#I mean look up eso personal journals

[feykrorovaan]

Would it be asking too much for ESO to make the personal journals and letters of characters we come across available as house furnishings? Like Darien's journal you find in Camlorn, his letter in Wrothgar, and his final letter to you after Summerset? What about Count Verandis Ravenwatch's journal?Cadwell's journals?And so on. I know that no one at ESO will ever read this, but it's something I've wanted for a long time. What does your Vestige do with their friend's journals? Just toss them back where they found them? I know that we have some of them in our lore book collections in our journal, but I would love to be able to revisit my Vestige's companion's journals and letters by picking up a physical copy off of my bookshelf in the game.

[faunabells]

henlo everyone, it's nice to meet cha! and...who are we exactly?:

✿♡✿ our collective being has many names, so we can just be referred to as the faunabells or simply bambie (he/they/it). :3 our body's 20, and a lot of us are around that age too. ♡ terms we currently feel connected to: alterhuman, posic+, queer, maladaptive daydreamers, multicollective, polyplex, adaptive, & eso/neuro/paragenic. ✿ we're audhd with mid support needs + we seem to have d.i.d? we don't know, but another system of ours thinks so. ♡ the image above is our collective flag! it's colors & arrangement are mostly pure aesthetic choices, but they do have personal meanings. if we ever want to/are ask to explain our design in detail, we'll link it *here*. (there's no link as of now, and the image description is at the end below a cut. dear screen readers, we hope that's ok?) ✿♡✿

byf & interact:

✿♡✿ this blog started out as a plural positivity blog, it still is, but it now has a public journal aspect to it. we'll also host art & whatever special interest our headmates want to talk about. *here's our extensive tag list if that helps any.* ♡ we, of course, support & respect all plurals regardless of origin. we won't necessarily block you if you break your own dni, but we will if you light a match to our stove. let us cook in peace, please. ✿ by the way, please block #stim rbs if stimboards make you motion sick/or anything. other than that, this space is relatively vanilla & nut free... hopefully not too boring haha; we do have some exciting projects in progress. ♡ we do not consider multiple likes/rbs spam. i don't know if that needs to be clarified, but here's the go ahead anyway. ✿ dm & askbox status: open! just give us some time to answer, please. ✿♡✿

userboxes we've made for ourselves! though anyone can use them if they'd like. credit is appreciated, but necessarily needed.♡:

{ Image descriptions galore underneath cut: warning, it's a bit long.}

{start of image description for the very top of post:} { the first image: a divider of an assortment of hello kitty 3d models with a yellow heart charm on the right side while having a blue star charm on the left side.} { the second image: a complicated flag design that features tiny four stripes of white, pink, green, yellow running across a blue background. it's bordered with pink stars, covered in sparkles, has small hearts on the inner corners, and most notably, has a heart shape strawberry cake with strawberry themed tamagotchis on its either side.} { the third image: same as the first, repeated below the flag. } {end of the top-of-post description.} {start of userboxes description:} { the first userbox: a green box with my melody's pink rabbit ears poking up in a field of flowers. the text reads: this collective is shy and finds communication to be difficult. } { the second userbox: a pink box with a cartoon paw that's made out of strawberries in front of a green, white, and pink background. this is the pawberrygender flag. the text reads: this collective is anthro in a nonhuman sense. } { the third userbox: a green box with the eighties strawberry shortcake cast inside a heart. the text reads: this collective view themselves as a community. } { the fourth userbox: a pink box with a painting of a tea party hosted by rabbits. the text reads: this collective is looking for plural moots! } { the fifth userbox: a purple box with its image being a my melody plush. the text reads: this collective is trying to stay calm, so we are not open to discussions about discourse. } { the sixth userbox: a pink box with its image being a brown anthropomorphic bunny picking flowers. the text reads: this collective is still finding thr words that describes their experiences. } { the seventh userbox: a purple box with its image being an anime girl sitting with an unicorn. it says: this collective has issues with alexithymia, empathy, and general understanding of emotions. } { end of userboxes description. }

[eldritchsurveys]

1186.

Do you ever worry about your future? (i.e.: college, marriage, kids, etc) >> When I'm stressed about my future, that isn't the sort of thing I'm stressed about. I'm thinking about decades of soul-deep loneliness and skin hunger, decades of struggling with my various mental and emotional blocks over and over again, decades of trying to thrive in a region that doesn't suit me. Basically, I suffer from a typical post-traumatic lack of imagination -- I can't reliably imagine a me that isn't just like the me I am right now, in the situations I am in right now.

Does your family use coasters? Is anyone in your family excessively tidy? >> Well, I don't use coasters most of the time. I don't think "excessively tidy" describes me, either.

What’s your least favorite chore to do around the house? Do you have to do this often? >> They're all my least favourite, but the one I absolutely cannot deal with is cleaning the bathroom. I mean, I technically could deal with it. If I had to. But it would be pretty rough on me.

If you went to your mom/dad or whoever you live with and said “hey, I’ll clean the whole house if you give me 20 bucks” would they go for it? Would you raise the price? .

Are you usually late, early or right on time? >> Either almost uncomfortably early or right on time, depending on the bus schedule (my being stupid-early is usually because if I took the next bus I'd be late).

If you wrote a journal entry about your last date, what would it say? .

On a scale of 1 to 5 how organized are you? >> I don't know how to rate my organisational level on a number scale, but I think my need for and enjoyment of organisation is pretty significant.

Name a movie you can watch over and over again and not be bored with? .

Do you wear pajamas to places other than at your house? >> I do not.

Do you take showers in the morning or at night more? >> I only shower in the evening. What is the wallpaper on your cellphone? >> Lock screen is a fanart of Randall Flagg and home screen is a fanart of Orin the Red.

Do you still have your tonsils? >> I do.

What is the worst thing someone has ever done to you? .

Have you ever gone nude/streaked in public? >> I have not.

Do you snore? Steal the covers? Roll around in your sleep? >> I don't really do any of this. In comparison to most people I know, I sleep like a corpse.

Why aren’t you with the person you love? .

Could you go out in public looking like you do now? >> I could not. I'd freeze instantly, for starters.

Do you like the rain? >> I do, but not in abundance. What is your mom listed under in your phone? .

Do you like going to the dentist? >> Going to the dentist dysregulates me so bad I turn into a terrible patient without wanting to. I think I genuinely need a handler for medical procedures.

Are you afraid of speaking to large audiences? >> I am not. I wouldn't love it, it's not my scene, but I'm not afraid of it. Are you afraid to tell the truth sometimes? >> Sure.

What’s one quality about yourself that you feel sets you back but also helps you? >> This is one of those things that I know I have multiple answers to because I've thought about this exact concept before, but unfortunately I can't remember on command.

Was anyone who had been in your company today in a bad mood? >> No one has been in my company today.

The last time you felt sick what exactly was wrong? . What did you do today? >> I made tea, checked up on all my accounts, made sandwiches, watched a movie, played some ESO, rode the stationary bike for fifteen minutes, took a shower, and took this survey.

[theoldsongsandtales]

Disclaimer: I know we don’t actually meet Sil at any point before ESO so you can consider almost all of the lore on him second hand and even ‘fictional’ but he was set up that way; he was set up to be a loving god.

Disclaimer: This is rambly and not even all my thoughts but I said I would do it. I feel like I’m forgetting something but, ah well.

I think one of my gripe? with CWC is that not only does it make Sil seem a lot less caring for his people, it also seems - not consistent? sometimes?

In, Luciana’s journal we get,

“Why do you think things happen?” he asked. I told him I didn’t understand the question.

“Why are we sitting here talking? Why does young Marius exist? Why do I reign over this place, while you convalesce within it?”

I sat quiet for a moment, then replied: “Because that’s just the way it is.”

His cold face melted into one of his solemn half-smiles. “Exactly.”

This is 1E 2712 (Maybe), and sometime around 1E 2730 (Maybe) when her son dies we get,

When I reached the Throne Aligned, I found Sotha Sil sitting on the stairs leading to his seat of power. He didn’t even look up.

“I know why you’re here,” he said.

“Marius is dying. We have to get back to him as soon as possible!”

He stood up and pursed his lips before speaking. “I’m sorry,” was his only reply.

We stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, I shook my head and whispered, “I don’t understand. My body was ruined and you healed me. It’s only Marius’s heart that needs mending.”

Seht approached, placed a brass hand on my shoulder and said, “You misunderstand. It is within my power to heal Marius, but circumstances make it impossible. I grieve with you, Luciana.”

I looked up and there were tears in his eyes. I felt a great rage rise up within me. I reached for my hammer, and lifted it above my head just before Seht whispered a banishing word and sent me hurtling back toward the surface.

Marius died two days later. Sotha Sil remains in the Cogitum Centralis to this day.

He’s,heartbroken at this, but apparently so set on ‘it was to be like this’ that he’s not going down to save the life of this child (which is fully in his power) nor do anything to comfort this grieving mother’s sorrow.

Because it Has To Be Like This; I only saved you Luciana so you could save my City, your son doesn’t have a part to play, I can’t help him.

And this is all, in 1E 2712 (to the best of our knowledge)

We get ‘Sil remains in the Centralis to this day.’

This can’t be right, we know he at least makes the Pact in Oblivion and still takes at least a few trips to Red Mountain. She seems to at least know when Sil is out, because she states in a quest that when he’s gone the City goes into a slumbering mode. Does she mean Sil hasn’t been seen since her son died in the City proper? Varuni and the other Apostles talk about him never being around, so maybe?

But, speaking of his Coldharbour Compact -

I’ve always thought of it as his attempt to keep Ald Sotha, Gilverdale from being repeated, maybe a response to his dear friend Almalexia seeing the horror unfold in a vision and ‘Sil, look what happened,’ and putting himself through the hell that is standing in Coldharbour with 8 daedric princes mocking, scorning, and making you miserable all so he could keep Nirn, not just his own Dunmer people, but all of Nirn safe - because again, he was set up as that kind of person.

ESO brings into context, Did he know he ‘Had’ to make it? Did he see Dagon’s attack? Molag Bal and Mannimarco’s scheme? That’s - a lot of personal trouble, even for a demi god to go through when he’s making his own perfect world because Nirn is corrupted and then apparently only certain people get to live in said, actual city because they have talent.

We don’t know what Sil offered them; I’ve seen everything from ‘I’ll destroy you and the Mundus too.’ to individual gifts (a ESO added book seems to imply that Herma Mora at least got some sort of knowledge), to his own soul, or pieces of it at least. Again, a lot of trouble and personal effort.

There’s also the condition of the CWC. Only certain people living in the City proper and the rest out in this wilderness with hostile creatures or in a slum where apparently the children go cold sometimes. I know this can be waved as Sil gave the Apostles the starting blocks and wanted them to figure it out but someone who at one point said,

‘The old gods are cruel and arbitrary, and distant from the hopes and fears of mer. Your age is past. We are the new gods, born of the flesh, and wise and caring of the needs of our people.’

