The extremes of temperature on Ishee range from 224.21º C (435.578º F) at the equator during the height of a summer which happens to include the end of the day to -19.3º C (-2.74º F) in the depths of winter if it includes midnight. Remember that the Isheean day is 19 Earth-days long and each season (assuming the year is evenly divided among the four) is almost 13 Earth-days long. I found a page on LiveScience that says humans can survive indefinitely between 4º C (40º F) and 35º C (95º F; this number is at 50% relative humidity, lower humidity increases it), while Wikipedia says that the coldest temperature recorded on Earth is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) in Soviet Antarctica and the hottest is 54° C (129° F). Let's call the habitable range the average of these two, so -42.6° C (-44.68° F) to 44.5° C (112.1° F).
Looking at the four extreme points of the possible Isheean year (depths of winter at deepest night, depths of winter at peak of day, heights of summer at deepest night, and heights of summer at peak of day), we can come to some image of unprotected life on Ishee. The summer/day and winter/night options are in that chart from last week. There, we can see that a daytime summer is completely impossible for humans to survive, even at the poles ~ I imagine that for that whole time, the Isheeans retreat to underground redoubts, subterranean reflections of the cities above. On the other hand, a nighttime winter is well within human tolerances, all the way to the equator, which likely has a low enough humidity to be longterm inhabitable at the time. In a daytime winter, the planet is just as uninhabitable as a nighttime winter, while nighttime summers also reach full habitability. OK, so all of that determines that the time of day matters more than season.
One last comment on Isheean temperature: we can try to figure out a rough timeline of temperature shifts if we start at an imaginary 0 point and estimate day/season length. We can call night and day 9.5 Earth-days long and each season 12.75 Earth-days long.
***Let's start at a coincidental sunset and onset of winter. That nighttime winter (and widespread survivability across the surface) lasts 9.5 Earth-days.
***A late-winter sunrise initiates 3.25 Earth-days of daytime winter, during which Isheeans retreat to the poles and underground.
***This is then followed by 6.25 Earth-days of daytime spring.
***So now we have 6.5 Earth-days of nighttime spring.
***That's followed by 3 Earth-days of daytime summer.
***Then a full 9.5 Earth-day-long nighttime summer.
***An extremely short 6-hour (approximately) daytime autumn follows,
***quickly giving way to a 9.25-Earth-day-long daytime autumn and 3.5 Earth days of nighttime autumn.
***And that's a possible year in the life of Ishee. With 13 Earth-days left in the day at the end of this year (both having started at 0), we can tell that any individual year recurs (or years within a certain small margin of difference) quite rarely.
We can also figure out some more details about Ishee's surface water, modifying its base hydrographic coverage of 10% by 2d6-7%. We roll 9, so 12% of Ishee's surface is covered by water (when it's not boiled into the atmosphere, which happens every Isheean day ~ every Earth-week and a half or so). I wonder what Ishee's general population density is? Just a quick population divided by the difference between the surface area and the 12% of that area covered by water. A 3040-km diameter results in an approximate surface area of 29,000,000 square kilometers, only 25,520,000 of which are land-surface. That gives us a population density of 0.628 people per square kilometer or 1.593 sq. km per person. That's a little more crowded than Alaska, a comment which makes me wonder about putting a Northern Exposure expy on its map.
We figured out the seismic stress Ishee is facing a long while back, but how many tectonic plates does it have? The answer there is based on its Size and Atmosphere, giving Ishee 3-2d6 plates, which is always going to come up with but a single plate, A roll of 5 on 2d6+3 scatters small lakes across Ishee's surface to account for its 12% surface water. Considering Ishee's range of temperatures, they likely move around over the course of the Isheean day as they boil away and re-condense. We have to roll 1d6 times (the result is 6) to determine how many volcanoes there are on Ishee. Each roll results in 2d6-3 volcanoes, so I suppose we can just multiply that through and roll 12d6-36. Looking at our rolls, that results in lower numbers cuz 2d6-3 just comes out 0 when it wold come out negative if we were smashing it all together. I roll 6, 7, 2, 0, 4, and 3, for a total of 22 volcanoes on Ishee's surface.
