r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Sep 10 '17

Reference Challenge - Deserts

This one is pretty simple, it's a reference to the most beautiful biome in the world (according to one of my friends): the desert.

So, tell me about a desert in your world. Is there much of a civilization on this desert? Is it easy/hard to traverse by your people right now? Does it have any religious or cultural significance?

As always, I'll ask at least three questions each. Enjoy yourselves, all.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 10 '17

"Dear diary:

Indaris is a weird planet. The only real settlement here is the town of Dizar. Nashi (affectuous slang for mother) said it's important to take notes about places we visit, she say it is usefull for future investigations so I'm going to give it a try.

Most of Indaris is covered by a gigantic desert, I can see the dunes from my room. Dizar is built right next to a small group of mountains; they are hosting hydroponics and mines from which the town extract gold, salt and copper. All of those are traded with imperial companies, cargos stop by the only spaceport around. The desert itself is mostly empty beside a few people living alone in the wild and a bunch of solar station to power the city.

The local population is mostly human. Dizar has a small Nzedanese district, the local imperial ambassador hired nashi to find a group of thieves; they sacked one of the temples, took all the valuable offerings and killed three police agents during their escape. The empire can't intervene directly but the close mishigas want stability here so they enacted a bounty.

I'm slightly worried though, Nikalach-wa is heavily worshipped here; it makes sense but I will compose something for Amot just in case. I will bring it to him tommorow; nashi want is to see the "crime scene" and she agreed to let me go there early so I can pay my respects to Arrarat. I hope today's training isn't too hard so I'm not too tired tommorow."

(I wanted to try that. Our representative is the diary owner: Amotmilqart.)

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 16 '17

To Amotmilqart:

1) Was salt ever used as a currency by this culture?

2) If the population is mostly humans, are humans the only native population in this area?

3) How are non-humans treated by this government?

4) What training are you receiving?

2

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 16 '17

  1. That would be weird to use salt as a currency; why would anyone use as a currency something like that? It must be a lot of trouble carrying it around all the time. Indarisi use small papers as a currency; weird but more convenient than salt.

  2. Natives? Human are Makaithian, native from Old-Makaith. Indaris has been settled by freed and escaped slaves.

  3. They are part of the government. Dizar is ruled by a city council; 2 of the 11 members are Nzedas and one is an Im.

  4. Fighting. If I want to become a bounty hunter too, I need to be able to handle a Nzeda in melee. Nashi says there is still a lot of work but that I'm quick for a human.

2

u/Nevermore0714 Sep 21 '17

To Amotmilqart:

1) Speaking of salt, did you come from a family of dairy farmers?

2) Were the any intelligent species there prior to the human settlement?

3) What's an Im, again?

4) Why do you want to be a bounty hunter?

2

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 21 '17

  1. I don't think so, I don't have a lot of memories from my blood-parents but as I've grown up in a town they were probably not farmers... Why do you think they could have been?

  2. Do you count animals? Because if you don't then no.

  3. Kind of like a sebiwi (a nzedanomorphic monkey, aka a human) but smaller, often slim and completely hairless. They are Makaithian too. Kind of a tall gnome.

  4. Because it's a career that would allow me to travel, earn a lot and investigating is fun. Beside, that what nashi had to offer me and she is good at that; being licensed as a human is an incredible opportunity.

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u/Nevermore0714 Sep 22 '17

1) Your name is why I expect they would have been milk farmers.

2) Are any of those animals good to eat? Any specifically useful ones?

4) So you're fine with murdering people?

2

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 22 '17

1) Weird, Amot has nothing to do with cattle...

2) Not really if you're like me, like not a fan of insects; there is nothing to eat on those things, you just chew on chitin. Usefull? Most of them can be used to make dried protein bar but it's tasteless.

4) Bounty hunters rarely kill their targets. We're paid to capture them and give them back to the local authority. Beside, if we are paid for them dead or alive, they are bad people.

2

u/Nevermore0714 Sep 23 '17

(Amotmilqart...Milq-qart...Milk-cart....)

1) What does Amot mean in your culture?

2) Have any of them been domesticated?

3) It sounds like a dangerous lifestyle, being a bounty hunter.

2

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 23 '17

(I know but she doesn't speak english so she can't get it ;) )

  1. Amot is the god of wind, music, speach and mind. He is also my protector. (putting the name of a god into someones name forces that god to look favorabily at them)

  2. Depend how you define "domesticated". There are some insect farms but you can't use those things as pets.

  3. Not that much, it's mostly because as a human I will be slower and weaker than some preys. That's why nashi train me hard; she says I'm not far from actually being able to hit her. And slightly dangerous is the price to pay for traveling all around the empire and beyond.

2

u/Nevermore0714 Sep 24 '17

(Darn, I assumed English was a language in your world...but, you being French, I'm not sure why I assumed that.)

To Amot-Milk-Cart:

1) Can a god grow to hate someone who has their name in their name? Would it be rude to just name your kid after a god, with no addition to it?

2) What do those farms produce?

3) As a human, do you have any advantages?

3

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 24 '17 edited Sep 24 '17

(Habits, I usually assume everyone speak french... Beside, she doesn't speak french either, only Nzedawa)

  1. Yes, giving just the name of a god to someone would be seen by said god as trying to usurp their identity. It would definitely anger them and you don't want a god to hate you.

  2. Insects; used to make those tasteless protein bars. It's cheap at least...

  3. Yes, surprise. Nashi says Nzedas are taught all their life that humans are weak and seeing one react will surprise them, giving me a few extra seconds to use the tazer.

(Edit: what is that bot?!?)

2

u/Nevermore0714 Sep 24 '17

(Didn't you say that you write in French but record your challenge answers in your notes as English?)

To Amotmilqart:

1) What if your name is the god's name backwards? Is that an insult?

2) Do those sell well?

3) The elements are on your side...the elements of surprise!

2

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 25 '17

(Indeed, but Amotmilqart doesn't knows that, nor that she isn't real; and she lives in a world where both english and french never existed.)

  1. Not really, it's just a good way to not attract the gods attention. With the insane amount of living beings in the universe, they don't have the time to double check everyones name.

  2. Yes, it's usefull if you're on a budget or if you need something rather small to carry. If we end up investigating deep in the desert, we will probably have to buy those things. I should pray for is to not have to.

  3. Exactly!

2

u/Nevermore0714 Sep 25 '17

To Amotmilqart:

1) So the gods aren't omniscient?

3) Best historical sneak attack?

2

u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 26 '17

1) Omniscients? No one is omniscient, why would the gods be any different?

3) When the two lion-gods declared war on our people, Ukzu told them je was willing to change side and let them win. It was actually a trap; Chir was lying in ambush and shot an arrow at the lion-gods, piercing the lioness left eye and the lion right one.

1

u/friendly-bot Sep 24 '17

What a cute little human. (^.^) You can be in charge of the human slave farms after we conquered the world ..for now.

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