CF2 wrote:
Most importantly: if attacked play dead.
That 's a myth. When a bears attack, fighting back and trying to hit it in a sensitive area like the nose may be your only chance. Playing death or running away are almost never recommended against a predator which can outrun you.
...this said not sure if punching Fireblade in the nose is a good idea in any circunstance.
raistlin34 wrote:That 's a myth. When a bears attack, fighting back and trying to hit it in a sensitive area like the nose may be your only chance. Playing death or running away are almost never recommended against a predator which can outrun you.
Well, with black bears fighting back is more often effective because they're more predatory towards humans, so when they attack it's because they're hunting you; but with grizzly bears the reason they attack is more often because they feel threatened, so feigning death is an effective way to become non-threatening and get them to go away.
Alex clearly demonstrated a mix of the two works best by aggressively glowering at her from the floor of the elevator.
On a random note, is there very much -or any- interstellar commerce that the civilian guilds are in charge of, or does the military have a monopoly on space travel? As feudal as the Loroi are, I could see civilian life being so insular that they only have access to local materials and products, but beyond the three homeworlds, I wonder how the colonies get supplies.
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(On the off-topic of bears: If you don't have bear spray on hand, one strategy I've heard of for avoiding death by bear is to find a tree, then keep it between you and the bear. You might have to play ring around the rosy for hours, but if you're not out of shape, you should be able to outlast the bear. Bears may be much faster than humans in a charge, but they apparently don't corner as well.)
icekatze wrote:On a random note, is there very much -or any- interstellar commerce that the civilian guilds are in charge of, or does the military have a monopoly on space travel? As feudal as the Loroi are, I could see civilian life being so insular that they only have access to local materials and products, but beyond the three homeworlds, I wonder how the colonies get supplies.
The Loroi have a merchant marine analogue which is part of the military, and which handles the movement of important supplies. If they have the means and can secure the proper licenses, civilians (Loroi and alien) can own and operate starships. In practice, these will mostly be haulers of commercial goods and supplies in interior areas (which are unlikely to come across enemy forces).
Disclaimer: I understand that this is fiction and the author of the story doesn't have to provide any mechanics at all.
Also: arioch may have something in mind but doesn't wish to share because it may derail the story by too early a revelation. However, I would still like to ask.
I find myself wondering how "psionics" would work in the outsider universe.
Something along the electromagnetic spectrum? Is it possibly Analogous to "chi"?
Is it actually the ability to manipulate a some kind of exotic subatomic particle?
IIRC it was meant to very much be a black box sort of science. They know just enough to make it work, and to construct things like psionic amplifiers for Unsheafed and Farseers. Beyond that, it continues to defy easy investigation or categorisation.
Roughly, the concept is that intelligent creatures have an abstract "mind" which has some physical quality beyond that of the matter in their bodies, and in psi users this "mind" can interact with the physical universe in unusual ways. The story requirement is that psi should not be reproducible by machines (at least, at the tech level of the major combatants), and so exactly what makes it work must be a bit mysterious.
hmmmm, I must have missed or overlooked this part when I first read: "....A variety of side effects can result from amplification, again varying by individual, including headaches, fatigue, nausea, temporary impairment of vision, or reduction in effective PK skill. In extreme cases of prolonged amplification, lesions or plaques can form in the brain, resulting in seizures, permanent loss of vision, psychosis, or even death." I wonder if Fireblade's apparent lack of ability to speak trade language is a side effect of her PK amplifier? It has never been explained, and I had assumed she didn't want to "lower" herself by verbal communication.
Fireblade's personality is something that's been discussed in the past. Assuming any of the past forum posts are still accurate, I think a good part of Fireblade's 'strong silent type,' demeanor has to do with her traumatic past experiences. She survived an Umiak occupation when she was young, and survived the loss of two ships during her career, which would certainly make me cold and distant if I were in her shoes.
