Ghyll:Xurient

The mysterious Xurient with its Hungfold forests and peaceful farmlands is a picturesque land which, although known, isn't well understood. The Xurient Orthogonality is many days journey to the East on the Egron trail. Travellers must traverse over 230 leles of rough terrain and tracks until they reach the border of the Xurient.

Geography

The border of the Xurient is marked by the Pretty Impressive Fence - a massive structure towering a full kunanit high and hundreds of lele in length. The expedition of Croam Olpo circa -430 EC that first established trade with the Xurient recorded that the structure was already old at that time, despite being made mostly of Hungfold wood and burlap. For whatever reason, the Fence continues to stand today.

Croam Olpo is also responsible for much of the allure of the Xurient for Ghyllians. He described their few cities as massively ornate edifices encrusted with Grupfish scales and glittering in the sunrise like rainbows of color. But most Xurientals prefer countryside to cities and, as a result, cities are mostly reserved for marketplaces, bureaucrats and cultural centers.

The remaining lands are green and fertile and much of it is devoted to recreational gardens or farmland. The Xurientals enjoy growing things with their mandibles. As a result, the terrain everywhere is carefully manicured and aesthetically balanced, leaving little room for wild growth or open field.

People

The Xuriental folk are much like Ghyllians, only with a more bluish cast to their chitin and with black-tipped mandibles. Over the years, it has been proven that Xurientals and Ghyllians can (and do) mate and that the whelps often have the familiar Ghyllian green carapace but retain the black-tipped mandibles of their Xuriental parent.

Xurientals as a culture, however, are not welcoming of strangers, and have been known to completely ignore the presence of non-Xurientals. Croam Olpo noted in his celebrated travelogue that his uncle was so ignored that he faded out and was completely transparent for days.

Trade

While the Xurient has surely changed since the days of Croam Olpo, travel there has never been easy since crossing between orthogonalities is difficult and treacherous. Despite this, trade expeditions travel there regularly carrying darseed, Ooo, luminous manuscripts, chukarando fur and other goods, and return with Underuse, Tuckagotchas, crafts and vlorm. Despite risks and heavy losses to bandits and natural terrors going both ways, the demand for these items has made it a lucrative business.

Politics

The Xurientals are ruled absolutely by a Hive-Queen, who lives in the splendor of the Forgotten City, attended by her court of the greatest minds and seers of the generation. Unfortunately, everyone has forgotten where it is, so they elected a council called the Convenience Party to run things until they find her again.

Citations: Grupfish, Hungfold, Vlorm.

--Dr. H. L. Ackroyd 23:20, 6 Apr 2005 (EDT)