He’s seen how it is to be cast out; his two most beloved friends - he’s seen what they’ve gone through, he knows what he has been through, he’s seen war at that point he’s advised against it he’s fought it, he - knows. And, I guess I just want to know what changed him from that, to, allowing his apostles to let others suffer if that’s the case - and if he’s doing it intentionally, ???

Also - SPOILERS - in one quest they are literally killing citizens of the city, they are literally killing them to make sunshine, are you telling me that Sotha Sil knew that was happening and, ah well, it has to.

And, also, his memory stars, … not exact wording,

‘Factotums will need a voice. … Perhaps something, comforting.’

‘My Friend, what have I become?’

‘You can’t care too much, how else will they learn to fend for themselves?

‘Our Soldiers are useless against the Dwemer machines, we’re sending these Mer out for slaughter.’

‘We’ve cursed them all. They will be cast out, disgraced!’

All sound like at some point he cared, he cared a lot. The planisphere memories also make it sounds like the memory stars were early on, that he started casting out his memories/emotions early.

I guess it boils down to - did something happen at some point, to make him like this? So focused on a set thing, less compassion, more numbers and work and distance? I know it’s confirmed? He had a wife at some point, was that it? Did the Compact do it? Are we ever going to see that? Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life sending letters to Zenimax and Todd and ‘please for the love of nirn tell me about sotha sil, give me your notes, please i’ll sign a contract.

I could talk about how much, how much he seems to love, and a million other things about Sotha Sil but this is already too long so maybe another day but,

TLDR: I love Sotha Sil, he’s my favorite; I love the idea of this man who suffered and seen his friends suffer and wanted to be a god, wanted to fix everything, wanted people to have good lives - not just those of his own kin but everyone - someone full of love, and while I respect ESO, I wish we had gotten that.

[taergalive]

Okay I filled out that character thingy I reblogged

It’s a little unreasonable for everyone in a Middle Ages-esque fantasy to be perfectly literate, and writing with quills was considered legitimate labor! How well can your oc read and/or write? How detailed is their quest log/journal, if they keep one at all? Imogen took to reading quite readily. She can read high level material and is well read. Her vocabulary is decent. Her journal is fairly detailed, though mostly just emotions shes feeling.  Kalo has dyslexia, so reading can be tricky for him. He would rather read novels than textbooks, but it takes him a while to get through a book. He doesn't keep a journal at all. He just reads his sister's. How educated is your oc? Did their parents teach them, did they have a tutor or were they apprenticed to a master, or did they attend a university? What university? What are they educated in? How long did their education take? (Learned skills like blacksmithing count here too!) Imogen had tutors, and when she was old enough, she attended the Arcane University to study Conjuration and Mysticism. She will never consider herself good enough to stop learning. Even with the war going on, Imogen makes it a point to visit the Mages Guild to keep up with her studies. She also studies history and linguistics.  Kalo had tutors, but the war interrupted his studies. Behind his father's back, he took up swordplay, and he continues to practice. He is over confident in his skills, though he picks up how to fight rather naturally.  Does your oc have any kind of crafting skills that either aren’t in-game or don’t have as much importance in-game as they would in real life? (For example, can your oc sew or weave, etc? Are they skilled in any kind of art? Can they make jewelry or work glass? Are they musicians? etc) Imogen can sew, but not very well. Enough to patch holes. She learned to sing when she was younger, but she's too shy to ever do it in public.  Kalo is really good at making makeshift tools. Give him some sticks and some string and he's good.  What pantheon does your oc worship? If they worship the Cyrodiilic/Imperial pantheon, does that include Talos? If they secretly worship Talos, how do they justify hiding it?  How religious is your oc? Do they come into conflict with others over their beliefs? If their patron deity told them to do something extremely undesirable or against their moral compass, would they do it? Most iterations of Imogen worship the Daedra, but this one is fairly dedicated to Akatosh and Mara. She, however, questions her beliefs often and feels conflicted. Her mother was the head of a cult that worshipped Sanguine. It makes her wonder if Daedra are bad. would be tempted by Hermaeus Mora. But she holds to her moral compass. Kalo is agnostic. Mostly doesn't care about gods or things like that. Never really paid attention to it. But shows interest in some of the Daedra, much to his sister's dismay.   Does your oc have a family of origin? How many members of their FoO are still living? Do they have a good relationship? How much contact does your oc have with their FoO? How in-the-loop is your oc’s FoO about your oc’s being Dragonborn/HoK/Nerevarine? Well, Immy and Kalo are siblings. Their father is still alive but they are not sure where in the world he is because of the war. Haven't seen him since they fled to Glenumbra. Imogen never felt like she met her father's expectations. While he has a hard time showing it, though, her father does care for her. He tends to be colder towards Kalo, as he isn't convinced the boy is his.  Kalo tried to hide the fact he was the Vestige to Imogen. He didn't want her to know that he was soulless because she would have blamed herself. He's bad at keeping secrets though. What social class was your oc born into? Did they change classes at all? How?How politically active is your oc? Are they obviously influential, or is their influence more subtle? Mildly high. Niece and nephew of the Count of Leyawiin. Imogen tries to be politically active, but her emotions run too high. Kalo thinks politics are a waste of time. Especially now with the war. Blames political agendas on it.  What unplayable faction would/did your oc join, if any? Why? I'm still mad I can't be loyal to the empire... How trustworthy is your oc? Would they ever change opposing factions? Both are trustworthy. If they promise something, they mean it. Imogen is fiercely loyal to the empire, though meeting those outside of Cyrodiil makes her question it. She is learning that the empire might not be as good as she believes. Kalo is loyal to individual people. He allies himself with those he considers good.  What is your oc’s main source of income, if they have one besides plundering tombs and adventuring? If they’re mercenaries, are they part of a company? Does your oc own their own business, and if so, what is it?Is your oc good with finances? Bartering? How long can they keep the money they make? As the two take refuge in Glenumbra, they have no connections and no money. Imogen takes up odd jobs as a maid, scribe, bar wench, whatever to get by. Kalo takes odd jobs for people in town, which is how he gets roped into becoming the Vestige in the first place.   Does your oc have any particular rivalry or mutual dislike with any NPC?How well-liked is your oc? What is their reputation, if they’re well-known? Are they simply liked/disliked, or are they respected but feared, or personally liked but not taken seriously, etc? Do major factions consider your oc an important player? Imogen, surprisingly, has reservations on most of the NPCs you deal with in ESO lol. She doesn't trust anyone with the war going on. This makes her come off as cold, which probably makes her hard to get along with. She forms a small bond with King Emeric for helping out alongside Kalo (and for being the one to kill Septima oops). She sort of treats him as a father figure.  Kalo is definitely personally liked but not taken seriously by most people. He's young and reckless. But damn if he isn't loyal. I'd say the Covenant likes him for helping out.   Does your oc have a horse/other mount? A pet? How did they get this animal? If they were given the animal, do they have the money to maintain it? How careful/careless are they with their animal? What do they do with their pets while adventuring, especially on dangerous quests? Imogen has a shadow horse she conjures up. His name is Auferte. She has a stone that she uses to summon him.  Kalo doesn't have any pets but he would love a dog. Or a cat. Or anything really. Imogen won't let him. She doesn't trust him.  Does your oc take their time as they travel, or are they purposeful? How do they survive in the wilds, especially if they aren’t hunter-types? How dependent is your oc on civilized society? Imogen is purposeful; she feels like she's on a timer. Kalo takes his time unless he is on a mission. Imogen relies on her magic to protect her, and she doesn't do well outdoors. Gets tired easily. Kalo seems to be an endless bout of energy.  What does your oc like to eat? How much food do they eat? Can your oc cook, and can they do it well? Kalo eats like Goku from DBZ. Like dear god. Loves potatoes, meat, and bread mostly. Imogen eats like a bird, sort of picks at her food. Enjoys sweeter things like fruits...and actual sweets. Kalo can roast things over a fire. Imogen can't cook. It was not a skill she was taught, though now she's forced to learn to provide for herself and Kalo. She's okay at it, but she gets nervous while she cooks. Makes a mess. If your oc is a vampire, do they go outside in the daytime? Does the daylight affect or hurt them in any way different from in-game? If they interact with society, how do they justify looking half-dead and hating sunlight? How good is your oc at blending in? Do they even like dealing with society?If your oc is a werebeast, how much control do they have over their transformations? Have they ever lost control? What happened? If not, why do they have such strong control? Does Hircine ever call on them, and do they answer? NA What does your oc wear in the city/settlements? In the house? When travelling, but not adventuring or expecting combat? Do they vary their clothes depending on what hold/city they’re in? If they don’t, why not (e.g., if your oc wears the same outfit to tend their garden or lounge around the house as they did to meet Ulfric or Elisif, why?) Does your oc have a good or bad sense of fashion? How many clothes does your oc have?How picky is your oc about their gear? Do they have different equipment for different adventures, or is it the same suit of armor for everything (not counting upgrades like from steel to ebony)? How does your oc acquire their clothes, and from where/whom? While Imogen works in Glenumbra, she tends to dress the part. But once she joins in on the adventure she wears more Cyrodiilic clothing. Typically a tunic and tights. The sandals man. No matter what, she wears the sapphire circlet her mother gave her before passing away. She panics if she can't find it. She sold any other jewelry she had with her after they fled Cyrodiil. Occasionally, Imogen will wear Imperial armor. But that is rare.  Kalo dresses to match the domain. Not so much because he wants to but because he tends to destroy whatever he is wearing. As far as armor goes, he travels light. Prefers leathers to protect him.  Can your oc swim, and how well? Have they ever swam in the ocean, or only lakes/rivers? Remember, it’s much harder to swim in the ocean than in a lake! If your oc is an Argonian, do they take special advantage of it somehow (e.g., do they go diving for fun/for profit, do they instinctively hide in the water, etc)? If your oc is a Khajiit who can swim, how do they get their fur dry? Imogen has always felt a connection to water. She loves to swim in lakes and rivers. Kalo, surprisingly, is afraid of water (though he denies it). Poor dude can't swim. How easy/difficult is it to rob your oc? Pickpocket? Bribe? If your oc is part of one of the more morally questionable or outright evil factions, how do they justify it to themselves? Do they still consider themselves as morally good? How well known is their affiliation to these groups? Do they have separate personas (e.g. Dragonborn to some people, Listener to others)? Do their family/friends know? If they have separate personas, how do they keep their less than righteous activities secret? Imma be honest I'm tired and cant think for this one lol How helpful is your oc, and why? Are they helpful or kind even during difficult situations? Are they pragmatic, or do they have a hero syndrome? Kalo has hero syndrome. Imogen, while she considers herself a good person, has trouble agreeing to help others. Again, she is too cautious. Thinks people have ulterior motives. Will help those she cares about in a heartbeat

[scifigeneration]

Evidence of aliens? What to make of research and reporting on 'Oumuamua, our visitor from space

by Steven Tingay

An artist’s impression of `Oumuamua, the first interstellar object discovered in the Solar System. ESA/Hubble, NASA, ESO, M. Kornmesser, CC BY

This article is part of our occasional long read series Zoom Out, where authors explore key ideas in science and technology in the broader context of society and humanity.

