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ewokofknowledge · 4 years

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History of the Jedi

here we go

Contrary to popular belief, the Jedi didn’t start with Yoda, the Old Republic and the Jedi Council as a portion of the population believe. (Below are approximate dates)

Start date: Force is chilling out.

Before Kwa- Celestials

100,000 BBY- Kwa

Slightly after Kwa- Rakata

(some events from the above groups were happening at the same time)

36,000 BBY- Je’daii Order

10,000 BBY- Jedi Order or the Holy Order of the Jedi Knights

Luke’s Order (or as some say the New Order)

End Date: There really isn’t one.

Before the Order

Celestials are a starting point, well they’re going to be my starting point. They were also known as the architects. The Ones from Mortis (Father, Daughter and Son) were said to be related to the Celestials. The Celestials though could restructure and form new matter through the force. They are known in the galaxy for creating the Corellian System, Vulter System, Hapes Cluster, Maw Cluster, and the Kathol Rift. Centerpoint station, or the tractorbeam that could pulll planets around was also created by them. All races were considered slaves to the celestials, since there isn’t much information on this species we don’t know if this was voluntary or involuntary at the begining. They were called Client races so its a little iffy. It was said that the Celestials were higher force guided events in the galaxy. Eventually the Rakata uprised against the celestials after stealing the Kwa’s technology killing them. Some say that Abeloth or the Bringer of Choas may have caused there demise.

The force is the begining of all users no matter what form they take. The Kwa were a species from Dathomir. They created infinity gates that allowed them to transport interstellerly to other places. Star temples were created around teh gates to protect them from unwanted visitors. The gates were inspired by the Celestials. The ones are supposedly related to the celestials. The Celestials though could restructure and form new matter through the force. They are known in the galaxy for creating the Corellian System, Vulter System, Hapes Cluster, Maw Cluster, and the Kathol Rift. The Kwa eventually used a gate to go to Lehon, the home of the Rakata. They sensed the Rakata were strong with the force and trained them or tried to. The Rakata turned on the Kwa and went to war. Eventually the Kwa, defeated would retreat back to Dathomir or Tython. The ones who returned to Dathomir physically devovled into the Kwi. (Think of blue from Jurassic World.) They were also known as the Blue Desert/Mountain People.

The Rakata were a cannabalistic evil race that didn’t want anything to do with the light. They relied on the dark side and turned on the Kwa, creating their Infinite Empire which was the first real govenrment. You may not have heard their name before but you surely know of Star Forge. It’s the biggest shipyard created by the Rakata in 30,000 BBY. It channeled the dark side and produced ships and weapons for the empire. This structure was built the only way everything else was built, through slave labor. The Rakata used the force as a hyperdrive to travel. Using this technology they reached over 500 planets that held force sensitives. (Hyperdrives weren’t invented yet, this was a precursor to the hyperdrive.) We wouldn’t see a man made one untill 25, 053 BBY. By 25,200 BBY the Rakata Empire was no more, they broke out in civil war causing their own demise. What’s worse is, they began to lose their force connection from a mutation during a plauge that killed almost all of the species itself. The Rakata that were left returned to Lehon where they broke out into another civil war, killing almost everyone. Those left alive spilt into various tribes and devolved mentally, retreating underground. They could no longer use their own technology because of their past reliance on the force. One tribe called the Elders remained intact and on the surface. They wanted to cleanse their history by destroying the Star Forge. They also no longer had the force but with the timely arrived of Revan they thought they could destroy it. This was 3959 BBY For many years it wasn’t destroyed and Revan used it to basically start the Jedi Civil War. Once Revan was redeemed he allowd the Galactic Republic to destroy the Forge.

The Rakata is always remembered for their military and technology feats. Planetary archaelogy and xenoanthropology professors were fascinated with the species because they changed the galaxy. Only a few groups survived and many ruins where they once held dominion.

Other species at this time: Celestials, Sith, Duros, Killiks, Sharu, Hutts, Columi, Taung, and Humans. Note: The Sith here aren’t what we know them today. They were a species from Korriban. They did have a predisposition to the dark side of the force and eventually an empire before being ruled by Dark Lords aka how we know them now.

