Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Interesting, Assault. I know Vondy mentioned that this thread isn't about the culture issues, just the environmental ones, but I wonder if Dino Fossils will lead to interesting myths about the world? Mix a few stories of a past greatness, Dino Bones, Gozilla stories and time, and you could get some interesting myths about the horrors of advancement.

 

La Rose.

 

I'm not going to try to limit the topic of the thread. I've mostly hammered down the environmental aspects at this point. I'm open to how the environment may impact culture. I have a set of themes I want to explore and will post about that. But I'm always intrigued by people's ideas and might be able to riff a tangent off of them. I've got the overall social structure of the first culture worked out. Will post about that as well.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

If you're importing polar bears, remember that polar bear liver is taboo because it is so rich in Vitamin D that it is toxic to humans and most other mammals.

 

Could lead to a Quest. The Shaman says that a child, or the children of one household, are in danger of developing the Softbone Disease, and he needs the liver of a white bear to cure it. The warriors kill a polar bear, bring the Shaman its liver, and the Shaman prepares very small weekly doses of polar bear liver puree for the children to take until spring.

 

Very interesting. I may have to use some of that.

[薔薇語]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

I'm not going to try to limit the topic of the thread. I've mostly hammered down the environmental aspects at this point. I'm open to how the environment may impact culture. I have a set of themes I want to explore and will post about that. But I'm always intrigued by people's ideas and might be able to riff a tangent off of them. I've got the overall social structure of the first culture worked out. Will post about that as well.

 

Ah, good to hear, Vondy. I was concerned about going off on a tangent of that sort out of courtesy but will not check it next time. Also, I look forward eagerly to your posts on the culture. This sounds like a very interesting start to a game. Not quite the Post Apocalyptic Hero game I normally have in mind but definitely something to keep in mind next time I think of P.A.H.

 

La Rose.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Unfortunately, polar bear livers are toxic, containing such high levels of retinol (Vitamin A), that 30 grams can be enough to kill an adult male.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/eat-polar-bear-liver.htm/printable

[McCoy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Unfortunately, polar bear livers are toxic, containing such high levels of retinol (Vitamin A), that 30 grams can be enough to kill an adult male.

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/eat-polar-bear-liver.htm/printable

30 grams is over an ounce. I maintain that around 500 mg a week could be a therapeutic dose if no other Vitamin D (or for that matter Vitamin A) supplement was available.

[薔薇語]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

30 grams is over an ounce. I maintain that around 500 mg a week could be a therapeutic dose if no other Vitamin D (or for that matter Vitamin A) supplement was available.

 

LB and McCoy, where was the reference of 30 grams?

 

What I found interesting in that link was

"Deadly Vitamins: One polar bear liver typically contains as much vitamin A as 79 to 115 chicken eggs. According to the International Federation of Competitive Eating, the current world record for egg consumption is 65 hardboiled eggs in 6 minutes and 40 seconds, held by Sonya Thomas [source: IFOCE]. That award-winning meal comes in at nearly twice the tolerable upper limits of human vitamin A consumption."

It would seem that one might be able to eat the majority of a bear's liver without too much concern about Vitamin A (maybe other issues though). With Vitamin being fat soluble, I wonder if it would be possible render out the fat from the liver? Maybe this would be one of the poisons that the native populations would use??

 

La Rose.

 

 

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

This is an outline of the Hodj cultures achievements and general mode of living...

 

One thing I wanted to evoke was the ERB-REH aesthetic of isolated pockets of civilization surrounded by wilds. The hodj are on the northern end of what is today called the antarctic peninsula, theough their hunting range will cover much of it. They trade overland and over water, though they are just as likely to turn pirate and raid. They have absorbed some local tribal groups.

 

The Hodj are an early iron age culture centered on a royal city state with a network of attendant settlements. The difficulty of minining in tundra conditions, where the earth is frozen much of the year, as well as limited fuel sources suitable for forging, means iron implements are prized and its use is generally restricted to weapons and essential tools.

 

The paucity of trees, which generally grow inland on the leeward side of hills, has made wood a highly valued commodity and sign of opulence. It has also forced the Hodj to innovate in terms of building and cabinet/furniture making. Hodj construction is "vault and earthwork." In other words, the Hodj construct an hempcrete vault (or vaults) and cover it over. Doors are always on the leeward side.

 

Due to the labor and materials involved, as well as the lethal cold of the "long-night," Hodj settlements are normally constructed communally. A normal design is a "shotgun community." A long, broad central vault with domiciles on each side is constructed and covered over with earth, which is seeded with ground-cover to avoid erosion. Most communities have a warrior cult house and communal baths.

 

Communal storage and animal pens are also constructed. In some communities these are extensions of the original vault. In others they are separate vaults connected by passages. Usually, if the community needs to expand, the vault is simply extended, but vaults connected a right angles, in Y formations, or Xs are also known to exist. Larger communities usu. have funerary cult and houses of silk sisters. In some places multiple communities are connected by extended vaulted passages.

