Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Alectai · Feb 17, 2021

reignonyrparade said:
It's... NOT a fact for hunter gatherer nomads though. It's a thing for pastoralists. With hunter gatherers the costs are high and the rewards low, because everything another tribe has is on that tribe's persons, and hunter gatherers do not generally possess much in the way of surplus. With pastoralists the costs are much lower, because a small number of people can look after a large herd, and the rewards are high, because herds are extremely mobile.

You're forgetting the climate issues, the further South you go, the less grazeland and the more hostile the environment is. The strongest tribes get to monopolize the best grazeland, and everyone else has to make do with what's left over. The White Sky's arrival causes a massive paradigm shift because they can establish safe enclaves that don't require your kids to freeze to death and can maintain a semblance of feed for your herds.

Like, that's the thing about nomadic societies, they're not that way because it's an optimal choice--they're that way because they tend to get outcompeted in peacetime by agricultural societies (Which is why they do so much of the raiding to make up the difference).

As far as the Cloud Tribes are concerned, survival is a zero sum game where your prosperity innately comes at the expense of your neighbours. They just project that forward onto other societies as well as a general rule even when it doesn't apply.

Kirr · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Speak to him about his father.
[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
[X] The dangers the Alaniar believe they are shielding their men from
[X] Why where you uncomfortable around Cai Renxiang?

Foursteps · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Inquire about the Pure World and Cloud Tribe History/Myths in general.

Orkus Majorkus · Feb 17, 2021

Dark as Silver said:
He probably views CRX as representing everything in the empire that he steals from and has enough when he was starving. But feels some sort of solidarity with Ling who has been a thief herself.

He only knows Imperials by reputation so is fine talking with them with the occasional barbed comment but CRX is made of Radiant Light and that gives everybody the heebeejeebees in this area.

Peter87 · Feb 17, 2021

[X] The dangers the Alaniar believe they are shielding their men from
[X] How did you meet your wife?

reignonyrparade · Feb 17, 2021

Alectai said:
You're forgetting the climate issues

I... DON'T forget the climate issues though? The cloud tribes are pastoralists, which is exactly the group I said raiding is a thing for.

Alectai · Feb 17, 2021

Orkus Majorkus said:
He only knows Imperials by reputation so is fine talking with them with the occasional barbed comment but CRX is made of Radiant Light and that gives everybody the heebeejeebees in this area.

I think he's getting nailed by the same thing we, the readers get nailed by when making first contact with Cai Renxiang.

"She's too good to be true, but I can't see what she's hiding, so it must be awful"

Erebeal · Feb 17, 2021

Alectai said:
I think he's getting nailed by the same thing we, the readers get nailed by when making first contact with Cai Renxiang.

"She's too good to be true, but I can't see what she's hiding, so it must be awful"

Excuse me, some of us had faith in her

Alectai · Feb 17, 2021

Erebeal said:
Excuse me, some of us had faith in her

Hey now so did I!

But you can't deny that a lot of people felt that way.

Lena27 · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Inquire about the system of political marriages in White Sky
[X] How did you meet your wife?

Erebeal · Feb 17, 2021

Alectai said:
Hey now so did I!

But you can't deny that a lot of people felt that way.

I believe I have the appropriate image for that:

EternalObserver · Feb 17, 2021

Insert Tally

Adhoc vote count started by EternalObserver on Feb 17, 2021 at 3:16 AM, finished with 99 posts and 40 votes.