Old Order

I think the best starting point here is Tython.The force was always there and many species including the Gree, Kwa and the Rakata vistied the planet. The Tho Yor, a class of 9 triangluar shaped ships brought various species to the planet. These ships came from Ando Prime, Manaan, Kashyyyk, Dathomir and Ryloth. There is no indication who sent the ships. All the species that migrated to Tython established the Je’daii Order. They based their teaching on balance from Tython’s two moon Bogan and Ashla. Eventually Tython itself became unsafe for non force users and the people known as the Tythans spread other worlds of the Tython system.

They also established a code of conduct The code was: There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no fear, there is power. I am the heart of the Force. I am the revealing fire of light. I am the mystery of darkness. In balance with chaos and harmony, Immortal in the Force.

Each ship sat at a different region of Tython and around them the different species built temples.

Regions:

Thry in the silent desert- Qigong Kesh- Temple of Advanced Force Skills

Masara- Bodhi- Temple of Arts

Kato Zakar- Stav Kesh- Temple of Martial Arts

Deep Ocean- Mahara Kesh- Temple of Healing

Talss in a Chasm- Anil Kesh- Temple of Science

East in the volcano top forges- Vur Tepe- Temple of Matallurgy, Tool and Weapon Construction- The first lightsaber dubbed the ‘first blade’ was made here but lore is very hush hush on it. We know the weapon master made it. Before this time they use metal sabers with no crystals.

South- Kaleth- Temple of Knowlege

Location unknown at this time- Padawan Kesh- for the children too young to become padawans.

Tower Monolith- Akar Kesh- Temple of Balance

There was peace for 10,000 years. In the year 25, 805 BBY The Despot Wars waged by powerful Queen Hadiya from the world of Shikaakwa to conquer the entire Tython System began. Fortunately for the Tythons, they had a sleeper agent who killed the Queen and the war ened quickly but not before there were a hundred thousand Tython casualities and a million casualties from the Despot Army, with many lost and thousands injured, tensions remained on the higher end for near a decade. Twelve years later they faced the Rakata Empire and shortly after that The Force Wars or the First Great Schism began (around 25,783 BBY.) Master Daegen Lok, the samae sleeper agent that killed Hadiya fell to the dark side after having a vision of war. The Je’daii Council exiled him but his followers didn’t agree with the with the decsison and turned against them. The force war lasted ten years and the light side prevailed. Light side and dark side users were pitted agaisnt each other. A holocron from the Kwa told the Je’daii how to weaponize the ships against the Rakata Empire Flesh raiders who are a subspecies of the Rakata inhabited the planet. They were abandodned after the Force Wars. A temple was erected near the fallen Kaleth temple and was the base for the Jedi for many years. In 25, 783 BBY there was a clataclysm that destroyed the Tython biosphere and the Ashla or light Jedi fled to Ossus 730 and established the Jedi Order or the new order, and Bogan or dark Jedi fled to the rim.

New Order

The Jedi as we know it today started on Ahch-to by the Prime Jedi. Not much is known about this Prime Jedi other than he had a cool title. In TLJ we see a mosaic on the floor of Ahch-to’s temple or tower of the Prime. The picture resembles what could be the Zeffo from Jedi Fallen Order. Ahch-to isn’t the only place the new Jedi Order stayed.Tython, Ilum, Ledeve, Vrogas Vas, Jedha, Ossus, Dantooine, Ashas Ree, Coruscant, Lothal, Devaron, and Yavin IV were home to other temples. Tython, Coruscant, Ossus and Jedha were are considered as the starting place but it was decided Ahch-to would house the first temple. Fun fact: Many Jedi temples were built on ancient Sith shrines to show that they were being cleansed of the dark side.The Jedi Order was based off of the Je’daii Order. Ilum became utilized by the Jedi so padawans could find their crystals to complete their lightsabers in a ceremony called The Gathering. (I would like to point out that Ilum is no more because it became Star Killer base. I see a lot of people talking about how Rey went to Ilum to find a crystal for her new lightsaber. Well it was turned into the First Order base, then blew up so...)

