The Qiemal were a radical sect of Qieg on the planet Lan Barell who opposed the presence of off-worlders on their planet, although most were non-violent. In the Qieg language, their name translated as "First Nest." They believed that when the planet's supply of ore ran out, the Qieg living in the cities would no longer have money to buy necessities, such as food, and believed that those Qieg had forgotten how to survive without assistance. On that day, only the true Qieg who clung to the old ways would survive. The Qiemal were divided into sects with differing levels of ideology, and political conflict between the city and forest Qiemal was common.