The Curse of Interram
The Curse of Interram
Who is a man when everything is ripped away?
Alasdair is a Guardian, a defender of the Realm, bound by strict rules and religious dogma. The planet Interram is rotting from within, but rather than confront this corruption, humans choose to hunt those they label as Cursed and servants of the Enemy. Alasdair’s rigid worldview begins to unravel as he defies his orders and chooses to investigate a series of mysterious disappearances.
His journey leads him to Phae, a child bearing the Curse of Interram. As Alasdair grapples with his duty to destroy the Cursed, Phae challenges his beliefs and forces him to see the world through a new, more nuanced lens.
Meanwhile, the oku’s view existence is radically different from humans. What humans deem Cursed oku call Blessed. The oku’s benevolent ‘One God’ is viewed as the Enemy by humans. Oku don’t even understand the role of gender, for their role within their tribe is not determined by their ever-changing anatomy.
An oku storyteller recounts the tale of the oku’s prophesied savior, Ogedai. Captured and enslaved by humans, Ogedai endures the brutality of slavery and violence but perseveres, resisting their grim fate. Ogedai confronts their identity both as an individual and as part of their species, both of which have been profoundly shaped by humans.