Qi (WW)

Qi is an alternate incarnation of the capital city of the same name for the alternate dimension of the Whispering World.

Background

The spires of Qi still remain, as doe 3 of its fantastically-huge dirigibles, However, the citizenry are long gone, with whispers having taken their place. Even the Durkhal was overrun, which once housed the Order of Truth and their Amber Pope. Of about the entire 500,00 that resided within Qi, all but a few remain unchanged, the others either altered, fed, or slain. All the shops, homes, markets, and other structures have since be taken over by vermin or other minor creatures, and in some cases were burned away. The only reason that the massive city hasn't been burned down yet is because many of the structures that compose Qi were made out of stone, iron, and in some cases, even salvaged synth.

Durkhal

The vast sprawl of libraries, laboratories, warehouses, among other related structures, known as the Durkhal, suffered greatly from a series of stand-offs against swarms of whispers. The holy palace itself is completely missing, and a still-smoking crater remains where it once stood. The Amber Pope hasn't been sighted ever since it vanished. The surrounding structures, the libraries, laboratories, and so on - are still rich with potential for anyone interested in salvaging shins, cyphers, and an occasional artifact, despite possibly being collapsed or burned. However, looters must also contend with at least one surviving Zhev plus any whispers that happen to wander the area.

An Aeon Priest named Daroni still lives within a warehouse, where exotic foodstuffs imported from ll around the Steadfast are stored. Daroni was exposed to the trigger phrase during the initial outbreak, but for some reason managed to reverse the change in herself thanks to her unique skills. Aftewrads, she deafened herself to 2 crude operations she performed herself she retains her ears but has massive scars behind each. Now Daroni only communicates by writing with chalk along a white synth panel that she always seems to carry. She's willing to share her bounty of food with any other survivors or even help them try to treat those that were exposed (but as of yet remain unchanged) by the plague, but she'll refuse to leave.

Dirigibles

Only 3 dirigibles hover in the sky all the rest have either flown off already or lay like snake skins stretched along Qi's skyline. The rest dirigibles drift about unmoored, save for their long guide lines. One appears to be empty. Another crew of whispers that couldn't get the hatches open (which would've allowed them to depart, and like as not, fall to their deaths).

Marvyr Rann, the former mayor of Qi, inhabits the final dirigible. His policy of never walking on the ground apparently served him well while the disaster unfolded below him. His dirigible proved to be too high for any shouts of the trigger phrase from thousands of newly-changed whispers to reach him or his retinue. However, the power structure within the dirigible has reversed. In order to survive, the mayor's cadre of nearly naked men and women who once served at his pleasure assumed control, armored themselves, and relegated Marvyr to the role of figurehead. Now number in 17, the survivors make supply runs into the city at night with long ropes, their ears blocked with wax.

The cadre's leader is a bold, 23 year old woman named Selasia. Selasia keeps track of the other survivors who enter or leave Qi via an artifact that allows her to see at great distances. She's actively on the prowl for people with enough skill to help her escape to the Black Riage mountains, where she believes that the "nano plague" hs yet to spread. In particular, she wants to reach Hidden Naresh, where her brother apparently lives.