Seonid

Yep, that sounds correct to me. Here's the wikipedia page if you're interested. Some of the dialects are more different from each other than Portuguese is from Spanish, or than Dutch is from German.

So is it odd that, after having gotten stuck in an elevator 3 times in the past 2 weeks, I'm a little paranoid every time I get into an elevator now? Also, given that situation, it is also frustrating that I have to use elevators consistently for my job. Every day. Multiple times a day. That is all.

So what you are saying is that you prefer "soft" magic over "hard" magic? (To use classifications from the Sanderson's Laws essays). I can understand that. I think each has its place. But I think that the "softer" the magic (that is, the less rules/restrictions it has), the less able it is to provide anything useful to the plot of the story. Taken to the farthest extent possible, extremely soft magic becomes the equivalent of Deus Ex Machina. On the other hand, I agree that the more rules you explicitly label a magic system with, the more it comes to resemble an expanded physics. (Of course, this is what I am looking for in my reading, since I strongly believe that all that exists, including God/angels/supernatural beings of any kind, work within those laws. So the magic I am most interested in is the magic that finds itself expressed withing the laws of physics.) But taken too far, it does stop feeling like magic, and I do enjoy worlds where magic is mysterious and not well understood - worlds where it is soft. For me, then, the best compromise between the two (assuming that one or the other end of the spectrum is not clearly more beneficial to the setting) is where the author knows all of the rules that magic follows - what can and cannot be done, and how things interact, but where the characters do not. To them, magic is mysterious (even though it does, in reality, follow well-defined rules) because they do not understand it well, perhaps are even not capable of understanding it well. So the magic is hard - in that it actually meshes with physics as we understand it, and where it doesn't, it bends it in ways that are consistent with the observations we have currently made. But the universe/setting is soft - the magic feels mysterious to the participants, and the rules/system don't come to the forefront of the story. Your mileage may vary.

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is the standardized Arabic currently in use. It will be understood by almost any Arabic speaker, but most of them won't use it among themselves. Classical Arabic is the Arabic of the Qu'ran, and is the direct ancestor of MSA. However, there are 6 regional branches (Moroccan, Sudanese, Egyptian, Levantine, Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamian, and Andalusian) of Arabic, all with slightly different syntax, grammar, pronunciation, and even vocabulary. Not all of the regional dialects (which are subdivisions of the larger branches) are mutually intelligible, but almost every Arabic speaker will understand MSA.

Yep. The second word (the last 2 characters) is the pronoun, I think, but it may well be a regional dialect. Then again, I only have had a year and a half of classes, and it was all in Modern Standard Arabic, so I don't know very much about it.

That is a different question indeed. I appear to have misunderstood you. I cannot imagine what the Soulless could have that we might need. If such an unlikely situation were to arise, then the half-souled on the other side of the Wall are certainly sufficient to perform any interaction that is needful. Though I am not of the tradesman caste, I understand that some of them do business with the half-souled kingdoms across the wall. In such a way, anything of the Soulless that might become useful to the Chaod Leu could be acquired.

Ah, I see. Then, I believe that many among the priestly and warrior castes do keep these "pets" you speak of. They call them companions, and treat them as if they were family. This occurs most often among the very young and among those who have not yet married - married members of the caste are expected to put away such childish frivolity. And those among the lower caste's do not have such traditions. Peace? By this you mean a lack of war? You have correctly apprehended the nature of the Chaod Leu and the Soulless, but perhaps not fully understood our practices. I must confess, when I was bound to this magic, I did not expect to find so many of the Soulless speaking with the proper respect due to my station. It is indeed odd, but I do not find myself resenting these questions as I did at the beginning. In any case, we of the Souled do not go out to war against the Soulless. Why should we? They have nothing that we desire, nor can I think of a situation when they might. But it is blasphemy for a Soulless to enter the Chosen Land, for to allow this is to perpetuate the risk of one of our own losing their soul. So we merely inflict the appropriate punishment on those who violate our borders. If the Soulless do not profane the Chosen Land, then we have no quarrel with them, and they may do as they please among each other and the half-souled across the wall. Or do you mean is there a way for the Soulless and the Chaod Leu to live together in the same land and the same cities? This would be unthinkable, and against all of the natural order of the world. No worse thing could happen to my people.

