feat(simulation): relief_q — a local relief signal the deep rungs can resolve (T-1213)

The District and Quarter rungs rendered as flat colour, and the cause was not
the biome work everyone assumed. Measured on Ferrath through the production
canvas builder: at District the mean |elev_q delta| between neighbouring
gridunits is 0.02, and NOT ONE PAIR in a 1290x540 frame differs by 2.

elev_q spans 0-100 across the body's whole 8 km elevation range, so ONE STEP IS
80 METRES. A District canvas covers 2,048 m of ground, where the rolling relief
a walker navigates by is metres to tens of metres -- a fraction of a single
step. The sub-district detail IS generated (invent_primitives' scatter and
relief bands compute it) and then rounded away. Confirmed by running the
diagnostic with the octave cutoff disabled: still 0.02.

relief_q carries that same invented fine component against a scale chosen to
resolve it: 0-100 about a flat 50, RELIEF_FULL_SCALE_M = 400 m either side, so
8 m per step -- ten times finer than elev_q. elev_q keeps its body-absolute
meaning and the Atlas legend stays true.

Measured effect, elev_q vs relief_q (distinct values / mean 4-cell delta):

  Region     49 / 2.38   ->   101 / 21.86
  District   10 / 0.08   ->    35 / 0.35
  Quarter     8 / 0.02   ->    19 / 0.06

FIXED metre scale, never per-canvas normalization: the value for a piece of
ground must not depend on what else is in frame, or the same hillside changes
tone as the viewer pans. And it excludes elev_pct deliberately -- this is the
departure from the surrounding land, not height above sea level; including the
base would re-introduce the body-scale dominance that makes elev_q unusable
down here.

50 at the orbital rungs, which skip invent_primitives by design. Nothing is
lost: Global and Region still have varied elev_q (101 and 49 distinct values),
and the client takes whichever field carries signal via a max, with no
rung-name branching.

The client's ruggedness driver changes with it. It was an elev_q GRADIENT,
which cannot work across rungs -- the same 4-cell delta reads 21.86 at Region
and 0.08 at District, so any single full-scale constant either saturates one or
vanishes on the other. relief_q states relief outright, so |relief_q - 50| is
the answer directly and a fixed metre scale is immune to that by construction.

An absent plane reads FLAT, not zero -- 0 on this field means maximum relief
BELOW flat, so a payload without it would have stippled the entire map. That is
reachable: the field is #[serde(default)] so old-shape payloads decode. Two
colorize tests whose fixtures predate the plane caught it.

2004 server tests, 1838 client tests, 0 failed. clippy clean.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.pql/changelog/ticket_idmap/2026-08.sql

@@ -1 +1,2 @@
 INSERT INTO ticket_idmap (record_id, ticket_id, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FXF1VDVQDQ8EFGTXX787M90R', 'T-1239', '2026-08-06 14:43:24.767', '2026-08-06 14:43:24.767', NULL, 'ae5ccb58f885727882f56ce2a32c91e3', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET ticket_id=excluded.ticket_id, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > ticket_idmap.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = ticket_idmap.updated_at AND excluded.hash > ticket_idmap.hash);
+INSERT INTO ticket_idmap (record_id, ticket_id, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FXRSY7QWD8J5X6G1N86WMKEC', 'T-1240', '2026-08-07 13:26:56.708', '2026-08-07 13:26:56.708', NULL, 'dc79a976524b951a73f05532772ef86a', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET ticket_id=excluded.ticket_id, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > ticket_idmap.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = ticket_idmap.updated_at AND excluded.hash > ticket_idmap.hash);

