Futuristic The Frontier: A Space Western Chat Club

[capMARVELOUS]

Please welcome, Merchant-Underling Olada Tovyr-Dah, my Khodai merchant lady with a passing interest in memes.
Speaking of Khodai merchant ladies, I totally forgot that the Khodai need a set of currency, too. Mayhaps Chanticleer and I can brainstorm that, too.

 

[Avari]

No one ever gives poor Lucy a break.

 

[capMARVELOUS]

No one ever gives poor Lucy a break.

In this day and age? People should know by know that her gender automatically means people should bend over backwards for her!
(that was my attempt at satire)

 

[Chanticleer]

Shit sorry, I've got these real bad headaches tonight so I'm gonna call it early. Couldn't even help get the other sheet up, let alone racebuild. Nevertheless I had a few thoughts:

- is Mars a vacuum, and if so how do Khodai communicate without sound and respire without air?
- Mars is lighter than earth, does that make humans physically stronger than khodai? Why haven't they been wiped out yet?
- I assume cannibalism is fairly well established in khodai communities but what do they eat? Do they have any agriculture?
- what's the difference between khodai sexes?

I'm gonna leave these questions to the masses, since I'm in GMT and I'm not sure I'll be up before everyone's off to bed.

 

[BlueClover]

In this day and age? People should know by know that her gender automatically means people should bend over backwards for her!
(that was my attempt at satire)

 

[Chanticleer]

An answer to the air question - during a larval stage they create small domes/cocoons as nests and somehow fill them out with air. Larger clans mean larger domes, with smaller domes if there are any breakages. The silk they use is transparent and globular, stretched like chewing gum. When in a vacuum, their spiracles (and I assume they're insects so spiracles are the way to go) are covered by chitin. They can last for days without food, water or air in this way. As such, they have slow metabolisms - combat is slow and steady and requires patience, which probably explains why they're getting their asses kicked. They communicate in a vacuum with a series of body tells and sign language. There's an entire section of the clan devoted to repairing the domes and keeping the pressure. They need to devour as many indigestible products as possible to produce this silk, primarily sand and rock, as its main component is glass.

I assume they keep their silk spinning abilities through adulthood just in case. It'd be good to have a khodai in case your helmet breaks!

 

[Chanticleer]

Sorry for the double post. Here are some miscellaneous Khodai facts:

- when insulting humans (a very trendy pastime) it's best to call them half-limbs or nohorns, if you're feeling particularly nasty. Why? The former originates from the universal appeal of having all your extremities attached to your body. Humans have half the number of arms that Khodai do, which makes them a bit useless compared to them. As for the latter, horns and antennae are the six-pack of the subtle and intricate Khodai mating process - the bigger the man's horns, the better. They seem attractive. Humans don't have any horns, so the Khodai have lots of fun essentially calling them ugly weaklings.

- in the glorious matriarchy that is khodai society, being a mother is probably one of the most respectable occupations you can be, which is why most devils are primarily male. Both parents are required to help out during the larval stages, when the younglings are most vulnerable, but once they molt for the first time and turn into screeching like kids, it's best to leave the woman in charge. Men are seen as a little useless if they can't reproduce, and it's socially acceptable to kill and eat an absent or lazy father.

 

[capMARVELOUS]

Shit sorry, I've got these real bad headaches tonight so I'm gonna call it early. Couldn't even help get the other sheet up, let alone racebuild. Nevertheless I had a few thoughts:

- is Mars a vacuum, and if so how do Khodai communicate without sound and respire without air?
- Mars is lighter than earth, does that make humans physically stronger than khodai? Why haven't they been wiped out yet?
- I assume cannibalism is fairly well established in khodai communities but what do they eat? Do they have any agriculture?
- what's the difference between khodai sexes?

I'm gonna leave these questions to the masses, since I'm in GMT and I'm not sure I'll be up before everyone's off to bed.

An answer to the air question - during a larval stage they create small domes/cocoons as nests and somehow fill them out with air. Larger clans mean larger domes, with smaller domes if there are any breakages. The silk they use is transparent and globular, stretched like chewing gum. When in a vacuum, their spiracles (and I assume they're insects so spiracles are the way to go) are covered by chitin. They can last for days without food, water or air in this way. As such, they have slow metabolisms - combat is slow and steady and requires patience, which probably explains why they're getting their asses kicked. They communicate in a vacuum with a series of body tells and sign language. There's an entire section of the clan devoted to repairing the domes and keeping the pressure. They need to devour as many indigestible products as possible to produce this silk, primarily sand and rock, as its main component is glass.

I assume they keep their silk spinning abilities through adulthood just in case. It'd be good to have a khodai in case your helmet breaks!

