Education about Predators

I've often wondered how places like Negav would educate it's locals about the wildlife of their homeworld, as one could imagine it would be quite a delicate subject.

Telling youngsters at school that there are monsters outside the city walls that will most likely eat anyone that goes out there will understandably cause the children great grief and anxiety. However it would also be equally damaging to let someone grow up in Negav believing he/she is safe and then dropping the bombshell when their mind has matured and grown acustomed to the false sense of secuirty, it would also be quite foolish to only leave the warnings of predators to the very last moment, chances that they would be taken seriously is miminal.

So I think it only makes sense that the topic of predators would be drip-fed into a person's education gradually as they mature. Just like how we are introduced to dangerous animals like Lions, Tiggers and Bears as cute and cuddly, I think Negav would also introduce predators as cute characters in story books, perhaps depicting them with a comical greedy tendency to eat everything, this would only involve non-living things that the children would still assiocate with ("Then the great big Naga then ate everyone's food at the picnic")

Later when the children are older, the next level of education will be taught that will include the fact that Predators do eat people, by now the children would be getting grips with the concept of death, and so this revelation proberly won't come off as too much of a shock, no more than when we learnt that those cuddly fuzzy bears that we liked as toddlers would actually take our heads off if we tried hugging them.

So naturely this would mean quite a number of children books about Felarya predators would be published, possibly along with soft toys. Which is quite an werid thought XD

Well, do keep in mind DarkOne that Felaryan Giant Predators are NOT one of the major threats to the average person. Yes, they can be dangerous to someone in the wild. No, they are not the most likely thing to run into them, let alone eat 'em. You have more to worry about with the faux-portals, Bloodclaw Apes, Kensha Beasts, etcetera. For everyone who dies from a Giant Predator, I'm willing to wager that at least three more die from something else.

Education about Giant Predators will likely focus on what's most likely to be encountered by someone if they move just outside Negav's walls. Thus, things that are too small to trigger the pulse effect, but lethal all the same. A few of the "named" Giant Predators will probably be mentioned too, but for the most part it'll be something someone's left to investigate on their own as while there might be [x] Dridders or Nagas near the city, they're more like having the misfortune of being caught in a tornado than knowing how to tell when you're wandering near a murderous radioactive bee hive.

well I wasn't suggesting that a Negav education would prepare them of every hazzard out there, it's just I've read a story or two with a so called "Negavian" was exploring Felarya and then is "shocked" to discover about the existance of man eaters.

Now obviously that's just a case of bad writing, but it did make me think of how Negav would educate their people. And let's not forget there are a few predators that can bypass Negav's secuirty and therefore would need to have an public awareness of. Dusk Nymphs arn't effected by the Isolon Eye and there was at least one time one of them got in, so there has to be a Dusk Nymph awareness program. And there is also mirror day that happens every year where mirror lurkers can acess Negav by mirrors, so obviously the children will everntually need to be told why it's so important to cover mirrors on that day.

It's not so much preparing them to be able to avoid every danger, it's about finding a way to prepare them for life in a dangerous world without screwing them up mentally.

one point to keep in mind, Negav is unlikely to have a universal educational system, educational systems,yes, but not like those found in the modern world.

I don't suppose getting one of those would fall to the magiocrats, perhaps? I'm sure with how dangerous even Negav can be, there must be someone out there pushing to educate everyone, right? Even if he/she is working independently of other schools, and is trying to get them to accept his/her curriculum?

Nyaha wrote:

I don't suppose getting one of those would fall to the magiocrats, perhaps? I'm sure with how dangerous even Negav can be, there must be someone out there pushing to educate everyone, right? Even if he/she is working independently of other schools, and is trying to get them to accept his/her curriculum?

I would think so, because the more deaths that occour, the less labour force The Magiocrats will have in the city and less taxes all around. So it's in their best interest to give their labour force a chance to be informed so they will be good at bringing the money in. Once the public has been informed, then it's up to them what they do with the information and if they still get themselves killed, then the magiocrats can shrug their shoulders and claim they at least tried.

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Telling youngsters at school that there are monsters outside the city walls that will most likely eat anyone that goes out there will understandably cause the children great grief and anxiety.

You must have no German heritage. Grimm's Fairy Tales ring a bell? The Dark Forest? XD I think kids in Negav are like kids in any society. Parents tell them something is scary and one listens and the ohter nine out of ten go out and tempt the "scary man eating monsters". Besides why woudl children be afraid of preds? In every example of Felarya prey VS pred children never seem to be on the menu. In fact allot of lost kids get adopted by preds in most Felarya RP stories I've played in.

