The Qui Err are the first people of the planet of Quire, who originally lived there from before the Dusted Age to the end of the Blooded Age. After being repopulated by a series of system-wide miracles, they contribute significant numbers to the Qui Err Coalition.
Name
'Qui err' is a phrase from their language meaning 'the soil' or 'earth' and is also used to refer to the planet Quire. The longer phrase 'qui err vi qi-em' or 'the soil with memory' can be used in the same way.
History
The Qui Err were decimated by war due to Independence's influence. The last of them fled to the Sky Reflected in Mirrors, where they attempted to save the memories of their people in the form of clone templates.[1] Castlerose later used this to make human-looking bodies for her assassins.[2] During the Miracle, Iota Pretense and a few thousand other Qui Err were reconstituted using the Sky Reflected in Mirrors' cloning systems, with populations residing on the Sky Reflected in Mirrors and Moonlock. Additional alternate-reality Qui Err were created in Parhelia and across the system during the second Miracle, including their leader Solemn Scale.
They appear similar to humans, but with some differences. They typically have skin in cool-toned shades of "greys and blues and lavender".[3] They have protrusions on their heads in the shape of horns or bony spines, which can look very different from person to person. They typically have vestigial nubs of a second pair of arms on their sides,[4] although the Qui Err from the second Miracle have a full second pair.[3] Iota Pretense has spines of bone on her shoulders instead.