General Q and A

Sean Okotami wrote:

The anti-magic is not a trait for all species, only a very few ones. As for the stomach, probably. I think the strength is that it's very stretchy, you know, like a snake's.

ah cool was thinking what if a potions master had gotten himself eaten by mistake only to pull a vial to make said predator sick through chemicals and the like the ones on earth that cause you to throw up.

A naga's stomach has 2 chambers, one is for human sized prey. However when the naga eats something big, the opening between the first and second chambers will expand, making room.

I noticed on the Felaryian map that there appears to be a cave entrance right next to the Jungle Bowl that leads into or under the unnamed mountain peak that surrounds Frost Peak. While I've heard several times that the map is not to scale, based on how it looks now it appears to be rather large. Does it have a name or been mentioned in any stories?

wow you really manage to pick details uh ?

Indeed I was wondering about making something here when I made the map then finally left the place blank. Another placeholder for the future I imagine ( a bit like that square north of the rosic nekos village )

New question. Who are Menyssan's two compatriots (the redhead and dark-haired succubi)?

I don't think they have names (yet).

Hmm... I thought they did. Strange if they don't seeing as they appear both in a story and art done by Karbo.

Are they still her sisters or were they changed to cousins? I could have sworn that I read about that somewhere, though I might be mistaken.

Indeed they have no official names yet.

And they are neither her cousins or sisters ^^ "sister" is just a name commonly used by succubi to refer to each others.

Okay. New question. What determines the size of a demon and what is the significance (is a demon's size permanent and they are big or small for "life", or is it possible that some can grow larger by, lets say, claiming enough souls?) I ask this as I've seen Karbo's demons which include Succubi (which are large) as well as the impish-looking ones that are human-sized, as well as whatever Agnashrak is, who is also large and appears to be as big as Menyssan (I guess he might be an incubi which would probably be just as big as succubi)

I may be extrapolating too much, but would a demon's size vary when they come into Felarya?

In hell, as its own dimension, I guess its sort of a fuzzy point - either demons are all big there or anyone else there is small. Demons close to that source of power probably have enough magic to whip up some size changing.

But anyways, I assume imps are smaller than "regular" demons. As to the nature of incubi, that is unsure.

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Now, I have a question. What is the level of technology for someone in Negav? Felarya itself has a wide variety of technology levels, from tribal level out in the wilderness to the sci-fi stuff we see Vishmitals, Miratans and Delurans wielding. Add to this technology the "Alternate technology" of magic.

So, anyways, would people in Negav have stuff like fridges, TVs, internet? Do they have electricity there, I mean? I mean, the Vishmitals certainly have such stuff, but do they share?

Or is Negav more a magically powered place? (i.e. instead of fridges there are boxes with runes of freezing. People watch local broadcasts and surf the "network" via a magic mirror or something.)

Quote :

Now, I have a question. What is the level of technology for someone in Negav? Felarya itself has a wide variety of technology levels, from tribal level out in the wilderness to the sci-fi stuff we see Vishmitals, Miratans and Delurans wielding. Add to this technology the "Alternate technology" of magic.

So, anyways, would people in Negav have stuff like fridges, TVs, internet? Do they have electricity there, I mean? I mean, the Vishmitals certainly have such stuff, but do they share?

Or is Negav more a magically powered place? (i.e. instead of fridges there are boxes with runes of freezing. People watch local broadcasts and surf the "network" via a magic mirror or something.)

I think it'd be a real interesting mix.

The main issue with any kind of modern appliances is power. You would either need generators, which require fuel, or a magi-tech solution. I think Negav would have some kind of electric grid, primarily in the high and middle districts, but I could see some of the better off low district places like taverns, inns, and such being able to tap in for a fee. The most likely source for such a grid, if any, would be several massive pieces of highly refined Actinite, likely tended to by a group of electrically oriented mages to maintain them (The Negav Electrical Society? Or something like that, I guess. lol). This is just guessing of course. A power system made of fuel-powered generators is possible as well, at least for the Vishmitals and Magiocrats, who would have the influence and funds to import fuels from offworld.

