Lore questions.

Damariel

Angwe said:

Someone explain Mhun naming conventions to me? I've noticed some consistency between suffixes with the named NPCs in Moghedu, but I can't figure the rhyme or reason to them, nor any real world counterpart.

Aside from Kalsu and a few other smatterings of language, there were no languages or linguistic constructs created upstairs - of if there were, no notes have been kept on them (notice the common trend in this regard). It's more likely that the consistency you're observing came from someone who decided to use arbitrary patterns for Mhun names. It may be something we look into in the future.

Veovis

Omei said:

Veovis said:

Omei said:

 It was necessary to make it a player-centric and player-powered resource. Trust me, some of the Gods have been stockpiling essence like pros since day one, and it would make things really imbalanced, really fast.

So what role does essence currently play? I know a very long time ago in Achaea it was rather difficult to do certain things if you didn't have essence, because a lot of the god commands relied on essence.

I was going to type out a big technical answer on this, but you know? I'd rather not specify. There are a large number of ways we interface with players that costs essence, ranging from "not a big deal" to "so expensive you probably don't want to do it more than one RL month".

But I think that takes away from one of the few things in this game that still has magic to it. I'd rather not players treat even the providing of our essence as just another currency, just another system to min/max. Characters provide the gods with essence because they love them, and because they know the gods use it as power.

I'm not going to spill too many beans, but I neither need nor want a technical answer to how essence works. I was merely curious as to its role versus shrine energy now that the two aren't tied together. 

Maghak

Shrine energy is a game abstraction to represent invested essence.

Aishia said:

Whatever happened with that golem thing Niuri was making when she took Aishia's heart, Xavin's eyes. (Other peoples other things?) I think she still HAD* all the parts! I'm scared.

Checking up on this with the player at the time, stay tuned.

Damariel

Damariel said:

Angwe said:

Someone explain Mhun naming conventions to me? I've noticed some consistency between suffixes with the named NPCs in Moghedu, but I can't figure the rhyme or reason to them, nor any real world counterpart.

Aside from Kalsu and a few other smatterings of language, there were no languages or linguistic constructs created upstairs - of if there were, no notes have been kept on them (notice the common trend in this regard). It's more likely that the consistency you're observing came from someone who decided to use arbitrary patterns for Mhun names. It may be something we look into in the future.

Revisiting this somewhat, since I've taken over Aetolia's constructed languages and I love linguistic puzzles and supposition.

A brief review of Mhun names reveals that most of them end either with open vowels or some sort of front-mouth fricative - that's a fancy way of saying non-stop consonants like our 's', 'z', 'th', 'sh', and 'zh' sounds. The most common Mhun suffix is '-entesh' (Ahryentesh, Bhruilentesh, Behrentesh, Cherentesh). Other consonant clusters and diphthongs suggest to me that the closest inspiration for Mhun names - appropriately enough - would be derived from one of the Semitic languages. Offhand I know that a lot of Hebrew names, by way of example, take '-el' as a suffix, which is equivalent to 'Lord'. Thus the names 'Daniel', 'Israel', 'Ariel', and others like it, if they are of Hebrew origin, reference the Abrahamic deity, who was naturally of central importance in Hebrew culture.

Although we haven't formalized any details of Mhun culture, my educated guess, based on how naming conventions and common suffixes tend to propagate in languages, is that -entesh might somehow relate to the earth, or the stone; historically, the Mhuns have been enslaved by one faction or another without much respite, so it's entirely possible that their culture, their names, and their language bear the mark of some dominant culture from times past - say, the last Epoch, or even the Epoch before last. So it might be that although the suffix entails some relation to the earth and stone that define their lives, the linguistic source is not their own native language. Take the phenomenon of Europeans who speak Germanic languages selecting Biblical names, which are largely derived from Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

All of this is a fancy way of saying that we don't know, there's no lore on it, but these are the most likely possibilities by my admitted guesstimate. You'll know if we decide to do more with it.

Veovis

That's a pretty awesome explanation for an area that's from Achaea. Is there a chance we mortals will ever get a more complete Kalsu grammar? As a linguist Kalsu is frustrating, although I've managed to puzzle out what seem like a few of the rules for sentence construction, there aren't really enough sources to be sure.

Arbre

Linguistics is awesome.

Riluo

This would be great if a very in depth "tablet/scroll" appeared somewhere for us all to see. Because I see far to often people with titles that make no sense at all in Kalsu. I seen one only yesterday that in English would read: "has lord blood death" !! It drives me insane when I see it to the point I want to kill this individual for it.

Damariel

Veovis said:

That's a pretty awesome explanation for an area that's from Achaea. Is there a chance we mortals will ever get a more complete Kalsu grammar? As a linguist Kalsu is frustrating, although I've managed to puzzle out what seem like a few of the rules for sentence construction, there aren't really enough sources to be sure.

One of the things the old admins did do was keep notes on was Kalsu - in pretty exacting depth - so we actually have a pretty good understanding of the language and how it works. It helps that the person who made it, although understanding linguistic principles, was not themselves a linguist and so didn't create a language that was too terribly complicated or irregular. While you could spend a while arguing the realism of such a simple language, it's very helpful to someone who's just walked in and is trying to piece it together - even if that wasn't the original linguist's intention.