After the Force Wars the ways of the Je’daii through teachings of balance were abandoned. The Ashla Je’daii became known as the Jedi and the Bogan became known as the Sith. The Galactic Republic or the Old Republic came together with the help of the Jedi. There was peace for a long time but as always it would come to an end. Jedi Masters Cala Brin, Garon Jard, Rajivari and Ters Sendon are the ones who basically founded and ran the new order. They thought it was their duty to assist those in need and defeat dark side users. Rajivari and his followers eventually turned to the Bogan ways. During the Hundred-Year Darkness or the Second Great Schism the Sith were established. The Jedi and the Sith fought each other but the Jedi were backed by the Republic and Sith dwindled. The remaining Sith went to Korriban and Ajunta Pall became the first Dark Lord. The new temple was moved to Coruscant. This happened 5000 years BBY. The Jedi of this time fought to maintain peace and freedom. The Jedi seemed to have many conflicts with Mandalore. They attcked them quite a bit. I think their main goal was to go after the Darksaber as it was a mandalorian Jedi who constructed it. After this the Jedi-Sith War (2000 BBY) came about. Basically this was the Sith making their stand and coming back. They wanted control. This war lasted 1000 years. The sith were once again defeated and Farfalla who was the highest ranking Jedi to survive gave Galactic leadership to the people. Unkown to the Jedi and the Republic, the man once known as Dessel or as we know him Darth Bane, survived. He created the Rule of Two. I think with the Rebuilding of the temple on Coruscant we finally arrive to what we see in the Prequel Trilogy.

This was the new code:

There is no emotion; there is peace. There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no passion; there is serenity. There is no chaos; there is harmony. There is no death; there is the Force.

The Jedi were responsible for maintaining law and order, usually through mediating conflicts to bring about peaceful solutions. When this didn’t work Aggressive Negotiaions, (ty Padme for giving us the lingo!) were used. The Jedi were also responsible for various rival factions and planets as well as serving as a type of interplanetary law enforcement. They pursued wanted and dangerous criminals, pirates, and smugglers on missions. At the temple there were various stages the Jedi followed.

Jedi Initiate (Youngling,"Jedi Hopeful") a Force-sensitive child. At a very young age, children were removed from their families and assigned to the Jedi Temple for training.

Jedi Padawan – an apprentice who began serious training under a single Jedi Knight or Jedi Master. In order to graduate to Padawan status, an Initiate was required to be chosen by a Knight or Master and taken as their sole pupil. If a youngling was not chosen to be a Padawan by 13 years of age, the youngling was placed into another, lesser role in the Jedi Service Corps, or they could choose to leave the Order. Depending on where the student's talents lay, this might be the Agricultural Corps, the Medical Corps, or the Exploration Corps. Padawans who were of a haired species typically wore a long braid of hair behind their right ear. When a Padawan was elevated to Knighthood the braid was cut during the knighting ceremony.

Jedi Knight – a disciplined Padawan could become a fully trained Jedi once they completed the trials. The known trials were, but weren't limited to: the Trial of Flesh, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of Skill and the Trial of Self (also known as facing the mirror, cough rey in TLJ cough.)

Jedi Master – a Jedi Knight who showed great understanding of the Force and managed to instruct a Padawan and train them successfully to the level of a Jedi Knight. This title could also be achieved through the performance of extraordinary deeds.

Counsellor – A very few Jedi were invited to serve on the Jedi Council, the governing body of the Order. The Council was made up exclusively of wise, experienced Masters. The only Jedi Knight to be appointed to the High Council, Anakin Skywalker, was appointed by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, although he was not granted the rank of Master simply because of this. The Council was made up of 12 masters, five of them with life terms and two of them designated as "senior", four as long-term, and three short-term.

Grand Master – The highest rank of the Jedi Order was that of Grand Master. Yoda was once the Grand Master, as was Luke Skywalker following the Swarm War.

Enter the clone wars. I don’t think I need to talk about them since we know about it. The end obvisously is Order 66 and the rise of the Empire became real. The Return of the Jedi started with Luke as we know from the films. He was hailed as the ‘last of the Jedi’.

Then there is Luke’s order which we don’t have a lot of info on at the moment other than he started teaching force sensitives and Ben wrecked everything lol. In legends Ben is actually Luke’s and doesn’t go dark side and lives while Leia and Han’s twins Jacen and Jaina and their youngest Ani trained with Ben. Jacen falls to the dark side and becomeds Darth Caedus. Jaina remained a Jedi and Ani sadly died. How many Jedi are there currently? Well Rey for sure. Finn looked like he had something going on at the end of the sequel trilogy. Cal may still be kicking. And there’s broom boy.

