*************************************************** Utheveger lines and cultures *************************************************** There are four lines of Uthevegers, who differ in abilities and primary professions. They have some things in common: - All of them speak the Uthish language. - All are human in genetics and origin. - All of them have a human appearance, at least part of the time. - Through interbreeding with non-Utheveger humans, they maintain the same diversity of appearance as humans in general. Recognizable as Uthevegers only by their tattoos. - All of them can transform to other shapes, either through innate ability or with the help of members of another line. - All of them can create magical portals to other universes and to other places within the same universe. The limits on these abilities vary by the line. Each line of Uthevegers has its own set of uniforms, which are enchanted to conform to whatever body shape the wearer currently has. All Uthevegers learn how to deal in information, travel planning, and imported and exported goods, as well as learning combat skills to defend their organization. How much they use each skill varies by family line and by individual. In modern times, no line of Uthevegers is primarily military. Each line focuses on certain peaceful types of work. In wartime, soldiers can be drawn from all lines. ************************************************** The Four Lines ************************************************** ********************* *** FERETHER *** ********************* International name: Ferether Uthish name: Frethere Political power: Mostly low, but good at slow influence. Universe travel ability: Low, except for one ability. Local portal ability: Low passenger count and range. Transformation ability: Very low. Portals: - Can travel alone or with small objects through either universe portals or local portals. - Cannot bring passengers unless they are small enough to carry. However, they are able to send another normal-sized person through a portal instead of themselves. - (This is an ability that other lines have with local portals, but Ferether are the only ones who can do it with universe portals as well.) - All portals have safeguards, and will not open to a deadly location or close on a person who is passing through. - A person can hold a portal open indefinitely by standing in it, although this takes energy and will eventually exhaust them. - If they wait so long they lose control of it, the portal will close while shifting location until it leaves their body on one side or another. - Local portals are limited to travel of about ten kilometers at a time. Transformation: - They have no innate transformation ability, but can be transformed by others who do. - (Many are also adept at designing magic amulets to accomplish things they have no natural aptitude for, including transformation.) History: - Distrustful of the Poala, whom they view as too powerful. Opposed to the idea of extreme power in the hands of any group. - Often activists for change, and critical of the way Uthevegers in general do things. - Some have even committed acts of violence in the name of protest. - This is all quite unusual for Uthevegers, and earns them distrust from other clans. - But they've been responsible for most of the progress Uthevegers have made, both technologically and ethically. Specialty: - Usually work as traveling merchants who deal in valuable imported and exported goods. - Also very successful as researchers, developing new magical techniques to improve the work and life of all Utheveger lines. - As opponents of excessive power, they have little interest in increasing the range of their own innate abilities, or anyone else's. Just fine-tuning the work, making everyone better at what they do. Their efforts aren't always appreciated by other lines. Uniform: - Regardless of gender, all wear knee-length brown skirts, long-sleeved white shirts, open-toed brown boots, and tan wraparound suit jackets. - Rank and occupation are indicated by the colors of the trim on jacket and skirt and boots, as well as the number and colors of the half-circular decorations along the sash of the jacket. ********************* *** TALGENER *** ********************* International name: Talgener Uthish name: Tlegnere Political power: High. Universe travel ability: Reasonable, frequent and safe. Local portal ability: Passenger count low; range moderate. Transformation ability: Super-high. Portals: - Talgeners can transport up to three people through universe portals any time they want. - Can travel alone or with one passenger through local portals. - All portals have the usual safeguards. - Local portals are limited to travel on the surface of one planet. - Portals are used for combat, as an aid to mobility. Portal-related martial arts focus on the skill of using them to move oneself into advantageous positions and move the enemy into vulnerable positions. Transformation: - Can shape-shift at will, choosing any form at any time. - Can also transform other individuals of most known species. History: - Closest allies of the Poala. - Used to be military. Still often work as bodyguards and law enforcement. Specialty: - Often deal in information, working as spies and reporters. - The first choice of transportation for the famous and powerful, due to their skill as bodyguards, and their ability to disguise themselves and their passengers if needed. - Many also serve as sex workers, transforming themselves and their passengers to act out fantasies during the vacation. Uniform: - Very simple close-fitting long black pants, shirt, and boots, whose