Sorry for the double post. Here are some miscellaneous Khodai facts:

- when insulting humans (a very trendy pastime) it's best to call them half-limbs or nohorns, if you're feeling particularly nasty. Why? The former originates from the universal appeal of having all your extremities attached to your body. Humans have half the number of arms that Khodai do, which makes them a bit useless compared to them. As for the latter, horns and antennae are the six-pack of the subtle and intricate Khodai mating process - the bigger the man's horns, the better. They seem attractive. Humans don't have any horns, so the Khodai have lots of fun essentially calling them ugly weaklings.

- in the glorious matriarchy that is khodai society, being a mother is probably one of the most respectable occupations you can be, which is why most devils are primarily male. Both parents are required to help out during the larval stages, when the younglings are most vulnerable, but once they molt for the first time and turn into screeching like kids, it's best to leave the woman in charge. Men are seen as a little useless if they can't reproduce, and it's socially acceptable to kill and eat an absent or lazy father.

Mmm, splendid! Simply delicious.
These are some really lovely ideas, mate. I gotta go to church in a minute, but when I get back, I'll share some of my ideas for the species, and we'll see if we can blend the two into one glorious mishmash. Till then, rest well. Hope your head feels better.

 

[BlueClover]

Mmm, splendid! Simply delicious.
These are some really lovely ideas, mate. I gotta go to church in a minute, but when I get back, I'll share some of my ideas for the species, and we'll see if we can blend the two into one glorious mishmash. Till then, rest well. Hope your head feels better.

The question is, do you like your Khodia soup with or without chunks?

 

[Avari]

Does anyone wanna tag along with Lucy, I'm gonna be lonely otherwise. :3

 

[BlueClover]

Does anyone wanna tag along with Lucy, I'm gonna be lonely otherwise. :3

Hm, we can have a run in, I’m planning on having King enter through the desert

 

[Avari]

Hm, we can have a run in, I’m planning on having King enter through the desert

If his transport parked in the Stable, they can meet there?

 

[BlueClover]

If his transport parked in the Stable, they can meet there?

Hm, I’ll have him go by the stables then

I’ll look in the lore in a bit to refresh my mind on it.

Ironic, the cartographer needs a map xD

 

[NemoTheSurvivor]

Sorry for not posting. Life got in the way and I've been unable to sit down and hammer out something. I'll attempt to do something tomorrow.

 

[capMARVELOUS]

K, I'm back. Time to get creative. Let's begin by officially addressing some of Chanticleer 's questions.

- is Mars a vacuum, and if so how do Khodai communicate without sound and respire without air?
- Mars is lighter than earth, does that make humans physically stronger than khodai? Why haven't they been wiped out yet?
- I assume cannibalism is fairly well established in khodai communities but what do they eat? Do they have any agriculture?
- what's the difference between khodai sexes?

1.) Mars actually does have an atmosphere, albeit a very thin one made almost entirely of carbon dioxide. So some sounds can pass through the Martian atmosphere.
2.) On Mars, the Khodai would be slightly more deadly than the humans, because they've spent so long in a low-gravity environment that they've adapted to the conditions and can operate more easily within them than the humans. On Earth, though, the humans would be deadlier, no doubt. The reason that the Khodai haven't been completely eliminated yet is because there haven't been any large-scale conflicts between them and humans where large amounts of Khodai casualties would occur.
3.) Yes, cannibalism is a thing in Khodai culture, but apart from that, some parts of each clan take to breeding small, livestock-type creatures for their meat, which is considered an essential part of the Khodai diet. These creatures are mostly confined within Khodai clan territory, so finding one wandering out and about the Martian frontier is rare. Other Khodai cultivate large, tree-sized fungi as the Martian equivalent of vegetables.
4.) Males have large horns on their heads, and females have numerous small antennae on theirs. The larger the horns on a male, and the more numerous the antennae on a female, the greater the sex appeal. Then there's the, uh... nether regions.

Now, in address of your other ideas:

An answer to the air question - during a larval stage they create small domes/cocoons as nests and somehow fill them out with air. Larger clans mean larger domes, with smaller domes if there are any breakages. The silk they use is transparent and globular, stretched like chewing gum. When in a vacuum, their spiracles (and I assume they're insects so spiracles are the way to go) are covered by chitin. They can last for days without food, water or air in this way. As such, they have slow metabolisms - combat is slow and steady and requires patience, which probably explains why they're getting their asses kicked. They communicate in a vacuum with a series of body tells and sign language. There's an entire section of the clan devoted to repairing the domes and keeping the pressure. They need to devour as many indigestible products as possible to produce this silk, primarily sand and rock, as its main component is glass.

I assume they keep their silk spinning abilities through adulthood just in case. It'd be good to have a khodai in case your helmet breaks!