#history of the jedi #jedi #star wars #this took me so long

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bluetapes · 6 years

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Thrilled beyond words that Blue Tapes is returning to its spiritual home at London’s Café OTO in October and hosting Todd Barton's only UK show. The show celebrates the launch of a brand new work by Todd for the Buchla Music Easel - Multum in Parvo. CDs, tapes and vinyl will be available to buy and expect the usual Blue Tapes projections. Also - it's a matinee. Daytimes are the new nighttimes!

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Pre-order Multum in Parvo

BLUE TAPES PRESENTS: TODD BARTON + THANK YOU, MERCILESS ONLOOKERS – MATINEE SHOW Please note that this is a matinee show – doors will open at 2.30pm and the performance will start shortly after. One of the best albums of 2018 was recorded over two years in the early 1980s by a science fiction author and a former classical composer turned Buchla devotee. Ursula K. Le Guin and Todd Barton’s Music and Poetry of The Kesh was recently unearthed by the Freedom To Spend label, having previously only been available as a cassette bundled with early editions of Le Guin’s 1985 novel Always Coming Home - a detailed description of the art, culture and language of a fictional indigenous tribe residing in North California 500 years from now. Charged with interpreting the music of the titular Kesh, Todd Barton - who had previously composed scores for radio adaptations of Le Guin’s work - designed, constructed and played entirely new instruments for the tribe, weaving them around a Roland Jupiter-8 and field recordings from the Kesh’s native Napa Valley. The results sounded unlike anything else before or since - something simultaneously ancient and futuristic. Now, for Blue Tapes, Todd has composed an entirely new work - Multum in Parvo - that scans as some sort of spiritual successor (or should that be predecessor?) to the sonic explorations of the Kesh. This deeply immersive electronic symphony for Buchla Music Easel and Epoch Modular Benjolin seems at times to be performed by an orchestra of almost biological electro-entities, each colouring in the deep space of the composition with their own characterful flutters, whispers and calls. Please join us at this matinee show to celebrate the launch of Multum in Parvo - an exciting new addition to the oeuvre of a genuine innovator. Todd is much like Carl Stone and Anna Homler, composers who have been quietly crafting whole new soundworlds for decades, and are finally getting the recognition they deserve. Support for this show comes from Thank You, Merciless Onlookers - the solo live debut of Blue Tapes’ founder David McNamee.

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bowaddictedalex · 3 years

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The Best Target Arrows for Compound Bows 2021

The best target arrows for compound bows will be durable and reliably fly straight without requiring a lot of care. Many target arrows are suitable practice arrows for kids and adults.

The Tiger Archery 30-inch carbon arrows are definitely worth a look if you want high-quality target arrows.

BEST OVERALL

Best for 40-60 pound compound bows

30-inch shaft length

Fletching Material: Plastic

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Our Top Recommended Target Arrows 2021

Finding good practice arrows is the first step towards becoming a better archer once you have all of your other equipment.

At a Glance, Here are our Top five Picks

Best Overall: Tiger Archery 30-Inch Carbon

Best Value: MS Jumpper Archery Carbon Arrows

Family-friendly: REEGOX Archery Hunting Practice Arrows

Practice + Hunting: Musen 30 Inch Carbon Archery Arrows

For Higher Bow Weight: KESHES Archery Carbon Hunting Arrows

The best target arrows for compound bows generally have a bit of durability while also featuring a design that allows for accurate shooting.

Many of these arrows are suitable for compound bows but can also work with other types of bows.

The WINNER: Tiger Archery 30-Inch Carbon Arrows

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The Tiger Archer 30-inch Carbon arrows are an excellent example of a high-quality set of arrows with exceptional durability in a variety of situations.

These arrows are made to last and feature colored fletching and nickel-plated stainless steel tips ideal for both target practice and shooting outdoors.

This particular set of arrows also comes with some free nocks so you can replace them as needed. The nocks on these arrows are not glued in place and adjust to fit your particular bow.

You can buy these arrows in four different colors, including orange, yellow, black and white, and green.

