Tzakul Deep in the predator-haunted Crow Marshes, the vast ruins of the prehuman city of Tzakul lurk on the coast of the Dreaming Sea. Polished glass and colored stone spires loom over the streets, forming city blocks shaped like equilateral triangles; many towers have collapsed or toppled, creating a labyrinth of weathered rubble and debris. Scarcely a sixth of the ruins are on land; the rest lie in shallows close to shore. Despite its great age and ruined state, Tzakul is far from abandoned. More than a thousand entities known as relicts, constructs of glass and obsidian, still dwell amidst these ruins. Each relict’s appearance is unique, but all have the same eight-limbed body structure. The relicts are the city’s original prehuman inhabitants. Millennia ago, they transferred their souls into the ar- tificial bodies they occupy to this day. Amphibious, needing neither food nor air, most spend their days in Tzakul’s submerged regions. Some perform a wide range of seemingly inexplicable actions, such as ar- ranging hundreds of small objects in complex patterns. Others work to repair the city. Tzakul was once more ruined than today; the relicts have successfully re- stored many broken spires to near-pristine condition, complete with furnishings unsuited for human use. However, most relicts spend time in less comprehen- sible group activities, resembling both worship and sorcery. Relicts understand and speak various ancient and mod- ern languages, but most see no reason to respond to or even acknowledge outsiders. When they speak, their answers are typically terse and enigmatic. While they express an ambition to restore Tzakul to its former grandeur, they never explain why they haven’t com- pleted this task millennia ago. When asked their rituals’ purpose, they respond with such cryptic declarations as “We seek to fully become” or “We wish to return to flesh and glory.” Relict Relicts are intelligent, free-willed constructs of obsidi- an and transparent glass. They stand seven feet tall and have eight limbs: four legs, two arms, and two modular limbs that can function as either. They can walk and run on four legs or run considerably faster on six legs. Each relict was once a living member of an extinct pre- human species who transferred their souls into their current bodies. Most have no interest in interacting with mortals or Exalts, but some answer questions and trade for useful objects. The following traits are for an average relict; many vary from this baseline.
