Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

[harlequin2262]

Arioch; a question. Who is the grey skinned, golden eyed Loroi on your Patreon page?

[Arioch]

Arioch; a question. Who is the grey skinned, golden eyed Loroi on your Patreon page?

That's an avatar illustration that I sometimes use. He's not a Loroi, but sort of a fusion of the Dark Elf character that I played in Age of Wonders I and a character from Digital Devil Saga.

https://ariochiv.deviantart.com/art/Dig ... -178478112

[inxsi]

Do the Loroi ever delve into cybernetics and bio-engineering for their soldiers, or is that kind of frowned upon because of the association with the Umiak?

The Loroi use cybernetic implants for a few specialized purposes (you could say that psi amplifiers are a form of cybernetic implant), but in general they do not see any benefit to large scale use among soldiers. The Loroi are content to use armored vehicle or self-propelled robot heavy weapons for roles that the Umiak would assign to armored cybernetic hardtroops.

Do the psi amplifiers "plug in" to a Loroi's body or do they just need to be properly positioned? I was picturing that Fireblade or Ashrain could remove their amplifiers easily, but now I'm not so sure.

[Arioch]

Do the Loroi ever delve into cybernetics and bio-engineering for their soldiers, or is that kind of frowned upon because of the association with the Umiak?

The Loroi use cybernetic implants for a few specialized purposes (you could say that psi amplifiers are a form of cybernetic implant), but in general they do not see any benefit to large scale use among soldiers. The Loroi are content to use armored vehicle or self-propelled robot heavy weapons for roles that the Umiak would assign to armored cybernetic hardtroops.

Do the psi amplifiers "plug in" to a Loroi's body or do they just need to be properly positioned? I was picturing that Fireblade or Ashrain could remove their amplifiers easily, but now I'm not so sure.

There are both types. Fireblade's amplifier can be removed at will, but it attaches to plugs that are surgically implanted.

[boldilocks]

There are both types. Fireblade's amplifier can be removed at will, but it attaches to plugs that are surgically implanted.

Is the surgical implantation there to make the connection/amplification stronger? That is, do the loroi actually have that much knowledge of telepathy that they can enhance it through surgery? Or is this just a case of making the "connection" stronger.

[orion1836]

This may have been asked before, but do Loroi have 'handedness' like humans do? Is one side predominant like right-handedness for us?

Now that I think about it, this aspect of our physiology might have interesting implications for a telepathic species. If each side of a Loroi brain specializes, and one side controls telepathy, would right or left-handed Loroi be better or worse at telepathy?

[Siber]

Most Loroi are left-handed.

Insider, Loroi page, Biology section

[nweismuller]

What do the 's', 'sh', and 'b' in this this image signify?

[boldilocks]

What do the 's', 'sh', and 'b' in this this image signify?

They're the 3 directions of space. "South", "South-Hampton" and "Backwards".

[cacambo43]

This may have been asked before, but do Loroi have 'handedness' like humans do? Is one side predominant like right-handedness for us?

Now that I think about it, this aspect of our physiology might have interesting implications for a telepathic species. If each side of a Loroi brain specializes, and one side controls telepathy, would right or left-handed Loroi be better or worse at telepathy?

It might be more complicated than that. Research does NOT seem to support that only one eye sees each side or that language is only from one side.

https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/ ... lationship

But this is a fictional, alien, engineered species, so anything can work!

CJSF

[entity2636]

What do the 's', 'sh', and 'b' in this this image signify?

Maybe Arioch could clarify, but logic dictates that the three letters should somehow symbolize the three original Loroi planets - Deinar, Taben and Perrein.

On the other hand,

They're the 3 directions of space. "South", "South-Hampton" and "Backwards".

is probably correct

[boldilocks]

If sansai makes secrets and lying next to impossible, why did Beryl ask Alex not to repeat anything about a breakthrough on page 103? Or is it possible to keep secrets and therefore necessary to keep that piece of information to spread beyond the immediate crew?

[CF2]

If sansai makes secrets and lying next to impossible, why did Beryl ask Alex not to repeat anything about a breakthrough on page 103? Or is it possible to keep secrets and therefore necessary to keep that piece of information to spread beyond the immediate crew?

Because speculation isn't lying, but it is demoralizing to consider and in Beryl's case not something she'd have the satisfaction of knowing the truth about anytime soon.

[Arioch]

Yeah. She's not trying to suppress the information; she just doesn't want to think about it.

[GeoModder]

And now she has no choice but to think about it. Events are unfolding as she speaks.

[inxsi]

Were there any notable locations on Seren where the diral would train, or were they more integrated into civilian areas? What castes would train on Seren?

Is there any prejudice among the adult trainers or diral members towards a first-generation military candidate? Would they tend to go harder or softer on such a candidate?

How do the Loroi determine that someone has the ability to be a farseer? Is there any chance of missing a candidate who could be a farseer? Would a candidate be able to try to hide their ability, or would sanzai make it too difficult to do so?

I know the Insider says the farseers are all civilians - is there any chance for a farseer to be a member of the military?