As an astrophysicist, probably the most common question I get asked is: “Are we alone in the universe and do aliens exist?”

There is no doubt: people love to think and talk about aliens. Hence, stories about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence get picked up and reported with gusto in the media.

But what really lies at the heart of this complicated and popular topic is evidence – the nature of any evidence of alien life, how we view and respect this evidence, and how this is communicated to the public.

Nowhere is this more important than in the coverage of scientific studies of a mystery object – ‘Oumuamua – that was recently discovered passing through our Solar System. For example, two publications in two respected peer-reviewed journals prompted very different reactions.

Hello 'Oumuamua

'Oumuamua, meaning scout or messenger in Hawaiian, is the name given to the first detected interstellar object to visit our Solar System. On discovery last year, 'Oumuamua was classified as a comet, but this was later withdrawn when no evidence for cometary activity was detected.

'Oumuamua was quickly found to have an orbit that does not belong to our Solar System. It has an origin elsewhere in our galaxy, and a trajectory that saw it traverse the inner Solar System over the course of a few months.

It passed close to the Sun and to Earth, and was found to have an unusual geometry, about 200 metres long and some 35 metres wide, rotating every seven hours.

Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope and others have shown that this unique object is dark, reddish in colour, and highly elongated. Credit: ESO.

The discovery of 'Oumuamua generated a lot of attention in the scientific community, and in the media. Given its unusual geometry and its origin outside the Solar System, questions were soon asked as to whether 'Oumuamua could be a spacecraft.

Observations were made with radio telescopes to search for any direct evidence of transmissions indicating intelligent life, including by a team led by me using an Australian telescope (the Murchison Widefield Array). We listened around FM radio frequencies, on the basis that any intelligent life on 'Oumuamua may recognise FM frequencies popular on Earth.

No direct evidence of intelligent life was ever found in these searches.

Data from the Murchison Widefield Array, showing no detection of radio signals from ‘Oumuamua in the frequency range 70-105MHz (containing the FM band). Steven Tingay and co-authors, Author provided

More hard data on 'Oumuamua

Extensive and impressive observations with a range of telescopes, including the Hubble Space Telescope, were made to accurately determine 'Oumuamua’s trajectory. Results of the study, by a team of astronomers led by the European Space Agency’s Marco Micheli, were published in Nature in June.

These very careful observations showed that 'Oumuamua accelerated as it left the Solar System, revealing the existence of “non-gravitational forces”. This means that the trajectory of the object could not be explained just by the gravity of the Sun and other major objects in our Solar System.

A range of possible explanations for the acceleration exist. One is that heated gas escaping from 'Oumuamua (outgassing) could produce a force that caused the observed acceleration. This is commonly seen in normal comets.

But 'Oumuamua still shows no evidence for cometary activity. Micheli’s team ran through six possible explanations and concluded that outgassing is the most likely option, even though there is no direct evidence that this is the case.

They showed that the acceleration of 'Oumuamua is unusual, but within the bounds of what has been seen previously for Solar System comets.

One of the explanations discounted by the study team is that 'Oumuamua was accelerated by radiation pressure from our Sun. Radiation from the Sun can push objects away from it.

But they concluded that this explanation is not preferred, because it means that the density of 'Oumuamua would have to be very low. An object needs have a large surface area and low mass (low density) to be accelerated by radiation pressure.

Could it be aliens?

Another study by postdoctoral researcher Shmuel Bialy and distinguished astronomer Avi Loeb, from Harvard University, took a different approach.

Details of the study have just been published in November’s The Astrophysical Journal Letters, but were available online earlier.

The authors chose to assume solar radiation pressure to be the cause of the acceleration, and then determined the properties of 'Oumuamua required to make this work. They require an object with thickness less than 1mm, an areal mass density of 1 to 2 grams per square centimetre, and a large area.

It is unlikely that nature would produce such an extreme geometry. The authors quickly mention this, before moving to a discussion that, under the assumption that solar radiation is the cause for the acceleration, 'Oumuamua is artificial - that means the product of an alien civilization.

The properties the authors derive under their assumptions are similar to those of solar sails being designed and built by humans as a possible way to travel interstellar distances.

Bialy and Loeb spend half of their article discussion section on the idea that 'Oumuamua could be a defunct or active solar sail belonging to an alien civilization.

Artist’s impression of the IKAROS mission using a solar sail. Wikimedia/Andrzej Mirecki, CC BY-SA

The nature and communication of evidence

Bialy and Loeb did not issue a press release about their study, but the media picked up the paper once it was accepted and available online, prior to this week’s journal publication.

(This is something that happened to me in 2012, leading to my published non-detection of aliens being run on the front page of the BBC news website.)

Bialy and Loeb’s publication attracted headlines such as this, for example: “Harvard astronomers claim Oumuamua is ALIEN PROBE - 'Nothing like we’ve ever seen!’”. Most other reporting was more balanced.

This is pretty normal. A lot of the media jump to aliens in the reporting of space and astronomy, even when the original reported studies have never mentioned aliens. Recent reporting of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) is an example.

What surprised me was the reaction of some of my colleagues to Bialy and Loeb’s paper. On social media, there have been some pretty personal attacks by scientists – on Loeb in particular – for being in the media for this work.

Both new studies lay out their assumptions, cite substantial evidence, and undertake rigorous calculations. Both were accepted by top-quality journals after independent peer review.

Both finish with bottom lines that the studies of ‘Oumuamua are inconclusive and we will need to examine more such objects that come through the Solar System in the future.

Both sets of authors also come up with different perspectives and motivate different questions. But Loeb has ended up in the media, talking about his paper, and is being panned by some colleagues for it.

Since the pre-journal paper was picked up he told me he has been swamped by media interest.

I use the discussions with the media as a platform for highlighting the standard scientific methodology: an anomaly is observed in data, the standard explanation fails to explain it, and so an alternative interpretation is proposed.

I encourage anyone with a better explanation to write a paper about it and publish it. Wrong interpretations can be ruled out when more data will be released on 'Oumuamua or other members of its population in the future.

As for the negative reactions he has received, he referred to an article he recently published where he paraphrased another scientist known for his once-controversial theories.

As Galileo reasoned after looking through his telescope, “in the sciences, the authority of a thousand is not worth as much as the humble reasoning of a single individual”.

Let’s talk about evidence

Given my work on observations of 'Oumuamua, a few journalists have contacted me for comment.

These have been great opportunities to discuss in depth with journalists the nature of evidence, the difference between something being consistent with observations and direct evidence for a conclusion, and the need for evidence to be commensurate with the impact of a claim.

If aliens are claimed, direct and robust evidence is required – not a conclusion based on a few observations that are difficult to explain, plus a bunch of assumptions.

But no scientist has claimed 'Oumuamua is alien in this discussion – they have just raised questions and explored answers.

There is no point in shying away from a proper discussion on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or in being personally critical of colleagues.

Scientists should take every opportunity to engage with the public and the media on the topic, given the public’s interest and the media’s willingness to report.

It is interesting, fun, and scientific, and a great opportunity to discuss the scientific method and science in an engaging manner. The media reporting of 'Oumuamua shows that (aside from a few headlines), the content of reports is generally pretty good and responsible.

Whatever 'Oumuamua is (almost certainly not made by aliens, in my view), it is a fascinating object and presents lots of interesting scientific questions that will trigger further studies and observations.

We will never see 'Oumuamua again, and we may never know exactly what it is. But seeing 'Oumuamua in the news is likely to inspire some kids to take up a career in science.

About The Author: 

Steven Tingay is a John Curtin Distinguished Professor of Radio Astronomy at Curtin University.

This article is republished from our content partners at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

[foundcarcosa]

cccxxvi.

Do you listen to Wiz Khalifa?: >> I’ve never heard a Wiz Khalifa song in my life. What are your opinions on marijuana legalization?: >> Do it. How about abortion?: >> Keep it legal. Do you wear skirts or dresses more often?: >> I wear neither particularly often, because I get so used to wearing pants that I get stuck in a fashion rut and feel ungainly and out of my body when I step out of the rut. The last time I felt really okay in a dress was in New Orleans. Do you date outside your own race?: >> I date outside of reality, so in comparison race is small potatoes.

What are some of your turn-offs?: >> Dramatically poor hygiene, a lack of imagination, a lack of enthusiasm. Are you gay, straight, bi, or trans?: >> No. Have you ever jumped off a cliff?: >> No. Are you vegetarian? If not, would you ever consider becoming one?: >> No. I was raised vegan, so I have the experience. I eat very little meat, but I don’t cut it out of my diet entirely. I’m just selective about where I get it from (and I have red meat like twice a year at best). Are you in love?: >> Always. In your opinion, who wants sex more, women or men?: >> LOL Do you play any sports?: >> L O L What’s your favorite planet?: >> Well, Mercury, of course. But visually, I’m going to go with Jupiter. Are you more of a pessimist or an optimist?: >> Yes. How much money is in your wallet?: >> None, I rarely carry cash. Do you know anyone in the marines?: >> No. What’s your favorite sex position?: >> Missionary by far, but I like some other things like... whatever it’s called when you sit astraddle the other person. Regardless, being that frottage is my favourite way of getting off, I’ll take any position that accommodates that. What do you ultimately wish for in life?: >> I don’t have a specific thing, idk. Got any family traditions?: >> Being terrible to children. *wheezing laughter with deadpan expression*  Have you ever been pregnant?: >> Briefly. What do you think about tipping at restaurants?: >> I prefer to do it. What’s something about you that people admire?: >> Well, let’s ask the audience... Are you single?: >> I have never been single a day in my life. #pluralityjokes When will you next see your best friend?: >> I “see” Can Calah all the time. I can see him right now.  Do you work out?: >> No. I try but I can never keep up with it. Like, I’ve never been so bored or hateful of anything in my life as I am of orchestrated exercise. Do you know anyone who’s been murdered?: >> No. Euthanasia - agree, disagree?: >> Legalise it. Do you laugh when you see kids on leashes?: >> I do laugh. They look kinda goofy like that. What’s your favorite TV show?: >> As if I only have one. Are you addicted to anything?: >> I don’t think so. Do you have your driver’s license?: >> No. Have you ever passed out from drinking?: >> No, just fell asleep real hard. What’s your favorite scent?: >> Hm. What kind of makeup do you wear?: >> The invisible kind. Can you whistle?: >> Nope. I think I’ve got the mechanics sort of down, finally, but I can’t get the sound going. Dogs or cats?: >> Dogs. How many close guy friends do you have?: >> Hunh. What are your views on organized religion? What are you?: >> I try not to have any views on organised religion. I mostly just have feelings (a lot of them not good, but also some good ones, because I am still fascinated by religion no matter how bad it’s been to me). I don’t subscribe to any of them, though. Describe your hairstyle.: >> There is no style. Do you have any piercings/tattoos? What?: >> I have my septum and earlobes pierced; a tattoo of 19 in Roman numerals, a Mannaz rune on my hand, and “scully, it’s me” on my inner arm. Sexually, would you say you’re more dominant or submissive?: >> I’m versatile but largely submissive. I like to be transported and I can’t be transported if I’m dominating the situation. What’s your favorite carnival food?: >> I don’t know. Who did you last kiss?: >> Can Calah. What do you think about Obama?: >> He was fun and charismatic and I liked watching him do things. Have you seen the final Harry Potter movie?: >> Yep. Have you or anyone close to you ever been arrested? For what?: >> I’ve known people who were arrested, yeah. Do you believe in karma?: >> No. I mean, maybe. But not really. If it exists, that’s cool. What was the last book you read?: >> I don’t remember the last book I finished, but the last book I read from was Dune. Opinions on Casey Anthony?: >> This survey just dated itself. Ever been called a slut?: >> Sure. Are you more of an extrovert or an introvert?: >> No. Do you have low self-esteem?: >> No. What state do you live in?: >> A state of dubious existence. Name a song that puts you in a good mood: >> The Greatest Show, from the Greatest Showman soundtrack. Do you know anyone with a physical deformity?: >> Probably. Have you ever been searched by the police?: >> Yes. Would you ever have sex with someone not of your preferred sex?: >> Yeah. What’s your bra size?: >> Man, I don’t remember. I wear sports bras exclusively. Have you ever dated someone more than 5 years older than you?: >> Yep. Do you want children in the future?: >> The possibility of this is so far into the future that there’s no real point in me thinking about whether I want them or not. By the time it’s a possibility, I’ll be a completely different person anyway. What’s your favorite fast food chain?: >> I don’t really have one. I just eat wherever. They all seem to have the same shit anyway. Who was your last text message from and what did it say?: >> Sparrow, but I don’t remember what it said and I don’t feel like checking. Do you keep a journal/diary?: >> I have a dreamwidth but I keep forgetting I have a dreamwidth. Where do you work?: >> I don’t. Would you ever get back together with any of your exes?:

