hexarchate_rpg | Chapter 2.2

yhlee posting in

[Sorry I didn't get this out earlier, y'all. Happy summer/winter holidays!]

The Cantata emerges from the rift on an approach to the Lanterner stronghold called Autumn Pyre. The Cantata hums very quietly to reassure the mothlings, then falls silent; it's been impressed on the Cantata that discretion will be necessary. For their part, the mothlings have free run of an enclosure with Fluffy the Vraselian pseudo-dragon, and both mothlings and dragonet seem to be entertaining each other with games of tag and hide-and-seek. They are happy to play with any humans who stop by, as well.

Scan reveals that Autumn Pyre is heavily fortified by the standards of the day, mostly with invariant weapons like railguns and missiles. A few dozen moths are already docked there, and several more are patrolling the area. Two small Lanterner patrol moths, nearly identical, veer lazily toward the Cantata.

Patrol moth #1 hails the Cantata in several different languages, including the high language. For its part, it transmits the Lanterner emblem--a stylized yellow lantern against a blue background--and the speaker is requesting that you halt and identify yourselves. "This is the Lanterner Federacy in the year 852," the speaker goes on, "under the benevolent rule of the Honorable Aramis kae Pharon. Are you human? What are your hospitality requirements?"

[Feel free to take advantage of the between-moves planning post if you need to, and to make whatever preparations, including rearranging the Cantata's variable layout, you deem necessary.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

zuhrovet

"Right, then. You, me, Seyli, Alaric, and Fyedlet. The story for the station is that you're the captain and Alaric and I are the technical experts; the story for Flute is that Alaric is the brains of our operation, I got stuck in charge because I can translate between Alaric and normal human, and the rest of you would rather be anywhere else. Either way, Fyedlet can carry stuff. Sound good?"

From:

mafyyil

Mafyyil overhears this and is slightly irritated the barbarian in charge keeps referring to her as "Fyedlet". She's very well educated (at least when it comes to poetry) and knows that word in three different languages: depending on the planet you're on, it can be an antiquated term for anti-freeze mixture, a rude comment about a girl's bottom or a poetic reference to a brick wall. Unfortunately, she has no idea which of these languages (or maybe an entirely different one?) Sasha speaks. Mafyyil doesn't bother asking either, she just chalks it up to barbarian manners. And also, she's way too enthusiastic to be included in a real mission!

"Ohhh, can I also get a uniform?" is the first thing she asks. She barely keeps herself from jumping up and down. "I can carry stuff and shoot people and recite the appropriate poems for the occasion!"

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha should really keep a pot of jam in her office. It would cut down on interruptions. "Yeah, you can have a fucking uniform, and you can recite all the poetry you want. But you can't bring your gun on station [is it a station? I'm not sure what 'Stronghold' implies!], because they only authorize weapons for two people, and we're trying to be subtle. Got it?"

[I'm assuming Mafyyil would have had no reason to study low-language Naxorian poetry, but tell me if I'm wrong!]

From:

mafyyil

"Okay, subtle, no gun", Mafyyil repeats cheerfully. "I can be subtle, no problem! In this case I'll refrain from anything dramatic and stick to sonnets, those suit any occasion."

[I think Mafyyil has theoretically been educated in the poetic traditions of at least 20 different cultures, and should have at least basic understanding of the languages involved. Of course, practically she was so hopelessly bad at everything that she was sent off to die. So I doubt she speaks Naxorian - at best (worst?) she'll recognize a few cusswords because obviously those are the first she memorizes in any new language.]

From:

zuhrovet

"Someone tell me what the fuck a sonnet is?" Sasha asks the room at large.

[We've got fourteen lines, but it's usually 12+2. Is that heptarchate-safe?]

From:

lleullawgyffes

“A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem,” Virmad says automatically, “usually constructed in so-called ‘mirrored’ form, with either a six- or seven-line pattern that’s then repeated in reverse, with — for a six-line pattern — a couplet called the ‘axis’ between the two patterns. There are a number of popular variations; most of them are associated with the Liozh, for obvious reasons, but there are sonnet variations associated with every faction, and, of course, some that are faction-neutral.”

[I'm going to add a bunch more info to the wiki.]

Edited Date: 2018-12-30 04:13 am (UTC)

From:

hoardingpearls

"It's a plan. I was talking with Seyli earlier, and unless any of the named are from this time or before it-" she quirks a brow, waits for a confirmation or a denial - "we likely don't need to change our names. After all, that's a measure against someone who has your identity on file. Anyone from forward-of-now, that's not a possibility unless they've operated back-of-now under that name before."

"And Fyedlet-" she trips not at all on the difficult pronunciation, having practiced it against a grid recording until she could handle the clustered consonants smoothly- "I was wondering if you'd be interested in helping direct attention." But the comment about poetry seems answer enough, and she nods.

"Can we hear some of your choices ahead of time?" Reshad is curious, but keeps the remainder of her thoughts to herself.

From:

mafyyil

Mafyyil winces internally at being called Fyedlet again, but is happy to be included in the action. "Sure!", she says. "Wait. Direct attention to what? And why? Are we trying to educate them?"

She's less sure about how to deal with Virmad's uncultivated comment about poetry. Everyone (everyone civilized, anyway) knows that sonnets have 16 lines that follow a wheel of the year pattern - but of course Barbarians would not pay attention to this. She privately wonders if the two missing lines are sufficient to explain the He*archate's other cultural inadequacies as well. Surely this kind of crippled poetry will do horrible things to a people! Still - she's being very tolerant, she's going to stay polite...