Children should be afraid of preds because they can't hide behind the 'Children don't die trope' forever, they will grow up. Besides, I think the not eating kids thing is just because it's not pleasant to put it in stories, not because the predators are actually friends of children (humans are food, why should children get spared from this logic? They should be considered 'diet' sized snacks)

And let's not forget what happens if they arn't educated and one kid parent's dies......what happens then? cover it up? Give the child the Daddy went away story? What if the kid works it out? they will tell the other kids, they will freak, they will hate their parents and the system for hiding it.

They will find out eventually, it's inevitable, so It's better to control the gradual flow of information rather than leaving it to choas theroy to decide what happens of the result of the information when it comes from an uncontrolled source

Tiz true, about the children thing, people will get bent out of shape about it.

But even in Negav your not perfectly safe, and a few dangerous things still get into the city from time to time, eye or no (dusk sprites any one?). So if in no other format, stories, such as those in Grim's will get passed around, very true. To that end again, while its that more people are probably killed by other means that say giant women, which stories do you think would get told more?

Well, naturally there'd be information on the various fauna and flora as well, and probably a number of stories surrounding them. Dark never said they would only be about giant ladies, did he? O.o

Education about preds would be sketchy at best, as most survivors are just lucky to be alive. Those who actually know how to survive felarya are too busy looting old temples to teach.

enviousofsnakes wrote:

Education about preds would be sketchy at best, as most survivors are just lucky to be alive. Those who actually know how to survive felarya are too busy looting old temples to teach.

That is kinda ignoring that Negav has been around for centries, the knowledge won't be coming from tomb raiders who just come back to town, it would had been collected by historical combat records, historical security breach records, Records of attacks around the mines, data collected from the collective efforts of the Isolon Fist, the Vishmital army, the Invesitgators and The Vishmital Internal secuirty agancy. It would also be collected by zoologists who went out for the speific purpose of investigating local wildlife. The Wiki clearly points out human researchers that have stuided fairy psychology and Harpy language for example. And we know Negav as a adventuerer guild that's actually built to make life outside Felarya easier, I am sure that involves passing on information (the guild is a big failure if it doesn't)

There's enougth information in Negavs own history to pass on, how do Negav people know about Nagas? because of 'the Great Destruction' where Nagas attacked the city. People would had written about that. A part of Negav's purpose on Felarya is to explore and study the world it's in, it's doing a pathetic job at doing that if it can't even record events and pass information to it's own citizens

DarkOne wrote:

enviousofsnakes wrote:

Education about preds would be sketchy at best, as most survivors are just lucky to be alive. Those who actually know how to survive felarya are too busy looting old temples to teach.

That is kinda ignoring that Negav has been around for centries, the knowledge won't be coming from tomb raiders who just come back to town, it would had been collected by historical combat records, historical security breach records, Records of attacks around the mines, data collected from the collective efforts of the Isolon Fist, the Vishmital army, the Invesitgators and The Vishmital Internal secuirty agancy. It would also be collected by zoologists who are paid for the speific purpose of investigating local wildlife. The Wiki clearly points out human reserachers that have stuided fairy psychology and Harpy language, are we really to believe that none of this reached Negav...dispite it trades with many people?

There's enougth information in Negavs own history to pass on to give people a good idea of what Felarya, how do Negav people know about Nagas? because of 'the Great Destruction' where Nagas attacked the city.

I thought we were only focused on explorers into the jungle. you are right in that they would have collected information about the preds over the years. what i was implying is that a skilled adventurer would find tomb raiding more lucrative than tutoring. Of course then that would mean tutors are the only source of education. which, as you said is ludicrous for a city like Negav.


Homeschooling would definitely play a role in Negav's education. especially in the lower classes.

Oh their is most certainly schools in Negav, probably a few, the thing to remember is that it is a MAGE town, to many forms of magic: Education=Power, at least to some extent or another. Then think of the Vishmitals most certainly have their own formal educational systems as well.

enviousofsnakes wrote:

I thought we were only focused on explorers into the jungle. you are right in that they would have collected information about the preds over the years. what i was implying is that a skilled adventurer would find tomb raiding more lucrative than tutoring. Of course then that would mean tutors are the only source of education. which, as you said is ludicrous for a city like Negav.


Homeschooling would definitely play a role in Negav's education. especially in the lower classes.

Ah well, I started this dicussion to talk about how Negav would educate it's own citizens and how to handle it without freaking people out.

But I agree, if your an explorer then you most likely won't be tutored. If you came over from another world, then your not really the Magiocrat's responsibility and therefore there is no obligation to help. It should be second nature to for an explorer to seek their own local information from places like the Negav libraries.