 

The Hodj have mastered the construction of aquaducts and have indoor plumbing and sewage ducts. They also construct arches and domes, though the latter are generally only seen in the royal city. The royal city itself has many promenades, mezzanines, and courts connecting the various vaults. It is primarily a city of cults, artisans, and contracted labor houses. It is built next to a huge hotspring, which forms a part of the local culture.

 

Most Hodj domiciles have tiled floors and plastered (often colored) walls. A greater sign of wealth would be dyed or patterened hemp fabric in lieu of wall paper. Hemp or skin curtains generally hang in all but the main entry. A wood cabinet/chest, table, bed, or chair would be considered a sign of wealth - a prized object for the average Hodj. Instead, most houses have thick floor mats of hemp or flax, stuffed skins for cushions, and hamocks for beds. Furs are also common. Storage is usu. in large baskets, or skin bags. Most houses have a toilet (ala mohenjo daro) and a raised hempcrete shelf.

 

Hodj staple crops are: hemp, flax, goosefoot, and potatoes. All have a short growing season and do well in tundra. Hemp and flax provide numerous derivative products: paper, canvas, burlap, fabric incl. linen, hempcrete, blackstone from wetted hemp cellulose which can be fashioned into fixtures or carved. The hodj gather many plants for dyes, astringents, medicinal and ritual purposes, and food supplements. Lichens can supplement food if properly rinsed, and can be distilled into alchohol or molasses.

 

The mainstay of the hodj diet is meat: seal, penguin, petrels, whale, arctic rabbit, caribou, and musk ox are their main prey. Polar bears and arctic foxes may also be hunted, though these are more prized for their fur than meat. Antler and bone are commonly used for various implements and accoutrements (incl. buttons). Skins are a critical trade item.

 

Hodj fashion tends to go to extremes. Out of doors they will wear tailored seal skins, often lined with fox or rabit pelt. Polar bear and fox-pelt cloaks are highly prized. This is in cold weather (most of the time). Indoors it is quite the opposite. The Hodj pride themselves on being able to provide a warm, dry, lighted environment. Needing little clothing is considered a luxury.

 

Women frequently wear a linen/hemp cloth wrapped much like a sari. It is not uncommon for them to only wrap it like a skirt. In intimate situations a woman may go "dejah thoris" style. Dyed and embroidered fabrics are more desirable than natural fabrics. Warriors will generally wear a kilt and broad girdle along with vambraces and grieves (and thick strapped sandals). If somewhat cool a warrior will don a poncho like garment. The Hodj are better adapted to the cold than modern man - such garments are often worn out of doors in the "balmy" summer months. Often corpse sisters, earth sisters, and some artisans - when working - will dress similarly to men.

 

However, there are some restrictions on fabric colors. Most Hodj wear warm greens, earthy browns, or dull yellow dyed fabrics, but many natural colors are available. Often brighter colors are worn by artisans - or on special occassions. Corps sisters customarily wear natural (undyed fabrics), though they only need do so when handling corpses, carcases, and unscraped hides. Some rare dyes are restricted to the cults.

 

Warriors wear dark sanguine red; funerary cultists wear inky black; hearth maidens wear snow white; the royal cult wears dark turqoise. However, in the case of the royal cult, it is important to check the border - wives have a specific border while odalisques do not. Both death brothers and kings adopt the color of their wives' cults. One note: white feathers are taboo to everyone except the first sister and house mother of the great houses of hearth maidens (who have ritual garments made from them).

 

Warrior weapons remain functional: long-knives, gladius style swords or kopis/long-kukris, spears, war spikes and throwing spikes, rods (esp. of iron), composite recurve bows. The house responsible trains with two swords as well as a longer blade. As raiding, skirmishing, and light infantry tactics is the norm, armor usu. consists of a broad girdle, large shield, vambraces and grieves, and often a helmet. For concerted encounters a currias is donned with a helmet. The only unit that wears torso armor as a matter of course is the royal guard.

 

The Hodj do not have writing that encodes speech. Instead they have a system of some 800 non-linguistic symbols that can be used for mathermatical, scientific, astronomical, and ritual notation. They have uniform weights and measures, a precise measure of length-mass-time, and tools for measuring the horizon. They have built docks after careful measurements of tides, waves, and currents. They also have knowledge of anatomy, basic surgical knowledge, and proto-dentistry (incl. drilled molars). Shell working, bonework, ceramics, and fine glazed pottery is an artform among them. They also cast statuary using the lost wax method.

 

The hodj don't make glass. They use lamps and braziers for light and heat. Their lampshades are made from thin fabric. In unlighted halls they use bioluminescent fungus to mark doorways, stairs, and the general path.