The silk-spinning is a really nifty idea. (I assume we're going to call it silk because there's really no other word to describe the material they secrete.) If we're going to go with the "eat sand and rocks to produce silk" angle, newborns could, upon hatching from their eggs, eat enough sand and rock around their hatching area to form a large bowl in the ground, use that ingested material to produce enough silk to form a dome over the bowl in the ground, and stay within that bubble while they mature into their adult form. They will most definitely keep that silk-spinning ability for all of their lives. And architect Khodai is a great idea, though a large clan silk bubble would be pretty conspicuous. Maybe each Khodai family makes an individual dome for themselves?
I was thinking, though, that the Khodai could have actual lungs and a more "human-like" respiratory system, designed to breathe carbon dioxide. And that they could actually speak through their mouths to each other, which they could hear with their excellent ears, due to the poor sound conductivity of the thin Martian atmosphere. The helmets that a lot of them wear could be used to filter out the detritus in the air. We could combine the two ideas to where they communicate with each other through a complex series of vocal clicks and limb gestures.

Sorry for the double post. Here are some miscellaneous Khodai facts:

- when insulting humans (a very trendy pastime) it's best to call them half-limbs or nohorns, if you're feeling particularly nasty. Why? The former originates from the universal appeal of having all your extremities attached to your body. Humans have half the number of arms that Khodai do, which makes them a bit useless compared to them. As for the latter, horns and antennae are the six-pack of the subtle and intricate Khodai mating process - the bigger the man's horns, the better. They seem attractive. Humans don't have any horns, so the Khodai have lots of fun essentially calling them ugly weaklings.

- in the glorious matriarchy that is khodai society, being a mother is probably one of the most respectable occupations you can be, which is why most devils are primarily male. Both parents are required to help out during the larval stages, when the younglings are most vulnerable, but once they molt for the first time and turn into screeching like kids, it's best to leave the woman in charge. Men are seen as a little useless if they can't reproduce, and it's socially acceptable to kill and eat an absent or lazy father.

These ideas are magnificent. I won't attempt to blend any ideas of mine with these; they're perfect as-is.
Though it's got me thinking about the Alpha Mothers a bit. Here's what I'm thinking for them: They're the most fertile Khodai females of the clan, and when they die, then the most fertile female after them will replace them. Vice Emissaries are always male, and in addition to serving as prophets and administrators, they perform ritual copulation with the Alpha Mothers to fertilize their eggs and bring forth a new generation of Khodai. It's kinda a part of their religion.
Now we need ideas for a Khodai religion that involves ritual sex...

 

[capMARVELOUS]

Sorry for not posting. Life got in the way and I've been unable to sit down and hammer out something. I'll attempt to do something tomorrow.

'Sall right. Like I keep saying, real life comes first.

 

[Chanticleer]

I'm all for it, but here's something I noticed:

I was thinking, though, that the Khodai could have actual lungs and a more "human-like" respiratory system, designed to breathe carbon dioxide. And that they could actually speak through their mouths to each other, which they could hear with their excellent ears, due to the poor sound conductivity of the thin Martian atmosphere.

If that were the case, then Khodai will die in a human atmosphere. The high concentration of O2 and the high air pressure in general would be a problem. They'd need a special respirator when they're on human territory, lest they just straight up suffocate before doing any serious damage. They'd also need that respirator to speak, else their voices would be very very high pitched if they breathe human air.

 

[Avari]

Hm, I’ll have him go by the stables then

I’ll look in the lore in a bit to refresh my mind on it.

Ironic, the cartographer needs a map xD

Has he been to New Eden before?

 

[capMARVELOUS]

I'm all for it, but here's something I noticed:
If that were the case, then Khodai will die in a human atmosphere. The high concentration of O2 and the high air pressure in general would be a problem. They'd need a special respirator when they're on human territory, lest they just straight up suffocate before doing any serious damage. They'd also need that respirator to speak, else their voices would be very very high pitched if they breathe human air.

Well, considering that human atmosphere is only present in colony buildings thus far, I don't think it should be too much of a problem. But special respirators would still be a good idea, just in case a Khodai does happen to want to enter a human building. Maybe their helmets could also filter out other gases in favor of carbon dioxide, in addition to dust?

 

[Chanticleer]

There's still only around 0.4% carbon dioxide in your typical human atmosphere, so that might be able to work, considering that the mars atmosphere is very thin.

 

[capMARVELOUS]

There's still only around 0.4% carbon dioxide in your typical human atmosphere, so that might be able to work, considering that the mars atmosphere is very thin.

Nifty.
So now that we have biology taken care of, what next?

 

[BlueClover]

Has he been to New Eden before?

I’d say no, he was from a more lower tech area

 

[Avari]

I’d say no, he was from a more lower tech area

Oki. Come save Lucy in the Stable ahaha

 

[Snackofthefuture]

Heeeeeeres KIng!

B BlueClover
I wouldve done a larger sketch but ive been hella busy recently so heres this

 

[capMARVELOUS]

Ahoy, chaps. Just a heads up that I won't be posting as Tovyr-Dah until all or most aspects of the Khodai have been fleshed out. For those of you excited to see her, it should be just a little longer.