شكرا لك means thank you in Arabic, yes. And little interactions like these give me hope for the Middle East.

Although I said I would not repeat myself, you are not the King of the Kobolds. Therefore, I am not repeating myself, as I impart this information to a new Soulless. The conflict between the Great Elements occurred long before the foundation of the world. By the time the world was formed, and the landscape and climate were placed, the Elements lived largely in harmony with each other. It is said by some among the priests that the great Wall was raised during the binding of the Element of Darkness, but that is a heretical view. It is abundantly clear that the Wall was raised by the Element of Earth before the Binding of the Light, as it is part of the Chosen Land, and the Chosen Land was the only part of the created world to have been graced with the presence of Light in her person. With that said, though, it is recorded in the traditions of the Temple of the Flame that there are great mountains of fire in the south of the Great Sea that were raised by the Element of Earth to settle a dispute between Fire and Water. I believe that similar histories are given in the Temple of the Water, though I have not seen them myself. *Interlocutor's Note: This seems to be a prime example of the failings of mythology. The islands referred to by Ythvinaj are likely the Taravoy Archipelago, which are certainly rather recent geologically speaking. The youngest of the islands could potentially have emerged during the beginning of human habitation of the islands. How the legend of the mountain of fire which rose from the sea would have reached the isolationist Chaod Leu is rather obscure, however, since foreigners have been killed on sight for a great deal of recorded Chaod Leu history. Most probably, the legends found purchase in the kingdoms (made up of the so-called "half-souled") on the other side of the mountain range known to the Chaod Leu as the Wall, and made their way from there into the Chaod Leu mythology. An outside possibility exists that the Chaod Leu were once far more wide-ranging seafarers than they are currently, and their ships observed either the emergence of an island or - more likely - a volcanic eruption. This could also have been the source of such a legend. In any case, to those travelers who frequent the Outer Realms, the Chaod Leu notions of some Great Elements is quaint, but wholly myth. Many of the plants we grow, I am told, are strange to you Soulless. grow some fruits on trees, especially the sunfruit and the redfruit, but many of the plants we cultivate are grown underneath the ground. The starch-tuber, the true fireroot and the false fireroot, and the globe-tuber are also among the many we grow, but I am told that many of them are had among the Soulless as well. In addition, we grow the spikefruit and the water-globe on great bushes or vines that grow along the ground. There are many varieties of leaves and beans, more than I can name here. As for grain, we raise barley and rice, and the earthbean as well. As for animals, there are many. The stripe-horse is particularly beloved, both as a work animal and, I am told, as a delicacy among the Warrior caste. The buffalo and the pronghorn, the greathorn and the wool-bearer - I translate many terms into their meaning in your language, so you are not inundated with foreign terms - are also kept by us. I do not understand what is meant by pets, though. Could you clarify, Soulless?

How does your bipolar disorder affect your ability to work with magic, Aura?

They are indeed a thing. Twi hasn't posted one yet, but you are now than welcome to jump in any of the test of ours while we all wait for more awesomeness!

I'll visit yours if you visit mine

Any other requests for character AMAs? I will probably end up posting more regardless, but if you want to see one in particular, here's a place to post it. I've been thinking a Taravoy bahri sorcerer, and a Nessei warrior. But I'm open to doing any others instead, or in addition to them, if folks are interested.