 

Musical insturments include flutes, drums, cymbals, tambourines, and a harp like insturment. Hodj dance looks a great deal like oriental ("belly") dance. Its common function is to keep the body fit and prepare women for childbirth, though entertainment versions exist. This is a common pasttime of hodj women.

 

In terms of transportation, the Hodj make one man skin boats similar to kyaks, larger skin boats (like large canoes) for transporting people and goods. They do have wooden warboats capable of deeper sea journeys (which double for whaling), but these are directly controlled by the kings - all of them being connected to warrior cult houses in the royal city. The Hodj also make snowshoes and dog sleds. Their dogs are essentially a large wolf-great-pyranees hybrid that is an effective hunting and sled dog.

 

Next Up: General Social Structure...

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Down below I use the term Odalisque. Its really a placeholder. I need a better term.

 

Also' date=' have you given thought to what the various cultural standards would be in a world like that? I.e., with scare resources, fat becomes a sign of power / influence. Role of women? Religions and belief structures that formed from the fallout? etc?[/quote']

 

I don't want to change the standard of beauty too much for the simple fact that, while what you say is true, we can't relate to it very well. I also want to keep some of the frazetta aesthetic. To that end, the ability to provide a cosy-dry indoor environment is considered high achievement, and since it requires a goodly amount of fuel, signifies the status/wealth/influence. At least, in my first culture that's the case. In others fat may be beautiful.

 

That said...

 

A few things I've noted are hunter-gatherer tribes tend to be more egalitarian-democratic, while cultures that are more sedentary tend to become more heirarchical. The culture I have envisioned is more sedentary, even though hunting, gathering, and whaling are major activities. As a result, they have a heirarchal system in place. The maxim I've developed is: "Caste, cult and contract define us." The second maxim is: "Everything a bargain and a bargain a bond."

 

In essence, ethical expectations vary based on your caste, cult, and those contracts you've entered into. There is a system of taboos related to this as well. I don't game much anymore, but I world and character build and contemplate potential stories. The Hodj are designed to allow me to explore some themes and metaphors (its layered and requires a different post).

 

The Hodj culture has four castes (the four conrerstones):

 

the corpse sisters (who handle the dead prior to death rituals, slaughter, prepare hides, and deal with impurities)

the earth sisters (who are gatherers, farmers, artisans) - artisans form a pseudo-cast of their own.

the sky sisters (who encompass the priestly cults)

and the royal caste (comprised of a single cult).

 

Among the last two castes are the cults (the four palaces):

 

the bone sisters (funerary and mystery cult)

the hearth maidens (see below)

the odalisques (royal wives in waiting and palace officials)

the royal consorita (consists of the royal consortia and kings)

 

With the exception of kings men are outside this essential superstructure (reasons below). Instead men form a fifth cult:

 

the sword cult (warriors-hunters-traders)

 

Men who are not physically able to be warriors are essentially pariahs and are often cast out to die. Often mother's leave deformed boys to the cold. At best they can hope to remain in their mother's house and make themselves useful. A rare few may be gifted enough (brain wise) to gain some measure of respect, but they remain second class citizens and outside the system - nor will they be able to marry.

 

Because its the simplest group to deal with I'll explain the normal lifecyle of a male in the Hodj culture. At eight he is fostered in a warrior cult house. The more prominent the house the better as it impacts his marriage prospects. He has his sister's caste status until he contracts with a consortia, at which point he adopts the status of his corsortia (see below). As such, men have greater upward and downward caste mobility than women.

 

At sixteen those who have survived training undergo their warrior's trial: one part survival, one part hunting, one part combat. If they survive it they become full fledged members of their cult house. At twenty-four they are entitled to contact with a consortia. This is a big deal and highly competitive. Skill and being good stock are important, but so are the connections you can bring (both in terms of warrior house and the houses of sisters).

 

Hodj houses (see below) are very competitive and violence can result. The warrior's ethic is critical to maintaining the peace. A warrior does not draw steel against a member of his own cult house, or a warrior contracted to a consortia in the same house as his consortia. As such, these enmeshed relationships provide stability and avert violence. One must consider them when forging alliances and picking fights.

 

Also, cult fathers are expected to disuade, if not forbid, duels between fueding warriors (and their houses). There are simply too few men. Another means of disauding duels is that the house father of a challenged warrior has a right to demand a subsitition (its not common, but it means the one who issues a challenge may be confronted not with the man he has a problem with, but that houses best warrior). In such a case, its considered good form to send the substitute as an emmissary with an offer to lay the matter aside.

 

In any event, even a man contracted with a consortia resides in his cult house much of the year. He is expected to attend the "evening meal" (need a new name, there are times with no evening in this part of the world) and remain with his wives until well after "midnight," but he spends most of his time with the other warriors. The exception is the long-night (the first half of winter), when people are shut in for months at a time. During this time warriors contracted to consortia spend all but training time with their wives. The reason is, during the period of long days, they will be gone for extended periods hunting, trading, etcetra.