.pql/changelog/tickets/2026-08.sql

@@ -166,3 +166,4 @@ rivers vanish on descent. That is tracked separately as T-1239 and is NOT this
 ticket''s scope, but it will be visible in the same captures, so do not mistake it
 for a failure of the un-summarisation work.', 'in_progress', 'high', NULL, NULL, 'D-258', '2026-07-26 21:54:15.245', '2026-08-07 11:36:20.464', NULL, '94ccf78431914ea836ba5d59170a3395', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_record_id=excluded.parent_record_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);
 INSERT INTO tickets (record_id, type, parent_record_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FSJWSX11WV3C1XXZEV88Q3P0', 'task', '06FB0TNSRZXCHGS16BFHSSGSV4', 'Biome/relief stipple-density layer on the terrain build (RimWorld technique 4)', 'Follow-up from T-1175''s assess-only item (2026-07-25, stig''s write-up): a stipple/texture-density layer carrying hills/mountains/forest on top of hue, driven by the already-wire-carried vegetation and elev_q L8 planes — presentation-only, D-255(e)-legal (texture-space dithering of already-derived per-cell values, deterministically seeded per cell coordinate + value so it is stable across cache hit/miss; never invents samples between server cells). Would live as a post-process in step_canvas_terrain_layer.gd::rebuild_from_canvas()''s Image.set_pixel build. Design questions to settle at pickup: (a) stipple dots inline in the existing per-cell loop (cheap, same O(wxh) pass) vs a second overlay pass (simpler code, doubles pixel-touch cost); (b) density from vegetation class directly vs a combination with elev_q — relief hachures and forest texture are two different visual grammars in the RimWorld reference, not one slider; (c) own legend toggle (TMP/MST/VEG overlay-bar pattern) vs always-on like the elevation lightness modifier. Reference: docs/design/references/rimworld-world-map-fluency.jpg. Related: T-1175, T-1162 (vegetation patchiness fields), D-255(e).', 'in_progress', 'low', NULL, 'client', NULL, '2026-07-25 13:24:54.152', '2026-08-07 12:44:21.620', NULL, 'c1560b624bd9a9d79fe919f282620f22', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_record_id=excluded.parent_record_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);
+INSERT INTO tickets (record_id, type, parent_record_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FXRSY7QWD8J5X6G1N86WMKEC', 'task', '06FB0TNSRZXCHGS16BFHSSGSV4', 'MIN_WL_BANDS_M octave cutoffs are pre-extent-inversion (stale, currently inert)', 'Found during T-1213 (2026-08-07). MIN_WL_BANDS_M (layer_proxy.rs) is built from 2*DISTRICT_M (4,096 m) and 2*QUARTER_M (1,024 m) -- Nyquist for a sample spacing equal to the rung''s CELL SIZE. That was correct while a rung fixed SPACING; after D-255''s extent inversion a rung fixes EXTENT and District''s spacing is 2048/540 = 3.8 m, so its true Nyquist floor is ~7.6 m. The bands are off by roughly the canvas cell count (~540x). This is the same class of defect as the Global 2x1 wire-extent sentinel the D-258 amendment documents: a constant that was correct under the pre-inversion model and silently outlived it. The code even states the consequence as though intended -- district_profile.rs''s comment reads ''At District''s real Nyquist floor (4,096 m) every VOXEL_OCTAVE_WAVELENGTHS_M entry is truncated, so relief is always exactly 0.0 there''. IMPORTANT SCOPE NOTE, verified before filing: this is currently INERT for the step canvas. step_canvas_viewer._fire_request() calls request_now(body, rung, center, extent) with no min_wl_m, so it defaults to 0, and quantize_min_wl_m(0) returns 0 (the leading sentinel band) -- no truncation happens on the served path. It therefore only affects the legacy layer_proxy district-window consumer. It is NOT the cause of the flat District/Quarter rungs; that is elev_q''s 80 m quantisation (0-100 across MAX_REGION_ELEVATION_KM = 8.0 km), measured at d1 mean 0.02 with the cutoff already disabled. Fix: derive the cutoff from the resolved canvas spacing rather than the rung cell size. Check the layer_proxy consumer''s expectations first -- MIN_WL_BANDS_M is shared, carries a const assert tying band 4 to OCTAVE_WAVELENGTHS_M[3], and is part of the cache key, so a change there is not local.', 'backlog', 'medium', NULL, 'server', 'D-255', '2026-08-07 13:26:56.703', '2026-08-07 13:26:56.703', NULL, '45cb7553effbe05042fe7f3eb09e6483', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_record_id=excluded.parent_record_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);

client/ui/implant/apps/atlas/step_canvas/step_canvas_colorize.gd

@@ -76,6 +76,12 @@ const RUGGEDNESS_FULL_SCALE_Q: int = 4
 ## has arrived but has not yet flattened into the regional average.
 const RUGGEDNESS_BASELINE_CELLS: int = 4
 