appearance is altered during transformation spells to fit the needs of the situation. - Rank and occupation are indicated by the colors of the seams and the pattern of the boot closure, as well as the number, placement and colors of the pips on the belt. ********************* *** ZEGMER *** ********************* International name: Zegmer Uthish name: Gzegmere Political power: Moderate. Universe travel ability: Very high, frequent and safe. Local portal ability: Very high in passenger count and range. Transformation ability: Low. Portals: - Can transport up to seven people at a time through either local portals or universe portals, any time they want. - All portals have the usual safeguards. - Local portals are limited to travel within one solar system. Transformation: - Can transform others of most species, but not themselves. Can be transformed by each other, or by others who have that ability. History: - Used to be explorers and help transport the military. Specialty: - Transporting large numbers of passengers who either don't need a guide or have other guides arranged. - Sometimes, transforming them in preparation for their travel. - Often transport several groups each way per day. Don't do much exploring anymore, but still are the go-to transport for exploration and research teams from any world. Uniform: - Dark-gray long pants, light-colored shirts and jackets with red trim. Small round red hats. Short boots made of brown leather, with intricate seams that magically adapt their shape to follow the contours of the wearer's feet in any form. - Rank and occupation are indicated by the pips on the hat and an accent on one side of the shirt collar, as well as the pattern and color of the circular symbols along the sleeve of the jacket. ******************** *** POALA *** ******************** International name: Poala Uthish name: Prere Political power: Super-high. Universe travel ability: Very high, but infrequent and risky. Local portal ability: Very high and frequent, but risky. Transformation ability: Low and chaotic. Portals: - The Poala can transport many people at once, through both local and universal portals. - The number of people is limited only by a 30-second time window and the maximum size of the portal-- usually three times the height of the caster, which is larger than the portals made by any other line of Uthevegers. - Universe portals cannot be closed off before the 30-second window ends, or extended beyond it. - For the Poala, universe portals can ONLY be created at one time of the month. This is believed to be a curse (further discussed in the next section). - With universe portals, the Utheveger whose magic was used to make the portal must go first, followed by others holding hands in a chain. - Everyone must pass through before closing, or severe injury or death can result. The portal has no safeguard against this. Poala transporting passengers must take many precautions, but the high number of passengers they can transport is deemed worth it. - Local portals can be created at any time, and have a long range. They are used for travel between nations, planets, and even star systems. - They can also be used for very deadly combat. They can be made at any time and closed off at any time. The maker may enter a portal to facilitate movement during combat, or may push enemies into it and close it off deliberately to cause death or injury. - Poala can open portals even to deadly places; their power has no safeguard in this way either. Transformation: - None of the Poala have any innate ability to transform themselves or others by choice. They can be transformed by others who have that ability, but their own transformation powers are out of their control. - All of them are were-creatures who go into heat and transform to an animalistic form, on a monthly cycle, varying by individual. - All of them can create universe portals ONLY after mating during heat. - The transformations vary widely between individuals, and often include sex change as well. - However, normally each person takes the same were-creature form every month. - For one Poala to have multiple animal forms is exceedingly rare. A random were-everything like Avery is unheard of. - Avery's retaining of dragon traits from her first transformation is also abnormal. Normal Poala return fully to their human form, half a month after heat. History: - They were historically the most powerful of the Uthevegers, making pivotal decisions that affected the history of all lines. They chose the planet that would form the Utheveger headquarters. Their own headquarters is very near the default home location on that world. - It is believed that their were-creature "curse" was put on them by an enemy who wished to limit their power. - Culture has adapted to the curse. One is expected to have a mate accessible at all times, and to be willing to take other mates if the primary one is unavailable when needed. - Talk of sex is very practical and unemotional. It's readily discussed among Poala as a part of the necessary preparation for travel. - The emotional and physical loss of control during heat and transformation is NOT discussed unless absolutely necessary. - The details of the curse are NOT shared with outsiders. Even other Uthevegers are only told if necessary. - The most that non-Uthevegers know is that the Poala can shape-shift, and that they always travel with a partner. And that each Poala will only transport passengers on certain days, and will arrive at the appointment having recently transformed to a different appearance. Specialty: - Transporting large groups, and acting as guides for