 

A warrior will never reside with his consortia the way men today live with their wives. When he is no longer able to fight he becomes responsible for tending to the warrior candidates and doing other useful tasks in his cult house. One last note, warriors are often in situations where they would have to perform tasks of other castes (like those of the corpse sisters). It is considered permitted to them insofar as a woman from one of those castes is not available. If she is, he will have her do it.

 

That said, the most basic unit of Hodj society is the consortia: a group of women (usu. 3-4) of one caste who share a common economic (or ritual) endeavor. The result is most labor and trades are controlled by women. These women are never close kin. As a result, placing daughters with other consortia is a major endeavor. This is normally done at fourteen unless she will have to learn a trade other than her mother's, in which case she fostered in the new consortia's house, but not a member of the consortia, at age seven. To pool resources and influences - as well as broaden ties with the warrior cult houses - several consortia often combine to form a house. In general, the "first sister" of the "first consortia" acts as a house's matriarch. How such matters are decided depends on caste and house tradition.

 

The Hodj are extremely formal. They refer to one another by relationship and social status rather than personal names. The exceptions are: men within a warrior cult house, hearth maidens (who call patron's by personal names and are always called by their poetical house names), and a brother his sister and a sister her brother. These latter are because a grown sister (or sisters), rather than mother, is considered responsible for her brother's placement in a warrior house, providing certain necessities for him before marriage, and helping arrange his contract with a consortia.

 

The word "contract" may be misleading. For the Hodj everything is a bargain and a bargain is a bond. But...! Some contracts have standard cultural forms, including the contract with a consortia. It is almost never a temporary affair and breaking the contract is not easy. In general, the "sister wives" of the consortia must reach a consensus - a specific cause is not necessary. If this occurs they send a hearth maiden to their husband's sister with a parting gift for him.

 

If a man wishes to break his contract he does so through his sister. She sends the hearth maiden with a parting gift. However! He can only do so if the hearth maiden finds he has due cause within accepted forms of tradition - or if she convinces all of the wives to agree. If the man has no sister of age to perform the traditional roles a hearth maiden can become his contract sister. There are some restrictions: a contract-sister is taboo to him (as are her blood sisters). The exception is a hearth maiden whose only contract duty is to arrange for a marriage or divorce. She is only taboo to him until her task is discharged.

 

The funerary cult is responsible for dealing with death and buriel rituals. The women of its consortia-houses prepare and dispose of the bodies, while the husbands serve as "death brothers." The death brothers deliver the engraved skull to the family and make the ritual invokations. He fasts until this is done, preferably before mid-day as, should it be after midday he must "finish the day in holiness" (fast until dark). The result is, death brothers, while remaining officially a part of their warrior cult house, have specific duties to perform for their cult, which makes them unique.

 

The death ritual consists of the death sisters removing and burning the internal organs with various incense on braziers and preparing the skull with ritual engravings. The house of the deceased inters the skull in their cairn, unless it was the skull of a king, in which case it is engraved, coated in gold, and interned in the chamber of skulls (of kings). The cult of the death sisters is also responsible for maintaining the calender, reading the stars, and appointing the time kings must step aside (see royal cult below). Their secret lore includes a great deal of alchemy, batonical lore, poison lore, and anatomy.

 

As a result, many of the best healers are members of this cult. A dark side of this, however, is that their secrets extend to creatng zombies (voodoo style serpent and the rainbow zombies), which is one potential punishment for transgressing major taboos or high caste privilege (esp. the funerary cult's privileges). The last responsibility of this cult is maintaining the chamber of skulls (of kings). It always falls to the death-brothers of the first house. Only they and regnant kings may enter to speak to the skulls (see below).

 

In addition, sleep is called one sixtieth of death, and since dreams occur in that state, and visions are likened to dreams, one goes to the death sisters of one wishes to have a dream interpreted or to have a vision (they have drugs for both lucid dreaming and vision quests). There are many sayings about dreams, including: an uninterpreted dream is an unopened letter, and a dream follows its interpretation. As a result, its often considered best to let such matters lie, or to seek interpretation from one you trust and has affection for you.

 

It is believed by some that the secrets of astral projection, thought-body transference, mediumship (see above taboo), and psychometry (bones and graves) is known to the death sisters. As are the powers of cinematic hypnotism, compulsion, and clouding men's minds. If so, it is limited to their leading houses. The death brothers who tend to chamber of skulls prepare an ergotic cup for regnant kings who wish to consult to skulls of their predecessors (hallucinatory? manipulation by the funerary cult?).

 

"The houses of the hearth maidens were the storehouses of everything it was to be Hodj. Of culture and law. They stood for civilization. The hearth maidens were the keepers of the three pillars: caste, cult, and contract. Their houses were the seat of culture: refinement, society, and succrease. The sisters themeselves were often celebrities: performers, scholars, and whores. But sex, the most basic of bargains, was an adjunct to their role, not the role itself. They were symbols of a society that aspired to rise above the barbarism of blood and iron and achieve refinement."