When will you go to the beach next?: >> I don’t know. The only “beach” around here is a lake one and... well, I hope it’s more than I expect because that doesn’t sound all that epic. Have you ever seen a dead dolphin on the beach? I have. :(: >> No. Do you take any meds on a daily basis?: >> No. What’s your favorite flower?: >> Sunflower. What did you do today?: >> Well, I rolled around with Can Calah for a little while, and then I posted to Instagram, and then I poked around on the internet for a while, and then I took a shower, and then I watched The Greatest Showman, and then I went to return that to Redbox and came back, and then I thought I was gonna have a simple download of the new ESO expansion and then start playing it but the whole shit is just borked, a fucking disaster, I’m trying to download it again and hoping that it doesn’t shit the bed again but that all made me very upset, and now I’m here. What will you do tomorrow?: >> I don’t know. HOPEFULLY PLAY ESO SUMMERSET. GOD.  

[mazurah]

Clockwork City Main Quest Discussion

WARNING: Contains Spoilers!

Okay! The Clockwork City in Screenshots is completely posted, so it’s time to get into the lore! Here are my thoughts on the main quest.

The Good:

The graphics, the design, the art deco aesthetic; visually, the Clockwork City is everything I could have hoped for!

Kireth and Raynor are the most adorable siblings! I haven’t encountered them in the main game yet, but apparently they’re recurring characters. I look forward to finding them.

The Blackfeather Court is hilarious. I love them all. I also love that Nocturnal basically got defeated by a bunch of talking crows who got to Seht’s metal city and were just like, everything here is shiny! We must have it! And then went off to do their own thing.

Speaking of Nocturnal, I really liked the depiction of the Evergloam. We rarely get to see ingame depictions of the realms of Oblivion, and when we do, it’s always great. Nocturnal’s realm really seemed to fit her. It coulda been darker, but I understand why the game devs decided to make it twilight instead of straight up night for playability reasons.

Shadows as souls or pieces of souls is an interesting concept, and I wonder if it has something to do with Shadow Magic, like what Nightblades (the character class) use. I’m looking forward to doing some more research into the topic and cobbling together a more full understanding of what exactly shadows are in the TES universe. It’s not really something we get from any other game other than ESO, and I actually really like this contribution to TES lore.

Varuni has such a good character arc! She starts out as a fervent believer in Sotha Sil, and ends up being forced to confront her questions about him and grow as a person! Honestly, she has the best writing in the entire DLC, and she’s my favorite character! Here’s one of my favorite pieces of dialogue and an example of actual good writing in the Clockwork City:

Varuni: "He's gone, isn't he?"

Player: "Sotha Sil? Yes."

Varuni: "I knew it."

Varuni: "I never got to speak to him. Can you believe that? A hundred years of loyal service and then, poof. Gone."

Player: "What would you have said to him?"

Varuni: "Ha. You know, I spent years rehearsing exactly what I would say. I stood in front of the mirror, saying it over and over. Lord Seht, I stand before you as your loyal servant. Prayers of thanks, supplication... on and on."

Player: "And now?"

Varuni: "Now? Now I have nothing but questions.”

Varuni: "Why do we study in the basilica while people struggle on the streets? Why can't we have birds like the exodromals? How could Daedra break through our unbreakable walls? Why can't we leave?"

Player: "Do you think he'd have answers for you?"

Varuni: "I did yesterday. Today? I'm not so sure."

The Bad:

Oh my gods, what did they do to Sotha Sil? They’ve turned him into a faux-deep douchebro! This is my main problem with the Clockwork City DLC, and it’s a major one. They got him all wrong. I mean, he’s hard to understand because he’s Mystery, but at the very least Zenimax shoulda asked some of the original Morrowind lore writers for input or something, because it’s very obvious they had no idea how to handle him. In fact, this is so much of a problem that I feel the need to expound on the point. Here are a couple of excerpts of the most egregious writing:

I asked Sotha Sil about those persistent rumors—the ones about how he and the other Tribunes murdered Indoril Nerevar, the Dark Elf king. According to Marilia, the topic is strictly taboo. Even so, Sotha Sil answered my questions with a quiet grace that surprised even me.

"Why do you think things happen?" he asked. I told him I didn't understand the question.

"Why are we sitting here talking? Why does young Marius exist? Why do I reign over this place, while you convalesce within it?"

I sat quiet for a moment, then replied: "Because that's just the way it is."

His cold face melted into one of his solemn half-smiles. "Exactly."

I can't be sure, but it seemed like relief in his voice. His shoulders relaxed, his tone shifted—he had the look of a man at peace with his sins.

— Proctor Luciana’s Journal, Volume 1

Player: “What is all this for, anyway? The Clockwork City.”

Sotha Sil: “I sometimes ask myself the same thing.”

Sotha Sil: “May I confess something to you?”

Player: “Of course.”

Sotha Sil: “I suffer from a peculiar ailment. Shall I describe it?”

Sotha Sil: “I bear the cruel weight of certainty. Total, absolute, relentless certainty. People rarely comprehend the luxury of doubt... the freedom that comes with indecision. I envy you.”

Player: “Didn't you just say that you question whether the City is worth the effort?”

Sotha Sil: “Indeed. But such questions are flaccid—cursory indulgences that come and go in an instant.”

Sotha Sil: “The truth is that my actions, both good and evil, are inevitable. Locked in time. Determined by chains of action and consequence.”

Player: “So... you were forced to build the Clockwork City?”

Sotha Sil: “Compelled.”

— Game Dialogue with Sotha Sil

Okay first off, nothing is ever certain in the TES universe. There is no such thing as an omniscient god in the TES universe. Not even Hermaeus Mora, the Prince of Knowledge and Fate knows everything. Just look at how the Skaal managed to hide knowledge from him for generations. No god can predict the future with absolute certainty. Just read Azura and the Box, and you’ll see what I mean. In it, Azura, a god of prophecy who asserts that her knowledge is absolute, fails to predict what is in a box. Azura’s assertion that she knows everything is in character for her because she is also a god of vanity, but not so for Sotha Sil. Sotha Sil is not generally characterized as vain. As a person with godlike powers, he should be very much aware of the limitations of his knowledge and power, so the assertion that he can predict the future with absolute certainty is preposterous, and completely out of character.

If he knows everything, why the heck doesn’t he do something? He seems to have been taken by surprise by Nocturnal’s attack on the Clockwork City (as well as by all the events that took place in the Morrowind DLC with Vivec and stuff), so that doesn’t add up, but some of the dialogue from Aios implies that he realizes that Almalexia is a threat to him and he is taking countermeasures of some sort! It doesn’t make any sense! Gaah!

Anyway, moving on. More bad stuff:

It’s explicitly stated in multiple lore books that Sotha Sil and Almalexia are sexually involved. It’s also stated that Almalexia is Vivec’s lover and consort. That would seem to imply that Vivec and Sotha Sil were more involved than just “brothers” since they don’t seem to have any sort of jealous rivalry over Almalexia going on, and yet “brothers” is how Sotha Sil describes Vivec. That... doesn’t really make sense to me. At the very least they would be metamours, and quite likely more than that.

Sotha Sil does not just "quietly" admire Dwemer stuff. He’s blatantly copping and improving on the Dwemer’s inventions. That’s not bad btw, I like how they did that. The bad part is that Divayth Fyr, someone who supposedly knows Sotha Sil better than almost anyone, describes Sotha Sil as “quietly” admiring the Dwemer. He obviously has no idea what he’s talking about.

Sotha Sil’s feet. They gave him mechanical arms but not mechanical feet? Come on you guys! Get it together! He has mechanical feet in Morrowind, why not here? There’s so many great fan theories floating around about Sotha Sil’s feet, one of my favorite being by @boethiah, which speculates that he was injured as a child, and had to have his legs replaced so he could walk. Why not go with something like that? The lore strongly implies that Sotha Sil bypasses Vivec’s path to “true” godhood via CHIM and tries to find perfection through mechanical means. It stands to reason that he would have all mechanical limbs even if he didn’t have some sort of childhood accident requiring him to get prosthetics.

Slag Town. One of the things you can gather from the 36 Lessons and by listening to Almalexia talk about Sotha Sil is that Sotha Sil is an idealist when it comes to people. He thinks the best of them, and he is very hurt when people’s darker nature shows itself, which is one of the factors leading to his self isolation. (I wish I could remember specific sources for this, if anyone remembers something related, please post it.) With that in mind, I think he wouldn’t stand to have slums in his city. He cares about people too much. He wants them to succeed. If you read this lore book about Slag Town, it basically states that some of the people born down there don’t even know how to read. Sotha Sil, being the idealist he is, would obviously have a public education system in place. I don’t understand how writers who have read all the official resources available about Sotha Sil could think otherwise.