I drink only pure water from the Spring of Ankura, in the Temple of the Flame, as required of me by my service. Others of my caste who serve in different temples may do differently, but I drink only the pure water of the Spring, so as not to offend the Great Element of Water, seeing as I serve in the temple where her rival is revered. As a priest, of course, I may not eat any living thing, but instead subsist off of the food of plants, as appropriate to my station. Taking life, either in war or for food is a terrible breach of the order of the world for one such as I. One of the Warrior caste, of course, ought to eat flesh - for his life is born to conflict and strife, and his food should represent that. And after all, all of the animals on his land are owned by the ruler, and it is his right to use them for food as he desires. If he wills, then the tradesmen and the farmers may partake with him, but if he wills it not, then they find their food elsewhere as they are able. But to priests like me, the flesh of living things is forbidden. Such a case would indeed be unlikely, as it would be difficult indeed for a demon to infiltrate the society of the Chaod Leu. For would not his skin color betray him? It is my experience that the demons that live in the great desert beyond the Wall are paler of skin. And they have no proper skin mottling, but their skin is all one color, as if they were one of the Chhuyha. Such an ugly thing would hardly convince any woman of the Chaod Leu to marry him, let alone hold her attentions. But I suppose it is not out of the realm of possibility that one of the half-souled from beyond the Wall could enter in, possessed by the demon that spawned him, and with much study of our culture convince a young, impressionable, foolish woman that he was full-souled of the Tradesman caste. The half-souled who live among us are branded properly, of course, along with their children. So a half-souled who grew up living in this land as he ought would be recognized on sight and slain for his blasphemy in disregarding the laws of his station. But one from beyond the Wall would have neither brand to mark him nor proper teaching to know his place, and could well do such a vile thing. There are a few misunderstandings in the rest of the case as it is presented. In the first place, a widow with children cannot marry a man outside of her social caste - it would be a violation of the order of things. If it were to happen, the man who married her would be stripped of his caste and become of the caste of the woman's first husband. But a member of the Warrior caste with large debts, and therefore desperate for money might be willing to leave his caste in order to obtain access to an inheritance such as that. And you have properly intuited that the woman would care for the money until her son came of age to make use of it. She would certainly not be able to use the money of her dead husband for any other thing other than the shop she cared for, unless she were to marry again. And now to the meat of the case. The father of her first child was half-souled or demon-spawned. She, of course, would be stripped of caste and station, branded and sent with the other half-souled. Her soul was forfeit to a demon, she deserves nothing less for allowing herself to be tricked so. Her first child is the son of a demon spawn, and is also half-souled. He cannot do anything about his parentage, but his mother's punishment carries on to him. It is the way of things. Her second child was born to a full-souled father, but the mother had already forfeited her soul. He too would be branded with his mother, and stripped of caste and station. Her second husband, on the other hand, mingled his seed with a half-souled, but one who had lost her soul to a demon, not a demon who had come looking for a soul. He would need to visit with a priest to determine if his soul had been damaged by the union. If the omens showed that the woman had stolen part of his soul to try to replace what she had lost to her demon-first husband, then he too would be branded. But if the omens showed that his soul was intact, that she had not attempted to steal it from him, then he would remain in his new caste (he had abandoned his station to marry her, he cannot return to it just because he does not like the marriage), and inherit the money. If the second husband did end up being branded and cast out, then the Warrior caste ruler would appoint one of his slaves to take control of the inheritance. Although the money had been earned by a half-soul, the half-souled are not permitted to own money, and therefore any money illicitly owned by them is not made unclean by the association. The same with the land, the house, and the shop. The contents, of course, would be burned or otherwise destroyed, and the accounts would have to be carefully gone through to discover all previous buyers from the shop, and all that they bought from it would have to be similarly destroyed, and those who bought it be purified. However, with the inheritance, the house, and the shop, the new owner (either the second husband or a newly appointed former slave) would be able to set up his own business on the premises. I trust I have satisfied your inquiry? It is indeed refreshing to converse with a Soulless who begins to have an understanding of how the world must be ordered. Although you may never become one of the full-souled, one such as you would not be an unwelcome addition to the half-souled. I hear that the half-souled who have built great cities on the other side of the wall are quite lax when it comes to mingling with foreigners, almost as if they do not care if their soul is stolen. Or perhaps they live in a constant cycle of gaining and losing souls to the demons, and the demons have come to be just a part of their society, tamed into submission by the easy access to souls. Perhaps you might find a soul there, and your descendants would be half-souled indeed, by their own possession and not by stealing from another. Tell the King of the Kobolds as well, that if he desires to gain part of a soul, as he indicated in his earlier question, that he too would be permitted in such a way to join the ranks of the half-souled. I may have failed to answer his question fully, though I satisfied the magic that binds me.

