The Thread for Overthinking Felaryan Topics

I do wonder if the anti-aging effect is purely magical in nature, or does it cause the body to do something that would halt the aging process?

If one were to look at the DNA of a person from Felarya, would you find that their telomeres regenerate with every cell division so that they never get shorter? As I understand it, that is one of if not the primary cause of senescence. Combined with the powerful immune system and increased healing abilities (which would also realistically count on long-ass telomeres to function correctly) and you have at least the end reason why people don't age or get sick, the root cause being the magic in the soil.

There's biological ways to "cure" aging. There's one person I read about recently in popular science who was researching ways to slow the aging process down, and the man responsible has been doing a very good job. His research accidentally led to an anti-cancer drug that has some ludicrously high percentage for "curing". I'd have to find the article again frankly, but my point is its possible for aging to be negated biologically, though probably just walking on the soil wouldn't be good enough, or even if it's an airborne "cure" I wouldn't have any clue how it'd work, nor would I want to try and find out. It's not my field of expertise.

As for the immune system thing, Cliff, I'm afraid I have to call you out on that I don't really think you know what you're talking about here. The wiki says "boosts the immune system" it doesn't specify exactly whether it increases its aggressive behavior or powerful responses, but either way that can still lead to auto-immune diseases. I'm not even sure "a more powerful response" even exists as a separate definition really, and autoimmune disease "how it occurs" doesn't even specify whether its because of "a more powerful response" or "a more aggressive response" anyway.

Did any of you know that cancer is immortal? Cells in malignant tumors have found mysterious ways of regenerating their telomeres and otherwise cheating death, and consequently can be cultured for decades without any sign of degradation.
Obviously the way it works is that everyone in Felarya has cancer so bad it's completely replaced their somatic cells by the time they're 20. xD

This explains nagas. Obviously their tails are just one big cancerous tumor.

"LOL you have cancer!"

*NOM*

I guess from a biological standpoint, the soil in Felarya immensely increase the creation of anti-bodies in someone's immune system, to the point if an infection occurred, it would be like walking in a wide open battlefield with like twelve million enemy soldiers already there and aiming at them. As for the aging, Karbo has been on the fence and considered nerfing it to simply higher longevity. I don't really want this to turn into an argument to whether it should be higher longevity or that the person's body no longer deteriorate from old age altogether, but I just thought to bring that up. I'm fairly sure it's magic based since once the soil is no longer in Felarya, it loses most of its power.

Archmage_Bael wrote:

There's biological ways to "cure" aging. There's one person I read about recently in popular science who was researching ways to slow the aging process down, and the man responsible has been doing a very good job. His research accidentally led to an anti-cancer drug that has some ludicrously high percentage for "curing". I'd have to find the article again frankly, but my point is its possible for aging to be negated biologically, though probably just walking on the soil wouldn't be good enough, or even if it's an airborne "cure" I wouldn't have any clue how it'd work, nor would I want to try and find out. It's not my field of expertise.

As for the immune system thing, Cliff, I'm afraid I have to call you out on that I don't really think you know what you're talking about here. The wiki says "boosts the immune system" it doesn't specify exactly whether it increases its aggressive behavior or powerful responses, but either way that can still lead to auto-immune diseases. I'm not even sure "a more powerful response" even exists as a separate definition really, and autoimmune disease "how it occurs" doesn't even specify whether its because of "a more powerful response" or "a more aggressive response" anyway.

Its a magical immortality factor on a magical extra-dimensional world. Of course no one here knows what we're talking about regarding it =P The immortality factor is a nice little bit of setting fluff, not something to be strained and twisted up so much. You live forever, you don't get sick. I don't think auto-immune diseases would happen because they're against the spirit of the healing factor. Its like trying to figure out the extra-dimensional physics that allows 115ft tall people to exist without any negative side-effects to their health and/or mobility. Its just a part of Felarya and it just works.

Well, in light of the wiki saying "a greatly boosting supplement to an organism's own immune system" I can safely talk about auto-immune responses. In regards to that, yes, we know what we're talking about. The problem is bringing up "aggressive" vs "strength" which is what I'm calling you out on, because I'm not even sure those terms are different. Auto immune responses increase white blood cell count, and they perceive other parts of your own body as a pathogen - attacking its own cells. So there is no real difference between "aggressive" and "more powerful response". Its not like a video game where white blood cells have 120 health, 4 attack, and the soil gives it 150 health and 6 attack as opposed to increasing ally army by +2 or something; thereby making a difference between "stronger" and "aggressive".

What would happen to a Lich in Felarya? They're undead, and rely on posessing their own bodies... would they just fall apart? Could they still regenerate and use their various magic powers, besides raising the dead?

Bael, now you're just arguing for the sake of arguing. I know this is contrary to the spirit of this thread, but this is just one of those things you just have to nod and say "it just does".

As for Judge, that would depend on the definition of Lich. Contrary to popular belief, not everything is tied to D&D. Also, the wiki explicitly stated that undeads can survive on Felarya, just that you can't create them there. Case in point, Tanya is a vampire, an undead, and has been able to survive on Felarya just fine before the clusterfuck of plot points happened. So yes, it would still be to use most of its magic powers, because in Felarya, necromancy is pretty much limited to forcibly calling a soul from the afterlife to reanimate a dead body or bring it back to life. This was a question that had been clearly answered a while back, so next time, do some research.