+## relief_q deviation from flat (50) at which ground is "fully rugged". Each
+## step is 8 m, so 25 = 200 m of local relief — a substantial ridge at the
+## sub-district scale, and comfortably inside the range the field actually
+## uses (Region spans all 101 values; District 35 of them).
+const RELIEF_TEXTURE_FULL_SCALE_Q: int = 25
+
 ## One decoded plane set, pre-extracted from the five L8 Images + the two
 ## raw-array fields a caller needs per cell — built once per arrived canvas
 ## (see StepCanvasTerrainLayer.build_texture()), not re-decoded per pixel.
@@ -88,6 +94,7 @@ class CellPlanes:
 	var moisture_q: Image
 	var vegetation: Image
 	var lake_margin_q: Image
+	var relief_q: Image
 	var glaciation: Image
 	var temp_dc: Array
 	var width: int
@@ -172,6 +179,32 @@ static func _texture(planes: CellPlanes, col: int, row: int, base: Color) -> Col
 ## Clamped at the edges by sampling the centre, so a canvas border neither
 ## invents relief nor loses it.
 static func _ruggedness(planes: CellPlanes, col: int, row: int) -> float:
+	# PRIMARY: relief_q states local relief outright (T-1213) — 50 is flat and
+	# each step is 8 m — so the ruggedness is just how far from flat this ground
+	# is. No neighbour comparison: the field already IS the answer, measured on
+	# a fixed metre scale rather than against whatever happens to be in frame.
+	#
+	# This replaced an elev_q GRADIENT, which cannot work across rungs: the same
+	# 4-cell delta reads 21.86 at Region and 0.08 at District, so any single
+	# full-scale constant either saturates the one or vanishes on the other. A
+	# fixed metre scale is immune to that by construction.
+	# Absent plane reads FLAT, not zero. `_l8_value` zero-fills a missing image,
+	# and on this field 0 does not mean "no data" — it means maximum relief
+	# below flat, so a payload without the plane would render every cell fully
+	# rugged and stipple the entire map. That is reachable in practice: the
+	# field is `#[serde(default)]` server-side precisely so an old-shape payload
+	# decodes rather than hard-failing. Caught by two colorize tests whose
+	# fixtures predate the plane.
+	var from_relief: float = 0.0
+	if planes.relief_q != null:
+		var rel: int = _l8_value(planes.relief_q, col, row)
+		from_relief = absf(float(rel) - 50.0) / float(RELIEF_TEXTURE_FULL_SCALE_Q)
+
+	# FALLBACK: the orbital rungs skip the sub-district derive entirely, so
+	# relief_q is a flat 50 there and would texture nothing. elev_q is still
+	# richly varied at that scale (101 distinct values on Ferrath at Global), so
+	# Global keeps the gradient read. Taking the max means each rung is driven
+	# by whichever field actually carries signal, with no rung-name branching.
 	var here: int = _l8_value(planes.elev_q, col, row)
 	var worst: int = 0
 	var b: int = RUGGEDNESS_BASELINE_CELLS
@@ -179,7 +212,9 @@ static func _ruggedness(planes: CellPlanes, col: int, row: int) -> float:
 		var c: int = clampi(col + d.x, 0, planes.width - 1)
 		var r: int = clampi(row + d.y, 0, planes.height - 1)
 		worst = maxi(worst, absi(_l8_value(planes.elev_q, c, r) - here))
-	return clampf(float(worst) / float(RUGGEDNESS_FULL_SCALE_Q), 0.0, 1.0)
+	var from_elev: float = float(worst) / float(RUGGEDNESS_FULL_SCALE_Q)
+
+	return clampf(maxf(from_relief, from_elev), 0.0, 1.0)
 
