Homeworld Ecologies

Thamuzz · Post by **Thamuzz** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:18 am

A coupla weird questions that came to me at work today (yeah overtime/deadlines)
1. Is the Takran 2.5 gender dynamic unique to their species on their homeworld, or are there other creatures with a similar dynamic (perhaps some sort of Great Apes equivalent?)

2. Are there any other psionic species on the Liir/Morrigi homeworlds? The theoretical precursor race the Zuul were derived from suggests that creatures lacking the higher reasoning that characterizes the SotS races might posses some degree of telepathic ability.

Erinys · Post by **Erinys** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 4:23 am

1. Most of the animals in the Tarka sapiens lineage have had the 2.5 strategy, and there are some distant cousins of Tarka sapiens still surviving on the home world where the extremes are much more visible. The Tau-Tau is a non-sentient cousin of the Tarka, completely vegetarian and savagely territorial. A Tau-Tau male can be three times the size of a Changed male Tarka, and much more aggressive if its mates and offspring are threatened.

2. Psionic species which are both sentient and non-sentient are common in the SotSverse. The majority of Liir domestic animals possess at least rudimentary Empathy, and Empathy is very common on the Morrigi home world, as are Glamour-based strategies and Psionic camouflage.

--Arinn

P.S. If I haven't said so earlier, welcome to the forums.

Allattar · Post by **Allattar** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:24 am

Ah..
Finally I remembered it. Erinys are the changed Tarka a nod to Larry Nivens novels on the Pak, and the Protector novel?

ZedF · Post by **ZedF** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:56 am

If so, from reading what wiki has to say about Pak Protectors, I like the lore for the Tarka far better. Far easier to suspend disbelief for them, for both scientific and sociological reasons; Pak Protectors seem more reminiscent of Suul'Ka than Tarka in some respects.

Erinys · Post by **Erinys** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:24 pm

I'm not familiar with that particular Niven work, so it wouldn't be an intentional nod, but obviously the comparison to Niven doesn't break my heart.

--Arinn

Mecron · Post by **Mecron** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:22 pm

Actually met him for the first time this weekend when he came by the SotS table at VCON

vaccum_pony · Post by **vaccum_pony** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 11:42 pm

Got to meet Nivan and Octavia Butler together ages ago at a con in Ohio. In fact, he signed my copy of Protector. Sadly, I no longer have that book.

Tundra · Post by **Tundra** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 12:21 am

The Zuul always reminded me of the Tines from Vernor Vinge's A Fire upon the Deep. A single mind controlling a group.

Mecron · Post by **Mecron** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:20 am

never read it but the idea goes waaaay back in SF.

vaccum_pony · Post by **vaccum_pony** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 3:12 am

The Tine were (are?) a gestalt mind that is more than the sum of its parts. The individual "doggies" were not unintelligent, but they weren't fully sapient. A "pack" mind, if you will.
Fun book.

Allattar · Post by **Allattar** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:19 am

Mecron wrote:Actually met him for the first time this weekend when he came by the SotS table at VCON

Thats very cool. Niven was an author I read a lot through my teens.

Ill stop being off topic now.

EntropyAvatar · Post by **EntropyAvatar** » Tue Oct 04, 2011 2:25 pm

Tundra wrote:The Zuul always reminded me of the Tines from Vernor Vinge's A Fire upon the Deep. A single mind controlling a group.

An important difference is that the Tines are roughly equally distributed, while (as I understand it) in the case of the Zuul there is a central node of control.

Itharus · Post by **Itharus** » Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:26 am

Zuul remind me of the monsters from Tank Girl.

On the subject line though: is the ecology of the various races homeworlds laid out anywhere? It's fairly easy to guess with races like the Liir, Humans, even Tarka. But the Hivers, Zuul, Morrigi... their planets look a bit different. Like, what is that dull green coating the Hiver worlds have for instance? Forest? Moss carpets? Dust? What?

If it's spelled out somewhere, I'd love a link

Mecron · Post by **Mecron** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:01 am

the monsters from tank girl were female? Koooooool!

Itharus · Post by **Itharus** » Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:05 am

Well, no. But they look sorta like each other and aren't they both called Rippers? It has been a long freakin' time so I might be misremembering.

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