 

The hearth maidens are the arbiters of caste and cult perogatives, contracts, and adjudicate disputes concering the three pillars. In terms of culture, their houses are places of entertainment, repast, succrease, and intimacy. Aside from the three pillars they also serve as mavens of refinement and the arts: song, dance, games, manners, entertainment, style, and love. The status of the house depends on how high it takes all these arts. A courtesan sells her candle (an alottment of time) as a bargain and bond. Blue candles for most functions, red candles for intimate ones. Their ethic is discretion. What happens in their halls stays in their halls. Not even a king may demand an answer.

 

Being placed in a house of hearth maidens is a life defining event and a boon to the family, especially in a great house. The great houses have first pick (and often run true to form: only the most graceful, lovely voiced, or physically beautiful girls are chosen). The daughters of hearth maidens have a greater likelihood of being chosen, but its not universal, and if one isn't suitable she will be traded to a wealthy earth sister house or funerary cult house in exchange for one of their daughters who is deemed worthwhile. Some even go so far as to select for uniformity of features and form. In any event, a girl will never remain in her mother's house if her mother is a hearth maiden.

 

A house of hearth maidens status depends on how high its members carry their arts. Most have nooks to either side of their doors in which lamps are lit. Some lowly houses only light red-lamps. They amount to little more than pothouses and brothels. In general, only warriors will enter there. The women of consortia seldom would. Even such women can seal a contract or settle a disptute though hearth maidens from a more prominent house, or one with a greater reputation for accumen, may overrule them. The great house mothers ruling as a group is the final authority.

 

A proper house, however, is one where red-lamps are treated discreetly and even the women of a consortia are comfortable to go. Their atmosphere is more that of a fine teahouse, restaraunt, or traditional upclass cabaret. Some houses only light a blue lamp at its door until after the dinner hour, at which point a second red-lamp is lit. And some great houses only allow women and married warriors to enter, telling unmarried warriors to seek another house. Both of these are counter to tradition, and frowned upon in the first house (need a poetical name for it) who are the final arbiters of all disputes (and the famed seat of the most beautiful and refined of hearth maidens). One means of ensuring proper decorum and the perogatives of their cult is the power of the ban.

 

In theory, banned from one house of hearth maidens one is banned from all of them. One loses the ability to advance or defend oneself in disputes, seal bargains, or enter their halls until a proper act of contrition is made. This extends to a married warriors consortia. An unmarried warrior, however, is banned as an individual, though the men of his cult-house will suffer a great deal of embarrassment. A bans effectiveness, however, is dependent on the status of the house-mother giving it. A ban from a great house tends to be absolute, while a ban from a lesser house may ignored depending on the status of the banned individual. An exception is the first house, who will respect a ban from even the lowliest of house mothers - even if it is a against king.

 

The odalisques are the keepers and functionaries of the royal palace. They are also royal wives in waiting. Ordinarily, only the wives of a warrior's consortia, or his blood sister (or contract sister), may handle and transport a warriors arms and weapons. They may not weild them and they must be properly bound. The exception is the odalisque who is allowed to weild them and may, if she chooses, be trained to their use in a warrior's house. It is a perogative, not an obligation. hearth maidens chosen as odalisques by the mothers of the great houses. Until they reach menopause they may be selected to enter a royal consortia. They remain members of their respective houses, leading a double life as hearth maidens and royal functionaries. Such women are highly respected and their decisions in terms of the three pillars often carry as much weight as the mother of a great house. A odalisque may not light a red lamp for a regnant king - it is taboo.

 

The royal cult forms the royal house which consists of the royal consortia (plural), who select the king who serves as a ritual-sacral king. He performs many ritual and ceremonial functions, speaks to the skulls (of previous kings), and has a limited array of perogatives (incl. veto over the appointment of house mothers of the leading cult houses). He serves until the funerary cult declares his regnancy is at an end (in theoy based on auguries). At that time he retains his title, but becomes one of the royal councilors, who have the power to command the warriors, appoint warrior cult house fathers, issue royal decrees (insofar as they don't violate the three pillars), draft labor battallions, collect tribute, and serve as generals.

 

The election of a king is indirect and done by the women of the royal house. Each woman has one vote. It works like this: the women of the consortia elect a odalisque to form a new consortia. The political wheeling and dealing can be intense. She selects two other odalisques and they reach consensus on who they will take to be their husband - and therefore king. She can bargain for them to accept her choice in advance. Also, they may select any warrior, even if he is contracted to another (non-royal) consortia, insofar as he consents. His previous consortia is required to break bonds with him.