Ha! You would try and trick me into giving up my soul to you, Soulless! I am surprised you are so open with your intentions. But know this. I have been assured by the powerful sorcerer who holds me in thrall that he will not permit my soul to be harmed. So all of your trickery will be for nothing! And it appears that the sorcery still compels me to speak. By the Great Flame and the Bones of Chaos, I will have my vengeance upon this sorcerer! So listen carefully, Soulless. I will not repeat myself. Long ago, in the First Time, the world was without form. All things were in mixture, and the Great Element Chaos reigned, and he did maintain the border against the Outside. From this Chaos was born the Six Great Elements, Light, Darkness, Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. These Elements made war upon each other as they sprang from the Chaos, and the Chaos laughed to see it. The whole cosmos was in upheaval, and splinters were torn from them as they fought. These became the chirnigi, and are still present today. But the Element of Light hated the conflict, and she watched the fighting for a long time, only defending herself at need. And she saw that Chaos laughed, and knew that he encouraged this fighting in order that he would always remain most powerful. So she turned to the one who hated her most, the Element of Darkness, and spoke to him of the perfidy of Chaos. Now the Light knew that the Darkness hated her, and would take any opportunity to destroy her, but she also knew that the Darkness was hungry for power, and would love nothing more than to pull Chaos down and take his place. So she brought to him a plan to awaken the old enemy of Chaos, the Great Element of Order. The search was long, but in passage of time they found the place where Order was imprisoned. And with their joint power, they broke the bonds and awoke the old Enemy. Now when Chaos knew that his old Enemy had been awakened, he was wroth with a mighty anger. But he had no time to take vengeance on the Light and the Darkness, for Order pressed him hard, and quickly. Such was the fury of that battle that all the other Great Elements hid in terror from it, and the cosmos shuddered as if Being itself were about to come undone. But in the fury of that battle, Chaos and Order destroyed each other, such that nothing was left but their bones. And so no life force yet exists that holds Chaos or Order alone, and none will ever be, for the life force of those Great Elements passed out of Being before the world began, in the First Time. And so began the Second Time. When the battle was over, and Being had ceased to shake, the Great Elements came out of the places where they had hid themselves. They saw the destruction, and the bones of Chaos and Order remaining, and they made an oath at that moment that they would no longer fight among themselves, lest they put Being itself at risk. For it is certain that if ever all the Great Elements passed out of Being, that Being itself will end forever. But Darkness had in his heart to end Light, for his hatred had not ceased towards her. And he had not yet gained that which Light had promised him, which was to stand in the place that Chaos had, and to rule everything. But the oath he had sworn bound him, for he was afraid that the other Great Elements would turn on him and drive him out of Being if he were to end the Being of Light. So he plotted and schemed for Ages, while around him the other Great Elements began to build the world on the Bones of Chaos and Order. Earth built the mountains and the Chosen Land, while Water formed the Seas. Fire put himself into the heart of the World, while Air flew above it. Light stood aloof, watching over things and making all things beautiful with her radiance, and the other Elements loved her for it. And Darkness had no part in the making of it, but he lusted to rule over the World. His plan came to him as the Chosen Land, the land of my people, was finished. If he could not destroy Light, for fear of his oath, he could bind her, as Chaos once had done to Order. And then none would lift up their hands, because he would be in breach of no oath. And in those days was found a new Great Element, Spirit. And the Elements brought Spirit to the Light, and the Light touched Spirit and knew her. And she said that Spirit had sprung from the mingling of Chaos and Order, in the last moment before they had died. And so did the last of the Great Elements come into Being. And while the others wondered over this, Darkness saw his chance. So swift was his strike that none could stop him. And in one motion, he took Light from where she stood watching over the world and bound her away, so that she could no longer touch the world. And with her he bound all of the chirnagi that had come from her. Having done so, he proclaimed himself ruler over all of Being, and the power of his manifestation struck fear into the hearts of all of the Elements and chirnagi. But Darkness had not realized the love that Light had inspired in the other Elements, for they realized that she had saved them