 
 ## Deterministic [0,1) dither for a cell, salted per mark type so the relief and

client/ui/implant/apps/atlas/step_canvas/step_canvas_terrain_layer.gd

@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ func _decode_planes(canvas: Dictionary, width: int, height: int) -> StepCanvasCo
 	planes.moisture_q = _decode_l8_plane(canvas.get("moisture_q"))
 	planes.vegetation = _decode_l8_plane(canvas.get("vegetation"))
 	planes.lake_margin_q = _decode_l8_plane(canvas.get("lake_margin_q"))
+	planes.relief_q = _decode_l8_plane(canvas.get("relief_q"))
 	planes.glaciation = _decode_l8_plane(canvas.get("glaciation"))
 	planes.temp_dc = canvas.get("temp_dc", [])
 	return planes

server/src/atlas/believability.rs

@@ -807,6 +807,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: PrecipitationClass::Temperate,
             slope_q,
             elev_q,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q,
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,

server/src/atlas/chunk_context.rs

@@ -499,6 +499,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: PrecipitationClass::Temperate,
             slope_q: 5,
             elev_q: 20,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 15,
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,
@@ -637,6 +638,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: PrecipitationClass::Arid,
             slope_q: 3,
             elev_q: 10,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 0, // no water at all
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 300,

server/src/atlas/district_profile.rs

@@ -223,6 +223,30 @@ pub struct DistrictProfile {
     /// Average of `TerrainAnalysis.elev_pct` × 100 across district cells.
     pub elev_q: i32,
 
+    /// **Local** relief on a FIXED fine metre scale — 0–100 with 50 = flat,
+    /// each step [`RELIEF_FULL_SCALE_M`] / 50 metres (T-1213, 2026-08-07).
+    ///
+    /// WHY THIS IS NOT `elev_q`. `elev_q` spans the body's whole elevation
+    /// range: 0–100 across [`MAX_REGION_ELEVATION_KM`] = 8 km, so **one step is
+    /// 80 metres**. That is the right granularity for a whole-body map and
+    /// useless below it — a District canvas covers 2,048 m of ground, where the
+    /// rolling relief a walker navigates by is metres to tens of metres, i.e.
+    /// a fraction of one `elev_q` step. Measured on Ferrath through the
+    /// production canvas builder: at District the mean |elev_q delta| between
+    /// neighbouring gridunits is **0.02**, and not one pair in a 1290×540 frame
+    /// differs by 2. The sub-district detail IS generated — `scatter` and
+    /// `relief` below compute it — and then rounded away.
+    ///
+    /// So this field carries that same invented fine component against a scale
+    /// chosen to resolve it, rather than against the body. It is the signal the
+    /// deep rungs draw texture from; `elev_q` keeps its body-absolute meaning
+    /// and the Atlas legend stays true.
+    ///
+    /// Signed about 50 rather than a magnitude, because a hollow and a rise are
+    /// different ground and a consumer that wants only roughness can take
+    /// `|relief_q - 50|` — the reverse is not recoverable.
+    pub relief_q: i32,
+
     /// Ocean fraction for this district (0–100 scale, integer).
     pub ocean_fraction_q: i32,
 
@@ -722,6 +746,17 @@ pub fn derive_morphology_zone(
 /// span can replace it when body relief data is carried (T-1032).
 const MAX_REGION_ELEVATION_KM: f64 = 8.0;
 
