it away in a vault applying the mark of Qis, understood as order in the common tongue, upon the prison. Then Soris spread the symbol around the land building its power the further it propagated. 

Hawass is not simply a prisoner. Soris uses the god’s power to bolster his own abilities. One of these methods allows Soris to command untold thousands of undead using Hawass’ divinity and mental processing to control the corpses. 

==== ''The Necromancer’s Duty'' ====
Soris has said that he believes in the Day of Final Mourning where the souls of the dead will return to their bodies and walk the Dark Ring. However, he believes that the day of return can only come via the use of necromancy. By animating enough bodies, Soris believes that the conditions will become right where the souls can return and use the residual necromancy to live their second life. 

All other nations across the Sea of Screams decry Soris as a heretic. They speak of his taboo use of the dead. However, to this, the lich smiles as his dream shambles ever closer. 

''Watchful Eyes''

Qis is considered by many a police state. The Social Harmony Division (SHD) works tirelessly to keep a watchful eye on the living citizens within Qis. With so many enemies, Soris knows that his nation cannot be divided. Traitors against the state are rooted out with ruthless efficiency. There is a reason why there are so few spies in Qis. Everyone is already a spy and trained to flush out the liars amongst the population. 

==== ''Zephath Blades'' ====
Soris’ keen mind and the zeal of the nation’s people would not be enough to fend off so many foes. That is why Soris, using the power of Hawass, created the Zephath blades. These weapons give off a faint chill and those close to the blades have reported a distinct lack of taste.

A Zephath blade uses the life force of the wielder to empower its strikes. It can turn a normal soldier into a killing machine worth five veterans. However, the cost is high. A regular swing will visibility age the average person by one to two years. After a battle, an army of Qis soldiers made up of young recruits might resemble a nursing home.

The Zephath blades have also given way to foul insinuations against the Qis. A child of seven, after a few swings of a sword, can appear twenty-five. Intelligence within the Eshai Caliphate notes that, while an uncommon practice, their own researchers have encountered people who describe the forced aging and use of child soldiers. Soris denies this saying that if this were true, the nations along the Sea of Screams would already be dead. 

==== ''Work Camps'' ====
Along the edges of the Gray Peaks and in the wastes West of Isis lie the work camps. These camps are designed to extract raw materials from the surrounding environment. Usually the process for obtaining these ores or raw materials is too complex for a simple undead and thus enemies of the Qis are conscripted to do the job. It is thought that a twentieth of the population in Qis lives in one of these work camps.

=== Where the Dead Walk ===
Reanimation is the cornerstone of Qis. While others fear the power of necromancy, Qis wields it with surgical precision. Many citizens walk past hundreds of undead each day.

''Widespread Necromancy''

Over the years the Qis have found that undead are perfect for menial, repetitive, labors. Farming, construction, and assembly are all easily done by undead day and night. Without the need for rest an undead workforce is on average two and a half times more productive. Complicated tasks like accounting or medical work are beyond the brainless creatures for now. However, Soris and his necromancers say they are making great progress towards a society where all jobs are done by the dead. 

==== ''Soris’ Theory'' ====
Souls find where they are supposed to be according to basic arcane principles. In life, a soul rests in a body because that form is naturally suited for it. During death the body becomes foriegn and uninhabitable for a soul. This is why Soris believes that by mimicking life the natural low magic of the Dark Ring can help a soul rebind to the body. He hopes one day to start a “reanimation cascade” where one soul’s rebinding creates better conditions for the next until within minutes all the undead across the Dark Ring have their souls return to their bodies as like seeks like. 

==== ''Reverence of the Bones'' ====
For Soris’ plan to work the bodies must stay relatively intact. Simple jobs and minor damage to the body is fine, even natural in the opinion of Soris’ other necromancers. However a sword to the chest would once again make the body unsuitable for soul habitation. This is why the Qis have adopted a principle known as reverence of the bones.

They seek to maintain their undead in the best conditions possible. People are to treat the undead with respect. Not as living people but as expensive artwork or a family pet. This also means that the Qis do not use their undead in battle unless absolutely necessary. A body lost means a soul that will never be brought back.

''Useful People''

With so many undead laborers, Qis values “useful people.” Those without advanced skills are dead weight within the nation. People are pushed to find work in things that the undead cannot do. However, since most citizens cannot leave the country itself, these skills are hard to obtain. In recent decades, to the horror of the Eshai Caliphate, Qis agents have been kidnapping students from the Siyar. They force these students to teach the unskilled citizenry before being sent to the Western work camps. 

=== Surveillance of All ===
People tend to follow the rules if they are always being watched. That is the ideology behind the mass surveillance present within Qis. Many people believe the eyes of their King are upon them at all times. And, in a way, they are right. Disunity within the nation will not be tolerated. 