23 people have voted
[X] How did you meet your wife?
- flazeo25
- NoxOfUmbra
- EternalObserver
- ThrustVectoring
- GlassMask
- Erebeal
- AbeoLogos
- Orkus Majorkus
- Candesce
- tricholysis
- picklepikkl
- Elsecaller
- Cecylene
- JohnnieBoy123
- DangerKitty
- Aura
- ichypa
- veekie
- Jensaarai
- exerty
- Killer_Whale
- Peter87
- Lena27
23 people have voted
[X] The dangers the Alaniar believe they are shielding their men from
- flazeo25
- NoxOfUmbra
- EternalObserver
- Erebeal
- AbeoLogos
- Orkus Majorkus
- Candesce
- tricholysis
- picklepikkl
- Elsecaller
- Cecylene
- memoryofglory
- qazcdewsx
- DangerKitty
- ichypa
- Braidtugger
- veekie
- CatOnTheWeb
- uiopion
- exerty
- Killer_Whale
- Kirr
- Peter87
22 people have voted
[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
- flazeo25
- NoxOfUmbra
- TedBear
- EternalObserver
- ThrustVectoring
- GlassMask
- Erebeal
- AbeoLogos
- Orkus Majorkus
- Candesce
- tricholysis
- picklepikkl
- Elsecaller
- Cecylene
- qazcdewsx
- DangerKitty
- ichypa
- veekie
- CatOnTheWeb
- exerty
- Killer_Whale
- Kirr
16 people have voted
[X] Inquire about the Pure World and Cloud Tribe History/Myths in general
- TedBear
- EternalObserver
- ThrustVectoring
- GlassMask
- dycouza
- memoryofglory
- Neshuakadal
- Foursteps
- qazcdewsx
- JohnnieBoy123
- DangerKitty
- Aura
- ichypa
- veekie
- uiopion
- VoiceOfTheRiders
11 people have voted
[X] Inquire about the system of political marriages in White Sky
- flazeo25
- Erebeal
- AbeoLogos
- Orkus Majorkus
- Candesce
- tricholysis
- picklepikkl
- Elsecaller
- Cecylene
- Killer_Whale
- Lena27
7 people have voted
[X] Speak to him about his father.
- flazeo25
- NoxOfUmbra
- EternalObserver
- Briefvoice
- ichypa
- veekie
- Kirr
7 people have voted
[X] Why where you uncomfortable around Cai Renxiang?
- EternalObserver
- Aura
- ichypa
- Jensaarai
- Aranfan
- VoiceOfTheRiders
- Kirr
5 people have voted
[X] Ask about the other Cloud Tribe confederations.
- flazeo25
- EternalObserver
- dycouza
- ichypa
- veekie
3 people have voted
[X]What does he perceive as a family? What about a tribe? What are the cloud nomads?
2 people have voted
[X] Ask him something of his people and their ways, it's fairly clear that your own knowledge is incomplete.
- NoxOfUmbra
- VoiceOfTheRiders
2 people have voted
[X] - stagnation/corruption are the cost of our system, but in trade our connections are quite easy to maintain. How do the nomads manage to maintain connections with how free they are?
- JowKeen
- Killer_Whale
1 people have voted
[X] Ask about his unease towards Cai Renxiang.
- dycouza
1 people have voted
[X] Ask Ilsur if he'd been sufficiently prepared for the restrictions that the Alaniar place upon their men prior to marrying into and joining their society. Start a conversation on the differing gender roles and then segue that into a discussion on why his father felt the marital alliance was needed.
- P_Tigras
1 people have voted
[x] Tell me about your father
- LimitlessMemes
1 people have voted
[X] Ask about his tribe and his father.
- dycouza
1 people have voted
[X] Ask about his tribe's connection to the White Sky.
- dycouza
1 people have voted
[X]What's with the lights in the sky?
- Zeful
1 people have voted
[X]He mentioned a song, what songs and stories does he know?
- NoxOfUmbra
1 people have voted
[X] Inquire about the nature of the Gates
- Aura

angelofwhim · Feb 17, 2021

[x] Why where you uncomfortable around Cai Renxiang?

HeWhoLurks · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Inquire about the Pure World
[X] Ask him about the star-child that emerged from the starstone

ReignTorrential · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures

AbeoLogos · Feb 17, 2021

Erebeal said:
Excuse me, some of us had faith in her

All of my initial negative opinions have been vindicated. And more! That still counts as faith, right? Of a sorts.

glyph · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
[X] The dangers the Alaniar believe they are shielding their men from
[X] Why where you uncomfortable around Cai Renxiang?

Qazplm · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
[X] The dangers the Alaniar believe they are shielding their men from
[X] Inquire about the system of political marriages in White Sky
[X] How did you meet your wife?

Juugo · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
[X] Inquire about the Pure World and Cloud Tribe History/Myths in general

sergit · Feb 17, 2021

[X] - stagnation/corruption are the cost of our system, but in trade our connections are quite easy to maintain. How do the nomads manage to maintain connections with how free they are?

Ohnonono · Feb 17, 2021

[X] How did you meet your wife?
[X] Inquire about the Pure World and Cloud Tribe History/Myths in general

ActionKermit · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures

Aranfan · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Inquire about the Pure World and Cloud Tribe History/Myths in general

dycouza · Feb 17, 2021

I think the Ice Witches themselves are probably better for explaining the Night and star radiation, but other than that there's so much we don't know that it feels like a waste to make this about Ilsur. Do we want to get to know this one dude Ling Qi care for or learn about the complex cultural and political forces that affect the Cloud Tribes, this mission and this war? Like, his views on family and his marriage are going to give us some useful remarks but we'll get them in between personal anecdotes because I doubt Yrs is going to write more just because we chose indirect subjects. Meanwhile we have this one chance to ask a Cloud Tribesman anything and miss out on a focused opinion of the Could Tribes relation to the purifying stars, their confederations and his tribe's relation to the White Sky because we chose to inquire about things adjacent to what we want to know rather than ask about what we want to know.

The subject of family and different cultures is an excellent platform for asking these questions but once we've set the theme of the conversation we need to explicitly ask the questions we need to answers to.

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
[X] Inquire about the Pure World and Cloud Tribe History/Myths in general
[X] Ask about the other Cloud Tribe confederations.
[X] Why where you uncomfortable around Cai Renxiang?
[X] Speak to him about his father.

Zithinoth · Feb 17, 2021

[X] Family and the challenges that come from separate cultures
[X] The dangers the Alaniar believe they are shielding their men from
[X] Inquire about the system of political marriages in White Sky
[X] How did you meet your wife?

Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion

Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion

Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion

eYe Gaze baCk

Save Your Crown for a Rainy Day

completely and utterly fine

Team Plasma Grunt