+/// Full-scale swing of [`DistrictProfile::relief_q`], in metres either side of
+/// flat. 400 m spans everything from a gentle roll to a substantial ridge at
+/// the sub-district scale, and puts one quantization step at **8 m** — ten
+/// times finer than `elev_q`'s 80 m, which is what makes the deep rungs
+/// resolvable at all.
+///
+/// A FIXED metre scale on purpose, never per-canvas normalization: the value
+/// for a piece of ground must not depend on what else is in frame, or the same
+/// hillside would change tone as the viewer pans and the map would shimmer.
+const RELIEF_FULL_SCALE_M: f64 = 400.0;
+
 /// Climate tuning constants. `ClimateConstants::default()` holds the embedded
 /// values and is the authoritative runtime source **today**; the source-canonical
 /// `server/data/climate_constants.toml` mirrors those same values and is the file
@@ -1145,6 +1180,9 @@ const WINDOW_RELIEF_SALT: u64 = 0x5EED_C0DE;
 struct InventedPrimitives {
     slope_q: i32,
     elev_q: i32,
+    /// Local sub-district relief on the fixed [`RELIEF_FULL_SCALE_M`] scale —
+    /// see [`DistrictProfile::relief_q`].
+    relief_q: i32,
     ocean_fraction_q: i32,
 }
 
@@ -1360,8 +1398,22 @@ fn invent_primitives(
     // 0.0 at every cutoff ≥ 2,048 m (District and coarser), so this sum is
     // byte-identical to the pre-T-1162 `elev_pct + scatter` wherever the
     // cutoff discipline says it must be.
+    // The SAME invented fine component the elevation sum above folds in, kept
+    // on its own fixed metre scale instead of the body's (T-1213). `scatter`
+    // and `relief` are normalized fractions of MAX_REGION_ELEVATION_KM, so
+    // scaling by it gives metres; RELIEF_FULL_SCALE_M then maps +/-400 m onto
+    // 0..100 about a flat 50, i.e. 8 m per step against elev_q's 80 m.
+    //
+    // Deliberately excludes `elev_pct`: this is LOCAL relief, the departure
+    // from the surrounding land, not height above sea level. Including the
+    // base would re-introduce exactly the body-scale dominance that makes
+    // elev_q unusable down here.
+    let relief_m = (scatter + relief) * MAX_REGION_ELEVATION_KM * 1_000.0;
+    let relief_q = ((50.0 + (relief_m / RELIEF_FULL_SCALE_M) * 50.0).round() as i32).clamp(0, 100);
+
     InventedPrimitives {
         elev_q: (((elev_pct + scatter + relief) * 100.0).round() as i32).clamp(0, 100),
+        relief_q,
         slope_q: (((local_slope + ruggedness * (scatter.abs() + relief.abs()) + carve) * 100.0)
             .round() as i32)
             .clamp(0, 100),
@@ -1636,6 +1688,11 @@ fn build_district_profile(
     climate: &ClimateConstants,
     slope_q: i32,
     elev_q: i32,
+    // Local sub-district relief, fixed metre scale — see
+    // `DistrictProfile::relief_q`. Inert to every other field's derivation (a
+    // presentation-tier signal, not a classification input), so it is carried
+    // straight through to the output.
+    relief_q: i32,
     ocean_fraction_q: i32,
     region_baseline_c: Option<f32>,
     basin_direction: BasinDirection,
@@ -1733,6 +1790,7 @@ fn build_district_profile(
         precipitation_class,
         slope_q,
         elev_q,
+        relief_q,
         ocean_fraction_q,
         lake_margin_q,
         river_threshold,
@@ -1986,6 +2044,7 @@ fn derive_at_metres_with_riparian(
         climate,
         prims.slope_q,
         prims.elev_q,
+        prims.relief_q,
         prims.ocean_fraction_q,
         region_baseline_c,
         BasinDirection::default(),
@@ -2182,6 +2241,14 @@ pub fn derive_orbital_at_metres(
         climate,
         slope_q,
         elev_q,
+        // 50 = flat. The orbital rung skips `invent_primitives` altogether
+        // (that is the whole point of this path — envelope-only, no scatter,
+        // no warp), so no sub-district relief is computed here and reporting a
+        // neutral midpoint is the honest answer rather than a fabricated one.
+        // Nothing is lost visually: at Global and Region `elev_q` still varies
+        // properly — 101 and 49 distinct values respectively on Ferrath — and
+        // it is only below them that it flattens and `relief_q` takes over.
+        50,
         ocean_fraction_q,
         region_baseline_c,
         BasinDirection::default(),