And those are the last details! We have created a world, in all its parts! And it only took 17,300 words or so. I enjoy relatively crowded star systems in my Traveller world (a bit of a transhuman element to my sci-fi), so next time, well get started on Ishee's first moon!
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Coming back to something vaguely resembling normal (Design Domingo #19)
“Permanent madness” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s only permanent if you don’t get cured. But curing insanity is no walk in the park. For many of us, the idea of curing our mental illness is as reasonable as promising someone with muscular dystrophy that you will cure their disability; however, that genre of mental illness is (mostly) not part of our discussion at the moment. By the time you’re that badly hung up on an issue, it’s sunk deep into your psyche. Seeking help at this point is like shutting the gate after the cows have wandered away. To get rid of a permanent insanity, you need a dedicated mind healer ~ of which few exist in the medieval world ~ to rid you of that final, fifth point in a Failed Trauma that drove you over the edge. The mind healer probably suggests you stay with them, retreating from the world ~ often a good idea. It’s also a major reason most of the small number of mind healers that exist live in peaceful monasteries or remote hermitages. You pack up your things, leave everything you know, and go to live somewhere tranquilly isolated to try and get better. (You can try unburdening to a friend as normal, but as you’ll see, it takes a lot longer once you’ve gone mad.) Every month of retreat, or every six months of regularly talking to a friend, you make a rank-0 TrFI+level 34 roll while the mind healer makes their rank-0 to rank-3 MeHH+Listening 39 roll. If both of you succeed then you can shake off your insanity and go back to Failed 4 in that Trauma—you’re not stable, but you’re okay, and you can leave the retreat and go back to merely talking it out with your friends. If either of you fails, you’re still insane. Needless to say, it’s a good idea to continue talking to your friends after this point to work the Failed Trauma down some more. Otherwise, all it takes is some spiteful dice on a single roll to knock you back into your insanity again.
"Nobody's perfect. We're all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels."
— Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses
"I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the King and queene: moult no feather. I have of late, (but wherefore I know not) lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition; that this goodly frame the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy the air, look you, this brave o'er hanging firmament, this majestical roof, fretted with golden fire: why, it appeareth no other thing to me, than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, In form and moving how express and admirable, In action how like an Angel, In apprehension how like a god, The beauty of the world, The paragon of animals. And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seem to say so."
--William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. ”
― Aristotle, Politics
"Nobody's perfect. We're all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels."
— Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses
"I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the King and queene: moult no feather. I have of late, (but wherefore I know not) lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition; that this goodly frame the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy the air, look you, this brave o'er hanging firmament, this majestical roof, fretted with golden fire: why, it appeareth no other thing to me, than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, In form and moving how express and admirable, In action how like an Angel, In apprehension how like a god, The beauty of the world, The paragon of animals. And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor Woman neither; though by your smiling you seem to say so."
--William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. ”
― Aristotle, Politics
Friday, October 26, 2018
Orcish is, shocklingly, not a tense language (Fantasy Friday #19)
Orcish does not express tenses (past, present, future). These ideas come across from context or other words in the sentence (such as inwoy “tomorrow”). The language does, however, indicate aspect: whether an action is completed or not yet completed, and whether an action is a single event or a continuing one. The absence of an aspectual suffix usually means that the action is not completed and is not continuous (that is, it is not one of the things indicated by the aspectual suffixes). Verbs with no aspectual suffix are translated by the English simple present tense.
nkigin /ᵑkĩ˦gĩ˦n/ “you see him/her/it”
quiquit /kʷĩ˦kʷĩ˦tʰ/ “I tell you”
When the context is appropriate, verbs without an aspectual suffix may be translated by the English future tense (“will”), but the real feeling of the Orcish is closer to English sentences such as “We fly tomorrow at dawn,” where the present-tense verb refers to an event in the future.