It is also possible that the Vishmitals, and even the Magiocrats really, may have their own personal power generation systems tucked away for themselves. Advanced power generators, in the case of the Vishmitals...and some kind of magic-based generators, or off-world imported generators for the Magiocrats.

As for TV and Internet...I really doubt that. Its just too complex for a place like Negav. I could see radio stations though. They would just need the power to transmit throughout Negav and The Commons beyond the walls. Portable radios (also likely powered by actinite shards) shouldn't be too hard to come by at any tech market, and its possible that various establishments could have more expensive, full-sized radios.

As for other things, I think its going to be a wierd mixture of purely magical solutions, purely technological solutions, and magi-technical solutions that bridge the gap between the two. Either way, it should be a pretty interesting place, since we all know that magi-tech is the only thing out there that is cooler than steampunk. ^^

rcs619 wrote:

Quote :

Now, I have a question. What is the level of technology for someone in Negav? Felarya itself has a wide variety of technology levels, from tribal level out in the wilderness to the sci-fi stuff we see Vishmitals, Miratans and Delurans wielding. Add to this technology the "Alternate technology" of magic.

So, anyways, would people in Negav have stuff like fridges, TVs, internet? Do they have electricity there, I mean? I mean, the Vishmitals certainly have such stuff, but do they share?

Or is Negav more a magically powered place? (i.e. instead of fridges there are boxes with runes of freezing. People watch local broadcasts and surf the "network" via a magic mirror or something.)

I think it'd be a real interesting mix.

The main issue with any kind of modern appliances is power. You would either need generators, which require fuel, or a magi-tech solution. I think Negav would have some kind of electric grid, primarily in the high and middle districts, but I could see some of the better off low district places like taverns, inns, and such being able to tap in for a fee. The most likely source for such a grid, if any, would be several massive pieces of highly refined Actinite, likely tended to by a group of electrically oriented mages to maintain them (The Negav Electrical Society? Or something like that, I guess. lol). This is just guessing of course. A power system made of fuel-powered generators is possible as well, at least for the Vishmitals and Magiocrats, who would have the influence and funds to import fuels from offworld.

It is also possible that the Vishmitals, and even the Magiocrats really, may have their own personal power generation systems tucked away for themselves. Advanced power generators, in the case of the Vishmitals...and some kind of magic-based generators, or off-world imported generators for the Magiocrats.

As for TV and Internet...I really doubt that. Its just too complex for a place like Negav. I could see radio stations though. They would just need the power to transmit throughout Negav and The Commons beyond the walls. Portable radios (also likely powered by actinite shards) shouldn't be too hard to come by at any tech market, and its possible that various establishments could have more expensive, full-sized radios.

As for other things, I think its going to be a wierd mixture of purely magical solutions, purely technological solutions, and magi-technical solutions that bridge the gap between the two. Either way, it should be a pretty interesting place, since we all know that magi-tech is the only thing out there that is cooler than steampunk. ^^

Steampunk is the coolest. I am glad we can agree on this.

It would make sense that there would be mages keeping everything charged - just another way that the Psi'ols keep everyone in debt to them.

I used computers in Negav in two of my recent stories. You can't blame me for anything since the wiki describes Negav as "a marvel of science and magic", so I assumed they used both at least modern technology and magic, so computers and such would be common.

Addendum: I'm not a fan of steampunk because I'm seeing too much of it nowadays.

The only problem with steampunk is to find an alternative to coal contrary to the fossil fuel it deliver less energy, oil is more dense which make with a lower quantity you have more power than the same quantity in coal. To make it viable you have to design a new combustible more efficient than coal and a metal lighter and more resistant than steel.

rcs619 wrote:

Computers would be a bit iffy though, I think. I mean, you'd really ONLY have places to plug them in inside Negav. I could see merchants and such bringing them in from off-world to help make business a LOT easier. A wireless network could be possible for the Magiocrats, Vishmitals, and even some of the more successful local busniesses through off-world imported electronics.