them while they travel (since they can't jump universe again for a month anyway). Their headquarters is a travel agency sought after by citizens of many universes. - Since their passenger transportation ability is so valued but so rarely available, everyone must learn every position in the company. - These include the jobs of Transit Officer, Scheduling Officer, Financial Officer, Security Officer, Publicist, and Supervisor. There's a great deal of bureaucracy behind their main work. - The Poala work in shifts, so that whenever it's anyone's time to travel, they can immediately go take on passengers and have someone to cover for their homeside duties. - Each person follows a general schedule: outward travel, guide duty, homebound travel, a month of covering for other workers at headquarters, and then outward travel again. Uniform: - A low-necked light teal shirt with long, dark-teal-and-gray jacket and a silk scarf in a color denoting rank. - Thigh-high brown boots made mostly of flexible fabric. - Rank and occupation are indicated by the color of the scarf and belt buckle, as well as the number and colors of the pips on the belt. - Teal pants or skirts, depending on current physical sex. - As in most societies that differentiate clothing by sex, the skirts are for those who are physically male. More room for all the parts. - Our universe is an outlier in that regard, and is viewed as backward. ************************************************ UTHEVEGER CULTURE AND INHERITANCE ************************************************ Uthevegers are definitely a type of humans. - The only things that differentiate them from other humans are the sets of powers that come with the title of Utheveger-- which can theoretically be passed on to any human. - Theoretically. - In practice, the power is passed almost exclusively to blood relatives, preferably offspring. Lineage: - Uthevegers are secretive and clannish. - Their powers are not genetic traits, but heirloom possessions which are passed on from parent to child through a magic ceremony at the time of the parent's death. - So when two Uthevegers of different family lines have children together, each parent's heir inherits different powers, and only two of the children can be heirs at all. - "Family line" is really an inexact term. Unlike human family lines, a line of Uthevegers can't be mixed with another line through marriage. Both lines go on, with powers undiluted, through different offspring. - And unlike most hereditary titles in our world, there are no gender or age rules in the selection of heirs. - If a mother and father, both Uthevegers, have a bunch of kids of all different ages and sexes, both parents will have heirs, and the age and sex of each kid have no bearing on who inherits from whom. - They have to decide amongst themselves who the heirs will be. Firstborn, secondborn, same or different gender from the parent, it makes no difference. - It's decided based on the family's collective judgment of who is best suited for it. The children's desires and the parents' evaluation of them will both play a part. Death: - Factors of convenience may also end up coming into play in inheritance... like who happens to be nearby when a parent dies. - But this isn't usually such a big deal, because a dead Utheveger's power lingers on the remains for a few years after death, even if cremated. - It's nice to be able to say goodbye and gain one's inheritance at the same time, but inheriting one's power from a dead parent's ashes is perfectly respectable too. Romance: - It's also important to note that, although the mom-dad-and-kids nuclear family in this example does happen in Utheveger society, it isn't the norm. - It's more common for each Utheveger to have several short-lived partnerships throughout life, based more on convenience than romance. - When couples split up, it isn't seen as a failure, just a change in one's life, like getting a new job or moving to a new city. - (Family is important to Uthevegers, but definitely not in the same way that it's important to most people in our world.) - If a split happens, any children produced by the affair split up too, with each parent taking whichever children they prefer. - Of course there can still be vicious custody battles. - Especially if the relationship produced only one child and neither partner has children from other partnerships. - Because then losing the custody battle means losing your only heir. ************************************************** INTERBREEDING WITH OTHERS ************************************************** Uthevegers do occasionally reproduce with non-Utheveger humans. - It's considered less than optimal, but better than dying without children. - Children of such unions are considered fully legitimate heirs to the Utheveger parent. - There is no stigma against it. Uthevegers understand the dangers of being too inbred, and they appreciate the service done for genetic diversity when some individuals take mates from outside the tribe. - But most of them hope that they themselves will not have to do it. - In such partnerships, the Utheveger rarely becomes very close to the non-Utheveger mate, since there are such strong inhibitions against sharing Utheveger secrets with outsiders. With non-humans: - There have been no known cases of Utheveger power being passed on to a child conceived with a non-human. - In Melmel-melmel and other related universes, there are many species that are mentally similar to humans, and able to have romantic and sexual relationships with humans. - None of these species have been known to interbreed with humans naturally, but