jihkhunkliq /d͡ʒɪ̃˨q͡χʌ̃˨ᵑklĩ˦x/ “I can sleep”
choginliq /t͡ʃɔ̃˞gĩ˦nlĩ˦x/ “you can see me”
noynoyrtoyliq /nõĩnõĩrtʰõĩlĩ˦x/ “he/she/it can kill us”
jihroynquoychoy’ /d͡ʒɪ̃˨rõĩnkʷõĩt͡ʃõĩʔ/ “I understand perfectly”
roytoy oyntoychoy’ /rõĩtʰõĩõĩntʰõĩt͡ʃõĩʔ/ “he/she/it threw the spear” (lit. “gave the spear”)
luhstoynuhj /lʌ̃˨ʂtʰõĩnʌ̃˨d͡ʒ/ “it is undoubtedly empty”
noytuhruhnuhj /nõĩtʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨nʌ̃˨d͡ʒ/ “he/she/it is certainly controlling us”
luhstoylis /lʌ̃˨ʂtʰõĩlĩ˦ʂ/ “it appears to be empty” “I think it’s empty”
noytuhruhlis /nõĩtʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨lĩ˦ʂ/ “he/she/it seems to be controlling us” “I suspect that he/she/it is controlling us”
nkigintoy’ /ᵑkĩ˦gĩ˦ntʰõĩʔ/ “you have seen him/her/it”
nkihnkirtoy’ /ᵑkɪ̃˨ᵑkĩ˦rtʰõĩʔ/ “I wanted them”
quiquittoy’ /kʷĩ˦kʷĩ˦tːʰõĩʔ/ “I told you”
rihnitti’ /rɪ̃˨nĩ˦tːʰĩ˦ʔ/ “I have acquired it”
luhnoyrtoyti’ /lʌ̃˨nõĩrtʰõĩtʰĩ˦ʔ/ “they have killed him/her/it” (could not be used if the killing were the result of a general attack not intended to kill a specific person or if the killing were an accident)
luhnoyrtoytoy’ /lʌ̃˨nõĩrtʰõĩtʰõĩʔ/ “they have killed him/her/it” (used if the killing were the result of a general attack not intended to kill a specific person or if the killing were an accident)
luhnoyrtoy tuhluhtiq /lʌ̃˨nõĩrtʰõĩtʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨tʰĩ˦x/ “they have killed him/her/it” (used when the death is a fait accompli)
rihnit tuhluhtiq /rɪ̃˨nĩ˦tːʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨tʰĩ˦x/ “I have purchased it” (used when it is done, and it cannot be undone)
noylilquoytiq /nõĩlĩ˦lkʷõĩtʰĩ˦x/ “it is approaching us”
gihlilquoytiq /gɪ̃˨lĩ˦lkʷõĩtʰĩ˦x/ “steady on course!” “maintain this course!”
gihuhs /gɪ̃˨ʌ̃˨ʂ/ “execute an evasive maneuver!” (to be executed once only)
gihuhstiq /gɪ̃˨ʌ̃˨ʂtʰĩ˦x/ “take evasive action!” (a series of maneuvers is to be executed)
tingwoy /tʰĩ˦ŋwõĩ/: (verb) to read (written matter)
tilittoy /tʰĩ˦lĩ˦tːʰõĩ/: (verb) to be silver-colored
tilinknoy /tʰĩ˦lĩ˦ᵑknõĩ/: (verb) to be made of silver
-tiq /.tʰĩ˦x/: (aspectual suffix) continuous; indicates an action is ongoing
-ti’ /.tʰĩ˦ʔ/: (aspectual suffix) accomplished; done; used when an activity was deliberately undertaken, the implication being that someone set out to do something and in fact did it; English translations seldom reveal the distinction
-toy’ /.tʰõĩʔ/: (aspectual suffix) perfective; indicates that an action is completed; often translated by the English present perfect (“have done something”)
tuhquoyl /tʰʌ̃˨kʷõĩl/: (verb) to play
tuhruh /tʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨/: (verb) to wield; to control; to govern; to master; to defeat; to have victory over; to conquer; to win
tuhluh /tʰʌ̃˨lʌ̃˨/: (verb) to be finished; to be ended; to be the last thing or person in a series or sequence of events (and, yes, Orcish poetry makes good use of tuhruh and tuhluh sounding so similar)
tuhluhtiq /tʰʌ̃˨lʌ̃˨tʰĩ˦x/: (verb form) it continues to be finished; it remains accomplished; used to indicate that the action denoted by the preceding verb; is a fait accompli: it is done, and it cannot be undone; the English translations of tuhluhtiq and -ti’ are usually the same. The notion of absolute finality implied by tuhluhtiq seldom comes across; sometimes used for dramatic effect, even in cases when the action could be undone.
