Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)

2026-05-10T12:41:35Z

(via JWB)

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{{Infobox:TwilightAgeGroup
|Type = Zu'aan city
|Name = Belquey City Zu'aan
|Parent Groups = N/A
|Descended Groups = Unknown
|Areas Controlled = [[Vesler Bushy Field]]
|Date Founded = 4E 50
|Date Disbanded = N/A
}}

==History==

Belquey’s history begins in 4E 50, one hundred years before the Shattering. The stronghold of Deannage city, a once metropolis thriving with people before the Shattering. During the Shattering, many fled the city before the kin'toni scourge could reach them and yet many remained. Of those that remained, ther Beloquin family was considered a well known and very influential family. There were even some that had become followers of the Beloquins and would have preferred for them to run Deannage instead of the head of council at the time. Feyrin Beloquin was well loved and followed because of his sharp might and quick wit.

There was never an issue that Feyrin could not solve. No problem was too big or too small for the Beloquins. After being made part of the council, Feyrin consistently delivered a thoughtful and calculated leadership. When the scourge came to Deannage, the Beloquins fought alongside their followers and friends for the city but when there was no end in sight, the Beloquins decided it was time to abandon ship. They took with them over two hundred other citizens. These citizens consisted of influential members of society as well as those families not so influential.

The huge group travelled in smaller groups of between 40 to 50 all making their way toward the Sea. Women and children were carefully spread out among the smaller groups in order to make sure that every man had four individuals to take responsibility for. Upon arriving where the western river meets the sea, Feyrin Beloquin, head of his household, decided it was a place as good as any to set up a base and so began to gather his new followers to build a new city. That is how Belquey came to be. Many of the Belqueyans learned to fish from both the sea and the river.

They learned to create rafts with which they would travel up and down the river, collecting food for the community. Children were encouraged to learn rafting and fishing themselves. The surrounding waters offered protection from dangers and strangers allowing the Belqueyans to build a strong wall around the back of the city. The only way to enter and exit the city is via the stone bridge across the river which is constantly guarded or by raft. The western river is wide and deep enough to make it fairly difficult to cross without catching the attention of the citizens themselves.

The biggest threat to the city is mainly the cold and bitter winter months when the fish are scarce and catches few. The community, as such, developed a dish called ‘smoked fish’ in order to preserve the fish for a longer period of time. Belquey is a very young city and doesn’t have a lot of vibrant history but it is promising to be around far longer than others have believed. It is the furthest west of all the cities. The little huts that litter the dry riverbank have been made to endure both the salty breeze and the cold winters despite being quite exposed to the elements.

==Psychology==

Although from a distance, Belquey seems like a friendly and even welcoming place, it is anything but. There are many reasons why Belqueyans seem reserved and unfriendly and to understand these reasons we’ll need to glance at the history of the seaside city. Belqueyans believe their quick escape after the prolonged battle at Daennage city could be seen as a betrayal by the remaining citizens of the city. That is precisely why they avoid strangers entering their city. In fact, they will go so far as to chase away any strangers they find in and around their territory off their land.

If they are unable to manage that, they will kill the stranger. Travellers are warned in surrounding cities to avoid Belquey at all costs. At any moment Belqueyans expect an attack or a war party sent from Daennage, bent on revenge. They have no contact with the world outside their little city and don’t wish to have either. They have been conditioned by their leader, Feyrin Beloquin, to fear the outside world and its influence. As such, the outside world also has no concept of what is actually going on in Belquey though there are many rumors about the city and it’s citizens.

Ranging from a military being built for world domination, to a cultist city thriving on the death and devouring of unsuspecting travellers. These rumors only go so far as the three nearest cities to Belquey. Being a tiny city, Belquey and it’s 2000 odd citizens are no threat to anyone. Especially considering the fact that Belqueyans are taught not to venture from the confines of the city unless they are travelling upriver for fishing. Most citizens don’t mind their quiet and safe life. Many of them know no different. The children of the village are taught spear fishing from an early age and are encouraged to either be a guard or be a fisherman.

Girls are taught that men have a higher status than females and as such are expected to marry, cook, gather from surrounding grasslands and care for children. Boys are taught to fish and defend the city against threats. Most Belqueyans are experts at handling a spear which makes them dangerous enemies to face, especially in open combat. Despite their sheltered lives, they are a close knit community content with how their city is run. They are in full support of their governing bodies which is and will always be, the Beloquin family line.