conception is possible with magic intervention. - Uthevegers very, very rarely use these conception methods. - It is believed that any child born to an Utheveger and a non-human species would be unable to become an heir. This is probably true. - Attempts to pass on the Utheveger power to an heir who's not fully human have all failed. - But then, there haven't been many such attempts. - Failed attempts result in the power being permanently lost. - Uthevegers would rather not risk it. ************************************************ INCREASING UTHEVEGER NUMBERS ************************************************* Typically, Utheveger power can only be left to one heir per parent. - So you might assume that the total number of Uthevegers can never increase. - And you might wonder how there got to be multiple Uthevegers in the first place. The latter question is still something of a mystery. - There are various origin myths for the Uthevegers, none with any hard evidence. - Whatever occurred to create them, it almost certainly involved deliberate acts of magic on the part of many powerful individuals. - But it was very, very long ago, and no definite records remain. - Even the magic of the Utheveger power itself is mysterious, not lending itself to easy analysis or manipulation, even by the most talented modern mages. However, as for increasing the number of Uthevegers: - There is one circumstance where a parent can have multiple heirs. - This happens in the case of identical twins. - Both twins can be heir to the same parent, and this is considered a very joyous event. - Identical twins are about as rare as they are on our world, but much more celebrated when they happen. - It's speculated that the reason this is possible has to do with the magic involved in passing on the inheritance. - It's made to be passed on to only one person. But since identical twins are genetically so much alike, this particular spell may treat them as if they were the same person. - Fraternal twins can't do this, only identical twins. - Triplets and other multiple births can also do it, as long as they're identical (grown from the same egg and sperm). - Uthevegers are able to sense whether twins are identical or fraternal, regardless of their level of outward resemblance. - Uthevegers also have a strong magical ability to sense their own biological relatives of any type-- which helps them in making sure their heirs are legitimate. Family branches: - Because of identical twins, there can be more than one family branch within a line of Uthevegers. - Members of the Poala line, for example, all have the same powers and the same secrets, but there are several genetic family lines within it. - These lines date back to times when a line branched into twin heirs. - Some of these branches happened so far back that the genetics of the twins have by now been mixed with many generations of different non-Poala mates. - So a Poala can often choose another Poala as a partner, because there are different Poala lines that are genetically distant enough to mate without the risks of inbreeding. Magical reproductive techniques - There are magical techniques, with limited success, for increasing the chance of having twins. - They've got about the same limitations and risks as fertility treatments in our world. - Uthevegers also have natural powers of transformation, allowing them to decide what body parts they have at any given time. - This allows reproduction between any two individuals, regardless of what sexes they started out as. - (That's why there are so few societal expectations regarding sex and gender.) - It's also possible to save your own sperm from one form and then impregnate yourself with it in a different form. - But this results in very inbred offspring, so it's not a good idea. - (Some Uthevegers have done it in desperation when they thought it was their only chance of having an heir. But those heirs were often sterile and were usually shunned by potential mates, so it didn't keep the line going much longer.) - So far, there are not any techniques that allow more than two people to have offspring together. - Uthevegers don't really have much interest in trying to do this. - They practice polygamy sometimes, but each child has only two biological parents. - Having more would just lead to more fighting over heirs. ********************************************** THE NEED FOR HEIRS ********************************************** A deeply important goal for almost every Utheveger is knowing that there will be an heir to take on your power after you die. - This desire is so strong, and so near-universal, that the Utheveger power has been compared to a virus (despite the severe limits on its reproduction, increasing numbers only when twins occur). - It may have survived so many generations just because it alters the desires of its host in such a way as to make almost certain it gets passed on. There are a few other personality traits that seem to magically appear with becoming an Utheveger. - (As a side note, Avery is also unusual in the fact that her desires and personality didn't show any obvious changes when she gained the power.) - These traits include secretiveness. - Each line of Uthevegers has certain secrets which they are VERY inclined to keep, discussing them only with others of the same line, and sometimes with their own child if they're completely sure that child will be the one to inherit their power. - There's also a strong resistance to changing any of the traditional ways that Uthevegers do things. - Progress happens, but slowly and against considerable reluctance. The Ferether are the