inwoy /ĩ˦nwõĩ/: (adverb) tomorrow
quistoy /kʷĩ˦ʂtʰõĩ/: (verb) to start; to begin
quir /kʷĩ˦r/: (verb) to turn (something)
quillo /kʷĩ˦lːɔ̃˞/: (verb) to call
quoyntquoy /kʷõĩntʰkʷõĩ/: (verb) to add; to augment
soys /ʂõĩʂ/: (verb) to believe (that statements, reports, traditions, etc. are true); to accept as fact (not used with a person as object in the sense of believing that this person tells the truth; with a noun, name or corresponding pronoun as object, implies “I believe that he/she/it really exists/existed”; to “believe in” someone meaning “believe that (s)he tells the truth” can be paraphrased by means of constructions like “I believe in Ilissoyr’s words” (lit. speaking))
soynkoy /ʂõĩᵑkõĩ/: (verb) to protect; to keep
owtoy /autʰõĩ/: (verb) to go away; to leave; to be gone; to be lost; to vanish; to depart; to die; to be past and over
khinquoy /q͡χĩ˦nkʷõĩ/: (verb) to do a thing; to make a thing (with fine work); to work
khil /q͡χĩ˦l/: (verb) to feel; to have an impulse
khilnki /q͡χĩ˦lᵑkĩ˦/: (noun) feeling; impulse; emotion
-choy’ /.t͡ʃõĩʔ/: (qualificatory suffix) clearly; perfectly
nkowri /ᵑkaurĩ˦/: (verb) to need
nkoynquoy /ᵑkõĩnkʷõĩ/: (verb) to bless; to help; to afford grace; to wish that (something) be blessed; to wish that (something) be helped; to wish that (something) be afforded grace
nkoyror /ᵑkõĩrõĩ/: (verb) to be good; to be useful; to be fit; to be liked (the one who likes receives the -rink suffix and the one liked is the subject of the sentence; despite being a passive construction, it’s often best translated actively: “A likes B”)
nit /nĩ˦tʰ/: (verb) to get; to acquire; to purchase
noyrtoy /nõĩrtʰõĩ/: (verb) to slay; to kill; to destroy
-nuhj /.nʌ̃˨d͡ʒ/: (qualificatory suffix) certainly; undoubtedly
oyntoy /õĩntʰõĩ/: (verb) to give; sometimes with an ironic tone to refer to missiles (usually the recipient of the thing given is given the -rink or -nkig suffixes, but there is also a construction similar to English “present someone with something” in which the recipient is the object and the gift appears with the suffix -mo')
roytoy /rõĩtʰõĩ/: (noun) spear
roynquoy /rõĩnkʷõĩ/: (verb) to understand; to know about; to be skilled in dealing with
-lis /.lĩ˦ʂ/: (qualificatory suffix) seemingly; apparently; expresses any uncertainty on the speaker’s part; I think; I suspect
-liq /.lĩ˦x/: (potentive suffix) can; able
loys /lõĩʂ/: (verb) to yield; to allow; to grant; to let
luhstoy /lʌ̃˨ʂtʰõĩ/: (verb) to be empty); (noun) void
uhs /ʌ̃˨ʂ/: (verb) to escape; to dodge; to avoid; to evade
nkigin /ᵑkĩ˦gĩ˦n/ “you see him/her/it”
quiquit /kʷĩ˦kʷĩ˦tʰ/ “I tell you”
When the context is appropriate, verbs without an aspectual suffix may be translated by the English future tense (“will”), but the real feeling of the Orcish is closer to English sentences such as “We fly tomorrow at dawn,” where the present-tense verb refers to an event in the future.
