What are the origins of the Qularr?

criswolf09 · August 2017

So today I was fighting against this giant bugs and was wondering their origins or home planet. Can someone tell me more please?

bulgarex · August 2017

All aspects of Qularr biology, history, society, and technology are described in an extensive chapter in the PnP source book for the alien/space/cosmic side of the Champions Universe, Champions Beyond. A brief summary of some of that background appears on these forums in The Alien Thread, which gives an overview of elements from that book which IMHO have the most potential for use in CO. I'll transcribe the Qularr info from that thread below -- you're welcome to ask if there's something more you'd like to know.

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Qularr have no personal names. They're referred to simply as what they are or what they do. For example, the commander of the current Qularr force on Monster Island is named "Invasion Leader." His second-in-command is named "Leader's Chief Assistant." Every one of his shock troops is named "Shock Trooper." While this sounds like it would be confusing, the Qularr share a sort of instinctual telepathy which in practice leads to great discipline and preciseness of communication. Qularr can't actually communicate mind-to-mind; but if Invasion Leader says to a group of Shock Troopers, "Shock Trooper, go patrol that perimeter," all the Qularr involved know exactly which Shock Trooper he's referring to.

Qularr are divided into a large number of castes which perform specific functions, and societal tasks are also divided between males and females. Some castes are considered of "higher" or "lower" rank than others. A Qularr is born into a particular caste and does not change caste rank over his or her lifetime. This isn't simply a societal norm, but bred into Qularr at the genetic level. It would never occur to a lower-caste Qularr that he should try to "better" himself by joining a higher caste. In many cases Qularr castes have been bred with physical and mental qualities suiting them to their functions in society.

Qularr females are on average about two-thirds the size of males, which means they don't typically perform strength-intensive tasks (such as being soldiers). They reproduce by laying eggs, which a male can then fertilize (the female chooses the male she wants). For reasons not even the Qularr fully understand, at around age 30 a tiny percentage of Qularr females undergo a metamorphosis, becoming gigantic and bloated, and laying hundreds of eggs at a time. These "great brood mothers" are highly revered; in fact the dominant religion among Qularr, called "Church of the Holy Mother," worships a being known simply as "Goddess" resembling one of these females, reputed to be mother of the Qularr race.

Despite their sophisticated biological sciences, the Qularr refuse to ever use bio-weapons of mass destruction. Before their home-world, Reqqat, was unified, it suffered a series of devastating wars employing such weapons. The final war resulted in 800 million deaths world-wide. Most Qularr would no more condone launching a biological attack, than the average Japanese would consider employing nuclear weapons in war.

The Qularr control a small "empire" of several systems surrounding their own. Most of these are worlds they've colonized, but the third planet of a star they call Hek'ta is inhabited by sapients they conquered. The Hektanese are humanoids very similar to Humans, but with skin tones in the red-orange-yellow range. Their highest technology is equivalent to Earth around 1850. The Qularr tyrannize the Hektanese and ruthlessly exploit Hek'ta III's resources. The more primitive Hektanese worship them as gods.

Besides having genetic abilities bred into them, Qularr can manifest true superpowers through random mutation or mutagenic accidents, as Humans can. Most Qularr supers are employed by their government or military. These super origins occur less frequently and at a lower average power level than in Humans. The main reason the Qularr have repeatedly invaded Earth is to analyze large populations of Humans to learn how to imbue that greater genetic capacity in themselves. Their efforts have taken on new urgency recently due to a fact no one on Earth knows yet: the Qularr are at war with the Gadroon, who attacked Qularr space in 2008.

criswolf09 · August 2017

Thank you very much for this info. But what can you tell me about the Qularr World Burner? All I know from the game is that when these aliens have been having troubles in conquering a world they'd use these individuals to burn all the biology in that world.

bulgarex · August 2017

World Burners do not receive coverage in the PnP books. The only reference I can find for them is from the Champions Online Wiki, which it sounds like you've already read: "The Qularr gestate their World Burner caste only when a war has become so intense that they consider incinerating entire ecologies a viable tactic. Each World Burner acts as both an engine of destruction and as a tactical relay for its fellow alien warriors, guaranteeing that the Qularr will cause the most damage to any foe."

From that passage and their appearance in-game, I get the impression the Qularr consider using these things to be tactically equivalent to our carpet-bombing.

theravenforce · August 2017

Just a note: I don't suppose lore has any reference to them forcibly impregnating those they invade?

I ask because that's an actual attack performed by "Bugkeepers" in Monster Island (removes half HP, cannot be resisted or dodged or shielded against and spawns an enemy firebug) quite gross on all accounts and is actually called Impregnate.

I initially suspected that's just something added for the whole "bug alien" trope.

bulgarex · August 2017

You're undoubtedly right, since it was Cryptic who developed the Qularr for use in CO. Hero Games adapted that material for PnP Champions. That said, the published write-ups for Qularr Bugkeepers actually do include that ability; although they title it, "Implant Firebug Egg." Like the eggs of many insect species, they need to be implanted in flesh before they can hatch, so "impregnate" is somewhat visually descriptive of the Bugkeeper's action, even though it's not biologically accurate. Nor are Firebugs the same species as Qularr. So the PnP name is both more accurate and less gross.

theravenforce · August 2017

*vomits everywhere*

What are the origins of the Qularr?

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