29.6.04
Mathematics is a weapon
Mathematics is one of humanity's greatest weapons in wars against non-Humans. It allows for planning much more precise and accurate than what pre-cognition and telepathy can afford; it allows for more widespread and accessible communication; it allows for charting the future paths of projectiles and bodies; it allows for statistical analysis and proper logistics.
The mental powers of non-Humans give them a heavy weight in the spiritual world, and it's often easy for them to scry what the other is doing, so military surprises are rare outside of humanity. Mathematics renders null in the spiritual world, and plans concocted on calculations register as background noise. Human activity after the barrier drops shocks and surprises the rest of the universal community.
The alien community reacts in as many ways as the humans due. There are plenty willing to buy or steal the technology, and plenty of humans willing to sell. There are humans who want to horde technology for their protection and human domination, and there are aliens who think it a heresy to be shunned or even abolished. There are those people who don't even worry about the transfer, as long as it happens after humanity has established itself as a dominant species - unfortunately, these excite the tendencies of the alien jihadists, who band together for war on Coera.
There are no small few, though, that see humanity as a promised Messiah, and maths as the magic that will deliver them and disrupt the established castes - they secretly root for humanity while suffering the subjegation of the supremal races.
The mental powers of non-Humans give them a heavy weight in the spiritual world, and it's often easy for them to scry what the other is doing, so military surprises are rare outside of humanity. Mathematics renders null in the spiritual world, and plans concocted on calculations register as background noise. Human activity after the barrier drops shocks and surprises the rest of the universal community.
The alien community reacts in as many ways as the humans due. There are plenty willing to buy or steal the technology, and plenty of humans willing to sell. There are humans who want to horde technology for their protection and human domination, and there are aliens who think it a heresy to be shunned or even abolished. There are those people who don't even worry about the transfer, as long as it happens after humanity has established itself as a dominant species - unfortunately, these excite the tendencies of the alien jihadists, who band together for war on Coera.
There are no small few, though, that see humanity as a promised Messiah, and maths as the magic that will deliver them and disrupt the established castes - they secretly root for humanity while suffering the subjegation of the supremal races.
Hi and Lo-life in Alien Supremal Cultures
By the time of Tuk's capture, alien cultures are fairly clearly divided into the supremal and subjugate races. A loose coalition of 17 supremal races rules the local area into which Ohida is pocketed; countless thousands of subjugate races (the distinction between the races blur with intentional and unintentional crossbreeding, intermingling, and absorption) form the background static. The Supremals interact formally and ritually, have very rigid strictures for racial qualification, and tend to remain rather isolated within their territories except for trade, war, or Republic conventions.
As individual and individually superior as the supremal races claim to be, they have, over time, come to have some striking similarity in their cultures.
One of their similarities is the "highway" structuring of their homeplanets. Nearly every one of the supremal races have constructed great platforms or plateaus, sometimes a mile or more above the natural surface. These platforms not only provide the supremal race a superior view over the landscape and their vassals, and control access to space, but they typically wall off the low-lifes from each other, which discourages plotting against the masters and leaves them to plot against the "beasts" on the other side of the wall. The supremal races can then get their fill of slaughter putting down incursions from one room to another, and appear the benificent ruler to those the saved.
Low-lifes are allowed onto the plateaus only as the personal property or by special permission of someone of power on high - they need few servants as they have Creatures to serve them. Tuk is one such - a "pet" of a princess.
The High-Lifes, of course, go down to the rooms as often as they wish to risk the stigma, or wish to hunt, or if they have business.
As individual and individually superior as the supremal races claim to be, they have, over time, come to have some striking similarity in their cultures.
One of their similarities is the "highway" structuring of their homeplanets. Nearly every one of the supremal races have constructed great platforms or plateaus, sometimes a mile or more above the natural surface. These platforms not only provide the supremal race a superior view over the landscape and their vassals, and control access to space, but they typically wall off the low-lifes from each other, which discourages plotting against the masters and leaves them to plot against the "beasts" on the other side of the wall. The supremal races can then get their fill of slaughter putting down incursions from one room to another, and appear the benificent ruler to those the saved.
Low-lifes are allowed onto the plateaus only as the personal property or by special permission of someone of power on high - they need few servants as they have Creatures to serve them. Tuk is one such - a "pet" of a princess.
The High-Lifes, of course, go down to the rooms as often as they wish to risk the stigma, or wish to hunt, or if they have business.
25.6.04
Hide and Seek
This isn't the final design for the Courdd, but it was a sketchy study of Tuk's relative size and a mood indicator for his confinement with the High Princess of the Courdd Ilyaughset.
20.6.04
Obelisks of the Dead
After The Apocalypse of the Descent of Heaven, after the angels have left, the skys are no longer full of their palaces, and man is left with dominion of the earth and the new Evangelion, the rich and powerful have obelisks built as their tombs. The scavengers who might find their souls stay close to Coera, where they can hide in shadows and holes from the eye of Patar Ori or the watchers in the night, so the rich build platforms (the obelisks) to keep their souls far from the ground, and mark them so the escorts can find them with ease.
The architecture of Ohida is often built from the pillars of these obelisks.
The architecture of Ohida is often built from the pillars of these obelisks.
2.6.04
Tuk in Babal
Tuk's assault on Ohida is aborted when he is captured by Lil's forces, but it is a part of a plan larger than his.
He is taken to Babal, Capitol of Ohida (Babal is also quickly becoming the name of the planet itself), where he is to be publicly executed as the grand sacrifice to the Jezebel. He is groomed for this display for two weeks, during which time he establishes the groundwork for the undoing of Lil - a plan which will, indeed, require sacrifice.
He is taken to Babal, Capitol of Ohida (Babal is also quickly becoming the name of the planet itself), where he is to be publicly executed as the grand sacrifice to the Jezebel. He is groomed for this display for two weeks, during which time he establishes the groundwork for the undoing of Lil - a plan which will, indeed, require sacrifice.
1.6.04
The Keys of Adam, 2
Tuk learns, as he plans the assault on Lil (and Coera), that the keys of Adam, which Lil now possesses, do more than unlock the barrier around Coera - they awaken the planet goddess herself.
Again, Lil knows this, and is trying to awaken Coera, that she may devour her (though her eyes may be a bit bigger than her stomach). Since Coera was once the better part of Baod, she hopes to once again gain his attention and perhaps his power. Baod also has some interest in regaining Coera, but he and Lil have not been on speaking terms since the barrier was dropped.
Again, Lil knows this, and is trying to awaken Coera, that she may devour her (though her eyes may be a bit bigger than her stomach). Since Coera was once the better part of Baod, she hopes to once again gain his attention and perhaps his power. Baod also has some interest in regaining Coera, but he and Lil have not been on speaking terms since the barrier was dropped.