The Beloquin bloodline is revered among the citizens of the city regardless of the authoritarian behavior that has been implemented. Those who go against the authority and laws governing the city are shunned and cast out by the citizens. Some are even put to death. The ones lucky enough to escape to other cities have explained how controlled the citizens are within Belquey. This is also how rumors began to spread. These rumors are unknown to the citizens and they are quite happy to keep it that way in any case.

==Culture==

For Belquey, water is life. It brings them food and nourishes the ground they pick their barley from. Water even allows them to build their huts. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder that their culture revolves around water. It is precious to them. They honor the river and what it brings them. They cherish the sea and the salt water which is used for a variety of different things. The Belqueyan medicine women use water in a lot of their rituals as well as healing work. Stories are started to develop, told by the medicine women of the city of a water spirit watching over the city via the sea and the river.

The stories told by the campfire grew the culture over the years and it’s a vibrant culture promoting water as a life force to be cherished and protected. This is the true heart of the Belquey people. The stories developed over the years taught people to protect their area from waste and over fishing. When the winter frost touches the shores and banks of the river and snow begins to cover the ground, even then the Belqueyans use this miracle of water to aid them in all sorts of ways.

Ice is used to calm muscles that ache or freeze food for better preservation. The culture has adapted far better than many other cities threatened by the coming ice age since ice to the Belqueyans is just another form of water. The winters get colder and longer allowing for new and better stories, lores and lessons to be learned as this culture grows. The Belqueyans are far better equipped to deal with the harsh winters than their neighbours thanks to their culture surrounding water but that does not mean that they are better equipped to survive the coming ice age.

Apart from their love of water, they established a patriarchy culture meaning that men govern women. The highest women are the ones that are pregnant and the ones that are practicing medicine women. Other women are treated as objects. This is why most women are taught from an early age that they should attempt to procreate as soon as possible. This will give them a higher standing in the community. The men of the city have a hierarchy dependent on the Beloquin family line’s approval of them. Men fight for the attention of the current head of the Beloquin family.

Only with the acceptance of the dictator figure are they established as a ‘worthy’ man. The coupling between a man and a woman is dictated by the head of the city. They choose who is allowed to procreate with who. There is no monogamy and children are predominantly raised by their mother. Most women share huts together depending on status and bloodline while men are left to be matched with a woman. Once coupling has occurred, the man may venture back to his own hut shared with other men. As such, men and women are generally kept separated.

==Government==

The Government is a dictatorship. From the moment Feyrin gathered his group of followers together to present day, the Beloquin family has ruled Belquey. There is no council to answer to or authority other than Feyrin himself. Of course when it was time to choose a successor for his powerful position, Feyrin held a contest among his boys, from the 6 year old to the 49 year old.
The contest between his 7 sons consisted of three challenges. The first challenge was to catch the most fish within an 8 hour time period. The next challenge was to steal a gift from one of the neighbouring cities and return it without getting caught.

The last challenge was to bring back the head of a trespasser to their territory. The last challenge was the most brutal. It took the fourth youngest son, Brinar, 7 days to bring back the head of a trespasser. It was a kin’toni and he was severely injured in the process. The rules became more strict and the governing of the city became more fierce. No one was allowed in or out without express permission. Those who wanted out had to leave permanently and never ever return. Once Feyrin died and Brinar took over, the patriarchy culture grew stronger.

Men governed women and then were governed by other men. Brinar took multiple women to his bed and produced many children but only 3 were boys. He demanded the forced removal of the women who did not produce any boys for him. Once it came time to pass on his power, his middle son, Jonalt took to power. Despite the boy’s prowess with a spear, the boy was far more gentle than his brothers.
Belquey is seeing a new shift in government now. Brinar’s death brought with it a sigh of relief among the citizens. Jonalt is a far more forgiving leader and kinder to women.

He has so far evoked a change in the coupling of men and women, often putting a couple together multiple times if they produced a good and healthy child. He himself took one woman and coupled with her to produce one daughter and one son so far. Brinar is even considering exploring past their territory lines.
If there was ever a time for outsiders to sate their curiosity about what Belquey is really like, it is under Brinar’s rule. In the past, the rulers of Belquey were unapproachable as well as the leading authority on just about everything. Citizens feared their leader and the family as a whole.

Rules and laws were made on a whim and chained the next day. The only thing that remained through all these years was the culture growing and thriving within the city. Now that a new leader is in power, there’s no telling what will change and how the governing of the city will change. One thing is certain for the Belqueyans: Changes are on the horizon and it most definitely can't be worse than the previous dictators.