from the endless war that Chaos had kept among them. And so Darkness too was bound away. And they turned to Light, and realized that what the Darkness had done could not be undone, but that Light was forever bound away until or unless new Great Elements should arise with the power to overrule it. So they took the prison of Light and the prison of Darkness, and fashioned them into the boundary, so that the two Great Elements would always stand watch against the horrors of the Great Outside. Now this was the end of the Second Time. And the world was now shrouded half in Darkness, and half in Light. And the Elements could not bear that any part of their world should always be without the influence of Light, even though she was locked away so that she could not touch the world. And so they set the Great Boundary in continuous motion, so that all the world was graced with Light for a time. And because the Darkness was so oppressive, they took the chirnagi that Darkness had bound away and set them upon his prison, so that they would shine the pieces of the Light that they had come of into the world. And these are the lights that are set in the heavens when Darkness reigns. And the elements turned to fashioning those parts of the world that are not the Chosen Land. And so it is that only the Chosen Land was touched by the Great Element of Light. And Spirit came to the world, and said "I have had no part in making this, so I will instead make things to live on it." And so Spirit fashioned the animals and plants that live and move on the surface of the Chosen Land. But still she was not satisfied. So she took of herself and made chirnagi from herself, and put those into clay pots, and out sprung the Chaod Leu. And thus it is that the Chaod Leu are given souls. And the Four Elements looked on and greatly wondered, and they would that she would make such Souled creatures for the other lands too. But she said to them "This Land only was touched by Light before she was stolen away, and my grief is such that these shall stand as my tribute to her. I will not place them on a land that Light has not touched." The others pressed her, and she consented to fashion animals and plants for their lands. But to this day, she has remained resolute, and never fashioned a soul for one who does not live on the Chosen Land. The other Elements fashioned things of the same forms as the Chaod Leu, and they lived and breathed and moved and spoke as the Chaod Leu do, but they could not give them souls, for that alone is the domain of Spirit. This is why you have no soul, Soulless. And, as you well know, some of these forms are possessed by the demons, chirnagi of the Darkness that were never bound away in prison. And such demons come and tempt the Chaod Leu into performing lewd acts with them, so that they may steal their souls, which she created in honor of the Light. And of such unions are the half-souled born, animated by the stolen soul of the demon. And now I have said as much as the magic binds me to, Soulless. I shall not say anything more until I am asked another question. **Interlocutor's Note: The Chaod Leu mythology, like much of the mythology in Edassa and elsewhere, is filled with incorrect information concerning the makeup of the cosmos. Most prominent among the errors is the notion of Elements governing the universe. Although many primitive cultures understand their cosmology in terms of basic elements, such a view has little relationship with the actual makeup of the universe - and what relationship it does have is mostly tangential. However, the idea of a primeval Chaos is certainly accurate, though hardly unique to the Chaod Leu. Curiously, however, the mythology of the Chaod Leu does preserve a tradition of a War in Heaven that predated the founding of the world. This has interesting parallels with the accounts given in the Hall of the Tribunal upon Asteros, where Taris sits as steward of the great Mother Alheia. Of course, such an account is also hardly original, but it likely represents the descendant of a true tradition. Even more curious, this is the only mythology on Edassa or any of the other of the worlds of the Material Realm which I have visited where legends of an Outside are present. Through great personal effort and persistence, I have managed to speak with many denizens of the Outer Realms who has spent time traveling among those parts of the Realms of Being that stand at the edge of Chaos. After much trying, I was directed to one who reportedly had passed over that boundary, on business of some Lord of the Outer Realms or another. She confirmed that she had done so, but of the things the experienced there, nothing could get her to speak. But the fear on her face was plainly evident. So it must be assumed that here the Chaod Leu have, against all odds, preserved or intuited or received through some long-lost revelation the nature of the Outside. Unless, of course, this is just a projection of their own xenophobia into the greater cosmos. If so, it is exceptionally accurate, and would be a remarkable coincidence.