 

In terms of votes, the number of wives in a royal consortia is strictly regulated. They always start with three and add one every seven years. As such, the longer a man is in the royal house the more wives he has and the more influence his consortia weilds when internal decisions are called for. When a king dies his wives return to being odalisques / hearth maidens and the other kings remain taboo to them. A royal wife may not have a disfigurement/scar and must be premonopausal. Once she goes through menopause or is scarred she returns to being an ordinary odalisque / hearth maiden. Such a woman is allowed to choose her replacement. Former royal wives are generally referred to as hearth mothers and often fill key positions in the royal household.

 

A great many taboos form Hodj consciousness, often being dependant on caste and cult status. These include (but are not limited to): not handling the dead, unflayed-prepared carcasses, unscraped hides, or disturbing burial mounds/cairns. These functions are dealt with by corpse sisters, warriors in their absence, and the funerary cult. In general, insects, worms, grubs, and rodents are taboo to eat; as is the liver of polar bears (toxic due to too much vitamin D), though the funerary cult may use it to treat some ailments (softbone disease).

 

Sexual taboos (aside from those noted above). Taboo to men: women of his mother's consortia, sisters consortia, or daughters consortia, a menstruant woman, women in consortia with a contracted warrior (other than him), and members of a warrior cult house. In fact, his mother's mothers and daughters daughters are also taboo (ad infinitum). If a man's sister-mother-daughter is a courtesan she is taboo (for a red lamp), but her house is not. Taboo to women in consortia: mother, sister, daughter, father, son, their sister wives, men other than their husband.

 

Warriors have a taboo against drawing steel on any woman, a warrior of their own cult house, or a warrior married into the same house as them unless said individual poses an immediate, reasonable threat (adjudicated by their peers). This taboo does not apply to non-Hodj. Another taboo is is encoding speech in writing.

 

The hodj have no prisons. Detainment only precedes a verdict. Violating minor caste or cult perogatives, or taboos, may require an act of contrition to the offended party, flogging, or fine. A serious offense may result in a loss of cult status (for cult members). Some serious cases fall under the purview of the kings, this is true when its not a matter of caste, cult, or contract, but of criminality (theft is considered civil-contractual issue and is handled by the hearth maidens). The hodj have no direct death penalty, but they have two equivalent punishments: being cast out of hodj society into the cold or zombification (yech!). The latter is considered worse than death. A warrior is always given the option of committing suicide if given a death-equivalent punishment. Some grave offenses by men may result in a direct challenge from another warrior before the king's intervene - esp. if the victim was the latter's wife or sister. For the most part Hodj order is maintained by fear of social consequences in a society where good repuation and the support of the community is necessary to survive.

 

Next Up: season related customs and celebrations....

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

LB and McCoy, where was the reference of 30 grams?

 

What I found interesting in that link was

It would seem that one might be able to eat the majority of a bear's liver without too much concern about Vitamin A (maybe other issues though). With Vitamin being fat soluble, I wonder if it would be possible render out the fat from the liver? Maybe this would be one of the poisons that the native populations would use??

 

La Rose.

 

 

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Here's the citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinol. Sorry, it dropped out while I was composing my reply. The takeaway here is that you shouldn't eat polar bear liver. There are vitamin wars going on over whether the Vitamin D content of cod liver oil is better for you than the Vitamin A content is bad for you, but the high concentrations of retinol in polar bear liver take this argument up to 11. The key items in high latitude diets would appear to be fatty fish and butter fat. And, incidentally, the one fix I would suggest for the Hodj writeup is to provide some room for pastoralism. Sheep would be a great addition to the Hodj domestic economy.

[薔薇語]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Another taboo is is encoding speech in writing.

 

Interesting restriction, Vondy. I'm sure there is an equally intriguing story behind it.

 

As far as what words would get used for describing the meals, maybe something that links the time of day with seasonal behaviors. I assume that given the period of "Long night" it is common for humans to stockpile food supplies just before its onset, akin to hibernating animal behavior. If the Hodj's dinner takes place at a time someone relative to ours (early evening - before the onset of night), then they could make a connection between the time of dinner and the seasonal activity of gathering food. Example: if the word that describes an individual day is [Hi] and the word that describes the season activity of food gathering is [atoden] whose morphemes are: Ato - End, Ending, Onset; and Den - Food, meal, then maybe the word for dinner would be the result of word smashing and becomes [Atohiden] or simply [Atodhi]. If Dinner, however happens around the same time as Midnight, then the word for this prolonged day culture's meal, meal time, and general hour marker could be something like "lowest light."

 

Anyway, very interesting read. I did find it slightly hard to keep track of everything (Dens consotia, houses, etc).

 

Keep it coming!

La Rose.

[McCoy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

LB and McCoy, where was the reference of 30 grams?

 

What I found interesting in that link was

It would seem that one might be able to eat the majority of a bear's liver without too much concern about Vitamin A (maybe other issues though). With Vitamin being fat soluble, I wonder if it would be possible render out the fat from the liver? Maybe this would be one of the poisons that the native populations would use??

 

La Rose.