least restricted by this trait. - But most of all, Uthevegers nearly always crave an heir, almost as much as they crave air. As if they feel that the power is their real self, their soul that needs to live on after death. And the heir is really supposed to be a direct descendant. - In a pinch you can substitute a niece or nephew, or a sibling or a not-too-distant cousin. - But it HAS to be a close blood relative. - Pretty much the biggest taboo, for all the lines of Uthevegers, is giving the power to someone who isn't biologically related to you. ******************************************** LEGITIMACY OF HEIRS ******************************************** Only someone biologically related can be a legitimate heir. - An illegitimate heir is VERY stigmatized. - Legend says that choosing an unrelated heir can make the new Utheveger turn out abnormal, in very dangerous ways. - It has happened so few times that it's hard to say whether there's any truth in this. - There are lots of legends about horrible disasters that began that way. But nothing really proven. - For example, in the Poala line, there are legends of a deranged and immensely powerful enemy who saddled the whole line with a curse to humiliate them and hamper their power. - Like the details of that curse, the legend is kept very secret, told only within the Poala line. It's told as a cautionary tale, with many morals. - But one of the biggest morals is that this all started because that enemy was an illegitimate heir. - The illegitimacy is said to have caused both insanity and a level of power too great for any one person to possess. - No one knows if this enemy really was an illegitimate heir, or even existed in the first place. - But the legend is usually presented as fact, and is rarely questioned. - The taboo on illegitimate heirs is another thing ingrained into Utheveger personality, and very few Uthevegers are even capable of considering otherwise. ********************************************* The universe of Semta-Jalfo ********************************************* Semta-Jalfo (more correctly Setme-Jefle, in the original Uthish) is the universe Avery comes from. - In terms of the history and cultures of the planet Earth in that universe, it is nearly identical to ours. - In terms of the magic system, it is very much like Melmel-Melmel. - Except for the fact that the magical state of changeway can only open under very specific and unlikely circumstances. - So, hardly anyone there has even found out that magic is possible. This could have made it ideal for Utheveger conquest. - In fact the Uthevegers have already conquered, or otherwise opened trade with, several universes a lot like it. - The results have been very profitable. - But this one is left as a preserve, and Uthevegers are discouraged from visiting it unless there's a really good reason. - Most obey this rule, because they don't really have anything to gain from interfering with it. - Also, it's under the protection of Ezzie and her friends, and fighting her is more trouble than the Uthevegers want to deal with. But, if one of them sneaks in for personal reasons, not causing much noticeable upheaval, they can often get away with it at first. - This is what happened with Omataad (also known as Thmetede in Uthish), - His blood heir was born to a human in Semta-Jalfo. - But his power was given to Avery, an unrelated bystander, instead, through an act of sabotage. - This is about to cause all sorts of trouble in Utheveger society. ********************************************** Dialogues ********************************************** Worldbuilding to work in somewhere. Avery and an acquaintance from another society (perhaps Rho?) are both summoned to meet with an Utheveger; details to be figured out later. AVERY: "Yeah, he's the same one who brought you here, he's just changed shape since... wait, sorry, should I say he? Hey you! Do you, um, identify as a man?" UTHEVEGER: "Ha. Man, woman, he, she. You and your English words. I speak Uthish. We don't have gendered nouns or pronouns. Our words are verbs by default. You have to add a syllable even to make it a noun. We've got a verb for 'have testicles,' 'have ovaries,' 'wear pants,' 'wear skirts.' Anything you English speakers associate with gender, we've got a verb for it. I've done most of them. I don't identify with any of them. Verbs aren't identities. You're limited by your language. Uthish is a magic language, made to communicate with the universe. It says things the way they really are. Reality is made of verbs, not nouns." ACQUAINTANCE: "That is one way to look at it. Not the only way. The universe doesn't speak only one language. It listens to my language too, perhaps better than it listens to yours. To me, reality has no verbs at all, only nouns. Enormous, complex nouns, each one the size of the universe, made of countless parts. Static, unmoving single universes. Trillions of them, frames in a cosmic animation, to form this illusion of action that we call 'time.' In my magic, you aren't a person completing actions throughout time. You are a series of millions of people, each doing nothing. Each just slightly different from the last. Each one just a tiny part of the huge moment in which it exists." AVERY: "Well, good for both of you, you've got different ways of saying things that convey the same fucking info. Congratulations on having functional goddamn languages. Now, verb dude! Quit wasting our time and explain why you're... wasting our time." ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************************************** **************************************************