Yeah, the Shard is awesome like this! I've watched or participated in discussions on American politics, religion, evolution, gender identity, and a host of other potentially controversial subjects, and the tone has been consistently respectful, kind, and sincere, even when strong disagreements have been present. The only place this doesn't hold is with Stormlight Archive ships...

I'll be in the spec doc for this one too. Sorry. I hope to be active in spectating until I have time to be active in playing again.

That is an interesting question, and immediately spawns the counter-question: unusual to whom? Most if not all of the cultures on Edassa would be quite unusual to modern Westerners - but their contemporaries would find them normal. On the other hand, several cultures are viewed even by their contemporaries in-world as quite unusual. The Nessei, in particular, are seen as quite unusual - but I have already written a great deal about the Nessei culture elsewhere. If you asked a great many of the (non-Nessei, of course) people in Edassa who they thought was the weirdest, they'd say the Nessei. But this is just because the Nessei get around a lot. Nomadic herdsmen, with a strong penchant for mercenary work and a genetic wanderlust tend to show up in the most unexpected places, and their customs can be more than a little off-putting, especially their practice of carrying one of their ancestor's shrines (complete with either the burned ashes or a small bone of the ancestor's) with them everywhere they go. That and taking trophies of the enemies they kill in battle. But of all the cultures in Edassa, the most unusual, measured in some undefined-but-certainly-objectiveTM way, would likely be the Chaod Leu. They are extremely isolationist, and correspondingly xenophobic. Their piece of the continent is blocked off by difficult mountain ranges, and they fiercely patrol their coasts, savagely destroying any foreign ship they come across. Visually, they are striking. Their skin is dark black, but their population has an incredibly high 85% incidence of the skin disease vitiligo, which results in striking white splotches across their bodies. To them, the more mottled a body is, the more attractive it is, and they find people without the condition to be repulsive. Those among their number born without the condition are simultaneously ostracized and revered. These are the Chhuyha, or Touched, viewed as having been touched by the Great Elements who rule the world, and are considered to be too holy (although holiness has a great deal of preconceptions to Westerners which do not hold among the Chaod Leu) to endure the presence of ordinary people. Any who touch them must be put to death, and any who view them without being properly purified first are similarly treated. A mother who bears such a child is spared, as long as she does not touch it after it is born - it is given to a nursemaid (generally a low-caste slave) who is ritually killed after the child is weaned. The keepers of the 5 great temple grounds where these people are kept constitute the priestly caste - they are born to their positions, and leave them to their firstborn children. Inside the compounds, the strict rules that normally govern every aspect of Chaod Leu society are absent, and each temple has its own social order, grown organically from the children who inhabit it, who are raised without family by the other temple dwellers. Similarly, albinos are also regarded as portentous, either destined to be a great evil or a powerful leader. The ruling class among the Chaod Leu makes it a habit to hunt down and destroy all albinos born among their population. Chaod Leu religion is fairly simple - they believe that the world is ruled by the Great Elements (generally considered to be 5 in number, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Spirit, although some philosophers have tried to argue that others exist). These are capricious, and sometimes cruel, and care little to nothing for humans (except for the great Element of Spirit, who is regarded as the source of souls for the Chaod Leu, and at least notices them and will listen to petitions). In addition, the world is inhabited by a host of minor beings called chirnigi, or sparks, splinters of life-force associated with one of the Great Elements. The priestly caste's job is to observe the movings of the world and the Chhuyha, and discern via those portents what must be done to keep the Great Elements and their minor servants in a general state of benign neglect towards their people. Religion, then, is wholly confined to the priestly caste. For those of other castes, they observe the festivals and fasts as appropriate, but do not have to give much thought to religion unless they find themselves to have attracted the unwanted attention of a chirnigi. Chaod Leu society is highly stratified - a strict caste system is enforced. In addition to the priestly caste already mentioned, Chaod Leu society consists of a Warrior caste - who also act as rulers. The other castes are the tradesman caste, the farmer caste, the slave caste, and the half-souled. For all except the half-souled, life is