server/src/atlas/layer_proxy.rs

@@ -2381,6 +2381,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: PrecipitationClass::Arid,
             slope_q: 0,
             elev_q: elev,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 0,
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,

server/src/atlas/step_canvas.rs

@@ -381,6 +381,24 @@ pub struct EncodedStepCanvas {
     /// before the version tag has already forced a fresh fetch.
     #[serde(default)]
     pub lake_margin_q: EncodedField,
+    /// T-1213 — LOCAL sub-district relief on a fixed metre scale (0–100, 50 =
+    /// flat, 8 m per step). The signal the deep rungs draw relief texture from,
+    /// because `elev_q` structurally cannot: `elev_q` spans the body's whole
+    /// 8 km elevation range at 80 m per step, and a District canvas covers
+    /// 2,048 m of ground where real relief is a fraction of one such step —
+    /// measured at a mean neighbour delta of 0.02 there, with no pair in a
+    /// 1290×540 frame differing by 2. Same static-geometry plane as `elev_q`
+    /// (a pure function of position, not sim-state).
+    ///
+    /// `50` at the orbital rungs, where `invent_primitives` is skipped by
+    /// design and no sub-district detail is computed — Global and Region get
+    /// their texture from `elev_q`, which is still varied at that scale.
+    ///
+    /// `#[serde(default)]` for the same reason `lake_margin_q` carries it: an
+    /// old-shape payload decodes rather than hard-failing, and the version-
+    /// tagged cache forces a fresh fetch before anything reads it.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub relief_q: EncodedField,
     // --- Sim-state plane (2 dense fields, see struct doc) ---
     pub glaciation: EncodedField,
     pub flooded_q: EncodedField,
@@ -469,6 +487,8 @@ struct StepCanvasCell {
     glaciation: u8,
     flooded_q: u8,
     lake_margin_q: u8,
+    /// T-1213 local relief, fixed metre scale — see `EncodedStepCanvas::relief_q`.
+    relief_q: u8,
 }
 
 /// Derive one cell at `(wx, wy)` world metres, dispatching to the D-255(a)/(f)
@@ -523,6 +543,7 @@ fn derive_step_canvas_cell(
         // every non-lake cell, same static-geometry-plane posture as
         // `elev_q`/`morphology` (a pure function of position, not sim-state).
         lake_margin_q: prof.lake_margin_q.clamp(0, 100) as u8,
+        relief_q: prof.relief_q.clamp(0, 100) as u8,
     }
 }
 
@@ -551,6 +572,8 @@ pub struct RawStepCanvas {
     /// tone source ocean coastlines already get for free from
     /// `ocean_fraction_q`. See `district_profile::DistrictProfile::lake_margin_q`.
     pub lake_margin_q: Vec<u8>,
+    /// T-1213 — local sub-district relief, the deep rungs' texture source.
+    pub relief_q: Vec<u8>,
     pub courses: Vec<RiverCourse>,
     pub cliffs: Vec<CliffSegment>,
 }
@@ -1078,6 +1101,7 @@ pub fn build_step_canvas(
     let mut glaciation = vec![0u8; cells];
     let mut flooded_q = vec![0u8; cells];
     let mut lake_margin_q = vec![0u8; cells];
+    let mut relief_q = vec![0u8; cells];
 
     for (row, row_cells) in rows.into_iter().enumerate() {
         let base = row * width as usize;
@@ -1091,6 +1115,7 @@ pub fn build_step_canvas(
             glaciation[i] = cell.glaciation;
             flooded_q[i] = cell.flooded_q;
             lake_margin_q[i] = cell.lake_margin_q;
+            relief_q[i] = cell.relief_q;
         }
     }
 