==== ''The S.H.D.'' ====
The [[Social Harmony Division]] oversees much of the surveillance and policing work within Qis. This mysterious organization lingers in the mind of every Qis citizen. There is constant fear and paranoia that the SHD will be listening into a conversation. That is exactly how the SHD wishes to be thought of by the people. They are the monster in the closet, the ghoul beneath the bed, and the knife in the dark waiting for the traitor to show their true colors. 

''Undead Eyes''

Every eye is a portal for the SHD. Using special devices the agents of the SHD can see through the eyes and listen through the ears of any undead under Soris’ control. They have tens of thousands of eyes watching the population’s every move constantly. Because of this the SHD literally has spies everywhere. 

''Neighbor Against Neighbor''

This atmosphere of paranoia that the SHD creates helps to turn friend against friend. They release constant propaganda which details the punishments of concealing a known traitor. Even a suspected traitor must be turned over to the SHD immediately. With the threat of work camps and decomposition ever looming, many neighbors have turned against each other in a desperate scramble to save their own skin. Oftentimes the accusations are fake or amount to nothing but the SHD never confirms this. The work camps always need more bodies to fill them one way or another.

==== ''The Young Phanes'' ====
Many children in Qis belong to the Young Phanes. Named after the general and creator of the SHD Yelem Phanes, this organization is designed to teach children the values of the nation. Starting from the age of seven years old, a child is taught the values and traditions of the Qis people. Group leaders instill loyalty into the children. There is also a national incentive of ten bags of grain a year to enroll a child within the Young Phanes. Outside governments have criticized the Young Phanes for “brainwashing” the youth but when asked the children say they simply love learning more about their beloved country and becoming well rounded citizens.

==== ''One in Fifty'' ====
The SHD is a massive organization containing tens of thousands of official and unofficial employees. Current SHD documents suggest that one in fifty living civilians in Qis work for the organization. This makes the SHD the largest single organization on the Dark Ring. 

''No Specific Powers''

It is difficult for foreigners to comprehend the exact reach of the SHD. This is on purpose because Soris gave no power restrictions on the SHD. They can act with complete autonomy and answer only to their king. If an agent of the SHD makes a threat the chances are high they can carry it out no matter how vast the scope. 

''Intelligence Gathering and Decomposition''

One of the SHD’s most important jobs is intelligence gathering. This is done through their usual spying techniques combined with “advanced interrogation methods.” Other nations along the Sea of Screams simply call it torture.

However, SHD torture goes far beyond the physical. Many times the SHD will not even detain an individual once they begin to torture them. Instead they employ a system called decomposition. In short, decomposition is a specialized psychological torture style meant to attack the vicitim’s mental health and sense of reality. Agents performing this technique employ mass gaslighting. They will sneak into a victims house to move furniture, steal items, or destroy documents. A long-time SHD agent who knows the victim personally might all of a sudden act as if they do not know the victim. The end goal is for the victim to doubt their own mental health and push them to the brink of sanity. With their grip on reality in free fall, the SHD moves in to gather information.

Using these tactics the SHD has one of the most robust intelligence gathering systems ever created. This web often expands to other nations as well. The SHD’s subtle yet effective techniques allow them to strike far behind enemy lines and interrogate a target without them even knowing the SHD is at work. 

==== ''Agents Amongst Enemies'' ====
In recent decades the SHD has pivoted toward expanding their reach beyond Qis’ borders. They have embedded thousands of agents in other nations. These smaller cells have begun to grow. While other nations know Qis is slowly infiltrating their populations, the exact scale of the infiltration is yet unknown. However, many Nomarchs in Kar-Thonis have begun preparing for the worst case scenario.

What Kar-Thonis does not know is that SHD already has an agent high up in the government. The entire political system lies open on the operating table before the Qis. A lesser organization would have already struck but the SHD has longer term plans. 

They know that the Pharaoh is constructed from multiple different people. The current plan, nicknamed operation Butterfly, is to insert a loyal SHD agent so they can become chosen for the next Pharaoh. Once chosen they will merge with the other initiates and become the new Pharaoh. It is the hope of the SHD that their programming will be strong enough to create a Pharaoh that is loyal to Soris and the Qis nation. 

=== Jahat ===
Created from the labor of ten thousand undead, Jahat is a jet black metropolis standing like a spike of defiance on the banks of the sea. Rock taken from two miles below the surface near Isis was hauled hundreds of miles across the desert before being piled high. However, it could have been no other way. From his symbol of power, Soris hopes to change the Dark Ring forever.

''Capital City''

Jahat is the capital city of Qis. It was once a thriving city state ruled over by the Material God Hawass. This all changed in 173 AR when Soris defeated Hawass in a duel and chained him beneath the Malachite Fort. Since that day, Jahat has been the seat of the Qis nation. 

==== ''Malachite Fort'' ====
Doubling as his royal palace and the staging ground of the Qis army, the Malachite Fort is built out of its namesake mineral that is reinforced with low magic. Its sickly green hue is striking against the rest of the city. Soldiers dressed in the colors of Qis, white and green, march from the fort daily and patrol the streets. 

