Qamur
From Mizahar Lore
| "'Cursed Glade?' I laughed. 'Why, is every freaking landmark cursed around here?' My guide hushed me, looking all concerned. Next thing I know, the wind picks up and it's raining frogs. And venomous snakes. The snake thing was just mean." - Aurelius Dootsby, "The Fool's Travelogue" |
| Relic | |
 Qamur is, and it wants to be | |
| Frequency | Uncommon |
|---|---|
| Threat level | Low to high |
| Major features | An environment resisting to change of any kind |
| Abilities | Sequences of negative events way beyond coincidence |
| Most common in | Places that have not changed in a while |
Qamur is an area in physical space that has acquired some amount of self-awareness and will. Qamur is technically classified as a Relic monster as it already existed before Human history began, but in fact Qamur is more of a force or phenomenon than an actual creature. This is why articles are rarely used when referring to it: there is not "a" Qamur or even "the" Qamur, just like there is not "a" gravity or "an" inertia. Qamur simply is, and just like gravity and inertia it will exercise forces upon the environment. Qamur seeks to conserve its area the way it is, preventing change by any means necessary, which is perceived as persistent bad luck by those affected.
Overview
Qamur blurs the line between a being and a law of nature. Because it is so subtle, it is very difficult to study, and the only certain thing about it is that it exists. The most plausible explanation for it is that, every once in a while, the Djed in the environment will align in a particular way that comes to resemble the mind of a living creature. Despite efforts, Qamur has never been reproduced in a lab, but it appears to manifest spontaneously and at random in an area that has remained more or less unchanged for some time. Whether this is related to Wild Djed is unknown.
While there are no tools for truly detecting an area affected by Qamur, they are often pretty famous, or rather infamous, in local legends. These are the ominous places, the cursed forests, the tree where people go hang themselves, and the old houses whose tenants always run away after a while. Sensitive people know something is off as soon as they step in. Mages with Auristics may notice a strange pulsing within the auras. Detection-based Gnosis marks might also give a strange feeling, and those with Nikali's Ranuri may perceive the place's desires on a primal level and be compelled to obey. For the rest, Qamur cannot be interacted or negotiated with. It has no voice nor look; it will not speak and it will not listen.
Qamur opposes change. Any agent of perceived change will be hindered for as long as they are within the Qamur field. Perhaps the most uncanny feature of Qamur is that it employs no magic or gnosis for it has no access to such powers. Instead, it brings forth negative events that are entirely natural and can be easily explained and accounted for. It happens for travelers to be attacked by a pack of wolves in a forest, or that an old tree may fall on someone, or for one's campsite to be struck by lightning. It is when these things happen on the same day that even skeptics would suspect something else may be at work. How Qamur accomplishes this is a mystery and hints at its nature being embedded in the fabric of reality - therefore, as old as the world itself.
If left alone, Qamur slowly expands over time. Larger areas also result in greater resources to throw at intruders as well as more treacherous attacks, as if Qamur's faculties grew with size. When two occurrences of Qamur touch, they merge seamlessly, though the meaning of 'change' may vary in the two areas. In theory, Qamur can expand to any size. In practice, however, as its perimeter grows so do the opportunities for change and the threats to stability. At some point, equilibrium is reached and Qamur remains more or less confined.
Qamur does not usually develop where many people live, as this situation is inherently unstable. It will not encompass a city, though it may coexist with a household and protect its members from change. Even so, the inhabitants may not necessarily enjoy the 'protection', as Qamur may very well attack a man who proposes to a woman living there. Like the force of attrition, Qamur never nurtures, only opposes other forces.
History
Tales of the 'genius loci', the spirit of a place that embodies its qualities and protects it from harm, are as old as mankind itself. The early Humans called these spirits 'Qamur', which is also the verb 'to stay' in the Ancient tongue. Qamur means 'that which stays', but also 'that which should be left alone'. It took millennia for magical researchers to retire the idea of natural spirits running around and provide what little is truly known about Qamur - most of which has been forgotten with the Valterrian. The very name Qamur is only spoken by scholars nowadays, with most people having gone back to the old legends.
It has been theorized that Mizahar was, at the beginning, covered by a single occurrence of Qamur that encompassed the entirety of the lands. As civilization spread, it brought change that caused Qamur to mostly vanish from the world except for some isolated patches. The mysterious and philosophical nature of Qamur has given rise to countless theories. One would have Qamur as the source of all Relic monsters, others would claim they originated the Landspawn monsters. There is no real backing to any of these theories, however.
The Valterrian brought change that undid most occurrences of Qamur. However, as the dust settled and most people were slain, the new world has proven to be fertile ground for Qamur to manifest more. Today, most occurrences are still limited in size, avoided by the population, and growing.
Combat
Fighting something as intangible as a law of nature is no easy task. Qamur cannot be permanently destroyed, but its occurrences can be. Bringing enough change to the environment is the only way to do so. The amount of change that is required depends on the case and the duration of the phenomenon. Change does not always equal invasion or physical destruction. For example, suppose Qamur controls a battlefield in which brother has killed brother for generations, and all attempts at building anything here are met with misfortune. Depending on the circumstances, a single, overwhelming act of love may be able to utterly disintegrate Qamur in this place.
The surest way to know how to break Qamur is to observe how the environment reacts to one's actions. Qamur's very nature, halfway between a preservation instinct and a formula, will have it attack anything it perceives as threatening. When someone acts in such a way as to jeopardize its existence, the attacks will intensify. Experiencing a crescendo of negative events means you are on the right track.