@@ -1141,6 +1166,7 @@ pub fn build_step_canvas(
         glaciation,
         flooded_q,
         lake_margin_q,
+        relief_q,
         courses,
         cliffs,
     }
@@ -1190,6 +1216,7 @@ pub fn encode_step_canvas(raw: &RawStepCanvas) -> EncodedStepCanvas {
             values: raw.settlement_id.clone(),
         },
         lake_margin_q: png_encode_u8_plane(raw.width, raw.height, &raw.lake_margin_q),
+        relief_q: png_encode_u8_plane(raw.width, raw.height, &raw.relief_q),
         glaciation: png_encode_u8_plane(raw.width, raw.height, &raw.glaciation),
         flooded_q: png_encode_u8_plane(raw.width, raw.height, &raw.flooded_q),
         courses: raw.courses.clone(),
@@ -1213,6 +1240,7 @@ pub fn decode_step_canvas(enc: &EncodedStepCanvas) -> RawStepCanvas {
         vegetation: png_decode_u8_plane(&enc.vegetation),
         settlement_id: enc.settlement_id.values.clone(),
         lake_margin_q: png_decode_u8_plane(&enc.lake_margin_q),
+        relief_q: png_decode_u8_plane(&enc.relief_q),
         glaciation: png_decode_u8_plane(&enc.glaciation),
         flooded_q: png_decode_u8_plane(&enc.flooded_q),
         courses: enc.courses.clone(),
@@ -2149,6 +2177,7 @@ mod tests {
             vegetation: png_encode_u8_plane(1, 1, &[0]),
             settlement_id: EncodedSettlementField { values: vec![0] },
             lake_margin_q: png_encode_u8_plane(1, 1, &[0]),
+            relief_q: png_encode_u8_plane(1, 1, &[50]),
             glaciation: png_encode_u8_plane(1, 1, &[0]),
             flooded_q: png_encode_u8_plane(1, 1, &[0]),
             courses: Vec::new(),
@@ -2574,9 +2603,7 @@ mod tests {
             let spacing =
                 rung.spacing_m(raw.width, raw.height, params.body_radius_km.unwrap_or(0.0));
 
-            let uniq_u8 = |v: &Vec<u8>| {
+            let uniq_u8 = |v: &Vec<u8>| v.iter().collect::<std::collections::BTreeSet<_>>().len();
-                v.iter().collect::<std::collections::BTreeSet<_>>().len()
-            };
             let span_u8 = |v: &Vec<u8>| match (v.iter().min(), v.iter().max()) {
                 (Some(a), Some(b)) => *b as i32 - *a as i32,
                 _ => 0,
@@ -2614,6 +2641,27 @@ mod tests {
                 );
             }
 
+            // The same 4-cell gradient over relief_q — the T-1213 field that
+            // exists precisely because elev_q's 80 m step cannot resolve
+            // sub-district ground. If this does not move where elev_q's does
+            // not, the field has bought nothing.
+            let mut rsum = 0.0f64;
+            let mut rn = 0.0f64;
+            for r in 0..h {
+                for c in 0..w.saturating_sub(4) {
+                    let a = raw.relief_q[r * w + c] as i32;
+                    let b = raw.relief_q[r * w + c + 4] as i32;
+                    rsum += (a - b).abs() as f64;
+                    rn += 1.0;
+                }
+            }
+            let ruq = raw
+                .relief_q
+                .iter()
+                .collect::<std::collections::BTreeSet<_>>()
+                .len();
+            grad += &format!("  RELIEF[uniq {ruq:3} d4mean {:.2}]", rsum / rn.max(1.0));
+
             println!(
                 "{:8?} {:>9.1} m/gu  {}x{}  elev[uniq {:3} span {:3}]  moist[uniq {:3} span {:3}]  \
                  morph[uniq {:2}]  veg[uniq {:2}]  glac[uniq {:2}]  courses {}{grad}",