Why is Sotha Sil so obsessed with CHIM and Amaranth? That’s Vivec’s thing I thought. If he knows so much about it, why didn’t he achieve CHIM? He’s supposed to be taking a different path than Vivec, but his dialogue seems to be referencing back to Vivec’s path all the time. This would be alright if they added some Almalexia content as well showing her contribution to the Tribunal’s god-philosophies and uniting the Tribunal into a whole, but as it stands it just looks like Sotha Sil is a Vivec fanboy.

This is pretty unimportant, but Dunmer keep calling other Dunmer "dark elves". Just, why...? Only Men ever refer to mer as elves! This isn’t just a problem with the Clockwork City, but with ESO in general. Elves referring to other elves as elves instead of mer is just... weird.

I’m probably being pedantic, but why does everyone pronounce it "Sotha Seel" instead of "Sotha Sil", and "Div-AAAY-th" instead of "Div-EYE-th" or "Dee-VAH-yth"? It just irks me, almost as much as how they pronounced “Nerevarine” in the Morrowind DLC.

The Neutral:

Sotha Sil’s height. Sotha Sil is a giant in comparison to everyone else, even Altmer. He can’t possibly be this tall naturally. He’s probably just making himself appear taller because he thinks he’s supposed to, or possibly because he’s insecure about his height. It’s a strange character choice, and not one I really agree with, but also not one I disagree with either. So... meh?

Divayth Fyr was just... adequate. They got his friendship with Sotha Sil right, as well as his flaunting of authority, but they didn’t give him the booming, larger than life, generally genial-and-magnanimous-if-insensitive personality I’ve come to associate with Divayth Fyr (Dunmer-Brian-Blessed as @chameleonspell put it, click here if you haven’t seen Brian Blessed before.) So it’s just kind of... okay. They also established that Divayth Fyr was friends with Sotha Sil before Sotha Sil’s apotheosis, which would make him old enough to remember being Chimer. However, I was under the impression that he did not personally remember the War of the First Council, but I don’t really have any evidence to back this up, so if somebody has some Morrowind dialogue to help me out, that’d be great. It’s quite possible that this is a lore contradiction.

Sotha Sil’s depression. The way he’s depicted, he exhibits a lot of symptoms that make me think that he has some very profound depression going on. That honestly seems accurate to his character. It’s not necessarily a good or a bad thing, but it’s an understandable character choice.

The ‘I don’t know how to interpret this’:

The very short depiction we get of Nerevar just seems... off. @saltrices mentioned that there were some speculations going around on tumblr that Nerevar could have been part Ayleid or some other non-Chimer elf, and...

That’s the hologram of Nerevar, and the projection of the last Ayleid king. They’re wearing the same armor. Why? I have no idea. I don’t think the armor suits him. His height in comparison to Sotha Sil is certainly not accurate, but again, I think Sotha Sil is probably making himself appear taller because he thinks he should or something. In life, Nerevar was almost certainly the same height or taller than Sotha Sil. The height difference has more to do with how Sotha Sil is choosing to depict them both, and the armor choice could be as well, but I don’t think so. Sotha Sil is likely to depict Nerevar in armor he actually wore, which is why the armor choice is so strange. I’m not sure what to make of it.

TL:DR: I enjoyed the DLC. I disliked some of the writing, especially regarding Sotha Sil, but I like other parts of the writing. I had a lot of fun, and I found the DLC to be visually appealing, but I think that most of the “deep” lore that the DLC tried to add should, in general, be completely disregarded.

That’s my take, now I wanna hear everyone else’s! Reblog with what you thought was good, bad, neutral, or perplexing!

Many thanks to @talldarkandroguesome​ for running through the Clockwork City 1.5 times with me and for being my sounding board. 

Tagging those who were interested in participating: @ladynerevar @kapycta @sharmat-dreams @ratwhisperer @spoopy-eneko @kee413 @king-helseth @kagrenacs @annachibi @jurvektheblogsmer​ Anyone else who wants to is welcome to join as well!

[eslore]

Elder Scrolls Names: Redguard Last Names

This is part of my Elder Scrolls Lore: Names series, which is almost complete. Essentially, I take all the names I can find of the race in question, and list the common denominators within these names that could be useful in creating an entirely new, lore-friendly name. To cover Reguards, I’ll first go over their last names. Later, I’ll post an analysis of Redguard first names.

The majority of Redguards do not carry last names. However, a last name is not entirely unusual; there are a lot more Redguard last names than, for example, that of the Altmer. Here’s a list of all the Redguard last names I know of/can find that are most likely Redguard and not an inherited name through marriage or mixed birth:

Hawker*, Mirel, Ruuz, Stacey (Morrowind)

Rackham (Oblivion)

Al-Skaven, Sendu (Skyrim)

af-Ashora, af-Dometri, af-Ozalan, al-Bergama, at-Gamati, al-Satakalaam, at-Areshu, at-Rusa, at-Aswala (ESO)

at-Hamisham, Ababneh, Hunding*, Leki, at-Tanul, at-Turna, at-Traeh, al-Gilane, al-Ash'abah, al-Rihad, af-Lahreq (Lore)

*Jon Hawker was actually the deity Zenithar - thus, the name is an alias and may not represent Redguard tradition. It’s a great legacy to be named after, though.

*Hunding is the person’s location of birth.

Redguard family names are pretty complicated and full of unanswered questions. It seems that last names are connected to distinctive families, and/or locations. Below is an analysis of these names, preceded by a quick summary.

Last Names TL;DR: Redguard last names have very little background information, so it’s hard to be exactly lore-friendly. The easiest way to be lore-friendly is to use a previously-used last name (as shown above). I’ve found two trends that are well-supported: The prefix “al-” designates a place, while the prefix “at-” designates a family lineage. For instance, if your character was born in Elinhir, his/her last name could be al-Elinhir. If your character is from a family known for a hero named Cirroc, his/her last name could be at-Cirroc. Keep in mind, though, that these prefixes’ meanings have not been announced. There’s also the prefix “af-," but I haven’t found any trend to decipher its meaning. Lastly, you can give your Redguard a title, but only if the Redguard is already a well-known Hammerfell hero or given a title by another race.

Last Names Analysis

By going through the history of Redguard names, it’s pretty clear that there was a change between Morrowind and Oblivion. This can be explained through means of lore and through means of development. Through means of lore, one can say that the Redguards encountered in Vvardenfell were native to Morrowind and not Hammerfell, and therefore did not have native Redguard names. As for development, it’s probable that a thorough naming scheme for Redguards was made after Morrowind.

At least one family name has been confirmed to be passed down, in the physical book Kyne’s Challenge: A Hunter’s Companion. A main character, Namasur at-Hamisam is the great-nephew of an Ayh-al-Fifrah at-Hamisam. This is evidence that “At-” is used for family relation. It’s clear that Hamisam cannot be Namasur’s father, because at-Hamisam is also his great-uncle’s last name. It could be that their lineage is known for an ancestor named Hamisam. A second example is that of Merric at-Aswala. There’s a location in the Alik’r Desert named Aswala’s Remembrance. There, you’ll find a dog mourning a gravestone that lies next to another gravestone. There’s no journal or note nearby to explain (much to my annoyance), so it could be a number of things. It must be recent, so it could be Merric’s remembrance of his parents, or the dog’s name is Aswala. The most likely would be the first. I believe this grave-site is that of Aswala, father of Merric who took on the name to honor him. Still, it’s a stretch. It can’t be confirmed that “at-” designates family lineage with just this evidence, but I’m sure there’s more evidence to come.

The usage of prefixes like “at-” is common, but there are also the prefixes “al-” and “af-.”These prefixes aren’t used like Orcs use theirs - In Redguard names, the prefixes are used for any gender. For instance, Doletta at-Gamati is female, while Namasur at-Hamisam is male.

“Al-” is more clearly defined. It seems to signify where the person comes from. Some examples: al-Bergama (F), al-Satakalaam (F), Al-Skaven (F), al-Rihad (M), al-Gilane, al-Ash’abah (F). Bergama, Satakalaam, Skaven, Rihad, and Gilane are confirmed cities. Ash’abah is a Redguard tribe in the Alik’r Desert - thus, not a location, but a significant group of people. There is definitely a trend of using “al-” for denoting a location. However, it’s important to note Frandar do Hunding Hel Ansei No Shira of lore, whose only given birth name is Frandar. “Hunding” designates his place of birth. The same goes for Divad Hunding, his brother. Perhaps there is a different meaning to “do” than to “al-.” “Do” could mean “born in,” while “al-” could mean “from.” “Do” could also just be a more honorable term. One thing is for sure: place-of-birth last names are lore-friendly for Redguards. The unanswered question is in what situations can you have a place-of-birth name. It can’t designate an orphan, as apparent with Yasra al-Ash'abah, who has a father. Besides that, there could be any reason.

Only well-known Redguards of Hammerfell, commonly heroes, carry Redguard-given titles. Zakhin’s Many Heroes by the Unveiled Azadiyeh (another Redguard with a title) names a few. Other Redguards with titles acquired them through other races, particularly the Great Harbinger Cirroc the Lofty and the Cyrodiil villain Azani Blackheart.

That’s my analysis of Redguard last names. I’ve made sure to link any obscure last names that’d be hard to look up. It took me hours to find a lot of them, so I hope I’ve made it easier for the next lore-nerd.

Thanks for reading! Keep an eye out for the next installment, Elder Scrolls Names: Redguard First Names.

[wewithus]

The Five Minutes for Freedom series is a collection of small, step-by-step walkthroughs designed to help you take concrete political action in support of the principles of We With Us. The articles in the series are designed to be read and their steps followed in order, as later posts frequently build on earlier ones. A chronological index of all posts in the series can be found here. While this information is targeted primarily at US readers, we welcome readers from all countries and encourage you to adapt these strategies as necessary for your jurisdiction.

5M4F 10: Update Your Rolodex. Dependencies: none.

This week’s 5M4F tasks are based very heavily on 5M4F-1, and it’s a great place to start if you’re just joining in.

First: if you haven’t done 5M4F-1, you’re going to need to create a document somewhere handy to record info used in lots of 5M4F tasks–it can be in whatever format you like, but put it somewhere you can edit it easily and find it frequently, whether that’s a paper journal, in Stickies, in Google Docs–your call. Mine is in Google Docs. I called it “Five Minutes for Freedom”, and I starred it so I can find it easily. This is your “Rolodex.” You do not need an actual Rolodex. You do not even need to know what a Rolodex is, which is good, because I expect that a great many of you are not decrepit crones like me.