Wireless network in cheaper to set up than the traditional network. Computer in overall are more destined to a large audience for example many people have private computer more powerful than the one used in some big organize like Nasa because the needs are not the same. Only the server need to be powerful because they manage an important amount of data. The client to access to them are light and consume few resource for example a web browser. Most of the work the access to the data and the security is managed and hosted by the servers and the network device which make you have just to plug the computer and enter your login and password.

The more powerful PC are for gaming because graphical effects are cost cost full in material resource but to professional things you don't need a very powerful computers.

Computers and mobile phone are technologies designed to target a large audience not a particular elite. Anyone in Negav can have the latest computer or mobile phones easily.

rcs619 wrote:

Computers would be a bit iffy though, I think. I mean, you'd really ONLY have places to plug them in inside Negav. I could see merchants and such bringing them in from off-world to help make business a LOT easier. A wireless network could be possible for the Magiocrats, Vishmitals, and even some of the more successful local busniesses through off-world imported electronics.

Quote :

Computers and mobile phone are technologies designed to target a large audience not a particular elite. Anyone in Negav can have the latest computer or mobile phones easily.

Now there's the business factor. how much of a free market, If at all is Negav? is all charges and bills maintained and watched by the government, or is it similar to the Capitalistic view where you got multiple companies making their own regularities to charge the customer

Seeing as Felarya isn't a planet and is just a plain of existence using advanced radio technology based on a planet where we use satellites and the atmosphere to bounce signals I imagine cell phones to be usueless there far better to have radio's instead.

Mobile phones do not bounce signals off satellites (that's satellite phones).
Modern mobile phones use radio towers. Each tower is only capable of handling so many calls at once within its range. In Negav I don't think that would be a problem as not that may people would use mobile phones.

I see something here that hapens alot i notice. Your forgeting the magic facter. just cause it works one way by scince dose not mean it cant work ten other ways by magic. Look at the driders then can comuicate and git info from others of there race miles away by magic of there roots and felaryas ground. So hows to say that felarya elctronics have to use the same componits that ours do. there could be a living organisum in side the thing as the power or other componits. Other posibiltys is power by magic directly or some tipe of gem or cristoles.

The same goes for steam engines in sead of of coal from the ground there could be a fruit or nut that has the same afect when burned. A lot of people dont consider these ideas and i think it shoes a savier lack of creativity that no one dose. Hell you could yuse bund souls to make a mashine move.

I'll be hownest I forgot some of the finer points to that bit the bit about magic does sound right seeing as dryads seem to have a telepathic link or something similar to talk to each other and share experiences.

When I think of negav I can't help but think post modern type setting maybe industrial revolution. Organic thechnology would be interesting seeing as it's 100 of years more advanced than circuits.

The bit about fruits a nuts burning as well as coal yeah that's true a couple similar things are available on earth that burn just like coal. King Edwards cake I think it's called it's a fungus that burns as hot as coal and horse hoof fungus creates embers that are incredibly hot.

Maybe there would be a different technology that is used for long range communication linked through science that doesn't exist or cant exist here like some sort of scifi direct beam transmission that can penetrate trees and buildings as well as the soil. In fact there might be something on submarines that does that.

I'm starting to ramble please take anything useful from that mess

Well unless there's a world somewhere that's making magic mobile phones and has multiversal travel, Negav isn't going to have many of them.

Negav can't manufacture that kind of thing themselves. They don't have the manufacturing infrastructure along with the raw materials.
Mobile phones of any sort are going to have to be imported. But they won't be. Why? because they will only work in one place, Negav. They're useless outside it or any of the few and far between places that have mobile phone service towers, which would also have to be imported. If a major part breaks, it has to be imported. Mobile phones are not cheap even in this world where we manufacture them locally. On a world where almost everything of a high tech level is imported, mobile phones aren't going to be popular.