server/src/atlas/voxel.rs

@@ -2290,6 +2290,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: PrecipitationClass::Temperate,
             slope_q: 5,
             elev_q: 20,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 15,
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,
@@ -2312,6 +2313,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: PrecipitationClass::Temperate,
             slope_q,
             elev_q: 5,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 90,
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,
@@ -2858,6 +2860,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: crate::atlas::district_profile::PrecipitationClass::Temperate,
             slope_q: 5,
             elev_q: 20,          // low elevation
+            relief_q: 50,        // flat — this test measures the elevation blend, not relief
             ocean_fraction_q: 0, // no channel — simpler tile layout for elevation check
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,
@@ -2873,6 +2876,7 @@ mod tests {
             precipitation_class: crate::atlas::district_profile::PrecipitationClass::Temperate,
             slope_q: 5,
             elev_q: 70,   // high elevation — makes the blend measurable
+            relief_q: 50, // flat — see the primary district above
             ocean_fraction_q: 0,
             lake_margin_q: 0,
             river_threshold: 200,
@@ -2976,6 +2980,7 @@ mod tests {
             ocean_fraction_q: 0,
             slope_q: 8,
             elev_q: 30,
+            relief_q: 50,
             moisture_q: 20,
             ..alluvial_district()
         }
@@ -3057,6 +3062,7 @@ mod tests {
             glaciation_grade: GlaciationGrade::Moderate, // grade ≥ 2
             slope_q: 60,
             elev_q: 80,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 30,
             moisture_q: 70,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Barren,
@@ -3174,6 +3180,7 @@ mod tests {
             tectonic_class: TectonicClass::Active,
             slope_q: 70,
             elev_q: 60,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 40,
             moisture_q: 50,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Barren,
@@ -3259,6 +3266,7 @@ mod tests {
             morphology_zone: MorphologyZone::Delta,
             slope_q: 2,
             elev_q: 4,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 50,
             moisture_q: 80,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Scrub,
@@ -3376,6 +3384,7 @@ mod tests {
             morphology_zone: MorphologyZone::DuneStrand,
             slope_q: 8,
             elev_q: 6,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 30,
             moisture_q: 40,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Barren,
@@ -3470,6 +3479,7 @@ mod tests {
             tectonic_class: TectonicClass::Active,
             slope_q: 80,
             elev_q: 90,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 5,
             moisture_q: 50,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Barren,
@@ -3579,6 +3589,7 @@ mod tests {
             morphology_zone: MorphologyZone::MeanderReach,
             slope_q: 3,
             elev_q: 15,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 20,
             moisture_q: 70,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Forest,
@@ -3623,6 +3634,7 @@ mod tests {
             morphology_zone: MorphologyZone::MeanderReach,
             slope_q: 5, // above wetland slope threshold
             elev_q: 15,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 20,
             moisture_q: 55, // below wetland moisture threshold
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Forest,
@@ -3715,6 +3727,7 @@ mod tests {
         let shared_district_base = DistrictProfile {
             slope_q: 5,
             elev_q: 20,
+            relief_q: 50,
             ocean_fraction_q: 20, // ensure has_active_channel = true
             moisture_q: 55,
             vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Forest,
@@ -3843,6 +3856,7 @@ mod tests {
                 glaciation_grade: GlaciationGrade::Moderate,
                 slope_q: 50,
                 elev_q: 40,
+                relief_q: 50,
                 ocean_fraction_q: 20,
                 moisture_q: 50,
                 ..alluvial_district()
@@ -3878,6 +3892,7 @@ mod tests {
                 glaciation_grade: GlaciationGrade::Moderate,
                 slope_q: 50,
                 elev_q: 40,
+                relief_q: 50,
                 ocean_fraction_q: 5,
                 moisture_q: 30,
                 vegetation_class: VegetationClass::Barren,

server/tests/derivation_harness.rs

@@ -2268,6 +2268,7 @@ fn make_region(
         precipitation_class: precip,
         slope_q,
         elev_q,
+        relief_q: 50,
         ocean_fraction_q,
         lake_margin_q: 0,
         river_threshold: derive_river_threshold(tectonic, precip),