Discovering Qasala: a Guide to the Lost City
LOST DESERT - So, you want to travel somewhere that few people have seen, just
for the sake of seeing the face of your envious neighbor? Terror Mountain does
not sound exotic enough, and Kreludor is too high. Geraptiku is too dangerous,
and just thinking about climbing in the Faerieland clouds gives you vertigo.
Do not panic, because all those destinations have this sense of déja vu, and
you would not impress a Cooty with your stories. Therefore, the hip destination
in Year 7 is the noble and ancient city of Qasala.
Chapter 1: What is Qasala?
Qasala was founded about two thousand years ago, by a clan of desert nomads
named the Qasl clan, also known as Qasalans. Due to quarrels between the Sakhmetians
and this clan, they had to leave to the East, where Sakhmet now stands.
However, it seemed like the Sakhmetians did not appreciate the presence of
those bohemians, even though they only stayed around for a few months every
year. Therefore, the Qasl clan had to quit their bohemian ways and settle in
another territory, Qasala.
After a few months of exploration, they settled in a plain, surrounded by numerous
oases to the south west of Sakhmet. Now a sedentary population, the Qasl started
to grow fruits such as the ever-popular Qando fruit, as well as some Pleto Melons
and Rhuby Fruits. They also started to breed some desert petpets, namely large
Apis for travelling and Horus for message delivery.
The Qasalans were not the rude and violent rogues Sakhmet citizens were scared
of. In fact, Qasl were known for their pacifistic nature and love of knowledge.
Many ancient Qasl studies about petpets and fruits were recently found, and
were, in fact, quite reliable. However, just because they were not as violent
as some other nomad populations does not mean they could not defend themselves.
Chapter 2: What happened in Qasala?
According to the archaeological proofs found recently, the first centuries
of the city were quite interesting. The Royal family of Qasala, namely Berniz
the Second, managed to do a lot of diplomatic work with neighboring kingdoms,
such as commercial deals with Sakhmet and other desert cities. Berniz the Second
was also known for being the instigator of the Nomad Truces.
However, after Berniz's death, his son Razul, a powerful wizard, broke every
treaty signed by his father, and the once prosperous city of Qasala became affected
with illnesses, poverty, withering crops of Qando fruits and the death of numerous
petpets. The death of Razul did not liberate the city from his power-hungry
hands. In fact, to grant himself immortality, he cursed the once-proud Qasl
population into an immortal, yet doomed, half-life. They were now cursed into
the form of evil spirits, forever chained to the ruins of Qasala.
For one thousand years, most people forgot about the city of Qasala. Until,
one day, someone claiming to be Prince Jazan arrived to Sakhmet, to marry the
Princess of Sakhmet. This article was part of a diplomatic deal, signed by Coltzan
the First from Sakhmet and Berniz the Second from Qasala. However, the crown
princess of Sakhmet, Amira, refused to marry him, which made Jazan send the
city of Sakhmet into a parallel universe.
The Prince of Qasala returned to the destroyed kingdom, when two pillagers,
named Tomos and Nabile found the city. They later discovered the story of the
beautiful city therefore, saving the city of Sakhmet, which was getting burnt
to a crisp by Scordrax, with a surprising wedding. However, a couple of weeks
later, the evil King Razul was freed from his cell, ready to destroy the city
of Sakhmet and the rest of Neopia soon after. Finally, the evil king was sent
back to the fire pits of DOOM from whence he came by Jazan, who was given the
title of hero. The curse was finally broken!
Chapter 3: What can you do in Qasala?
Now freshly rebuilt, the city of Qasala is more beautiful than ever. First,
stop at the Qasalan Delights, where you can taste the unique taste of Qando
fruit recipes, such as the Qasalan Cone, the ultimate blend of fire and ice
made from Terror Mountain imported vanilla ice cream and Qando fruit, or the
yummy Spirit of the Ruins fizz, a mixture of Pleto Melon juice, Qando fruit
punch, and a little fire faerie magic.
You can also test your knowledge by reading the numerous Qasalan scrolls available
at the Words of Antiquity. Those scrolls are mainly transcripts of the ancient
stone tablets that you can carry at home, or anywhere else. And, if you would
rather Battledome than try to make sense out of old scrolls, perhaps the Qasalan
armory has what you need.
Other activities involve walking around the fountains of the main market. (Did
you know that the water from these fountains was drained from neighboring oasis,
with phenomenal machinery? It is in fact, quite hard to install this kind of
machinery into sand.) You can also pick some Qando fruits or ride Apis near
the city, for a more than modest fee.
Chapter 4: Qasala inhabitants, what to do and not do with them
First, the Qasl population is a really proud society. They are proud of their
city, and you should tell them how beautiful the city is. They also love to
learn things (You'd love to learn stuff too, if you were cursed for a thousand
years) from the other Neopian worlds. They are quite open-minded about other
cultures. However, they are also a little bit *too* proud, so do not tell them
than their way of doing business is incorrect.
Qasalans will usually welcome you into their tents with a bowl of Qando juice
and a cup of Lemwart syrup. Normal etiquette should tell you not to drink the
Lemwart juice or dip your feathers/claws/fins into the Qando juice.
And, once last thing. No jokes about swarms of undead. I mean it.
In conclusion, I hope this guide to Qasala is useful to you. Good luck, always
carry a hat, and be careful around giant spyders.