Felaryan humans

I have some general questions about humans in felarya, and I haven't really been able to find it anywhere else.

How advanced exactly are they, talking about the most advanced tribe/race. I'm guessing about how advanced humans are now, maybe even more, but like I said, I'm unsure.

Also, If I made humans much more primative in a story, would it matter?

Lastly, what is most prevalent, magic or technology?

There are several groups of humans in Felarya, most from different worlds. Check the wiki for some of the more prevalent groups. They are very varied and different from one another.

The few that seem to be "native" to Felarya seem rather medieval, very "swords and magic"-based. However, the more populated settlements probably see a lot of magic and tech, because of the different humans pouring in.

Also, there are a few nomad groups around Felarya. These people have to be very skilled at slaying predators, or skilled at running away. They often rely on tribal knowledge ("wilderness smarts") and magic. Some might use a few pieces of technology they obtained from outsiders.

Sounds good, thanks.

Most of the natives, as stated, are tribal. There doesn't seem to be much focus on technological advancement, and it's easy to see why. If humanity attempts to settle down and grow without a certain tech / magic base to start, they just provide predators with a ready source of food.

This is not to say there are no high-tech areas. Most of these are either cities that have managed to find a way to keep Predators out and away (Negav, for instance), or the forward settlements / bases of an already advanced human civilization passing through a stable portal into Felarya.

Magic seems to be much more prevalent, which considering Felarya's nature makes sense. Going 'primitive' humans is also a fine thing - many people (myself included) see even Negav around only Renaissance-era technology. Miratans are the only civilization of humanity consistently shown to have a well mechanized and equipped force by modern standards.

As said, most tribes are medieval, using swords and magic. But as lots of ppl pour in from different worlds, high-tech stuff is bound to end up in some cities. I don't know HOW high-tech though, whether it's simple electronics like light bulbs and such or as high-tech as we are here on Earth.

Too much medieval; I'm more of an antiquity kind of guy.
And just swords? From what I've seen it's either longsword, oversized bastard sword or katana (or maybe even a scimitar). There are all those other types of sword that may or may not be interesting, such as shotel, macana, khopesh, kopis, gladius, falx or hook sword.
Though I'll admit, I haven't read many stories, so I don't know if there's a deviation from the norm.

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Most of the natives, as stated, are tribal. There doesn't seem to be much focus on technological advancement, and it's easy to see why. If humanity attempts to settle down and grow without a certain tech / magic base to start, they just provide predators with a ready source of food.

Yeah, I can see what you mean from that. Probably also contributes to why there's more magic around, huh?

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This is not to say there are no high-tech areas. Most of these are either cities that have managed to find a way to keep Predators out and away (Negav, for instance), or the forward settlements / bases of an already advanced human civilization passing through a stable portal into Felarya.

Could many of those might have been started hidden? Maybe as more and more people arrived and they started to become bigger it became harder to attack, so preds just put up with it nd left the cities alone. Except for the already existing bases, I mean.

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Magic seems to be much more prevalent, which considering Felarya's nature makes sense. Going 'primitive' humans is also a fine thing - many people (myself included) see even Negav around only Renaissance-era technology. Miratans are the only civilization of humanity consistently shown to have a well mechanized and equipped force by modern standards.

Yeah, I probably should have figured that out on my own.
Thats good, just going with an idea I had. Glad it wouldn't turn anything around too much, but since humans aren't really the main species on Felarya I don't see how they could.

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As said, most tribes are medieval, using swords and magic. But as lots of ppl pour in from different worlds, high-tech stuff is bound to end up in some cities. I don't know HOW high-tech though, whether it's simple electronics like light bulbs and such or as high-tech as we are here on Earth

Yeah, I understand. Going with that, this could mean ceartain places are more advanced than us, right? I'm not sure if that's really relevant, but I'm curious anyway...

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Too much medieval; I'm more of an antiquity kind of guy.

I prefer a more modern day settings, but anything that doesn't too closely resemble earth works for me, too.

Ah, a lotta text there...Sorta. Sorry.

I like Medieval tech, which is partially the reason why I'm all over the fire emblem series, even playing the japanese games, but back on topic. I see the human groupings to be of differing eras too, with most of the people either being prehistoric or Medieval, with the occasional immigrant(or immigrants) being of a higher tech level.

Tid-bit: Japanese games and media are, for the most part, horrible for medieval weapon summaries. For instance, they feature cavalry charges where people use their lances as clubs more often than they attempt to pierce the enemy.

This is not to say western is much better - western media tends to portray much of those in such times as super-human heroes (like Beowulf). There tends to be more accuracy in equipment with western media however.

It makes me wonder, is there a point for the humans in Felarya to weild medieval weapons, that more often than not reveals to be completely ineffective against most predators, in contrast to plasma rifle?

Malahite wrote:

Tid-bit: Japanese games and media are, for the most part, horrible for medieval weapon summaries. For instance, they feature cavalry charges where people use their lances as clubs more often than they attempt to pierce the enemy.

This is not to say western is much better - western media tends to portray much of those in such times as super-human heroes (like Beowulf). There tends to be more accuracy in equipment with western media however.

Alright I got us off topic but I've got one question before I get back on topic. Have you ever played Fire Emblem?

Back on topic, basically I see humans in Felarya needing some sort of natural camoflauge, so somewhere down the road mutation is probably going to hit(Crisis, please don't let that happen)

Sean Okotami wrote:

It makes me wonder, is there a point for the humans in Felarya to weild medieval weapons, that more often than not reveals to be completely ineffective against most predators, in contrast to plasma rifle?