 

 

[/size] [/font]

Here's the citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinol. Sorry' date=' it dropped out while I was composing my reply. The takeaway here is that you shouldn't eat polar bear liver. There are vitamin wars going on over whether the Vitamin D content of cod liver oil is better for you than the Vitamin A content is bad for you, but the high concentrations of retinol in polar bear liver take this argument up to 11. The key items in high latitude diets would appear to be fatty fish and butter fat. And, incidentally, the one fix I would suggest for the Hodj writeup is to provide some room for pastoralism. Sheep would be a great addition to the Hodj domestic economy.[/quote']

I just took LB's word for it. But the link in his post says "For instance, a healthy human liver contains 575 international units (IU) of vitamin A per gram while a polar bear's liver contains between 24,000 and 35,000 IU per gram [source: Eliasen]." So my WAG was in the ballpark, half a gram would be a weekly megadose. Very much a last chance alternative, and "Don't try this at home."

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Very cool thread Vondy.

 

One thing that popped into my head when reading your society notes...

A lot of cultures with similar sexual divisions and strict "manhood" requirements would leave a loophole for failure other than death by allowing for some failures to become honorary women (possibly involving castration).

 

Just a thought, besides, REH stories seemed to feature eunuchs fairly often...

[McCoy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

The Hodj have mastered the construction of aquaducts and have indoor plumbing and sewage ducts.

Re: sewage. In Alaska a couple years ago I noticed something I should have thought of, on permafrost water does not soak into the ground. It runs off along the surface or stays where it is. Sewage duct will have to run into a river or the ocean, something like a cesspool simply will not work.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Re: sewage. In Alaska a couple years ago I noticed something I should have thought of' date=' on permafrost water does not soak into the ground. It runs off along the surface or stays where it is. Sewage duct will have to run into a river or the ocean, something like a cesspool simply will not work.[/quote']

 

I would not have thought of that.

 

I'll have to ponder it.

 

Thanks.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Very cool thread Vondy.

 

One thing that popped into my head when reading your society notes...

A lot of cultures with similar sexual divisions and strict "manhood" requirements would leave a loophole for failure other than death by allowing for some failures to become honorary women (possibly involving castration).

 

Just a thought, besides, REH stories seemed to feature eunuchs fairly often...

 

Some boys do remain with their mothers or sisters houses.

 

I had intended for it to be fairly rare, but I can broaden the behavior.

 

I took the notion from sparta (where deformed babies were abandoned).

 

One of my themes is pragmatism vs. an ethic of benevolence.

 

Still, there may be some nether-class of men who aren't warriors.

 

As for eunuchs, I'll cover their presence when I talk about Hodj expansionism.

[薔薇語]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Something that came to me recently in reflection of the culture was the issue of population control. Given what appears to be a relatively secure (safe) position of women, it would seem that men would be the preferred child. Is there anything akin to regularized post natal abortions?

 

La Rose.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Anyway, very interesting read. I did find it slightly hard to keep track of everything (Dens consotia, houses, etc).

 

Keep it coming!

La Rose.

 

Maybe reformatting the post will help.

[薔薇語]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Still' date=' there may be some nether-class of men who aren't warriors.[/quote']

 

You can take a page from the Japanese. Japanese culture had a strong emphasis on purification and defilement. An entire class of people developed that were generally accepted as untouchable because they dealt with otherwise defiling things. Maybe the Hodj relegate the otherwise useless to tasks that are seen as unacceptable to civilized people. Tasks that namely deal with sewage, rotten bodies, sick, etc. Things that have a high risk of infection or other such condition.

 

La Rose.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

You can take a page from the Japanese. Japanese culture had a strong emphasis on purification and defilement. An entire class of people developed that were generally accepted as untouchable because they dealt with otherwise defiling things. Maybe the Hodj relegate the otherwise useless to tasks that are seen as unacceptable to civilized people. Tasks that namely deal with sewage, rotten bodies, sick, etc. Things that have a high risk of infection or other such condition.

 

La Rose.

 

The Corpse Sisters are inspired by the Eta of Japan (and untouchables of India). They deal with corpses, carcases, unprocessed hides and the unclean. They can, however, purify themselves and mingle, though there is some soft prejudice. Essentially, the impure isn't taboo to them and therefore it defines their economic niche and the services they provide the community. However, something came to me at work. It goes like this: outcasts are considered ghosts. They may not be acknowledged by anyone other than corpse sisters and the funerary cult. While those cast out are deemed bad ghosts and may be driven away or killed by the warriors. However, those who simply can't hack the traditional manhood rituals, and some women perhaps, may also be declared ghosts. These "good ghosts" can take what they want since they cannot be acknowledged - and are blamed for many strange occurrences - but if they cause too much trouble they may be declared bad ghosts by the funerary cult. As a result, most of them make arrangements with those who can acknowledge them to serve as functionaries for their houses in exchange for the necessities of life. One exception: the hearth maidens/coutesans have one night per month where they don masks and garments of white feathers and light candles for ghosts who enter their houses, often having a ball of sorts. On these nights most people avoid the hearth maidens houses, though its not taboo. These events are very gay, farsical, and tend to be bawdy/raucous.

