-)- Dystopia (Discussion)

[Lmns Crn]

Well, kind of a lizard.

Synapsids ('fused arch') also known as Theropsids ('beast face'),

"There were four of them,â,¬Â mutters Cythphas. â,¬Å"They are all the worse on their own. Or in droves.â,¬Â[/quote]because[/i] it's out there on its own, unexplained, and it leaves me wondering what sort of creatures these ironheads are, that Cythphas would rather fight four of them at once than one by itself.

[SA]

This is probably my favorite little throwaway passage from the Murta Sigli story. I think I like it because it's out there on its own, unexplained, and it leaves me wondering what sort of creatures these ironheads are, that Cythphas would rather fight four of them at once than one by itself.

The peculiarity of the ironhead battle tactics (along with certain... idiosyncrasies of their anatomy) is the main reason why they are one of my favourite terrestial "races" in Myr.  I guess this is my penchant for allusion popping up again: ghostfaces, ironheads, the long-dead rulers of the city-beneath; I figured it would do well to mention such things in an introductory tale for Iounennion, but that it would be overkill to explain them.

Oh, and I'm working on Iounennion right now, I swear!

[SA]

To better understand some of the impending historical posts, here's a short list of past names and their modern equivalents.

Aghatt Urr/the Aghatt - Das Dramurr
Causicaa - Calleinn (the name Causicaa refers to all the disparate and conflicting regions in what would come to be known as Calleinn when finally united in the 1800's)
Leyblas - Poeddac
Chalseybim - Soujinnlead

More will be added as they appear (and if you think you've spotted one that I haven't identified, gimme a holler)

[SA]

Next up:

Anatomy of a City-Tower
Gaelbellaine, City of Rains

[Epic Meepo]

Interesting, as always. I like the mention of respirators for creatures with gills, clearly establishing if (yes) and how (with respirators) water-breathers are able to interact with air breathers.

I notice that at one point, you make a passing reference to "the Naga." Why did you choose to use a name from real world mythology here? Except for angels and Man, it seems that Dystopian creatures almost always have original names; naming a race after nagas immediately sets it apart and makes it seem as though it should be rather important.

Also, I noticed a few grammatical errors in the story, "Intercession":

I hissed dissent.  Ã¢,¬Å"They will themselves.  We will wait.â,¬Â

He raised his weapon towards the man almost without hesitation, and the bullet tore a bloody swathe through his chest.[/quote]They came to the Cities of the Eye near the apex of the thirty-third â,¬Å"Great Battel of Gloomâ,¬Â...[/quote]

[SA]

Actually, Sisa's respirator is more akin to a breathing aid.  He's genuinely amphibious, but he can't breathe well at high altitudes so the respirator bathes his gills for extra oxygen.

The Naga are named thus because they're a primordial race of worms (not wyrms) that have been "synapomorphised" by the Tamut so that they resemble grand serpents.  I chose that name specifically for its connotations toward the arcane and the mythical (although like the Clerics in Dystopia's original incarnation, I make no apologies for any erroneous allusions to D&D).  The Naga are incredibly important; as much as the IoValde, Sangheili and Anarchim (the latter two having not yet been developed).

As to the errors, I'm uncertain whether it should be rendered less ambiguous by changing it ("They will do so themselves").  To be perfectly clear, the thing they (the humans) will do is intercede, but I had assumed that to be evident if Sisa's response was considered to follow directly on from Monet's question. (Alternatively, the statement could be the Ambassador's acknowledgement of human autonomy - "let the men do as they wish", so to speak - which is an ambiguity I will gladly indulge)

The second one I'll change.

Battel(sic) is spelt "correctly", being a transliterated nuance of Northern vs. Southern Iounennion dialects.

EDIT: To remove all confusion to the matter, the name would be Lebor Umgli in the north and Libor Umgli in the south.  The north retains more of the old pronunciations (Lebor being analogous to the Old English "battel"), while the south has diverged somewhat more (serving, as it does, as a thoroughfare for foreign peoples and their colloquialisms), and so Lebor has become Libor (like our modern "battle").

[Epic Meepo]

Gotcha. That explanation clarified things nicely.

[SA]

More chunky goodness added to the Iounennion post (Geographies and Politics).

[Tangential]

Tasty

[KeshFerrar]

I want it all in an illustrated tome two inches thick to put on my coffee table.

Your writing does wonders to create some amazing images.

With its abundance of races, it seems like you took the major evolutionary branches to sentience. Was this a core concept when designing Dystopia, or has it just happened that way?

And speaking of races I'm still struggling to understand the melting pot:
The Tamut are synapsidae, but you also say they dwell in the water and they're the enemies of the Gon. So are they lizards or did they evolve into something more cetacean (whale) like? For some reason I really like the idea of ancient and scheming whales...

There are two races cephalapod, do they differ along the squid/octopus lines, or are the differences more arcane?