Humans tend to like to destroy each other too, and a sword across the chest, an arrow through the heart, a Lance through the chest and an axe in the head all do a fine job of that.

Sean Okotami wrote:

It makes me wonder, is there a point for the humans in Felarya to weild medieval weapons, that more often than not reveals to be completely ineffective against most predators, in contrast to plasma rifle?

Because that's all they have at the time? A hunk of metal is still better than your bare fists. You can also be sure those in possession of the Plasma Rifles don't intend to upset the balance of power (Whether for noble reasons or not). Plus it's relatively easier to maintain such weapons there, along with replace them.

Daejien: No, I have not. Note how I mentioned "For the most part" however. I will admit there are some good examples.

ZionAtriedes wrote:

Also, there are a few nomad groups around Felarya. These people have to be very skilled at slaying predators, or skilled at running away. They often rely on tribal knowledge ("wilderness smarts") and magic. Some might use a few pieces of technology they obtained from outsiders.

Ooh, reminds me of me. I think I would fit in there nicely, just, not exactly in a group...yet. I would wander around from settlement to settlement, I may stay at each one for awhile, but never set up an indefinite home.

The story possibilities are endless.

Oh yeah, and on natural camouflage: It depends entirely on who you ask. Some say Predators can only use their sense to find someone they have a hunch is already there - they cannot just sense-bot a human out of the blue. Others, well, they say Predators can just sense-bot a human out of the blue, so camouflage makes no difference.

Seeing as Predators don't have a 100% success ratio with hunts, and not all of those are from the prey becoming friends or fighting their way free, I feel it's safe to assume the former is right. However, that's just it: It's me saying that. Karbo would be the #1 source to ask on this matter.

A puny arrow could only prick a predator. Have you ever considered a ballista, or any other siege engines... Oh, right, they take forever to reload. Make your shot count!
Maybe you can keep preds at bay with a long and sturdy enough spear. I was thinking of the sarissa, except with a steel shaft. A bit unwieldy, though.

Oh, and when you say medieval, I bet you mean medieval european, since there were all those other cultures at varying levels of technological advancement during the same time period.

observer88 wrote:

A puny arrow could only prick a predator. Have you ever considered a ballista, or any other siege engines... Oh, right, they take forever to reload. Make your shot count!
Maybe you can keep preds at bay with a long and sturdy enough spear. I was thinking of the sarissa, except with a steel shaft. A bit unwieldy, though.

Oh, and when you say medieval, I bet you mean medieval european, since there were all those other cultures at varying levels of technological advancement during the same time period.

Yes i think we mean medieval european. Anyway i'm quite sure spears and other medieval weapons won't work much, as most recquire you to get close to the target before you can strike, and there is a very high chance you'll be grabbed and eaten before you reach the enemy. :p Guns have a much larger chance of beating enemies, but i guess that's pretty obvious :p

observer88 wrote:

Maybe you can keep preds at bay with a long and sturdy enough spear.

I was always more fond to the idea of a block of pikemen. Provided they aren't taken off guard, they're relatively safe. A Predator could find some ways to scatter the pike regiment, but many of those deny them the pleasure of a live prey.

Not the perfect defense, and still with many flaws, but something.

Strategy is the most profound of all weapons. A man with a gun who cannot aim will be beat by the stealthy swordsman, or even dagger-wielder.

This being said, I think humans have a good chance if they use their brains.

Bear in mind that a predator, though with size and speed as her advantages, is not likely to be wearing any kind protection over her head or neck, so even a weapon as pathetic as an arrow or 9 mm pistol round has the potential of ending up in her eye or jugular and causing her a world of hurt. Sheer firepower would only be needed if you're a terrible shot, or are scared silly. However, its not likely that anyone would take a risk at a time like that, so just about any human or other prey race would probably arm themselves to the teeth if they could.

Careful everyone, we're talking about Felaryan humans, not how they would defeat a Predator.

Yes... the last discussion of that sort ended horribly.

At any rate, the point I was trying to make is that whether or not a human society's level of technology is just above stone age, or past space age, they could find ways to survive. You'll notice that all the societies present have their own tricks up their sleeves. The Negavians have a gigantic wall around their city studded with cannons and reinforced by a magic forcefield. The Miratans have a numerous and powerful standing army. The Delurans have the benefits of technology. The Tribe of the Bowl has a dryad watching over them. My own race, the Ellisians, simply keep themselves hidden away completely. There are many methods available for a human society to make their existence, though having certain benefits like technology, manpower, alliances, and so forth can drastically improve a race's chances of survival, none of these things are entirely necessary. In fact, now that I think about it, it seems like 90 percent of all casualties are from individuals who bumble about looking for treasure out in the wilderness where they have nothing at all to protect them apart from their wits and whatever gear they happen to be carrying.

Precisely. I think we can tie that in to the subject by asking:

Define technology. Every successful group has different methods, though not all of them involve 'advanced' weaponry, or tanks/mechs.

By technology I meant the sophistication of the tools and weapons they use. However, this doesn't necessarily make a parallel with effectiveness. The Delurans, for example, have the most advanced gear at their disposal of any race in Felarya, and yet they're far from being the group least preyed upon. Why? Apart from the fact that their metal has a bad habit of rusting prematurely, they don't seem to have ever completed the development of equipment suited to help them do a better job of surviving in such a harsh environment. Likely because they haven't yet come to understand just what it is that they're up against. A group as technically capable as them shouldn't have any problem properly equipping themselves for any situation, but if they have no effective tactics, it'll all be in vain.

So, one could say that though their "gear" is advanced, their "technology" is lacking. Technology simply means the application of knowledge, mis amigos.