Palladium Reef
An arcology of bright polyps arches across the soldered trellis of old, and a rich diversity of life peoples it.
The Palladium Reef is a dangerous area in south-east Qud — an abandoned arcology flooded by the waters of nearby Lake Hinnom, overgrown by coral and inhabited by strange lifeforms. Svardym are common, as in the lake, but are joined by greater threats such as the swift 
galgallim and 
sultan crocs who can dismember the player, as well as 
enigma snails who can inflict confusion. 
reef hermits and 
svardym scrounges may be peaceful depending on the player's reputation and trade high-tier artifacts.
On the surface, a tangle of 
palladium struts obscure the vision but do not block weapons fire. These are overgrown by 
coral polyps which are automatically plucked away as the player walks by; this act has a small chance of revealing a 
swollen bulb of 
sunslag. Polyps will regrow after some time.
coral chutes descend to the inner reef, which extends for five levels beneath the surface before yielding to ordinary subterranean caves.
Locations
Excerpt from In Maqqom Yd
With my dreaminess rightfully shed, I eventually came to the Reef proper. What an enchanting place! The maze of polyps allowed me to slink along, mostly unnoticed, and take in the doings of its flora and fauna. A rich diversity of life radiates across Qud, but in the Reef, it flourishes on a new level. In but one hemmed in quarter I witnessed a tetrad of kaleidoslugs round the rune-cut cone of an enigma snail, a jelly huff a cloud of plasma onto a memory eater, and a polycule of tongue tyrants devour a squad of interdictors. At one point the Reef came alive and a polyp-jeweled hermit walked out of the lattice. He grinned at me and bartered a broken hand rail. When I turned my head to nod goodbye, he was gone. |