predictable. The first son of a Priest, Warrior, Tradesman, or Farmer inherits his father's position, caste, belongings, and responsibilities (unless he is disqualified for some reason, in which case, the second son may be raised from slavery to take the position, or the local ruler may appoint some other slave to take the vacancy). Further sons are born into the slave caste. No daughter of a free man is ever born into slavery - she takes her father's caste until she is married, and then takes on her husband's caste. Social mobility is, therefore, technically easier for women than it is for men. However, in practice, marriage between castes is strongly looked down upon, and the descendants of a mixed caste marriage could find their social prospects blighted for generations, even though their legal status remains unchanged. The slave caste, on the other hand, is extremely mobile compared to the rest of Chaod Leu society. A slave serves in the caste his father belongs to, generally, but almost always receives a broad education, to increase their potential value if the family decides to sell them. For all slaves, the military is a legitimate option (unlike for free men), and generally will include good retirement benefits. For those who do not choose that path, they will end up as slaves in a position where their talents are best utilized. As a general rule, slave sons of the priestly caste serve as temple slaves, slave sons of warrior/rulers are career soldiers, slave sons of tradesmen and farmers are manual labor in the shops and farms of their father. But any family may sell a slave on the market, where a prospective buyer could be of any caste. There are, in this manner, quite a few slaves in the temples that started life as a trade or farm slave. A slave cannot be given freedom by his master offhand, because that would undermine the caste system - because such a slave would have no caste, no position, and no expectations in society. However, the warrior/ruler class of high birth have been known to create new caste positions for slaves who have been particularly valuable or useful, and thereby give them their freedom and a caste position at the same time. Such interlopers are often resented by their peers, but not too openly. Once a person has a caste status, it is theirs. Slavery is also a potential punishment, often for excessive debt but also potentially for treason, murder, or other similar crimes. This punishment can either be to the offender or to his/her whole family. A woman who marries a slave caste man also becomes a slave (although a slave caste woman who marries out of her caste takes on her husband's caste). The children of such a slave caste marriage are also slaves, but they are much more likely to be trained in a school and sold once they reach young adulthood. Often, the parents will arrange a purchase with a local buyer, so that their family will remain nearby. Some multi-generational slave families have become quite wealthy by this practice, and children of their households are highly sought after because of their good breeding, impeccable manners, and exquisite education. Owning such a slave is quite expensive, and has become a mark of high social status. The half-soul caste is a different breed entirely. The Chaod Leu believe that they are the only people in the world who have souls. All other people are either demons or sparks manifesting a physical form. This is the source of their xenophobia, and the reason that they kill foreigners with such viciousness. The half-souled are those of Chaod Leu descent who have intermixed their bloodlines with outsiders (and all those of Chaod Leu descent who live on the other side of the mountains are believed to have intermixed their bloodlines with outsiders). They are an untouchable caste. They are assigned the degrading jobs, fill the demeaning and unclean positions in society, and are generally treated like dirt. To kill a half-soul is no crime, and to sell to them is a breach of social etiquette. Those of higher castes must avoid contact with these as much as possible, lest they become ritually unclean. The half-souled have their own society, their own vendors and farmers, but they live out a precarious position. They are not allowed to own money or property, so they live in constant fear that their land will be taken, or their items destroyed (no item owned by an untouchable would be stolen, because of its unsavory associations). But they tend to make things work. On the other side of the mountains, there are several kingdoms of "half-souled." They, of course, do not maintain such a rigid caste system, and they do not regard themselves as half-souled, and sometimes half-souled from the Chaod Leu homeland will immigrate to a better life there. But for most of them, their status is ingrained on their personality, and they would no more think of leaving than of reaching outside their caste. Those of the Touched born to half-souled parents are killed, because they are believed to be demons attempting to impersonate the real Touched. Now, of course, this wasn't a character, but an AMA of a priest caste Chaod Leu can be found here.