Anyway, whether or not your 5M4F document is new, by the end of this week you should have about eight or ten lines in it. Here’s a template you can copy-paste if you want a hand getting started:

US Senator: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

US Senator: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

US Representative: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

Governor: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

State Senator <?>: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates) <? you may have more than one state senator>

State Assemblyperson <?>: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

Mayor <?>: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

Office of the Sheriff’s Department or Chief of Police <?>: (Name) [party] <?> | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

City Councilperson <?>: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

<Other Local Representative?>: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

<Other Local Representative?>: (Name) [party] | (Tel) | (Email) | (Contact name) | (Contact dates)

For now, you will only fill in the names, party affiliations wherever applicable  (you can always use D/R/I/etc if you don’t want to write out Democrat/Republican/Independent/etc), telephone numbers, and email addresses. If you can’t use the phone, replace “(Tel)” with “(Addr)”. Leave “Contact name” and “Contact dates” alone for now. For phone numbers, especially for your federal representatives, if at all possible, you want the contact information of a field office near you, because—after going to town hall meetings—contacting the field office by phone is the most effective way of getting your voice heard.

The question marks indicate places where your state- or local-level officials may have different titles, or may occur in unknown numbers or configurations, or may be nonpartisan (particularly in the case of police chief/sheriff), because state- and local-level government structures vary hugely across the country and unless you happen to live in a neighborhood of Los Angeles I have myself personally lived in, I really can’t tell you that much about how it’s structured where you live. I don’t even remember what the structure is like in other states and cities where I have personally lived, because it tends to be so arcane. I mean—we currently live in an incorporated part of L.A. city, so we vote for the L.A. mayor and L.A. city council as well as all county positions, and we’re policed by the L.A. City Police; but when I lived about eight miles west of here, I was in an unincorporated part of L.A., so I voted for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors but not, IIRC, the mayor or city council, and my neighborhood was policed by the L.A. County Sheriff. In both cases I still had an address in Los Angeles and was zoned for L.A. schools and used the L.A. library. L.A.’s local government structure is particularly bananas, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that there are a lot of places in these United States that are not notably less weird.

If you want to do this all in one go: knuckle down and fill in your contact info for all your representatives at once. Full disclosure: I genuinely don’t know how long this will take, because I don’t know how complicated a task it is for your jurisdiction. It took me about 20 minutes, but I had a shortcut page from my local League of Women Voters (eso--more info at the bottom, behind the cut) that did a lot of the work for me.

If you want to do this five minutes at a time: work down the list one representative at a time. Once again, we’ll be posting reminders every day this week. If you only do one representative a day, you will make it down to “Mayor” before our next task goes up. However, you may find that there are some that are easier to do together: e.g., do both your senators today, then your representative tomorrow, then your governor on Tuesday, then your state representative and state senator(s) on Wednesday, et cetera.

(A special note on law enforcement: your head honcho law person may be elected [especially common if they’re a sheriff rather than a chief of police] or may be appointed, and they may or may not have a known/explicit party affiliation. If they are appointed, it may be useful to make a note of who nominated or appointed them [e.g. “Charlie Beck (nominated by Antonio Villaraigosa [D])”]. I’m recommending you record your police chief’s/sheriff’s info because, as I think we’ve all seen by now, policing is very frequently a human and civil rights issue, and having that info to hand, for use in case lodging a formal protest is necessary, is wise. However, be very careful to get the office number for your local head honcho law person, not an emergency or operational number. You will not have any luck talking about systemic violations of human or civil rights to someone whose job it is to dispatch police/firefighters/EMTs in response to active incidents. The people who run—for example—911 already are usually really overworked, and they have a really stressful job; they not only can’t do anything about systemic violations of human/civil rights in policing but also need to have their lines free to respond to emergency calls. If you are witnessing an active act of violation of human or civil rights, it is appropriate to dial 911 [especially if the person standing next to you is up on Mobile Justice at the same time]. If you want to complain about something you read on the news this morning, it is not appropriate to dial 911.)

Anyway. If you’ve already done 5M4F-1, for the first three, you just have to update the info you copied back in November for your senators and representative if any of your federal-level elected officials have changed, and then add the spots for state and local reps. I’ve copy-pasted all the info about how to track that info down from 5M4F-1 and stuck it behind the cut for anyone who’s just joining us or can’t remember where they got that info in the first place (me, that would be me), and at the bottom I have some rough pointers on how to find your local reps, too, though I can unfortunately help a lot less effectively with those. Note that this is also a convenient time to subscribe to email updates from your representatives if you can--those newsletters are a great way to learn about town hall meetings, which are a great way to talk to your reps.

Federal Senators:

Unless you live in Washington, D.C. (in which case you have zero senators), you have two US senators and they both represent your whole state. You can find their information by going to the Senate Directory and selecting your state from the dropdown. This will tell you their names and party affiliations. Open both of your senators’ websites.

On their websites, you are looking for a page that will be called something like “Contact” or “Offices”. For each senator, find a field office near you and record its telephone number/postal address. There will be a phone number listed in the main Senate Directory, but this is their Capitol Hill office number, and again, if at all possible, you want the contact information of a field office near you. Record also your senators’ email addresses (if an email is directly listed) or a link to their online contact webpage (if one is not). For example, in California, Barbara Boxer [who has now retired from the Senate but I’m leaving the example because it’s just an example] does not list an email address, but her website does have a “Share Your Views” page from which you can email in your comments.

However you get it, copy and paste your senators’ names, party affiliations, telephone numbers/postal addresses, and emails (or links to online contact webpages) into your document.

Federal Representative:

Including in Washington, D.C., you have a single US representative who represents just your local area. To find out who it is, go to the Office of the Clerk for the House of Representatives and enter your zip code. You may have to click on your area on the map, or enter your full address, if you live close to a boundary line. On the left-hand side, you should see something like this:

This will tell you your representative’s name and party affiliation, and you have two options for finding the rest of your representative’s information.

Option 1 (preferred): you can click on your representative’s name (e.g. “Eleanor Holmes Norton” in our example) to go to the official website of your representative–they will probably have a “Contact” page or an “Offices” page that lists the telephone number of both their main office and their field offices–in our example, Ms. Norton’s contact page is here. Find a field office near you and copy down their telephone number/postal address if you can’t use the phone. Record also your representative’s email address (if an email is directly listed) or a link to their online contact webpage (if one is not).

Option 2: Go to the House of Representatives Member Directory and select “By Last Name” to browse the directory and find your representative. Again, if at all possible, you want the contact information of a field office near you, but the number provided in the directory will be the number of their Capitol Hill office. It’s better than nothing, though, so if your representative’s website doesn’t provide contact info, you can use the info in the directory. The directory doesn’t list email addresses, either, which is another reason why using their website is preferred.

However you get it, copy and paste your representative’s name, party affiliation, telephone number/postal address, and email (or link to online contact webpage) into your document. 

State and Local Officials:

Due to the aforementioned weirdness of state and local government structure, I can’t personally give you too many pointers about how to find your local info, but I have a couple starter links that may help:

Common Cause has an elected official finder, but I’m posting that link with the caveat that it doesn’t seem to work well on my computer--I can get my federal officials but not my state ones.

My local chapter of the League of Women Voters put out a great centralized info list for Los Angeles—hunt down your local chapter to see if they have a similar list for you, too.

Google for “my state elected officials” and “my local elected officials.” If you have location services on, Google should do a pretty good job of directing you to info for your state and local jurisdiction. If you don’t have location services on—or you’re not currently Googling from your registered voting address, say if you’re at college—you may have to put in your state or zip code or full address to get good information.

However you get it, copy and paste your representatives’ names, correct titles, party affiliations where applicable, telephone number/postal address, and emails (or link to online contact webpages) into your document. 

I also do encourage you to reblog and ask for or offer help to people in your area, especially if it turns out to be really complicated where you live but you figure it out! I’ll keep an eye on our reblogs this week, and if you toss out a reblog with especially clear and useful info, I will link your post up here. Just make it easy for me to spot what area you’re reblogging the info for (i.e., say your state and city or county, so that I can link you in this format: “<state>: <city and/or county>”, like “CA: Los Angeles City”).

Once you’ve recorded contact info for your representatives and officials, check in to let your fellow humans know you’re fighting for them by responding to the poll at the top of the post!

[itsfinancethings]

The last two months have been tough for business at Eso Won Books in Los Angeles. The store, which opened in 1990, specializes in African-American literature and has never had to close its doors to the public for such a long time before. But it was forced to do so when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March. And while its staff has been taking online orders in the meantime and re-opened for walk-in customers last week, recent days have seen another major change. “Since Friday, we’ve had close to 500 online orders for about eight to 10 different books on antiracism and race,” says Eso Won’s co-founder James Fugate. “It’s been overwhelming.”

As protests against racial injustice and police brutality have spread across the U.S. and beyond after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the demand for books about race and antiracism internationally has soared. Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist, Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race and Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race are just a few of the titles that have sold out on Amazon in the U.S., with some third party sellers hiking up prices to more than $50 for paperback copies.

All three of those authors have pointed readers in the direction of independent booksellers, and black-owned bookstore owners in particular say they’ve noticed a difference in sales over the weekend. “We’ve seen a tremendous increase, and I think it really is stemming from white people,” says Ramunda Lark Young, co-founder of Washington-based MahoganyBooks, an independent bookstore specializing in books written for, by or about people from the African diaspora. “In light of recent events, a lot of people are now feeling a very visceral response in how they show up in this world, and how they see it from our lens.”

Other titles with new popularity include Layla F. Saad’s Me and White Supremacy and Robin DiAngelo and Michael Eric Dyson’s White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, as well as older books like James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Popular posts on social media have highlighted anti-racist reading lists, and selections compiled by Kendi gained attention over the weekend.

For black booksellers and publishers who have been promoting these titles for years, it’s encouraging that people are now turning to books to further their own knowledge, rather than expecting the black community to educate them. Ramunda Young, who co-founded MahoganyBooks with her husband, Derrick Young, says the uptick in sales has stemmed from people asking themselves, “How do I take it upon myself to go and read, go learn and go study, rather than expect those experiences to come from the mouths of black people?”

“There has been real progress with people being made aware of the state of racial issues in the country,” Fugate says. “All my life, I’ve heard and learned about these things. But the more people become aware, the more they can talk about these issues with their families, their friends and their kids.”

The spike of interest in books about race extends beyond the U.S. In Britain, it’s a similar conversation. “A lot of people now are looking in the mirror at themselves,” says Aimée Felone, co-founder of Knights Of and Round Table Books, a children’s publisher and bookshop based in London specializing in diverse stories for kids. U.K.-based publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove, says the dozen or so big-hitting titles that have been circulating on social media are a good starting point for understanding racism, but, she adds, the work of allies has to go beyond that, particularly at a traumatic time for black communities both in the U.S. and abroad. Lovegrove’s imprint Dialogue Books publishes writers from diverse backgrounds, and over the weekend, shared its own reading list via its social media accounts in response to recent events. “Why I’m Longer Talking to White People About Race is a great primer, and Me and White Supremacy is a great toolbook, but then what happens?” she says, adding that buying diverse books from different genres is more effective than “one book that tells them what they’ve got to do and makes them think they’ve done the work.”