==Military==

Where most cities have quite a good guard and military, Belquey does not. The city relies much more on the surrounding water to protect them from danger and the high wall at the back of the city. Though they don’t have a trained military the men of Belquey are taught to throw spears and they rarely miss when they have a target. There are always guards posted on the bridge which spans the river. The only way to get in and out of the city is across the bridge or by raft. Since the bridge is considered a weak point, the guards stationed there are often around 4 to 6 in number.

The bridge is always occupied and the guards are well trained, armed with several spears in case they would need to post a defense for the city. Besides the bridge, the wall that had been built around the exposed area of the city stands about 8 foot high with a patrol often moving up and down it on a regular basis. From the age of 10 boys are trained in spear throwing and hand to hand combat. The paranoia of their leader has forced the citizens to live in preparation of an attack. The Beloquins were never a military family and they didn’t have ties to the military back in Daennage city.

That is the main reason there was no established military. There was no one to teach the men of the city how a military unit is supposed to function. The city also never would allow strangers to enter and as such would not be able to gain any knowledge of how a military is supposed to work. The tactics that Belqueyans use is simply to keep their distance and avoid detection once an enemy is seen. Then to get just close enough to launch their spear. Their aim is often good enough for a hit. Once the enemy is on the ground, they will attack, using a rock to finish off their enemy.

Belquey has very simple tools at their disposal and often appoint women to make those tools. It is thus the job of women to make spears with which the men can fight. The spears are simple. They are made of a long smooth stick with a stone attached together with some twine. The branch or stick is smoothed on rock. The twine is made from dried grass woven together to make a strong string and the rock is chipped and smoothed until it is sharp enough to be a dangerous weapon. Despite all of the above, the city has managed to make it through a number of years safely and without much incident.

Though that could all be put down to the fact that the city is close to water and easier to defend than a city surrounded by grassland. Whatever the case may be, it is very possible that Belquey might never have a military presence and their ignorance makes them believe they will never need one.

==Religion==

Because of their strong leaning to water, Belqueyans have a belief that water is a life force. They believe in the spirits of the water. As the small city came into its own, stories of the water God Genshi were told around campfires over fish stew dinners. They believe that when they settled in the city, Genshi took pity on them and provided them with fish and water. Genshi even visited some of the first settlers in the city and showed them how to fish.
It was Genshi that gave the medicine woman her knowledge on how to use salt water to clear out a wound and fresh water to brew a healing tea.

Genshi makes the spears sharp so the men can catch better krail from the river and makes the nets strong so they can catch traen from the seas. Their deity is even encompassed in the birth of a child. It is said that when a woman has her waters spill it is Genshi leading the child out. The Belqueyans created a fantastic religion and legendary stories around Genshi and his waters. They hold many festivals where they honor Genshi and all he’s done for them. This river deity is the reason why expectant mothers of the city are so revered. It is believed, and rightly so, that Genshi has gone inside the woman and made a pool of water surrounding the new child.

Genshi’s frost when it comes in the winter months has a story too. It is said that Genshi has brought the ice and snow to his people so that they may preserve their food through the winter. As the city progresses and prospers, more stories find the ears of the villages and Genshi becomes a true deity with his own life, problems and experiences. This is how their culture progresses and their religion grows. Belqueyans celebrate their God every single day with various little rituals like leaving fresh water in a cup or bucket outside their homes. It is a sign that Genshi is welcome in their abode.

Children are taught from a young age that Genshi protects their city so nothing will happen to them. They grow up listening to stories of Genshi’s might and power. They believe as adults that they are safe as long as they follow and honor Genshi. The Belqueyans devote hours of their day to making sure the river and beach is clean and free of debris so that Genshi will not bring the rain too hard or the ice too soon. Over the years it became hard to ignore the fact that the cold chill comes sooner every year. The people of the city began to fear that for some reason Genshi is angry with them as the new ice age draws closer and closer.

Now more than ever, Belqueyans show their devotion to their God in fear that he will make their lives more difficult. They turn to their leaders and medicine women for the answer as to why Genshi is punishing them. There is no answer to be found.

==Miscellany==

{{NearbyGroups
| Centre = {{PAGENAME}}
| North = Unknown
| Northeast = Unknown
| East = Unknown
| Southeast = Unknown
| South = Unknown
| Southwest = Unknown
| West = Unknown
| Northwest = Unknown
}}

{{CrossSiteAttribution
| User = [https://www.royalroad.com/profile/222890 angelsonggd]
| Holder = angelsonggd
}}

[[Category:4th-century Twilight Age zu'aan cities]]

[[Category:angelsonggd's contributions]]

Belquey City Zu'aan - Revision history

Stevie Lambert: (via JWB)