Near the center of the palace lies Soris’ throne room. Diplomats say the interior is made completely out of gold polished to a mirror sheen with great silver columns studded with jewels. Mages note that it is littered with hundreds if not thousands of protective wards. It is one of the greatest single rooms in all the Rings.

''Shaming Grounds''

Those found as traitors to the nation must have an example made of them. On the Northern end of the city lies a flat city block with raised seating circling it. Here the guilty found by the Social Harmony Division are judged before their fellow citizens. From there nobody can guess the relentless shaming that befalls the people. Gladiatorial fights, tarrings, and the dreaded goose eye are all favorites of the crowd. 

==== ''Zephath Forge'' ====
Nobody knows the exact process for making Zephath blades. However, ten people everyday are marched into the factory and never seen again. Blue light streams through the small windows as inhuman wails echo from the interior. Everyday at sundown, five new blades emerge and are sent to the armories. 

''Jahat Astral Lighthouse''

To the surprise of the Dark Ring, Jahat has an Astral Lighthouse. Most of the time it is not functioning and can only house three astral ships but somehow Qis built one. The first documented instance of the lighthouse being activated was 774 AR. 

“They have what?”

-Cissaya after nearly choking on her salad when being told about the Jahat lighthouse

=== Khari ===
If there is one thing that undead can do it is to work efficiently. Therefore placing all the manufacturing in one place significantly increases the production of the undead. That is how Khari, the dead city, became the manufacturing hub of Qis. Soris’ vision is of a city working like a clock in perfect undead unison.

''The Dead City''

Undead outnumber the living inside the dead city. For every one person there are twenty undead servants. Khari has special streets dedicated entirely to undead travel. Lines of servants miles long march in lock step between factories and supply depots. 

==== ''Metal and Bone'' ====
One Eshai scholar from the Siyar of Smithing said that the city of Khari survived off metal and bone. Great blast furnaces are kept glowing via the undead. At all hours of the day they construct all the necessary items the nation needs. Wheels, farming equipment, door hinges, tables, armor, and more come from the endless factories.

''Black Skies''

With so few living civilians, the city of Khari can accept extreme levels of pollution. The skies over the city are black from the constant billowing smokestacks. Around the city the Sea of Screams has turned a deep brown due to the pollution. Clean drinking water must be imported from elsewhere in the nation because of the heavy metals within the water. An old saying goes that a person drinks a pencil every time they have a cup of water in Khari.

==== ''The Mortician’s Shroud'' ====
Qis’ vanguard is named the Mortician’s Shroud. This advanced fighting force is stationed in Khari. At any given time the Shroud has between two and five thousand soldiers which represents the backbone of the Qis fighting force. While the city’s pollution is often a problem, Khari is the closest population center to Gamietta which the Shroud often attack. With few in the Mortician’s Shroud living longer than two years, Soris sees no reason to care about the long term health effects of his soldiers living in Khari.

''Revelation''

With the years of stalemate at Gamietta turning into decades, Soris demanded something to break the draw. The greatest engineers of Qis began the construction of Revelation in response. This cannon stands eighty feet tall and weighs over nine tons. Constructed from steel infused with necromantic magic, the cannon is powered by the souls of the dead. After it is finished Qis believes that it will be able to crack through the Weeping Wall in Gamietta with one shot. The more optimistic engineers believe that Revelation is strong enough to level entire cities with its barrage. However, it remains unfinished and untested.

=== Isis ===
Standing as the guardian to the wastes that lie to the West of Qis, Isis is a city inhabited by miners and members of the SHD. With its silhouette standing alone on the horizon, it is perhaps the most isolated city in all the Dark Ring. The roads leading to it are potholed and covered by sand. Signs have long since fallen into disrepair. One day Isis might drift back into the sands it was built from.

==== ''Headquarters of the SHD'' ====
It is said that Isis contains the headquarters of the SHD. However, it is unknown where exactly the headquarters is within the city. SHD has never made public the exact address of their base of operations. Some believe that the headquarters is moved constantly while others say the entire city itself constitutes the SHD’s estate.

''Mining town''

The ground beneath Isis is latent with ore. This is how the city supports a few thousand miners which burrow beneath the sands. The work, even aided by undead, is difficult. Cave ins are common due to the shifting earth above. Human miners most delicately pry the metals from the rock before the undead take the ore to the surface.

==== ''Hell’s Throat'' ====
There is a spiral mining hole that carves its way a mile below ground known to the locals as Hell’s Throat. To this day gems and thick gold veins run alongside the throat and its tributary mining tunnels. However, in those caverns lie monsters. Large beasts who feast on the rich gem deposits will also eat any wandering miner. For this reason almost all mining operations, unless escorted by mercenaries, do not enter Hell’s Throat. Sometimes though the SHD will toss a particularly annoying prisoner down the hole. If they escape, they live. If not, the creatures of Hell’s Throat have some variety to their diet.