The reason that 3rd world countries on Earth have mobile phones is because the infrastructure is already there, provided by 1st world countries (and countries like china) that have the manufacturing base to produce poorly made, throwaway mobile phones relatively cheaply.
In Negav, importing cheaply made goods like that isn't a good idea because the cost of importing them will probably jack up the price enough that the quality of the phones doesn't justify the price. There are no spare parts or anything available.

The most likely thing is CB radios since they are small, simpler than mobile phones and require no infrastructure to function.

(What I said above also applies to computers. If your computer breaks you can get a spare part for a relativity cheap price. But in Negav it won't be like that. Computers wll be imported, but onlyfor rich people form specalised purposes.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Well unless there's a world somewhere that's making magic mobile phones and has multiversal travel, Negav isn't going to have many of them.

Negav can't manufacture that kind of thing themselves. They don't have the manufacturing infrastructure along with the raw materials.
Mobile phones of any sort are going to have to be imported. But they won't be. Why? because they will only work in one place, Negav. They're useless outside it or any of the few and far between places that have mobile phone service towers, which would also have to be imported. If a major part breaks, it has to be imported. Mobile phones are not cheap even in this world where we manufacture them locally. On a world where almost everything of a high tech level is imported, mobile phones aren't going to be popular.

The reason that 3rd world countries on Earth have mobile phones is because the infrastructure is already there, provided by 1st world countries (and countries like china) that have the manufacturing base to produce poorly made, throwaway mobile phones relatively cheaply.
In Negav, importing cheaply made goods like that isn't a good idea because the cost of importing them will probably jack up the price enough that the quality of the phones doesn't justify the price. There are no spare parts or anything available.

The most likely thing is CB radios since they are small, simpler than mobile phones and require no infrastructure to function.

(What I said above also applies to computers. If your computer breaks you can get a spare part for a relativity cheap price. But in Negav it won't be like that. Computers wll be imported, but onlyfor rich people form specalised purposes.

Im sure theres way to build with materiles avilable on felarya the way you talk makes it sond like felarya has only 4 resorces air water wood and maigic. Im preaty sure theres mor then that..... And you also make it sound like people that live on felarya cant make things them selves and are 100% reling on off world saply for every thing witch would not and can not sapourt a town mach less a city.

And you only look at it as in "oh if its not done on earth or some where eals it cant exsit in felarya" But do to what felarya is there should be tech and magic or even a combation of the two like no one has ever seen befor. I have seen place set up to use mana to power battle suits space ships and a maigc bacded internet type thing in a web comic. So felarya should not be simply limted to what other world give it.

Another problem with these communication methods other than lack of infrastructure to both build and propagate is the very nature of Felarya itself.



Felarya doesn't have the same sky, day or night, as it did the previous experience of. You can't use satellites because the atmosphere caps and the world isn't a planet. You can't use radio towers because they would become dilapidated or outright destroyed by the denizens. Due to the atmosphere changing you can't reliably use ionosphere bounce like with AM radio. In Felarya you have to rely on surface and space waves (both of which are ground transmission types, the former goes over the surface of the earth and relies on conductivity of the soil and the latter travels above the surface between transmission towers - which as described are going to be difficult to come by). Even such things as CB radios become difficult to use, because the varying stars will have an unpredictable solar zenith pattern - and CB radios are affected by the cosmic rays of our sun's solar zenith.



You could build ELF transmitters theoretically, but once again Felarya throws you a curveball and on occasion entire chunks of the soil go byebye. ELF transmitter stations are huge, requiring separation between electrodes of up to 60km. They are incredibly inefficient systems, typically requiring their own dedicated power plant. As of to date, only two nations have ever built ELF transmitters - the USA and USSR - for use with submarines. The benefit to them is that you can receive their transmissions anywhere - which would mean that presuming Negav could actually build such a system, you could have dedicated radio transmissions received by anyone in Felarya with the proper equipment - but they themselves would be unable to transmit back. Due to the logistics of such devices, I highly doubt Negav has one. Also, Negav isn't big enough for one anyway.