 

EDIT: This "ghost night" occurs on the new moon - during the full moon half of the cycle the moon is beneath the horizon. I'll have to work out how the moon plays into their beliefs.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Here's the citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinol. Sorry' date=' it dropped out while I was composing my reply. The takeaway here is that you shouldn't eat polar bear liver. There are vitamin wars going on over whether the Vitamin D content of cod liver oil is better for you than the Vitamin A content is bad for you, but the high concentrations of retinol in polar bear liver take this argument up to 11. The key items in high latitude diets would appear to be fatty fish and butter fat. And, incidentally, the one fix I would suggest for the Hodj writeup is to provide some room for pastoralism. Sheep would be a great addition to the Hodj domestic economy.[/quote']

 

 

I am considering some sort of domesticated animal. A hearty "wooly ibex" might be fitting. Also, some domesticated musk oxen (if such a thing is possible) would be useful work animals for building and farming purposes.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

Something that came to me recently in reflection of the culture was the issue of population control. Given what appears to be a relatively secure (safe) position of women, it would seem that men would be the preferred child. Is there anything akin to regularized post natal abortions?

 

La Rose.

 

I hadn't considered regularized infanticide other than deformed children ala sparta. This is another level entirely. I'll have to consider how necessary it is. One option is to treat consortia like line marriage. They just keep adding young able bodied women every so often. A consortia's members may die, but it continues, and with it whatever property and rights it has. The size of consortia (as well as their number) may contract and expand depending on how many warriors are available.

 

A semi-related tangent: I had intended to have a genetically engineered legacy plant: nursemaid's wort. It induces lactation and, with it, acts as a natural birth-control, albeit one that is more effective for some women than others. It does allow them some modicum of control over how many women in a consortia are pregnant at a time, but its an input rather than an output control. Perhaps there is also a little blue plant.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

I found a really cool page with some helpful pictures.

 

The pictures are from McMurdo Station on Ross Island, which is near the line of the antarctic circle.

 

Since the Hodj are on the peninsula they live on the line of the antarctic circle (albeit on the far side) as well.

 

I might just move them to make it consistent.

 

11 Minutes of Sun at midday in June...

 

 

11 minutes of no sun at midnight in December...

 

 

Also, the moon is only visible during the New Moon half of the cycle.

 

During the other half its below the horizon.

[McCoy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

I would not have thought of that.

 

I'll have to ponder it.

 

Thanks.

[ATTACH]34401[/ATTACH]

Here's a picture I took from Mount Polychrome in Denali National Park in Alaska a couple years ago. It puzzled me that the pothole ponds could be so full of water so close to and so far above the wash in the foreground. Why didn't the water seep through the ground? Then I realized that there was ice in the way.

[Vondy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

[ATTACH]34401[/ATTACH]

Here's a picture I took from Mount Polychrome in Denali National Park in Alaska a couple years ago. It puzzled me that the pothole ponds could be so full of water so close to and so far above the wash in the foreground. Why didn't the water seep through the ground? Then I realized that there was ice in the way.

 

Great picture. Makes sense, too.

 

It occurred to me in a resource poor environment you don't want to waste anything - even your waste.

 

Diluted urine can be used to impart nitrogen to earth for planting purposes. Some cultures have used concentrated urine to treat wounds. Its also useful as a mordant for dying. Also, the salts and amonia can be separated out and used for chemical processes. The water after separation could be used for gray water purposes. And in Asia human feces has been used as manure for composting soil (humanomanure). As a result, while the hodj would need a method of getting rid of excess waste, they would have to get rid of far less than we usually do.

 

They might have fodder-houses, separate structures connected to the main vaults via a subterranean tunnel for "waste collection" - essentially large public restrooms. One problem: it needs to be insulated, which means methane would become a problem. I suppose it could be vented. My wife thought: what if they collect and use the methane, too? I'm not sure how they would do that at their tech level. I do know the ancient Chinese used crude bamboo pipelines for natural gas at naturally occurring sources. This would be more complex than that (more steps/requirements).

[McCoy]

Re: Postapocalytpic Antarctica (Problems/Questions)?

 

It occurred to me in a resource poor environment you don't want to waste anything - even your waste.

Makes sense.

 

My wife thought: what if they collect and use the methane' date=' too? I'm not sure how they would do that at their tech level. I do know the ancient Chinese used crude bamboo pipelines for natural gas at naturally occurring sources. This would be more complex than that (more steps/requirements).[/quote']

Big problem would be if it wasn't used as soon as it was collected. Any storage at that tech level is probably not going to be pure methane, but an explosive mixture of methane and air.