Feshikanth

The Town of Feshikanth

When the Kudarr first came to Ariath, before they met any Folk here, they built the outpost of Feshikanth. Precisely controlled Vapour shaped the rock and ice of the northern tundra into gleaming metal and ceramic towers, flat grey walkways, and protective walls. The visitors named their settlement after a word in their language that means something like "outpost," or "observatory," or "arrival point," and it stuck.

Now, centuries later, Feshikanth takes the form of an open-looking, welcoming town. The walls are gone, and peaceful visitors and merchants are welcomed into the open air market. Within the town's borders, the air is always a comfortable temperature, weather touches the town only as much as the expedition leader wishes it to, and guests always have food, water, and a place to stay.

As with much about the Kudarr, though, looks are only the bare surface. Feshikanth is carefully ordered. Everyone, and everything, is carefully in its place. The Kudarr never sell their best technology, mostly trading in trinkets and parlor tricks by their standards. And no matter how shiny and clean the town is, visitors are unlikely to forget the stories about what has happened on those rare occasions when Feshikanth has been threatened; the town is said to shift and change, becoming a fortress, and a living thing, and an instrument of death. No enemy has ever attacked Feshikanth twice.

People of Feshikanth

Despite the town's openness, the majority of Feshikanth's population are still Kudarr. Few Folk other than merchants and explorers brave the long, cold journey to the town, and most who visit do not stay. Friendly as the Kudarr are, they're distinctly odd, and some people find the quasi-military nature of their society off-putting. It's also hard to forget that the streets, walls, and maybe even the food are made of tiny particles that could turn you inside out if someone properly told them how to do it.

For the Kudarr who walk the world and explore Ariath, Feshikanth is a safe point to come home to, a harbor for them no matter what else happens. Whether they are formally part of the Expedition or not, all Kudarr are always welcome, and it's the only place in Ariath that can remind them of their ancestral home.