This once again leaves us back at direct transmission, which suffers from a variety of everchanging variables. It would be unreliable at best outside of the dedicated range (ie inside of the city) and thus useless to explorers and adventurers.


The high tech societies (Vish, Miratan, Delurans) can circumnavigate this problem using quantum communication methods as these can be extremely simple devices with the appropriate technobabble (or not; it has been proven on macro scales [using blocks of silver material I believe it was] that you can indeed manipulate quantum spin from extreme distances without transmission through space, though we are obviously still not at quantum computing just yet; last I heard there was a simplistic quantum computer that had been created with an accuracy rate of algorithms involving a rather low number of bits at 96%). Obviously, this technology isn't going to belong to a commoner. My society uses beamlinks and hypertransmissions for communication which relies on the use of technobabble microsingularities (stuff we've been doing in labs for nearly a decade now that still remains mostly theoretical in nature). As long as you can put for a little effort here, you can make something that doesn't seem like a handwave.


Of course, you could also use magic. Even cross it if you want. I imagine the piezoelectric effect combined with some magic crystals would work quite well for transmission capabilities. Take said magic crystal, harmonize with another crystal, make one crystal vibrate at a frequency thus its partner does the same, viola, hypertransmission without quantum maths. There is room to work here if you want. You're just not going to see the things that we are used to. I imagine that several businesses use computers on Negav, but their idea of a computer is most likely some sort of data storage and recollection vault that combines technology and magic to work. Something like Nyselyn, my AI construct character, would be a completely alien concept to them.

yeah see now that what i mean dont think in normale turn. "You show me a mad man ill show you a genus." -i forgit where thats from

Some very interesting thoughts here. I'm always amazed byt the grasp at science of some members of that community

Personnaly I see computers as a product of an already quite advanced society. I could imagine some in Negav indeed but I don't think it would be a widespread technology.. As I see it, Negav is an interesting mix between tech and magic indeed, but it's still more oriented toward magic and lower tech. The fact magiocrats are in power is not stranger to that.

1)Excuse me the only raw material Negav Possess it's the Ascarlin.
2)Negav send its Acarlin to other worlds, it means multidimensional trades.
3)Many things of the city looks imported like the canons and the Xythium for the wall is not a metal manufactured inside the town but imported.
4) I quote the wiki:

wiki wrote:

Most normal transactions on Felarya are made in skevols, the local currency, minted by Negav. Larger ones are in Faldong gems or various local gemstones, and the greatest exchanges (such as buying a space battle cruiser or an imperial palace) being negotiated in pure ascarlin.

It seems with Ascarlin you can offer very expansive things, in Negav Market you can find many exotic, rare and valuable things more expansive than a simple car. A good computer and a cell phone are cheaper than a car including the importation bill, they are still cheaper. The importation is not a problem due to Negav's exportation of Ascarlin can largely absorbed the price of any importation.

Other points if it's still expansive some products can be exported into separated piece and assembled on place. In freight, the price of a goods vary according to it's weight not and the nature of the goods, the heavier a product the more expansive will be it's freight.

I quote the wiki again :

Wiki wrote:

The nearby Ascarlin mines has caused the city to rapidly grow, covering over 90 square miles.

By judging this sentence, the business of Ascarlin is very prolific. Computers can be very widespread technologies due to the influence of traveller coming from high advanced worlds, their advantages are not negligible. They are very helpful in many side of the daily life. They are not very expansive due to the fact it's a constant evolving technologies which makes in six month or less the price of a new material drop quick. For professional applications you don't need to buy the last machine. An advanced world can easily exported very cheap model to Negav without difficulties.

Seriously, it's a bit paradoxical because many people thinks about idea of complex and exotic solutions but something more mundane and cheaper, they are telling you it's impossible.