"If you like", she offers Virmad, "at some point I can show you how to write a complete sonnet with all lines in place!"

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha says, in tones of great sarcasm, "Ashari gave me a very secret mission. I'd prefer not to discuss it outside this ship, so we're giving our contacts other things to think about."

To Reshad, she adds, "Seyli's a common name in all sorts of eras. As opposed to mine, which means 'legendary conqueror, daughter of the midday prayer.' Our future missions will be easier if we don't repeat too many names, but from what Sulen says the hexarchate hasn't been very sophisticated in its historical analysis, at least not till after this century."

Sasha is a little curious to see whether anyone jumps when she defines her father's name. The word "prayer" might have been deprecated, later; she's not sure.

From:

hoardingpearls

That hesitation - "Is something the matter?" she asks Fyedlet, wondering if she'd mispronounced the name after all.

"Educ- let's see if they show an interest, first. It's no use educating those who won't learn." And now she's wondering what in the void the flower-girl would be educating a bunch of hazardous semi-allies about.

The discussion of poetry is an interesting side channel, especially with the following remark about /all/ the lines. Who writes sonnets with fourteen lines, even - ah. Virmad dates from the heptarchate, when fashion had not yet pared two lines out for a much more reasonable twelve.

She's drawn out of contemplation of such changes by Sasha's use of an interesting term. Interesting in that it's a word she doesn't know, and for someone who prides herself on her vocabulary...

"The midday... I'm sorry, which?"

[I'm hoping that that's 'regular people' internal wince, not 'fool a fox' internal wince. If otherwise, let me know and I'll rewrite.]

From:

zuhrovet

"A prayer is a verbal meditation in honor of a supernatural being who doesn't actually exist," Sasha says, with the particular grin that means 'I would really enjoy fighting over this.' "Simultaneously very heretical and very useless."

From:

mafyyil

Mafyyil is slightly shocked that anyone wouldn't know what a prayer is - not only a Barbarian but also an infidel? Then again, it shouldn't surprise her. "I think we have not been introduced yet", says Mafyyil with an obviously fake smile. "My name is Zagfehan Mafyyil, very honored to meet you! And, er," - also with a side glance to Sasha - "I'd really love to know why you picked that particular nickname for me!"

[No, it wouldn't fool a fox - nor anyone else except the very naive, I suppose]

From:

zuhrovet

"Fyedl- from fyyil, -et because you're dressed like a girl," Sasha says. "Where I'm from, everyone's got a nickname. If you look at the staff directory, you'll find my full name is rather longer than Sasha."

Every time someone calls her Sikandaret, she thinks they're her mother and about to smack her a good one, but Sasha's not in the mood for for a discussion on comparative intercultural child-raising techniques, and there's no reason to give the fox extra ammunition.

From:

mafyyil

"Ohhhhh!", Mafyyil says, "does that mean if I wear something else I get a new name? What are you going to call me when I get my new uniform?" This sounds terribly impractical, but then, she doesn't know how often these Barbarians change their clothes. She doesn't want to consider the implications of that, either.

From:

zuhrovet

"If you'd rather be Fyedka, just say the word," Sasha tells her, amused. "I can't see you as a Fyedlik, somehow."

From:

mafyyil

Mafyyil ponders this. Unfortunately, she has no clear idea what Sasha is talking about. "So, where you're from, people have only three types of dress?" That sounds terribly backward, though plausible, considering Sasha's rather drab outfit - although of course Mafyyil is way too polite to actually say so. "Also, um, where I'm from, we can get a change of clothes without acquiring a new name."

From:

zuhrovet

Sasha shrugs. "The choice is rather like woman/alt/man, though the Fyedka or Sasha option is more like 'why the fuck are we talking about this?'"

From:

mafyyil

Finally, there's some useful information - the word endings in Sasha's barbarian language seem to be connected to gender, and apparently, those people don't have a proper way to address a plant-woman (or anyone else who's been enhanced) either. Mafyyil is still unsure what all that has to do with her dress but is willing to let the issue slide. She's too curious about other things. "Did you choose to be called Sasha?" she asks.

From:

zuhrovet

"I chose not to be called Sdaret, if that's what you're asking." Not that many people had tried, except occasionally Mirek, when he was angry Sasha wasn't stealing sweets for him.

From:

hoardingpearls

"I'll use Mafyyil, then, if you prefer." Interested by the conversation, Reshad has stayed quiet as Sasha explains.

It may be noteworthy, then, that Sasha hasn't tried nicknaming /her./ "Where I'm from, nicknames are often used by friends or family members," she offers.

From:

zuhrovet

It doesn't sound like Reshad's referencing the high language. That's more disclosure than Sasha expected. With an air of innocent curiosity, she asks, "What name did you go by, when you were small?"

From:

hoardingpearls

Ah - interest. That is so much better than disconcerted closure. Reshad knows full well that Sasha will look up whatever name she gives; well, and she may have the joy of it.

"In school, I was called Myoya Tonash." It's true enough, as far as it goes. "And you?"

[If Sasha looks that up, she'll find record of a boy from the recently-conquered world called Aiwui under that name in a Vidona school. Myoya is not a family name, but rather reflects children enrolled from a particular region. Tonash, likewise, references the virtue of obedience in the high language, and is not a Aiwuyan name.]