jihkhunkliq /d͡ʒɪ̃˨q͡χʌ̃˨ᵑklĩ˦x/ “I can sleep”
choginliq /t͡ʃɔ̃˞gĩ˦nlĩ˦x/ “you can see me”
noynoyrtoyliq /nõĩnõĩrtʰõĩlĩ˦x/ “he/she/it can kill us”
jihroynquoychoy’ /d͡ʒɪ̃˨rõĩnkʷõĩt͡ʃõĩʔ/ “I understand perfectly”
roytoy oyntoychoy’ /rõĩtʰõĩõĩntʰõĩt͡ʃõĩʔ/ “he/she/it threw the spear” (lit. “gave the spear”)
luhstoynuhj /lʌ̃˨ʂtʰõĩnʌ̃˨d͡ʒ/ “it is undoubtedly empty”
noytuhruhnuhj /nõĩtʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨nʌ̃˨d͡ʒ/ “he/she/it is certainly controlling us”
luhstoylis /lʌ̃˨ʂtʰõĩlĩ˦ʂ/ “it appears to be empty” “I think it’s empty”
noytuhruhlis /nõĩtʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨lĩ˦ʂ/ “he/she/it seems to be controlling us” “I suspect that he/she/it is controlling us”
nkigintoy’ /ᵑkĩ˦gĩ˦ntʰõĩʔ/ “you have seen him/her/it”
nkihnkirtoy’ /ᵑkɪ̃˨ᵑkĩ˦rtʰõĩʔ/ “I wanted them”
quiquittoy’ /kʷĩ˦kʷĩ˦tːʰõĩʔ/ “I told you”
rihnitti’ /rɪ̃˨nĩ˦tːʰĩ˦ʔ/ “I have acquired it”
luhnoyrtoyti’ /lʌ̃˨nõĩrtʰõĩtʰĩ˦ʔ/ “they have killed him/her/it” (could not be used if the killing were the result of a general attack not intended to kill a specific person or if the killing were an accident)
luhnoyrtoytoy’ /lʌ̃˨nõĩrtʰõĩtʰõĩʔ/ “they have killed him/her/it” (used if the killing were the result of a general attack not intended to kill a specific person or if the killing were an accident)
luhnoyrtoy tuhluhtiq /lʌ̃˨nõĩrtʰõĩtʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨tʰĩ˦x/ “they have killed him/her/it” (used when the death is a fait accompli)
rihnit tuhluhtiq /rɪ̃˨nĩ˦tːʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨tʰĩ˦x/ “I have purchased it” (used when it is done, and it cannot be undone)
noylilquoytiq /nõĩlĩ˦lkʷõĩtʰĩ˦x/ “it is approaching us”
gihlilquoytiq /gɪ̃˨lĩ˦lkʷõĩtʰĩ˦x/ “steady on course!” “maintain this course!”
gihuhs /gɪ̃˨ʌ̃˨ʂ/ “execute an evasive maneuver!” (to be executed once only)
gihuhstiq /gɪ̃˨ʌ̃˨ʂtʰĩ˦x/ “take evasive action!” (a series of maneuvers is to be executed)
tingwoy /tʰĩ˦ŋwõĩ/: (verb) to read (written matter)
tilittoy /tʰĩ˦lĩ˦tːʰõĩ/: (verb) to be silver-colored
tilinknoy /tʰĩ˦lĩ˦ᵑknõĩ/: (verb) to be made of silver
-tiq /.tʰĩ˦x/: (aspectual suffix) continuous; indicates an action is ongoing
-ti’ /.tʰĩ˦ʔ/: (aspectual suffix) accomplished; done; used when an activity was deliberately undertaken, the implication being that someone set out to do something and in fact did it; English translations seldom reveal the distinction
-toy’ /.tʰõĩʔ/: (aspectual suffix) perfective; indicates that an action is completed; often translated by the English present perfect (“have done something”)
tuhquoyl /tʰʌ̃˨kʷõĩl/: (verb) to play
tuhruh /tʰʌ̃˨rʌ̃˨/: (verb) to wield; to control; to govern; to master; to defeat; to have victory over; to conquer; to win
tuhluh /tʰʌ̃˨lʌ̃˨/: (verb) to be finished; to be ended; to be the last thing or person in a series or sequence of events (and, yes, Orcish poetry makes good use of tuhruh and tuhluh sounding so similar)
tuhluhtiq /tʰʌ̃˨lʌ̃˨tʰĩ˦x/: (verb form) it continues to be finished; it remains accomplished; used to indicate that the action denoted by the preceding verb; is a fait accompli: it is done, and it cannot be undone; the English translations of tuhluhtiq and -ti’ are usually the same. The notion of absolute finality implied by tuhluhtiq seldom comes across; sometimes used for dramatic effect, even in cases when the action could be undone.