Finally, as to chordates: are humans lumped into this category so it comprises multiple races, or do you use it in reference to a specific race?

I'm sure it will probably all be explained eventually, but perhaps a few morsels now?  

[SA]

I want it all in an illustrated tome two inches thick to put on my coffee table.

Your writing does wonders to create some amazing images.[/quote]With its abundance of races, it seems like you took the major evolutionary branches to sentience. Was this a core concept when designing Dystopia, or has it just happened that way?[/quote]in[/i] a dynamic, verdant (and no small part psychedelic) ecostem rather than dominates it; there are other beasts, other predators eking out their existence, propagating and cutting a swathe through the world's biological history.  In a sense, it is the notion that sentient civilisation itself is but another protean wilderness (with psycho-vampiric fungus), wherein everyone's striving to be the fittest.

So to that end I established a number of races who held some kind of dominance in Dystopia's ecosystem.  The synapsids and cephalopods are almost a warring analogue to humanity; if men are lords of the earth (they aren't) then the cephs/synaps are the lords of the deeps (they aren't, either).  Men can't just go trumpeting over everyone: the dark waters crush them, the scorching deserts roast them, the hollow places between the stars consume their very essence.  But there is always something living in those places deemed uninhabitable by others.

(To further emphasise the concept, the Anarchim, Eloim and IoValde, called the elder races, are in fact from millions of years ago.  They're like... the dinosaurs.  Tamut and Sut history is comprised of folk tales collected over the aeons of their evolution.  Cephalopod accounts of ancient wars in the Shell Empire are a kind of "illuminated paleontology", a mythologised version of their evolutionary struggles.)

And speaking of races I'm still struggling to understand the melting pot:
The Tamut are synapsidae, but you also say they dwell in the water and they're the enemies of the Gon. So are they lizards or did they evolve into something more cetacean (whale) like? For some reason I really like the idea of ancient and scheming whales...

tyrranosaurus rex[/i], but librarians.

Sorry, there aren't any ancient scheming whales, but there are ancient scheming clams.  Will that do?

There are two races cephalapod, do they differ along the squid/octopus lines, or are the differences more arcane?

Finally, as to chordates: are humans lumped into this category so it comprises multiple races, or do you use it in reference to a specific race?[/quote]aquatic[/i] chordates (Tamut, serpent-kind, the fanged brood (sharks) etcetera) as "chordates".

Thanks for your questions, and I hope I shed some light.

[SA]

Tamut F.A.Q.

Q: I've never seen one before.  What do they look like?
A: They're big ugly quadrupeds, about twice as long as a man is tall, and fifty percent of that is a tail that'll crush a man's skull with a twitch.  Their skin is usually dark grey, and somewhat rubbery in texture.  The face is an approximation of a lizard/dolphin mongrel, filled with multitudinous teeth like carefully honed stilettos.  They're made for swimming, so their tail terminates in a large horizontal fin and their hind legs are immensely powerful.

Q: How do they think?
A: Violently.  That is, passionately, and, well, violently.  They're very philosophical, in a carnivorous kind of way, and they tend to pass the time with intellectual discourse.  Because of this proclivity, they are probably the most sophisticated (for what it's worth) of the common races.  The Iounennion's greatest libraries are stocked and maintained by them, and many of the books therein are translated works by them.

Q: People say they're good businessmen.
A: They're efficient businessmen.  They've never, ever been good.  I'll put it this way: if you crossed a Merchant Lord, he might have your head.  If you fail a Tamut, it might eat you and your extended family.  Think I'm exaggerating?  Is it worth the risk?

Q: Why do they even tolerate humanity in their territory?
A: Why don't you go and ask them?

Q: What's the deal with them and the Sut?
A: No-one really knows.  They give a lot of different reasons (many don't make sense), but whatever the reason, they always fight when they encounter each other.  Always.  Like they're tearing their way to centre of some copiously wrapped gift, only the gift is someone's fleshy insides.

Q: I've seen that their hides are covered in scars.  Some of them look very brutal.  What's with that?
A: A Tamut's second favourite pastime is rending flesh.  Being the courteous individuals that they are, they don't rend strangers (unless they deserve it, which is surprisingly often), so those nasty cuts are usually from interactions with kin and acquaintances.  It's like playtime, but with slashy claws.

Q: How can you tell when someone's been in a fight with a Tamut?
A: Strictly speaking, you probably won't recognise them as a "someone", more like a "something".  A messy, drippy red something on the floor.  Tamut are meticulous in their carnage, like everything else.

Q: How do you kill a Tamut?
A: Firstly, distance is the key, as they are very fast.  If you can, interpose a barrier that will give you some time to prepare (though you should have performed all preparations in advance - never fight them unprepared!).  This barrier should ideally be made of solid steel (no cages).  Wood is useless.  It's like paper.  Wet paper.

