Hydromancers from House Jaqua gathering herbs in The Labyrinth. Art by Sam Burley (@samburleyart), a sci-fi and fantasy illustrator and concept artist specializing in fantastical environments with multiple credits for work on Magic: the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons, Valve, and Bethesda. A taste of the Jaqua: “Kare bo aquato, kare bo oriboro.” (Life unexamined, life unlived) — Jaqua festival chant from the Midsummer Burning “Take out the garbage, or the Jaqua will take you instead!” — Common warning to misbehaving children in Varlata House Jaqua is practically a contradiction in terms. The other Greater Houses use the term for simplicity and in official communication, but the people of Jaqua refer to themselves as the “Jak-wan,” or “Children of the Vine.” The Jaqua are the oldest known residents of Varlata, and they claim to have seen Nine Turnings, or changing of the guard. Given the few documented dynastic changes over the last 10,000 years, this makes little sense to the other Houses. Nonetheless, it is considered fact in The Serpent, as is known the land of the Jaqua, which traces the inner north-south coast of Varlata like a slow-moving snake. The western coast of The Serpent is covered by what is known as The Labyrinth. It is an expansive and bewildering maze of mangroves considered impossible to navigate for anyone who is not Jaqua. They are protected to the south by Lake Ocaxaco and to the east by their mountain range and holy site called Mount T’aragon. The Jaqua typically live in small tribal communities of 20-100 people, but there is rumored to be at least one city hidden in the jungle. The interior of their territory, the fruit inside the husk, is the most fertile land in the realm. The Jaqua forage and cultivate a dizzying array of fruits and vegetables. Some of their perfumes, all made with secret age-old recipes, are as valuable as mithril by weight when found in the Free Trade Zone. The Jaqua have a unique relationship with their neighbors to the north, House Mnemos. House Mnemos can control weather, and the Jaquan chief Coroc forged an alliance with them long ago... More lore: cockpunch.com/podcast (4.9 stars on Spotify.)