Beyond reading the more well-known books, Lovegrove encourages readers to seek out novels and short stories by black authors that show the diversity of experience. “Each life is unique and entirely different, and fiction is the best way to take all of that learning from those toolbooks and bring it into practice with understanding the nuance of blackness,” she says. “It’s better to read than to slide into your one black friend’s DMs and ask them how they’re feeling, because we were feeling like this last week. It’s really triggering and really upsetting.”

And for some, the increased demand for books about race and antiracism being sparked by extreme injustice and violence is bittersweet. “I hate that people have to lose a family member or a loved one to instigate other people to be proactive and understand their own biases,” says MahoganyBooks’ Derrick Young.

For Felone in London, the recent surge is a reminder that people weren’t already doing the work they should have been. “While this moment of realization is a great thing, there’s been a long time prior where people haven’t had their eyes opened,” she says. “I do wonder how that feeds into the younger generation.”

Booksellers and publishers are quick to point out that the work may start with reading a book, but it can’t end there. Supporting black-owned bookshops over a sustained period of time and having conversations about the books in question are crucial, Ramunda Young says. “Hopefully people are taking a moment to really look at how they have missed a lot of the marks in engaging with the black community. If you’re really serious about changing, contributing and impacting the larger world, pay those organizations that have been supporting and focusing on this work for years.”

TIME asked the booksellers and publishers interviewed for this article for their further reading recommendations. Here, 13 books on race and antiracism to read right now.

History and Journalism

Conversations in Black: On Politics, Power and Leadership, Ed Gordon (2020)

Journalist Ed Gordon brings together prominent voices in black America to discuss the future of black leadership. “This book is a great opportunity to be a fly on the wall in a conversation amongst over 40 different leaders, entertainers and entrepreneurs,” says Ramunda Young. “People can get a real holistic sense of the topics we engage with all the time.”

55, Underemployed and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Retirement Life, Elizabeth White (2019)

Elizabeth White’s 2019 book is a deeply researched resource providing practical solutions with a focus on retirement and maximizing savings. “This takes a look at a lot of the things that come to black people financially, and COVID-19 has kind of peeled back that really dire state that we are in,” Ramunda Young says. “It’s a really personal story, and it’s one not just black people can relate to.”

An African American and Latinx History of the United States, Paul Ortiz (2018)

Paul Ortiz offers an intersectional history of the shared struggle for African American and Latinx civil rights, spanning two centuries. “This moment is not just about reading books on antiracism, it’s about reading books about our history,” says Derrick Young. “This book is incredible because essentially Ortiz is sending everyone back to high school history, and explaining history from the perspective not of the conquerors, but the people who were the victims of brutality, slavery and annexations, and how they fought back.”

Chokehold: Policing Black Men, Paul Butler (2017)

Former prosecutor Paul Butler examines modern American policing and how criminal justice laws and practices impact black men. “His book is really the best book I’ve read in the last 10 years about race relations in the U.S.,” James Fugate says. In it, Butler describes his own encounters with the police.

Memoir

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays, Damon Young (2019)

This memoir-in-essays offers a look at what it means to be black and male in America, by the co-founder of the news and culture website VerySmartBrothas.com. “This book breaks down some of the stereotypes about black men, where the author talks about all of his vulnerabilities, self-esteem issues and how he deals with confronting what the world has told him he is,” Derrick Young says. “Black men are dealing with this mask that has been forced on us, and that’s not who we are.”

Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015)

James Fugate recommends Between the World and Me, written in the form of a letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates to his teenage son. It chronicles Coates’ life growing up as a young man in Baltimore and his journey to becoming a writer. In 2014, Coates’ article for the Atlantic, ‘The Case for Reparations,’ gained widespread attention and in 2019, he testified in a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on the topic.

Fiction

Rainbow Milk, Paul Mendez (2020)

Lovegrove recommends Mendez’s debut novel, published by her imprint Dialogue Books. The book follows 19-year-old Jesse McCarthy, a young black man in Britain as he grapples with his racial and sexual identities. “It takes really big concepts — a black, gay Jehovah’s Witness boy leaves his family and becomes a sex worker in London — and it’s written with such humility and such beauty that it’s really engaging for the reader,” Lovegrove says.

The Water Dancer, Ta-Nehisi Coates (2019)

The Water Dancer is Coates’ debut novel, set in a surrealist version of the 19th-century Deep South and features a protagonist with superpowers. “It has a lot of magical realism to it, and I just loved that,” says Fugate.

Children’s and Young Adult

Recommended by Aimée Felone.

This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell (2020)

“I felt completely powerless when I was young. I was able to identify racism and injustice, but did not have the language to talk about it and definitely did not know how to stand-up, especially against racist adults,” antiracism educator Tiffany Jewell said in an interview for World Book Day. Her debut book is designed to do just that: equip young people with the tools they need to be actively antiracist.

Anti-Racist Baby, Ibram X. Kendi (2020)

This upcoming picture book from the best-selling author of the moment, Kendi, shows kids nine steps to building a more equitable and antiracist world. It will be published June 16.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi (2020)

An adaptation of Kendi’s Stamped From the Beginning targeted at young adults, this collaboration between the original author and celebrated children’s writer Jason Reynolds seeks to explain why young people are growing up in a world of racism, and what they can do about it.

Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson (2014)

National Book Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of her childhood through poetry, detailing her experiences as a black girl growing up in 1960s South Carolina and New York.

A is for Activist, Innosanto Nagara (2013)

Innosanto Nagara initially wrote, illustrated and self-published this board book for his own children out of a desire to see a progressive book about the alphabet for younger children. It has since become a bestseller, with over 125,000 copies in print.

[ciathyzareposts]

Game 337: Treasures of the Savage Frontier (1992)

The game almost immediately reveals its title to be a double-entendre.

              Treasures of the Savage Frontier

United States

Beyond (developer), Strategic Simulations, Inc. (publisher) Released 1992 for Amiga and DOS

Date Started: 20 July 2019            

Settling into a Gold Box game is like going back to your home town after a few years. You enjoy looking for the little changes while at the same time hoping that not much has changed. The town still has its same friendly character, you think, and it looks like all the neighborhoods are still 16 x 16. The old Irish pub seems to have gotten a VGA facelift; maybe I’ll get to know the NPCs there a little better this trip. Mr. Miller at the armory is still hawking that weird selection of polearms, but he’s got helmets now, too. Oh, looks like MacGregor’s pharmacy got bought out by a Rite Aid–and I hear they have a new “Repair” command that automatically heals all your ailments. Yes, maybe some of those things changed on your last trip. It’s hard to remember. Does it really matter?

Of course, your hometown is always happy to welcome you with all the experience and stuff that you’ve accumulated since you were first created here. Well–most of it. They haven’t legalized weed or Gauntlets of Dexterity yet, so you’ll have to leave those where you came from.

            The import process confiscates a few items.

         We don’t have many trips to the old neighborhood left. Mom and dad sold the place for a better house in a town called Dark Sun, if you can imagine. They’re hardly ever even home. They’ve been leasing it short-term to some executives from a company called Beyond. Better enjoy these streets–and killing bandits on them via one of the best combat engines you’ve ever experienced–while you can.

I’ve been plucking games from the 1992 list at random, but I’m not sure if I wouldn’t have done it in this order deliberately. Of the three remaining Gold Box games, I think I’ll enjoy The Dark Queen of Krynn the most, Buck Rogers: Matrix Cubed the least, and Treasures somewhere in between. If that’s true, Treasures is a good one to ease into for the first time in almost three years–saving the best experience for last, but not ruining our homecoming on the worst part of town.

I like the setup here. It requires some knowledge of the previous game and the Forgotten Realms factions, but it isn’t overly complicated. In Gateway to the Savage Frontier, the characters were former caravan guards who slowly stumbled on a conspiracy by Zhentarim (the evil mercenary company that rules Zhentil Keep) to take over the Savage Frontier (a long strip of land east of the Sword Coast) by marching an army across the Anauroch Desert (which lies between Zhentil Keep and the Savage Frontier) to the city of Ascore. The party foiled the plan by activating a magic ritual in Ascore that summoned various desert monsters to destroy the invading hordes.

The game map shows that action will take place on the western side of the Savage Frontier, plus the Sword Coast cities. If it stretched just a little further south, we’d see Baldur’s Gate.

            Treasures begins a few weeks later, with the party enjoying a picnic in the hills above Yartar. Suddenly, we’re sucked through a portal, arriving on the cold stone floor of a dwarven stronghold in the city of Llorkh. The agent of our transportation is Amanitas, the setting’s version of Gandalf or Elminster, an absent-minded wizard who aids and directs the party. 

            Why is this spell never available to me no matter what level I achieve?

          Amanitas relates that after their defeat, the shattered remains of the Zhentarim fled south to Llorkh, the only city in the region that they still controlled. But when the dwarven residents of Llorkh heard that the Zhentarim had been defeated, they realized this was their prime chance to revolt. The city has been plunged into chaos, with the dwarves against the Zhent garrison and the returning survivors of Ascore. Amanitas hopes that we’ll do our usual thing. Of course, he won’t be sticking around himself. He’s going to return home to Secomber to investigate “troubling reports about strange new events in the Savage Frontier.” One hopes this includes the apparent imposition of slavery on former caravan guards.

I took a quick look at character creation to make sure nothing had changed (I didn’t see anything) before importing my Gateway party, which consists of:

Broadside, a lawful good human male paladin of Level 7

Talldark, a chaotic good human female ranger of Level 7

Ghost, a neutral good dwarf male fighter/thief of Levels 5/6

Alpha, a lawful good human male cleric of Level 6

Eso, a chaotic good human female cleric of Level 6

Monitor, a neutral good elf magic-user of Level 6

Ghost will cap at Level 9 as a fighter, two levels below the maximum for the game, but I guess I’ll live with it. Monitor can go to Level 11 as a mage, which also happens to be the game maximum. If the series had gone on for one more title, you’d have to go with an all-human party, or suffer from very low level caps, as in the Forgotten Realms series. 

            A new character is pretty pathetic compared to an imported one.

           Most of their equipment came with them, save the Gauntlets of Dexterity, some magic scrolls, ioun stones, a Wand of Defoliation, and a long sword +2 versus undead. Still, everyone has magic weapons and armor. An imported party has an enormous advantage over one created for the game. New characters start at around Level 4 with only 22,600 experience (my imported characters had between 80,000 and 140,0000) and non-magic items. My imported party also has, I suspect, enough money in gems and jewelry to last the entire game.

The game begins in war-torn Llorkh, where the ultimate goal is to assault the Zhent keep in the east-center of the city. An early journal entry recommends that, before heading there, you “clear the rest of the town,” thus weakening the Zhent forces and stopping them from sending reinforcements. Yes, we’re still using paper journals. I don’t really know why.

        Getting a journal reference . . .

. . . and marking it off in the paper (or PDF) journal.

           Llorkh held to the 16 x 16 standard that the Gold Box has used since Pool of Radiance, with another 8 x 16 for the keep. I normally like mapping, but for whatever reason, I didn’t map during this session. I relied on the overhead “Area” map to get around and make sure I covered every square, which isn’t terribly hard on a map this small. The “Area” map still doesn’t distinguish walls from doors, which is something that I wish the series had fixed before the end.