I mean, not literally in her shoes, like Alex is...
thicket wrote:hmmmm, I must have missed or overlooked this part when I first read: "....A variety of side effects can result from amplification, again varying by individual, including headaches, fatigue, nausea, temporary impairment of vision, or reduction in effective PK skill. In extreme cases of prolonged amplification, lesions or plaques can form in the brain, resulting in seizures, permanent loss of vision, psychosis, or even death." I wonder if Fireblade's apparent lack of ability to speak trade language is a side effect of her PK amplifier? It has never been explained, and I had assumed she didn't want to "lower" herself by verbal communication.
That's explained in the Loroi society section (?), her caste only speaks when they're going to kill you. So if she talks to him Alex pretty much screwed. Her cold demeanor though?
SpoilerShow
Alex yelling can be misinterpreted as a challenge.
Speaking of Fireblade, what is the current consensus regarding the apparent violation of the Third Law of Motion by Loroi telekinesis? As seen on Page 45: http://well-of-souls.com/outsider/outsider045.html.
Edit: I reread the psychokinesis article linked in Arioch's post above. If the human Lotai ability (is Alex the only human who has it?) works by blocking access to the "other place" that Loroi mental powers come from, is it possible that Alex could learn to block not just telepathy, but also PK?
ewaggin wrote:If the human Lotai ability (is Alex the only human who has it?) works by blocking access to the "other place" that Loroi mental powers come from, is it possible that Alex could learn to block not just telepathy, but also PK?
Only if he were directly targeted. You could still use physical objects, even the air around him, to physically manipulate him. Alternatively if he somehow became an AoE PK damper, he could still be affected by PK hurled objects, conservation of momentum and all that. However, it does not seem as though either will happen, as humans are simply closed off rather than counteractive.
Imbrooge wrote:
That's explained in the Loroi society section (?), her caste only speaks when they're going to kill you. So if she talks to him Alex pretty much screwed. Her cold demeanor though?
SpoilerShow
Alex yelling can be misinterpreted as a challenge.
Canonically it hasn't been stated as to why the Teidar don't speak. Could be for a variety of reasons, I elected to use the 'Teidar only speak the truth' angle mainly because of the 'words are tools of deception' quote by Stillstorm who represents a hardline traditionalist part of the Loroi culture.
My thinkining was thus: Would the Deinar Loroi, who are described as very conservative by Loroi standards, tolerate Teidar being deceiptful in anything other than war?
My guess is that Fireblade will talk either when battle or duty demands it of her.
Imbrooge wrote:
That's explained in the Loroi society section (?), her caste only speaks when they're going to kill you. So if she talks to him Alex pretty much screwed. Her cold demeanor though?
SpoilerShow
Alex yelling can be misinterpreted as a challenge.
Canonically it hasn't been stated as to why the Teidar don't speak. Could be for a variety of reasons, I elected to use the 'Teidar only speak the truth' angle mainly because of the 'words are tools of deception' quote by Stillstorm who represents a hardline traditionalist part of the Loroi culture.
My thinkining was thus: Would the Deinar Loroi, who are described as very conservative by Loroi standards, tolerate Teidar being deceiptful in anything other than war?
My guess is that Fireblade will talk either when battle or duty demands it of her.
I found the bit I was looking for, "In some cases, such as the Teidar bands, spoken words are prohibited except in challenge." http://well-of-souls.com/outsider/forum ... rites.html Teidar simply do not talk, unless it's for a fight.
My guess is that Fireblade will talk either when battle or duty demands it of her.
Or when stuck alone with an alien with a permanent lotai which makes telepathic communication impossible, in a fubar situation.
What are the chances of such thing happening?
In page 101, Beryl mentions a 'cultural selan '. What does that particular Loroi word mean? I assume it's something to the effect of 'practises/mores/codes/taboos'? Or is there a particular reason why the word was not translated?
harlequin2262 wrote:In page 101, Beryl mentions a 'cultural selan '. What does that particular Loroi word mean? I assume it's something to the effect of 'practises/mores/codes/taboos'? Or is there a particular reason why the word was not translated?
And the lexicon here has that word as 'taboo'. The reason as to why it isn't translated, that I think is down to let it be shown that Alex doesn't know the trade lexicon of the Loroi. He was taught Trade from the Orgus who were using the Historian lexicon iirc. The Loroi have several words of their own.