inwoy /ĩ˦nwõĩ/: (adverb) tomorrow
quistoy /kʷĩ˦ʂtʰõĩ/: (verb) to start; to begin
quir /kʷĩ˦r/: (verb) to turn (something)
quillo /kʷĩ˦lːɔ̃˞/: (verb) to call
quoyntquoy /kʷõĩntʰkʷõĩ/: (verb) to add; to augment
soys /ʂõĩʂ/: (verb) to believe (that statements, reports, traditions, etc. are true); to accept as fact (not used with a person as object in the sense of believing that this person tells the truth; with a noun, name or corresponding pronoun as object, implies “I believe that he/she/it really exists/existed”; to “believe in” someone meaning “believe that (s)he tells the truth” can be paraphrased by means of constructions like “I believe in Ilissoyr’s words” (lit. speaking))
soynkoy /ʂõĩᵑkõĩ/: (verb) to protect; to keep
owtoy /autʰõĩ/: (verb) to go away; to leave; to be gone; to be lost; to vanish; to depart; to die; to be past and over
khinquoy /q͡χĩ˦nkʷõĩ/: (verb) to do a thing; to make a thing (with fine work); to work
khil /q͡χĩ˦l/: (verb) to feel; to have an impulse
khilnki /q͡χĩ˦lᵑkĩ˦/: (noun) feeling; impulse; emotion
-choy’ /.t͡ʃõĩʔ/: (qualificatory suffix) clearly; perfectly
nkowri /ᵑkaurĩ˦/: (verb) to need
nkoynquoy /ᵑkõĩnkʷõĩ/: (verb) to bless; to help; to afford grace; to wish that (something) be blessed; to wish that (something) be helped; to wish that (something) be afforded grace
nkoyror /ᵑkõĩrõĩ/: (verb) to be good; to be useful; to be fit; to be liked (the one who likes receives the -rink suffix and the one liked is the subject of the sentence; despite being a passive construction, it’s often best translated actively: “A likes B”)
nit /nĩ˦tʰ/: (verb) to get; to acquire; to purchase
noyrtoy /nõĩrtʰõĩ/: (verb) to slay; to kill; to destroy
-nuhj /.nʌ̃˨d͡ʒ/: (qualificatory suffix) certainly; undoubtedly
oyntoy /õĩntʰõĩ/: (verb) to give; sometimes with an ironic tone to refer to missiles (usually the recipient of the thing given is given the -rink or -nkig suffixes, but there is also a construction similar to English “present someone with something” in which the recipient is the object and the gift appears with the suffix -mo')
roytoy /rõĩtʰõĩ/: (noun) spear
roynquoy /rõĩnkʷõĩ/: (verb) to understand; to know about; to be skilled in dealing with
-lis /.lĩ˦ʂ/: (qualificatory suffix) seemingly; apparently; expresses any uncertainty on the speaker’s part; I think; I suspect
-liq /.lĩ˦x/: (potentive suffix) can; able
loys /lõĩʂ/: (verb) to yield; to allow; to grant; to let
luhstoy /lʌ̃˨ʂtʰõĩ/: (verb) to be empty); (noun) void
uhs /ʌ̃˨ʂ/: (verb) to escape; to dodge; to avoid; to evade
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
It's getting hot in here, so take off all your mesh armor? (Traveller Tuesday #18)
Ishee doesn't have the technology to have any orbital cities, and its level of personal military technology is commensurate with its space transportation, thanks to a roll of 6 on 2d6. TL4 personal military technology is marked by guns with cartridges of ammo (rather than individually loaded) and mesh jackets. Thanks to a rolled 8 (and it being based off of land transport TL rather than energy), Ishee has further developed its heavy military technology, to a TL of 5. That means that those cartridge-loading, mesh-jacketed infantryfolk might face mortars and soft steel emplacements. That's the same level as Ishee's medical technology, by the way, which seems to indicate that large-scale war is about as dangerous and lethal as you'd expect, but more one-on-one or small-squad combats are actually a bit safer than you'd think. There's a lot of calling in the cavalry (and with TL7 air transport, air strikes!) in Isheean combat.