[Arioch]

Were there any notable locations on Seren where the diral would train, or were they more integrated into civilian areas? What castes would train on Seren?

Because Seren is a frontier sector capital (and before the occupation had a large population), it would have needed to have some training facilities for pretty much every caste, as well as secondary education for Soroin and Tenoin (specialists would have probably been sent to offworld academies after trials). Post-occupation, the population of the entire sector has been greatly reduced, and the number of males and children living near the front lines is kept at a minimum.

Seren is cold and extremely arid; there is very little surface water except for a few black saline lakes and the polar ice caps. The dominant form of plant life is a lichen-like colonial organism that forms forests of vast fan-shaped mineral structures, similar to stromatolites, which draw moisture from deep underground aquifers to the surface where it can be used for photosynthesis. In addition to providing oxygen for the atmosphere, these stromatolites contain rich veins of valuable metals, which is a chief source of Seren's considerable mineral wealth. Other than these great mineral "forest" valleys, the rest of Seren's terrain is barren mountains and salt flats, cold deserts, and the wind-sculpted ice formations of the polar regions. Almost all Loroi habitation on Seren was urban, with great cities springing up near the forest quarries. Seren was also famously home to great orbital megastructures: several great orbital elevators, a multitude of vast orbital shipyards, and the mighty Seren Citadel.

Ground-based diral bands often took to the mineral forest valleys, sometimes in and around abandoned quarries (the mining tunnels and natural crevasses of which would serve as superb hiding places for the resistance during the Umiak occupation). Station-based diral bands had the vast orbital megastructures as their playgrounds. Today's diral bands also have ruined cities to explore.

Is there any prejudice among the adult trainers or diral members towards a first-generation military candidate? Would they tend to go harder or softer on such a candidate?

In the starfaring era, the female children of the worker class are not eligible for warrior training, so there's no such thing as a first-generation military candidate.

How do the Loroi determine that someone has the ability to be a farseer? Is there any chance of missing a candidate who could be a farseer? Would a candidate be able to try to hide their ability, or would sanzai make it too difficult to do so?

Unfortunately, there's not much I can say about that which doesn't get pretty heavily into spoiler territory.

I know the Insider says the farseers are all civilians - is there any chance for a farseer to be a member of the military?

Not really. It's possible, but it's not done.

[inxsi]

Thanks for the answers! Had a follow up since I'm not clear on something...

Is there any prejudice among the adult trainers or diral members towards a first-generation military candidate? Would they tend to go harder or softer on such a candidate?

In the starfaring era, the female children of the worker class are not eligible for warrior training, so there's no such thing as a first-generation military candidate.

I thought there were, based on

Daughters of civilians are not normally accepted for application to the warrior ranks, except when the civilian mother is of high status (particularly if the father is of notable lineage), or when a civilian child shows unique abilities (particularly telekinesis), or in times of great need.

Would the instructors or band members know that such a candidate was the child of a civilian (even though they had always been raised as a warrior candidate)?

Did the Umiak target male Loroi for death as well as female Loroi when they decided the Loroi could not be pacified? Did they treat the two sexes differently at all?

[Arioch]

Is there any prejudice among the adult trainers or diral members towards a first-generation military candidate? Would they tend to go harder or softer on such a candidate?

In the starfaring era, the female children of the worker class are not eligible for warrior training, so there's no such thing as a first-generation military candidate.

I thought there were, based on

Daughters of civilians are not normally accepted for application to the warrior ranks, except when the civilian mother is of high status (particularly if the father is of notable lineage), or when a civilian child shows unique abilities (particularly telekinesis), or in times of great need.

In the pre-starflight era, when Loroi nations warred against each other and clans vied for power within nations, there were cases when a disadvantaged nation might dip into its civilian pool for talented individuals, or a disadvantaged clan might allow a wealthy civilian to "buy in" by mating her with one of the male scions of the clan. But in the modern era, after unification and abolition of the clan system, this is generally not permitted. It might be tempting to backdoor a powerful civilian psychokinetic into the Teidar, but there are other uses for male and civilian PK's.

Would the instructors or band members know that such a candidate was the child of a civilian (even though they had always been raised as a warrior candidate)?

It would be very difficult to conceal, given the nature of telepathy. However, if the candidate was a powerful telepath or pyschokinetic, she might have significant tools to quell dissent. But I think in most military units (especially at this young an age) if you can prove yourself, the others will accept you.

Did the Umiak target male Loroi for death as well as female Loroi when they decided the Loroi could not be pacified? Did they treat the two sexes differently at all?

Very few male Loroi fell into Umiak hands during the occupation, as most had been evacuated well in advance of the enemy. Those few who were captured were treated quite differently.

[icekatze]

hi hi

That makes me wonder, are there any notable stories or legends about children that were mixed up shortly after birth? Surely much less likely in the space-faring era, but perhaps in older times, especially since children aren't generally raised by their parents. Child from a warrior caste mother gets mixed up with a child from a civilian caste mother, maybe they looked so much alike or something.