**Ythvinaj Khriniahnya is a member of the Priestly caste of the Chaod Leu. They are extremely xenophobic, and they believe that unless you are Chaod Leu, you don't have a soul. Outsiders are killed with no mercy, and no remorse. He isn't too happy about being forced to do this, but I insisted. His text will be written in red. Background information about his culture can be found here. What is this? What sorcery has roused me from my chambers and my temple? And why am I set thus in front of a rabble of Soulless and demons? I object to this treatment! The Great Elements will consume you for your blasphemy! It appears I have no choice at present. Whatever demon binding has brought me from the sacred place also compels me to answer your questions. Under duress, I will introduce myself. I am Ythvinaj Khriniahnya, priest of the Great Fire. I am the first-son of Subrahta Mahravaj, son of Chandrasek Adioniv, son of Abhilasha Lodha, slave-elect to the priesthood of the Fire. I live in the city of Adalaj, at the Temple of the Great Fire. I cast the omens for the fire-chirnigi in the great Temple, and I watch the society of the Chhuyha at that place. I must find a powerful purifying spell after consortings with such Soulless and demons as this, though. But for the moment, I am bound. Ask me your questions, and I will answer.

Yet another topic I'd be interested in seeing. I'll probably have to start up one or two of my own...

One of my New Year's resolutions is to do a whole lot more writing. I'm still working out a system that will help me to do that, but I'm looking at a set amount per week (something manageable, a couple hundred words or so - I've still got 2 research projects, a full-time job, classes, and a family to take care of). Most of it will be in Edassa or a related setting (like City of Mortals). Eventually, this writing will turn into a large compilation thread in the Creator's Corner, but until then, I'm taking requests for short stories, setting/worldbuilding information, and related stuff here. So, in short, this AMA is back in business.

I'll sign up for the spec doc on this one

So, first off, I apologize for my borderline inactivity in this game. I thought I would have enough time to actually spend here on analysis and other things. But I did not, and it cost me. There were several instances where I could have changed the game, but didn't because I didn't have the time to think through my actions clearly. Saving Ada was the worst of them - I have no excuse other than what I have already offered. I was tired, just barely waking up, and not thinking clearly. My apologies. Second, I could have - at several points - gotten Ada killed by redirecting his kill. I tried a couple of times, and guessed right once - but redirected the kill onto Jain instead of him. Again, a failure of time. My apologies again. I probably won't sign up for another of these until I am certain that I have enough time to participate meaningfully. I hope that that will be soon. Finally, in answer to Ada's question in the Doc, I am most certainly a night shift worker (3:30 PM - midnight), so I tend to be on the Shard at weird hours. Expect the unexpected.

That's awful. (The reaction, of course, not the question). On the other hand, it offers the perfect excuse to open a thread like that here. I know at least one worldbuilder who would have something to say on the subject EDIT: I hate my autocorrect

That explains some things, especially why PK would vote Ada when we know that there's a healer running around protecting him. That's more than a little suspicious. After we get Ada out of the way, I think we ought to send a couple of lynch votes his way. I'll answer a couple of questions here, in light of this new information. First, Elbereth, last cycle you asked why I had targeted Ada earlier. I am a Lightweaver, and was redirecting an action from Bort to him. Unfortunately, they killed someone else that cycle, which was frustrating. The cycle before, I redirected Ada's kill from Bort to Jain - that was the one where everyone assumed he had tried to attack polking. It was Bort. The option that Ada is talking about, and that Lopen is likely referencing, is probably me redirecting Ada's kill to himself, getting through his protection. Either that or redirecting the protection away. And honestly, I've thought of doing that. But after some consideration, I think that getting rid of Twei is the best option we have right now. Too much risk in using my power to try and get Ada. We'll take him down after Twei's gone.