It's now time to consider Ishee's novelty technology level, which is rather important for this planet in particular, given its culture. Perhaps obviously, said tech level will be an import tech level. Maybe I should say “import” because, although I'm gonna determine it the same way (highest tech level from among the nearby Class A Starports), it actually represents the various bleeding-edge attempts at paradigm-shifters churned out by the Isheean elite (especially in the Guild-State).
Although balkanized worlds often end up with an Amber travel code, it actually seems a rather peaceful place, without much danger to the modern astronaut from most of the tech natively available there and most conflict being in the realms of contract law or technological innovation. In light of all that and the FutureShockFest, I decide that Ishee gets a Green code.
Now, it's just time to answer any lingering questions about Ishee, locking down our final vision of the planet. Including a more detailed temperature calculation, which is where we begin. We'll be plugging various modifiers into the final worksheet, which will look something like this:
It looks complicated (and it kinda is), but this allows us to get a view of seasonal, time-of-day, and latitude effects on the planet's temperature, which is invaluable for figuring out the patterns of life on Ishee. I'm hoping there's a significant space-time window for baseline humans to wander the surface unprotected!
Ishee's orbit is entirely ineccentric, so there is no orbital eccentricity effect on its temperature. At size 2, there's a 4º difference between the hexrows. The effects of Ishee's axial tilt are more complicated. As a reminder, that tilt is 21º, which gives us a base increase in temperature during summer of 12.6º C and decrease during winter of -21º C. That increase is then applied inequally across the planet's hexrows ~ in Ishee's case, the first three rows don't experience a seasonal temperature shift, with hexrows 4, 5, and 6 experiencing ¼, ½, and ¾ of those base shifts. Hexrows 7 and all the way from there to the polls experience the full seasonal difference in temperature.
Ishee's day is 19 Earth-days, 57 minutes, and 36 seconds long. Let's call it 19.04 days for these calculations. That means that night and day are each 9.52 days long. Then, we figure out the rotation-luminosity factor: L/√D (the effective combined luminosity of the two stars divided by the square root of Ishee's distance from the primary star). 0.506/√0.2=1.13, which means that each hour of daylight increases the temperature by 0.565º C to a maximum of +1006.04º C. Of course, that large of an increase would take more than 74 days, so the actual maximum is going to be +129.09º C. Similarly, nighttime (whose effects are easier to calculate) drops the temperature by 1º C every hour to a minimum of -53.42º C.
It's now time to consider Ishee's novelty technology level, which is rather important for this planet in particular, given its culture. Perhaps obviously, said tech level will be an import tech level. Maybe I should say “import” because, although I'm gonna determine it the same way (highest tech level from among the nearby Class A Starports), it actually represents the various bleeding-edge attempts at paradigm-shifters churned out by the Isheean elite (especially in the Guild-State).
Although balkanized worlds often end up with an Amber travel code, it actually seems a rather peaceful place, without much danger to the modern astronaut from most of the tech natively available there and most conflict being in the realms of contract law or technological innovation. In light of all that and the FutureShockFest, I decide that Ishee gets a Green code.
Now, it's just time to answer any lingering questions about Ishee, locking down our final vision of the planet. Including a more detailed temperature calculation, which is where we begin. We'll be plugging various modifiers into the final worksheet, which will look something like this:
Col:
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
Hex Row
|
Base Temp
|
Latitude Mod
|
Col 1+2
|
Summer Plus
|
Daytime Plus
|
Orbit Ecc Plus
|
Highest Possible Temp 3+4+5+6
|
Winter Minus
|
Nighttime Minus
|
Orbit Ecc Minus
|
Lowest Possible Temp 3+8+ 9+10
|
1
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
2
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
3
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
4
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
5
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
6
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
7
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
8
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
9
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
10
|
83.12º C
| ||||||||||
11
|
83.12º C
|
It looks complicated (and it kinda is), but this allows us to get a view of seasonal, time-of-day, and latitude effects on the planet's temperature, which is invaluable for figuring out the patterns of life on Ishee. I'm hoping there's a significant space-time window for baseline humans to wander the surface unprotected!