For your weapon, you should preferably use something automatic, as the intermittent shock of semi-automatic fire will just piss it off (this is to be avoided).  If you can acquire some, heavy ordnance is even better! (Do not assume grenades are a happy medium,  They are known to survive such attacks, and have a high degree of lethality even when their scorched innards are exposed.)

If you have no firearms, you'll likely only get one good stab in with that trusty sabre, so make it count!  (You can always use an advance guard to harry it with jabs and such, but you'll need a few dozen at least, as they are easily terminated.)

But an important question to ask is "Why do I want to fight it in the first place?"  Engagement will be an extraordinary commitment, and data shows that in as much as a ten-on-one (human advantage) confrontation with standard-issue Watch-class carbines, 83% casualties are assured.  Not good odds.  That's like... eight dudes and a leg.

Runningâ,¬,,¢s always an extremely palatable option.

Q: So if I've somehow pissed one off, and it isn't charging me yet, what can I do to stop it without resorting to violence?
A: They are open discourse - in fact, they love to talk.  But be honest!  They can sniff a white lie from a mile away!  Confess in as simple terms as possible what you did wrong, and trust that their reason and civility *coff* will save your life.  If you haven't done anything wrong but it's convinced you have, hopefully you've brought a friend.  Tamut are susceptible to human sacrifice.

Q: What if it's already charging?
A: Are you a... religious man?

Q: So are they psychopaths or something?
A: No.  With the exclusion of the Sut, they always attack with reason.  They aren't vengeful; if someone killed one of their kin they would first consider whether said person is a continuing threat, and proceed from there.  Otherwise, they are quite willing to let most transgressions go unpunished.

It is also a myth that they go on "killing sprees".  That only happened once, and they're very sorry.

[SA]

[ic=A Tower Filled With Shades]"Vjdide!"

Meticulously, each wire, cord and blackened strap was secured about the victim's body, until with the last he had all the appearance of a marionette.  The celebrant descended the dais, his hands upraised in praise, and the eyeless Brothers spun their censers.

Here are the words they all spoke, transliterated with Yobar's assistance, though I was not told their meaning.

"Gnamfad hruddirham.  Mshir dibthhat."

The chaplain-lessers tell me it is of the emperor's sacred tongue, but not even those educated in its use are privy to its meaning, save Divinity Himself.  "We are agents, viulta," says one.  "Vehicles for the holy and ineffable Word our filthy minds have not the grace to comprehend."

Other words were then spoken, which I did understand but do not recall, and here the gathering was silent.  Afterwards, a slave came forth, his sinuous arms cradling a white basin which he set before the strung man's feet, and the chant began again, with a new and uneasy cadence, as the celebrant reached down into the container and drew a ladel stained dark with some unknown substance.  He raised it above the victim and poured the tarry mix upon his head.

Here, the man cried, with such voice and fervour it seemed the very cathedral would be made to tremble, but his words were borne on the winds of such eerie exaltation.  "Vjdide!"

Around them the wavering candlelight was like the stirring of a flock as a beast moves unseen amidst the reeds, and more dark mix was poured upon him, until he was covered.  His trembling had now ceased, and the chaplain returned the ladle to the pot.

"What is this?" I whispered, but Yobar's quiet exhalation silenced me.

A single gesture brought a tiny flame from a candle to the celebrant's hand.  So small, yet for the brief moment it danced upon his fingers it seemed the whole stage was drowned in its light.

Gods.  I knew what would follow, and the horrid anticipation of the event was asphyxiating.  I did not speak - I could not.

All of a sudden, the man was aflame, screaming, and the chant changed once again, a sickly "Tertlut hrashtist mladhub."  As the fire raced across his flesh (and strangely, in those first brief seconds the stink of roasting meat was already upon me), the cords jerked taut, pulling him upward to the darkness of the cathedral's high ceiling.

A hundred hands rose with him, in salute to his ascent.

The flames illuminated the shadows of the vault, and the horror of that one man's demise was suddenly eclipsed by a more sickening sight.

More shapes hung there, small at such a distance and yet discernable as men.  A crowd of hellish phantoms, suspended in gloom, and their numbers seemed to ascend through that high tower into a distant forever.

* "I am worthy!"
** "Foreigner"
*** "And so he is consumed by [the Hungry] God."

Excerpt from The Seat of His Worldly Power

[/ic]

[SA]

Oh, and those last two posts should be here.

[KeshFerrar]

I wanted to convey the sense that humanity dwells in a dynamic, verdant (and no small part psychedelic) ecostem rather than dominates it

Sorry, there aren't any ancient scheming whales, but there are ancient scheming clams.  Will that do?[/quote]
I prefer my clams steaming actually. When they get to scheming -- the morning after isn't so good. I couldn't resist...

Thanks for the info, it was enlightening. Keep up the original work!