Dēch



Dēch is the surname of one of the most powerful Khor clans since the vast migration. The invisible Dēch dynasty began with an unassuming and unwilling patriarch: Vechēo Dēch.

At first glance one would assume that the Consecrated (as it is now constituted) and that of the Zome would have a contrastive origin - in reality, however, both organizations sprang from one influential Khor clan - the Dēch.

Origins
Vechēo Dēch - the first member of the Dēch clan in Khor records - abandoned both his clan and his possessions to become a sādhoō - a beggar, in search of spiritual deliverance.

Contrasting the pomp of the Consecrated, sādhoō wore dreadlocked, unembellished beards and were stripped of the trappings of their robes.

The established clerisy forbade nudity within the complex and banished the sādhoō into the desert. Sādhoō formed a faction within the rocky terrain just beyond the fertile agricultural grounds controlled by the Consecrated. Vechēo's devoted mate transplanted their immediate clan to the harsh territory in order to stay close to her bucca - even after his abandonment of his terrestrial responsibilities.

Rise to power
Lāvix Dēch was a direct kinsman to Vechēo and followed him into a life of devotion. Lāvix, though, took a decidedly different path than the Dēch patriarch. A urur - a humble servant - Lāvix was devoted in prayer to the Khor deities, but to the Khor clerisy in all other matters.

Because of this devotion, his clan's claim to the rocky - yet barren - terrain was justified by the clerisy and he was awarded ten slaves to carve a temple for sādhoō prayer. During the excavation of the temple the tools of the Khor slaves were continually damaged by veins of copper - the project was abandoned.

At this time copper had been mined, but only in small quantities as the Khor complex was being carved. The scarcity of the copper made it valuable and its signature color and shine made it ideal for lavish jewelry adorned by the clerics.

The industrious Lāvix devised a technique to extract the copper by exposing it to the hot sun, before shocking the mineral with water. The slaves could then chip away at the weakend earth, further exposing the massive copper vein. Industrial mining was born. Lāvix was awarded more slaves which increased copper production - most of which was stored away after further roasting of the copper completed the extraction process.

Looking to further capitalize on the unused copper, Lāvix Dēch had his slaves mass produce copper tools and commissioned an infrastructure project that would increase access to water deep beneath the mountain complex.

Ūre bucca
Ūre bucca - the main aquifuge supplying water to the Khor population - pools beneath the mountain complex. Access to the aquifuge was difficult until Lāvix Dēch utilized his tools - both copper and Khor - to carve a system of aqueducts to alleviate labor constrains on the herd. Due to gravitational limitations, however, the water still needed to be carried by hand - the distance greatly reduced. The system was not perfect but it increased the efficiency of water harvest, which meant more access to herd slaves for copper extraction and agriculture.

The design of the ūre bucca aqueducts was the product of a Khor engineer referred to only as Kārīz - a Zome - it remained unchanged for generations until another Zome - Seivôri Hiroʊpak - devised a way to eliminate the need for Khor labor altogether.

Enzo Dēch
Seivôri Hiroʊpak was a mentor to the Dēch clan under then patriarch Enzo Dēch - a ranking member of the Khor clerisy and father of the Consecrated. Hiroʊpak had a flair for learning and a flair for teaching - his experiments not only bewildered the elite crowds at Dēch receptions but dazzled - and intrigued - Enzo as he grew into maturity. Hiroʊpak educated Enzo throughout his ascendancy into the clerisy. In return, the Dēch clan - now the most beloved and powerful Khor clan outside of the God-King - supplied Hiroʊpak with a place to live and experiment. Hiroʊpak's most dazzling experiment shot a fountain of water from what appeared to be a simple copper tube - the centerpiece at the head table during a Dēch dinner party. The mechanics within the tube were hidden from view but created the necessary pneumatics to spray a tall fountain - to the delight of the mystified crowd. They all wanted one. Hiroʊpak - and more importantly Enzo - saw greater potential for the pneumatic system. Hiroʊpak worked tirelessly on a design that would revolutionize the water harvest. The investment paid dividends when Hiroʊpak unveiled a prototype pump that could draw water through a vacuum tube. The prototype was scaled and reconstructed outside of the entrance of the ūre bucca aqueduct. The infrastructure project was fully financed by Enzo Dēch and utilized much of the copper in the clan's reserves to create the necessary piping to span the distance from aqueduct to the Khor complex.

Although an expensive undertaking, the depletion of the copper reserves and the rise in demand for pneumatic devices sparked an economic boom with the Dēch clan in the center of it. The complex was soon lined with copper piping, making fresh water accessable throughout the complex - but controlled by the Enzo Dēch.

The Dēch clan had now asserted itself as the invisible dynasty that fueled the Khor's development. This dynasty would soon control something more important than water: the clerisy.

The rise of the Consecrated
Detail the takeover - through politics - of the clerisy by Enzo Dēch.

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