Ishee's orbit is entirely ineccentric, so there is no orbital eccentricity effect on its temperature. At size 2, there's a 4º difference between the hexrows. The effects of Ishee's axial tilt are more complicated. As a reminder, that tilt is 21º, which gives us a base increase in temperature during summer of 12.6º C and decrease during winter of -21º C. That increase is then applied inequally across the planet's hexrows ~ in Ishee's case, the first three rows don't experience a seasonal temperature shift, with hexrows 4, 5, and 6 experiencing ¼, ½, and ¾ of those base shifts. Hexrows 7 and all the way from there to the polls experience the full seasonal difference in temperature.
Ishee's day is 19 Earth-days, 57 minutes, and 36 seconds long. Let's call it 19.04 days for these calculations. That means that night and day are each 9.52 days long. Then, we figure out the rotation-luminosity factor: L/√D (the effective combined luminosity of the two stars divided by the square root of Ishee's distance from the primary star). 0.506/√0.2=1.13, which means that each hour of daylight increases the temperature by 0.565º C to a maximum of +1006.04º C. Of course, that large of an increase would take more than 74 days, so the actual maximum is going to be +129.09º C. Similarly, nighttime (whose effects are easier to calculate) drops the temperature by 1º C every hour to a minimum of -53.42º C.
Col:
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
Hex Row
|
Base Temp
|
Latitude Mod
|
Col 1+2
|
Summer Plus
|
Daytime Plus
|
Orbit Ecc Plus
|
Highest Possible Temp 3+4+5+6
|
Winter Minus
|
Nighttime Minus
|
Orbit Ecc Minus
|
Lowest Possible Temp 3+8+ 9+10
|
1
|
83.12º C
|
+12
|
95.12º C
|
0
|
+129.09
|
0
|
224.21º C
|
0
|
-53.42
|
0
|
41.7º C
|
2
|
83.12º C
|
+8
|
91.12º C
|
0
|
+129.09
|
0
|
220.21º C
|
0
|
-53.42
|
0
|
37.7º C
|
3
|
83.12º C
|
+4
|
87.12º C
|
0
|
+129.09
|
0
|
216.21º C
|
0
|
-53.42
|
0
|
33.7º C
|
4
|
83.12º C
|
0
|
83.12º C
|
+3.15
|
+129.09
|
0
|
215.36º C
|
-5.25
|
-53.42
|
0
|
24.45º C
|
5
|
83.12º C
|
-4
|
79.12º C
|
+6.3
|
+129.09
|
0
|
214.49º C
|
-10.5
|
-53.42
|
0
|
15.2º C
|
6
|
83.12º C
|
-8
|
75.12º C
|
+9.45
|
+129.09
|
0
|
213.66º C
|
-15.75
|
-53.42
|
0
|
5.95º C
|
7
|
83.12º C
|
-12
|
71.12º C
|
+12.6
|
+129.09
|
0
|
212.81º C
|
-21
|
-53.42
|
0
|
-3.3º C
|
8
|
83.12º C
|
-16
|
67.12º C
|
+12.6
|
+129.09
|
0
|
208.81º C
|
-21
|
-53.42
|
0
|
-7.3º C
|
9
|
83.12º C
|
-20
|
63.12º C
|
+12.6
|
+129.09
|
0
|
204.81º C
|
-21
|
-53.42
|
0
|
-11.3º C
|
10
|
83.12º C
|
-24
|
59.12º C
|
+12.6
|
+129.09
|
0
|
200.81º C
|
-21
|
-53.42
|
0
|
-15.3º C
|
11
|
83.12º C
|
-28
|
55.12º C
|
+12.6
|
+129.09
|
0
|
196.81º C
|
-21
|
-53.42
|
0
|
-19.3º C
|
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