Depending on how willing I am to break my head on it, we may see more done with Kalsu in the future.

Ferrik

Hi Ferrik just popping in here!
Just wanted to say as a person who has studied linguistics to a degree, you tickled me in a good way.
Sorry carry on!

Also. Moar crocodiles.

Omei

More crocodiles are coming soon.

Arbre

Soon(tm).

Oleis

Naw, I think we can actually say common noun soon.

Aishia

Good, good. At last all my years of planning will culminate in my true role. Crocodile hunter. Crafters, prepare my khakis. Can I commandeer some sort of Dreikathi jeep?

Haven

Oleis said:

Naw, I think we can actually say common noun soon.

Don't jinx yourself.

Aishia

Xavin

Neeew question. How do Tekal, Yeleni, Azudim and Idreth relate to the Ankyreans? I know that at some point I read somewhere or was told that the endgame forms were much closer in capabilities to the Ankyreans than the normal mortal forms and that the Ankyreans objected to that, but I might be misremembering.

Also, how similar are the Dreikathi and Ankyreans?

What did the Ankyreans actually look like?

Are there any in-game examples of what a typical ascended form looks like other than the myriad different player creations?

Eleanor

The Idreth was the Ankyrean attempt at ascension without a God injecting essence. They didn't perfect and succeed at it before the fall. But Elea saw their notes and fixed it!

Setne

Does anyone know where information might be located concerning the various Syssin(I think it's Syssin) holidays? E,g: Today is the Celebration of Mystery and Shadow.

Eleanor

That's Spinesreach, not just syssin. I don't know of any documentation, though.

Teani

I believe I asked a long time ago for there to be a public record somewhere of all the different commemorative days in the game. It would be nice if it was made available to the players who haven't been around during all those events that prompted them.

Moirean

It'd also be pretty nifty if guilds/cities could petition for new ones to be added!

Veovis

Setne said:

Does anyone know where information might be located concerning the various Syssin(I think it's Syssin) holidays? E,g: Today is the Celebration of Mystery and Shadow.

I'm pretty sure those are unique to Spinesreach. If memory serves, they were meant to be Ankyrean holidays. 

Veovis

Xavin said:

Neeew question. How do Tekal, Yeleni, Azudim and Idreth relate to the Ankyreans? I know that at some point I read somewhere or was told that the endgame forms were much closer in capabilities to the Ankyreans than the normal mortal forms and that the Ankyreans objected to that, but I might be misremembering.

Also, how similar are the Dreikathi and Ankyreans?

What did the Ankyreans actually look like?

Are there any in-game examples of what a typical ascended form looks like other than the myriad different player creations?

Aside from @Mazzion the only example I'm familiar with of Ankyreans are Qeddwyn and the NPC near the Spellshaper encampment. They don't look quite as unique as most of the player descriptions. The only really strong hints I've seen are in the message when you become a Tekal. You're described as taller and physically larger with silver-gray skin. 

Maghak

Xavin said:

Neeew question. How do Tekal, Yeleni, Azudim and Idreth relate to the Ankyreans? I know that at some point I read somewhere or was told that the endgame forms were much closer in capabilities to the Ankyreans than the normal mortal forms and that the Ankyreans objected to that, but I might be misremembering.

Also, how similar are the Dreikathi and Ankyreans?

What did the Ankyreans actually look like?

Are there any in-game examples of what a typical ascended form looks like other than the myriad different player creations?

The Ankyreans did not pursue Yeleni, Azudim or Tekal forms, as they already considered themselves a perfect physical form and the favoured children of the Gods. Doubtless during their conflicts with the Indoron, the southern races and the Dreikathi they came up against ascended forms and were forced to battle them. This in part led to their development of the Idreth state as a weapon for use against their enemies during the Age of Despair. They unfortunately did not manage to finish the technique before the Artifice, and it wasn't until Lauri and Korvok Irontooth uncovered the documents and Eleanor volunteered as a test subject that the state was attained.

The Dreikathi and the Ankyreans are physically similar in stature (and probably mindset, domineering bastards that both groups are/were) but that's the end of parallels (at least, the ones I can tell you about, fufufufu). Ankyreans essentially look like tall, broad-shouldered and preternaturally attractive humans - you can take a look at Qeddwyn for an in-game reference.

I do not believe there are any NPC Yeleni, Azudim or Idreth. Baelak Shipbreaker did attain Tekal during his war with the mainland, though!

Moirean

Ati is Idreth.

Angwe

Everyone forgets about Seasone! A former member of the Viridian Order, she, too, was an Ankyrean.

Omei

Moirean said:

It'd also be pretty nifty if guilds/cities could petition for new ones to be added!

There's no reason you can't do this. Message your patron(s).

Serrice

Apparently, from talking to the Chaos Lords, the Nazedha had their own endgame race where they got filled with Chaos essence or something crazy. Log's not accessible present.

Eleanor

ANKYREANS AMIRITE

Omei

As VERY SILLY as you are, I like that image association.