Thread: Questioning chirine ba kal - part II

Questions on "vats" and "vats-creatures":

According to the Sourcebook, the priesthoods of "Ksarul, Gruganu, and the Horned One of Secrets of Livyanu" know how to create genetic aberrations which they and other clergies employ as slaves, servants, or soldiers, like the Qol or the Vorodla.

01 - In your adventures, did you, Chirine, ever see these vats or visit the "labs" where these creatures are born/created?
02 - Should we assume that most if not all of these vats and laboratories are located in the most secretive portions of the above-mentioned clergies' temples?
03 - I assume that these vats/tanks are other-planar energy powered. Would that be correct? The Sourcebook suggests so.
04 - Are creatures like the ones I mention above still being created, or were they all created way-back-when, like during the Latter Times, and have now become "standard species", in that they can reproduce naturally?
05 - Through the centuries, the Qols, or whatever other vat-creature, that managed to escape, or get lost, or achieve some sort of independence of thought probably managed to create communities of their own, living hidden on the fringe of society and/or in the most remote areas of the world. Did you, Chirine, ever visit/stumble upon such communities of "under-people"? If yes, how did such encounter(s) go?

Originally Posted by Horu hiFa'asu

Honored Uncles, I have yet more questions...

N'luss, Pe Choi, and Shen (oh my).. and other 'non humans' - where they ever popular with the players? It seems that Tekumel from a gaming perspective was very human-centric. Given the importance of social relationships this makes a bit of sense, the 'alien races' where actually 'alien' after all.

N'luss, being 'bred' from humans originally, would seem to have no issues socially with other humans (other than the obvious drastic difference in size!). How are they regarded in polite society? Assuming they are accustomed to civilized lands. Are they regarded as 'pretty much the same as us' ? Would someone from Tsolyanu regard a N'luss similar to the way they regard someone from Livyanu?

Reading a bit about the Pe Choi - it almost seems to hint at some kind of greater 'connection' between all Pe Choi that they are now cut off from - perhaps hinting at some kind of low level psychic ability across the species. Was there anything ever hinted at this in the game or is it my imagination running amok again?

Not really. Three people played a Shen, a Pe Choi, and a Tinaliya over the years; that's it, as far as I know.

As useful barbarian mercenaries / soldiers. Not very high status, but useful. No; a Livyani would be higher status.

No, it was clearly stated, right up front, which is why we made very sure not to engage in unprovoked feuds with the 'wild' Pe Choi in the Chakas. Kill one Pe Choi, and all of the rest of them just might come after you.

Originally Posted by Neshm hiKumala

Questions on "vats" and "vats-creatures":

According to the Sourcebook, the priesthoods of "Ksarul, Gruganu, and the Horned One of Secrets of Livyanu" know how to create genetic aberrations which they and other clergies employ as slaves, servants, or soldiers, like the Qol or the Vorodla.

01 - In your adventures, did you, Chirine, ever see these vats or visit the "labs" where these creatures are born/created?
02 - Should we assume that most if not all of these vats and laboratories are located in the most secretive portions of the above-mentioned clergies' temples?
03 - I assume that these vats/tanks are other-planar energy powered. Would that be correct? The Sourcebook suggests so.
04 - Are creatures like the ones I mention above still being created, or were they all created way-back-when, like during the Latter Times, and have now become "standard species", in that they can reproduce naturally?
05 - Through the centuries, the Qols, or whatever other vat-creature, that managed to escape, or get lost, or achieve some sort of independence of thought probably managed to create communities of their own, living hidden on the fringe of society and/or in the most remote areas of the world. Did you, Chirine, ever visit/stumble upon such communities of "under-people"? If yes, how did such encounter(s) go?

1. Yes; I have friends who owe me favors.
2. Yes; most assuredly!
3. Yes; these are devices of the Ancients, using the same technology, and were originally probably ER / Trauma Room gear. Nobody knows for sure, of course.
4. Yes; to the latter; nobody knows for sure, and the Qol aren't telling.
5. Yes. See also the Brotherhood of the Half-Human. It pays to do people favors, as you can expect to have them returned at some point; so, from my point, they went well. From the standpoint of my foes, not well at all.