I sense hostility. Either way, nice to know.

No that's just Shady, he's constantly on hostile mode

No, that's just me pointing out something in a blunt manner. Bluntness does not equate hostility.

Strictly speaking, Shady's right. I wouldn't agree with telling you what to do, Falcon, but let's take this in stride and not make a mountain out of a molehill.

the wiki wrote:

[...]A wandering spirit can still decide to possess a body on its own, [...].

Long as the lich's soul doesn't go to its reward, it can keep possessing things. Like its own body, as you say. On the other hand, as we're overthinking now and you didn't ask in the Q&A thread, I say if you go by the strict definition of the D&D lich, it can form its body... but once destroyed, it won't be able to reform its body while in Felarya, as it'd have to animate it all over again, and that doesn't work.

Alternatively, if you're doing a lich in another style, like Ambrose Bierce's, HP Lovecraft's, Fritz Lieber's, Gardner Fox's... can't help ya there, bro.

talking of the none aging process, Do Felaryian people still go through the Menopause?

A female is born with all the eggs cells she will ever need stored away. After the fetus stage the body doesn't produce anymore. So even though living on Felarya will stop you from aging past your prime, technically you'd will still run out of eggs and enter the Menopause.

Though reproductive systems lifespan would vary to speices to speices, but still surely alot of the young looking but really old characters in Felarya are incapable of becoming pregnant.

Unless there's some magic force that creates new egg cells, creating a reproductive cycle that goes on forever.

DarkOne wrote:

talking of the none aging process, Do Felaryian people still go through the Menopause?

A female is born with all the eggs cells she will ever need stored away. After the fetus stage the body doesn't produce anymore. So even though living on Felarya will stop you from aging past your prime, technically you'd will still run out of eggs and enter the Menopause.

Though reproductive systems lifespan would vary to speices to speices, but still surely alot of the young looking but really old characters in Felarya are incapable of becoming pregnant.

Unless there's some magic force that creates new egg cells, creating a reproductive cycle that goes on forever.

Hmmm, unsure. I want to say that the spirit of the healing factor is that it freezes you, and all your bodily processes, at your biological prime. My thought would be that there wouldn't be menopause. But then again, no one has ever said for certain.

DarkOne wrote:

Menopause...

A quick internet search suggests that human females have roughly 400,000 eggs; this translates to about 3,300 years if expended at a rate of 1 every month. So from a logical standpoint, any of the female character who are over three millenium old and have human like biology probably should not be able to get pregnant.

However, I suspect that the real answer is: they can get pregnant if the plot demands it.

Oldman40k2003 wrote:

DarkOne wrote:

Menopause...

A quick internet search suggests that human females have roughly 400,000 eggs; this translates to about 3,300 years if expended at a rate of 1 every month. So from a logical standpoint, any of the female character who are over three millenium old and have human like biology probably should not be able to get pregnant.

However, I suspect that the real answer is: they can get pregnant if the plot demands it.

Up to 1,000 eggs are lost and absorbed by the body per cycle per every 1 egg that ovulates however, so it is possible for a woman to hit menopause at only 33 years of age (although usually this happens in their 40's or 50's)
So, unless the body does regenerate ovarian follicles, Crisis, who is about 80 years old, could be dealing with all manner of unpleasantness, supposing she has a menstrual cycle, which is up for debate given our lack of understanding of reproductive habits among not only Giant Nagas but a large portion of life in Felarya.
I'm going to chalk this one up to Healing Factor/ Felaryan Immortality.

EDIT: LEVEL UP! I'm no longer any manner of morsel, prey, food, or snack! Zephyr102 takes Fleet as a 5th level feat.

Also, Crisis, a naga, has a longer lifespan and maturation period than humans do. So it's not inconceivable that nagas have menopause a lot later, either due to having more eggs or longer menstrual cycles. Maybe her period only comes once every three months?

Here's a fun one. The Negav people live in a world where magic and fantasy are everyday thing, so what do the Negav people like to read about in their fiction? They woulden't want to read about stuff that happens in their own lives already, so their version of the 'Fantasy Genre' would be very different to ours.

Most likely something that doesn't involve gaints, that's a given. But what else would be a factor for a Negav best seller?

I dunno about the "fantasy" genre there, but the Universe is a big place. They probably read a lot about any worlds that are different from the one they know.
Why, for example, wouldn't Earth be a fantasy world from the perspective of one where, say, metals didn't exist and consequently there was no mystical energy (electricity) that allowed them to make vehicles that drove themselves and artificial men? Of course Negav has a lot of things from a lot of other worlds, so it's tougher for us to come up with things that wouldn't be there.

tl;dr: I have nothing useful to add. xP

hmmm, well as you said many worlds visit Negav and stories are traded. So mabye Negav publishers pick and mix stories from other worlds and adapt them into a narrative that Negav people would understand.

Like how Disney takes classical stories and Americanizes the characters and morality.

One form of fiction that does come to mind is Zombie fiction. Since there is no Necromancy in Felarya I bet fantasy tales with Zombies would be a big hit. Negav people are used to being eaten by gaints, but human corpses eating people would just be so alien to them and they would find stories about them fresh and orginal

Oh dear... Twilight. D=

Yeah, well someone could bring in zombies from another realm, and Crisis would probably have a bite...and go "EWW!" XD