But if a particularly saavy young person wanted to get into the explorer business, then they could try offering their services to a more experaiced explorer, like carrying their equipment at miminal wage (or for free if they are that desprate) a sort of non-offical apprenticeship really. that way they can learn from the master just by aiding his work.

DarkOne wrote:

But if a particularly saavy young person wanted to get into the explorer business, then they could try offering their services to a more experaiced explorer, like carrying their equipment at miminal wage (or for free if they are that desprate) a sort of non-offical apprenticeship really. that way they can learn from the master just by aiding his work.

...and hopefully not getting eaten in the process.

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It should be second nature to for an explorer to seek their own local information from places like the Negav libraries.

at the local cantinas, pubbs and watering holes.

XD Explorers in libraries! Oh the image is just too amusing. I think it's more likely, due to Negav's rumor mill especially, that you'd get more accurate/ less techical info from the horses mouth so to speak. After all those who cool their heels in Felarya's pubbs are most likely experienced adventurers just back from the field. Though one has to be careful trusting people who hang out at such shady places. They likely won't just give away their secrets easily. Take Dark One's advice about becoming a apprentice/ slave-in-all-but-name to your new found teacher and learn quickly.

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what i was implying is that a skilled adventurer would find tomb raiding more lucrative than tutoring.

Indiana Jones, possibly the greatest treasure hunter/explorer in all of fictionalized cannon was both educated AND tough. Doctor Daniel Jackson of Stargate SG1 used his higher learning and advanced knowledge of mythology for the team and was a bad az in the later seasons. I think people just judge an adventurer based ont he fact most look like a joke or act too mercenary and never take into acount they are likely ACTING that way to throw others off and lull them into a false sense of security.

Back to the sbuject at hand. Vishmitals were brought up so why don't we look at how more advanced societies educate their young? Through video documentaries and interactive programs. These aren't as "hands on" and proubably don't help with giant preds since we all know preds have pretty individual patterns when it comes to hunting, but I can see Vishmitals and other advanced races as having a "Danger Room" like in the X-Men where their young can enter a Virtual Simulation with touch interaction through holographic constructs. Heck I'm sure the Academy of Magic has something simuliar for training Battle Mages and Fist Soldiers without having to unnecessarily risk their lives in the field.

Hanging around waterholes for informtion is somewhat a gambling game though, you can't rely on them to have explorers there inbetween adventures every time you need information. Felarya is huge and so adventures outside could take weeks, so the chances of meeting someone who knows what they are talking about at a bar should be very rare.

Also, I don't know about you, but if I was just back from an adventure and was just looking to let off some steam at the bar, the last thing I'd want to talk about is the predators. I would had came to the bar to get away from the harshness of the world, not to be reminded of it. You can arrange to meet up for a meal or something with someone if you want to talk business, but going straight in and interupting someone's leisure time to talk about a delicate subject like man eaters is a good way to get on someone's wrong side.

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Hanging around waterholes for informtion is somewhat a gambling game though, you can't rely on them to have explorers there inbetween adventuers every time you need information. Felarya is huge and so adventures outside could take weeks, so the chances of meeting someone who knows what they are talking about at a bar should be very rare.

I'll admit the odd are slimmer than they look but they are still better and more hands on than books. Plus you also have to take into account that there's going to usually be at least a few adventurrers in Negav's pub at one time or another. A good deal of the lower Tier is supposed to be offworlders and Adventurers right?I think there's something about that in the Wiki. How they outnumber even the natural number of Negavians.

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You can arrange to meet up for a meal or something with someone if you want to talk business, but going straight in and interupting someone's leisure time to talk about a delicate subject like man eaters is a good way to get on someone's wrong side.

That's why you have a padded Charisma score. Be gracious, even flirtatious about it and buy them a few rounds first so their tongue will be looser. Heck even sleep with them to take their mind off their troubles! I know that'a a little over-the-top in the ways of collecting information, but hey you have to be inventive and cunning if you want to make it as a good adventurer n Negav anyway.

Wasn't the adventures guild formed partially for just this reason?

It's a really interesting subject

Well as I see it i imagine there would be quite a lot about predators in education. Not necessarily accurate though and probably exaggerated but at any rate I don't think you can pass that under silence and keep a kid in blissful ignorance as other kids would inevitably bring up the subject and then the kid would try and find out more about it by themselves.
Also giant preds are not necessarily the first cause of death in Felarya indeed but the fact they are the most striking ones I think and impact widely the collective imagination.