More in TSTPT, as you might expect...

Noticed you baled on the ODD74 forum. Don't blame you.

The "Shit On Jon Peterson" brigade has been awfully vocal there of late. That's one reason I'm not a "gaming historian," I'm just a crochety old grognard.

Arseholes to the lot of 'em, says I.

Although some of the CHAINMAIL threads are fun, and I admire the guy who's doing counters.

Originally Posted by Voros

Peterson seems to piss some people off because he doesn't take sides or treat rumour and hearsay as history.

The blasphemer!

Well, some folks who were there get a bit testy because Jon takes a strict "written evidence is the only reliable evidence" attitude.

Now, when there is written evidence, I agree; but Jon sometimes takes his skepticism towards memory beyond what written evidence exists.

ON the other other hand, memory is horribly unreliable. I used to be 101% sure I started playing "Greyhawk" in fall of 1971. Evidence, including both written and eyewitness accounts from those who were there, have since established that Gary started "Greyhawk" in fall of 1972,

On the other other other hand, my self identity does not rely on the acceptance of the accuracy of my memories of when I started playing a silly game some 45 years ago.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

Noticed you baled on the ODD74 forum. Don't blame you.

The "Shit On Jon Peterson" brigade has been awfully vocal there of late. That's one reason I'm not a "gaming historian," I'm just a crochety old grognard.

Arseholes to the lot of 'em, says I.

Although some of the CHAINMAIL threads are fun, and I admire the guy who's doing counters.

Agreed; some of the people and the threads are both nice and informative, but the obsessive agonies going on over what may or may not have happened forty-five years ago are just a little bit too much for me and when things took a nasty turn I realized that it had been a mistake to reopen my account there.

And, to be frank, 'secretsofblackmoor' is being a jerk in my opinion. He's had it in for Jon for quite a while; he was the guy who phoned me after Gary Con three years ago - now four, maybe - to ream me a new one about "selling out to Pederson" by selling the original figures of Capt. Harchar and his officers to Jon for $1,000. He told me that it was all over the Internet, with pictures to boot; he'd gotten the check that Jon gave Bill Hoyt for his collection with my showing Jon my figures all confused. I was, and still am, pretty upset, as I simply don't sell figures that I've painted - I do paint for friends, but those are not 'my' figures. He also made a point of calling me this past spring, while I was at Con of the North doing Bill Hoyt's display to crow about how he'd scored points off of Jon on some sort of Facebook discussion that they were having. Wasn't very pleased about that incident; I don't need that kind of hassle and politics.

So, we're out. And as I have mentioned before, if people don't have any questions for me, then I'll be out of here as well. No sense wasting other folks' time, I think.

Originally Posted by chirine ba kal

Agreed; some of the people and the threads are both nice and informative, but the obsessive agonies going on over what may or may not have happened forty-five years ago are just a little bit too much for me and when things took a nasty turn I realized that it had been a mistake to reopen my account there.

And, to be frank, 'secretsofblackmoor' is being a jerk in my opinion. He's had it in for Jon for quite a while; he was the guy who phoned me after Gary Con three years - now four, maybe - to ream me a new one about "selling out to Pederson" by selling the original figures of Capt. Harchar and his officers to Jon for a $1,000. He told me that it was all over the Internet, with pictures to boot; he'd gotten the check that Jon gave Bill Hoyt for his collection with my showing Jon my figures. I was, and still am, pretty upset, as I simply don't sell figures that I've painted - I do paint for friends, but those are not 'my' figures. He also made a point of calling me this past spring, while I was at Con of the North doing Bill Hoyt's display to crow about how he'd scored points off of Jon on some sort of Facebook discussion that they were having. Wasn't very pleased about that incident; I don't need that kind of hassle and politics.

So, we're out. And as I have mentioned before, if people don't have any questions for me, then I'll be out of here as well. No sense wasting other folks' time, I think.

He must have a really small pecker.

Originally Posted by Gronan of Simmerya

He must have a really small pecker.

Could very well be; he's the one who asked me "Don't you want to be famous?" an was very much unable to deal with my reply of "No, I've been famous."

He's made it big time, though; he's on The Missus' very select list of people unwelcome in her house.