            I did most of my exploration from this map rather than mapping myself.

         The town had a weapons shop, a couple of inns, a temple, and a training hall, all open during the strife. All my characters except Broadside gained one or two levels during the session. I think I’ll probably dual either Alpha or Eso to a second mage pretty soon. The only things I bothered to purchase were arrows and darts, and I noticed that (perhaps for the first time) they now automatically stack, meaning you don’t have to buy darts 4 at a time until your mage’s inventory is full, then stack them, then buy more.

           Part of the options in the armory.

      The Zhent forces in the keep include “lordsmen” (high-level fighters), driders, gryphons, ettins, efreet, and hill giants. Driders were probably the toughest enemies. If you don’t damage them, they cast “Fireshield” in the first round, which does double the damage back to the attacker for every melee attack. Once the spell is cast, you have to try to destroy the Drider with spells (“Magic Missile” is a favorite, though they shrug off spell damage about 50% of the time) or ranged weapons.

There were around 20 fixed encounters on the Llorkh map. The accumulation of combats was a bit harder than I remember in any previous Gold Box game, and I found myself really working my various spells, even going so far as to cast “Prayer” and “Bless” in combat, which is something I hardly ever do. My wizard only had two Level 3 spells at the game’s outset. Predictably, I used them for “Lightning Bolt” and “Fireball,” but these went fast. I got a lot of use out of the clerics’ “Hold Person.” Fortunately, the game is a bit too generous on letting you rest, heal, and re-memorize spells just about anywhere. Incidentally, unlike Gateway, “Fix” no longer re-memorizes spells. It just heals.

         It’s rare for me to cast “Prayer” in combat. I usually use it as a buffing spell.

         One thing that has changed: both enemies and allies can join the battle even after it’s been going on for a few rounds. You suddenly get a message that “dwarf fighter has joined the combat” or “Zhent fighter has joined the combat,” with the new characters taking positions near where the party started. So far, every ally joining has been balanced by an enemy and vice versa. Sometimes you can control the NPC allies (I think this is based on a charisma roll for the leader), but other times they control themselves. Either way, they’re usually more trouble than they’re worth, appearing in the back and not having much room to maneuver around the main party. Plus, if the NPCs are controlling themselves, the pathfinding remains awful and they get hung up on every wall. 

           The NPC dwarves don’t really contribute much to combat.

          There weren’t a lot of role-playing encounters in the opening map. There were a few places where I had options to help a group of dwarves or leave, which isn’t exactly much of a choice. When I reached the front gates of the city in my explorations, the game asked if I wanted to stay and fight or leave the dwarves to their fate. On a lark, I tried to leave, but the dwarves just barred the gate and forced me to stay anyway.

           This isn’t much of a choice. I have to defeat everyone anyway.

         The one major exception was an encounter in a building where I came across some wounded Zhents and a companion treating them. I had options to attack or leave them alone. I decided to adhere to the Geneva Convention, at which point one of the Zhents gave me some intelligence that the Zhent lord Geildarr was planning to ambush the dwarven leaders while they slept. I don’t think this ended up doing anything for me, but it was still an interesting encounter.

            On one hand, the Zhentarim are unrepentantly evil. On the other hand, we shouldn’t stoop to their level.

          While few of the other encounters offered any role-playing options, there were a lot of contextual encounters (defined here). You rarely just run into a pack of enemies looking for blood, the way you do in, say, The Bard’s Tale or Might and Magic. Instead, you get some message indicating why the combat is occurring before it occurs. The series has generally done a good job with these, but I think Treasures is offering more pre-combat messages than any prior game. Some examples:

We burst into a room and interrupt a group of ettins and fighters dressing for battle.

We hear a lovely melodic voice coming from behind a door, enter, and find ourselves in combat with three harpies. I can’t remember harpies making an appearance in Gold Box games before.

A building turns out to house a group of Bane worshippers, who attack immediately. 

We interrupt a group of hill giants and fighters playing dice.

          This is so much better than just going right into combat.

          It’s been quite a while since I had a combat system that I really enjoyed. I think Crusaders of the Dark Savant was probably the last. Here, I immediately remembered everything I love about the Gold Box approach to combat: when enemies line up to create a perfect “Lightning Bolt” scenario, or attack in a big cluster ideal for a “Fireball”; when a backstab connects; when my paladin is able to kill two enemies with his two attacks per round; when all three castings of “Hold Person” take effect and you can kill the paralyzed enemies at your leisure; when your casting of “Stinking Cloud” reorganizes the battlefield the way you want it. And every new spell slot increases your tactical options. Not only has this system not been improved upon in a turn-based game, I’m not even sure how you’d improve it. It’s one of the few completely transparent systems in all of RPG-dom, meaning that whether an attack succeeds or fails, whether a spell takes effect or doesn’t, whether you live or die, you always understand exactly what’s happening and why it’s happening.

         Monsters arranged perfectly for a “Fireball.”

       The opening session culminated with an attack on Lord Geildarr’s keep, a fortress that had once belonged to a dwarven king named Redblade. There was a very large battle with fighters and ettins in the entry hall.

Geildarr himself seemed to appear in a southern room, but it turned out to be only an illusion. After we tried to attack him, we were attacked ourselves by driders and efreet. In a northern room, a brunette sorceress similarly disappeared, leaving us to fight her minions.

           Tricky, tricky.

         Continuing down into the basement, we fought more guards as well as several groups of carrion crawlers (which can paralyze) in the old jail cells. At the north end of the cellars, I found a fighter giving a speech to his troops, and it ominously ended with, “Even if we don’t hold Llorkh, the plan to divide–.” So apparently the Zhents have a bigger plan.

Next, we came to a room where a beautiful blonde fighter was fighting with a “beautiful” brunette sorceress. At least, that’s how the game describes her.

           You decide.

         They got into a brawl, and during the tussle, the sorceress changed her appearance to match the fighter, both then shouting that she was the “real” blonde. I had various options at this point, and it turned out that casting “Dispel” allowed me to separate them again. It feels like the paladin’s innate “Detect Evil” abilities should have helped here, but I didn’t have that option. Maybe he didn’t have that ability in the first edition of AD&D rules.

A battle with the sorceress (Cortarra) and her allies–several fighters and cockatrices–ensued. I concentrated on killing the cockatrices first, since they can stone with a successful melee attack. When it was over, the fighter–Siulajia–offered to join the party. Of course, I accepted. She related that she’s the daughter of a ranger from the High Forest, captured by retreating Zhent forces and brought to Lord Geildarr as a “gift.” It’s always useful to have a pure fighter. She seems to do well with a bow.

          Given that she’s also the character on the title screen, I assume she later becomes more important.

        The final battle was a two-part affair that began when I stumbled into a room and found Lord Geildarr threatening a warrior named Jarbarkas. Geildarr turned on me and first had a giant skeleton and a group of humans attack, including two “Hosttower mages” and two “Kraken masters,” showing that the Zhents are allied with the Host Tower of the Arcane in Luskan and the Kraken Society of Purple Rocks. I suspect my adventures may take me in those directions next.

         It’s always great when this spell works.

           Once I defeated the initial group, Geildarr himself attacked with numerous “lordsmen.” He was probably a high-level magic-user, but he had only a small number of hit points, and he went down after one “Magic Missile” from Monitor and a couple of arrows from Siulajia. “Hold Person” helped mop up the rest.

            The Zhents have allied with Gargamel.

        After the battle, Jarbarkas gave us a reasonably long account of his history: He’s from a village called Windycliffs on the Sword Coast. The town was recently sacked by Luskans, and Jarbarkas set out to get revenge, ultimately getting himself captured. He recommended that we search enemies for “any kind of crystal.” “I know not what the powers of these crystals may be,” he said, “but they were very careful to shatter them rather than let the stones fall into our hands. There are three different colors, and no single person is ever entrusted with more than one.”

           Technically, I’ve already won the game. It just lets you keep playing and exploring new areas after you win.

         I expected Jarbarkas to offer to join us, but he took off after this bit of intelligence. Amidst the cheering of the victorious dwarves, we identified our looted equipment, leveled up, memorized new spells, and contemplated our next move, which seemed to be to visit Amanitas in Secomber.

             I guess it’s for the best. Your name is a bit too similar to someone we all hate.

         You can leave Llorkh via the gate (on foot) or by renting a boat to go along the river system. Either way, leaving puts you on the overland map. Aside from slightly better graphics than previous overland maps, this one seems (for the first time that I remember) to have some consideration of weather. At least, it’s constantly telling you about changes in weather conditions. I’m not sure what impact these conditions have on the game.

            Overland exploration by river.

          I faced no resistance on the way down river (I think this is one of the advantages to getting a boat). On the river, it’s impossible to avoid the city of Loudwater on the way to Secomber, so I figured I might as well explore it while we were here. The southern part of the city has the usual shops and services, but we soon encountered a building with a bunch of Kraken Society spies. After we defeated them in combat, we found a map showing a line along a road between the Way Inn, Daggerford, and Waterdeep. “We must break their supply lines,” a note read. “Attack and take Daggerford and the Way Inn now! BEFORE they arrive!”

         The Kraken Society note.

        A way up the road, a young woman asked me to help find her lost mother, then led me into a building in which she and her “sisters” turned into something called “greenhags” and attacked. I’ve never encountered this monster before. Their icons look like wights, but they’re clearly not undead. In the middle of combat, they “changed form” into two mages and a dwarven fighter. They changed back and forth several times during the battle–I’m not sure what it did for them–but I eventually cut them all down and got a magic ring.

            What in the world are these things?

          Actual undead are to be found in a graveyard east of town–ghouls and wights. They’re fairly easy to turn at my level. I found no treasure or anything among them.

            An atmospheric message as I enter the undead part of town.

          The northern part of Loudwater had an “adventure supplies” shop that sold flasks of oil, mirrors, robes, cloaks, boots, and belts. I bought everyone boots, just because, but I’m not sure if any of these items really has any use. They haven’t in most past games. 

Finally, while exploring a back alley in the northeast part of the city, I suffered not only my first character death but also my first full-party death. I was lured into a building by the singing of another group of harpies. This time, they actually hit me, which causes the struck character to be “Charmed.” They charmed my strongest fighter and one cleric in the first round. I tried to have the second cleric cast “Dispel,” but it didn’t work. During the second round, the charmed cleric cast “Hold Person” and held three of the remaining party members, who were soon cut down by my charmed paladin. With no one left conscious about to cast “Dispel,” all I could do was focus on the harpies, passing the rounds and hoping that the charmed condition would wear off. I was able to kill the harpies with mage spells, but in the subsequent rounds the charmed characters killed everyone. The party was destroyed, but just as in Gateway, the monsters no longer rejoice.

All told, a satisfying start to a familiar setting. I look forward to playing more.

        Time so far: 4 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-337-treasures-of-the-savage-frontier-1992/