Specifications:

30-inch shaft length

Spine: 500

Outer diameter: 7.85mm

Inner diameter: 6.2mm

Weight: 35 grams

Features:

Suitable for 40-60 pound compound bows

Comes with six extra nocks

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These arrows also don’t suffer from loose tips that can impact their performance as there’s an o-ring between the tip and the shaft insert to ensure a tight and lasting grip. You can use this set of arrows with a 40-60 pound compound bow.

KESHES Archery Carbon Hunting Arrows

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The Keshes carbon hunting arrows feature double locking nocks that are fully adjustable. These nocks do not use glue to hold them in place, but they are tightly secured so they won’t fall off as you use the arrows.

These arrows (read.. reegox archery practice arrows) also feature a durable 100-grain screw tip that is ideal for target practice and easy to replace as needed.

These carbon arrows are ideal for use with compound bows, recurve bows, and long and traditional style bows. Kids and adults can easily use these arrows for target practice with excellent accuracy.

You can also use these arrows for hunting with up to 60-pound bows.

Specifications:

Shaft Length of 30 inches

Outer diameter of 0.309 inches

Inner diameter of 0.244 inches

Grain: 13 GPI

Weight: 35 grams

Features:

100% carbon construction

Fletching vanes use colored plastic to help flight direction

Comes with nickel-plated stainless steel points for optimal stability

The nocks are fully adjustable

check latest price

The fletching vanes on these are colored TPU plastic, which provides some minor flex and helps the arrow consistently fly in the correct direction.

The tip features nickel-plated stainless steel for excellent durability without excessive weight, and the carbon shaft provides ample strength for optimal durability. Awesome arrows!

REEGOX Archery Hunting Practice Arrows

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The Reegox practice arrows have a shaft length of 30 inches, which makes them ideal for most longbows, compound bows, and recurve bows between 30 and 45 pounds.

These arrows also have a carbon composite shaft and adjustable nocks that press into place. The inserts on these arrows use aluminum to prevent unnecessary weight, and they easily screw to the 100-grain field points for a secure fit.

Unlike other arrows on our list, these feature fixed inserts that are standard along with standard nocks and points so you can easily find other accessories and parts for repairs. These arrows also have pear-cut fletching that measures 3 inches long.

Specifications:

30-inch shaft length

Weight: 386 grains

100-grain field point

Inner diameter of 0.244 inches

Outer diameter of 0.307 inches

Features:

For bows between 30-45 pounds

Carbon composite shaft and aluminum insert

Adjustable nock

3” vane that is pear-cut and fletched straight

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The Reegox arrows are ideal for both kids and adults and feature a design with optimal safety and durability in mind, but they should not come in contact with hard targets such as concrete.

MS Jumpper Archery Carbon Arrows

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Target arrows that use real feathers for their fletching are less common than you’d think as many manufacturers have moved on to different synthetic materials such as plastic and rubber.

The MS Jumpper Archer Carbon arrows feature longer 4-inch fletching, and there are several shaft lengths available.

Specifications:

28-31 inch shaft lengths available

Spine: 400

4- inch Peltate shaped fletching

100-grain stainless steel tips

Outer diameter of 7.4 mm

Features:

A real feather fletching

Multiple carbon fiber shaft lengths available

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This arrow also has a full carbon fiber shaft and is suitable for use with 65-pound bows. The 100-grain stainless steel tips are ideal for practice but can also work for hunting and other outdoor archery.

Musen 30 Inch Carbon Archery Arrows

check latest price

The Musen 30-inch carbon Archer arrows feature a lightweight carbon shaft and fletching that is black and white for better visibility.

The TPU fletching is somewhat rigid, and the stainless steel tips are easily removed for replacement when needed. These high-quality arrows feature a sturdy design for long-lasting accuracy and are suitable for 30-55 pound bows.

Specifications:

Spine: 500

Outer diameter: 7.8mm

TPU Plastic fletching

30-inch carbon shaft

Best for 30-55 pound bows

Features:

Removable tips featuring stainless steel

Adjustable nocks that you can move with a coin

Not for use with harder materials like concrete or wood

check latest price

Both adults and kids can use these arrows for practice or hunting and outdoor archery. These are the best choice if you want arrows that are both durable and solid in a variety of situations and weather conditions.

What Makes for an Excellent Target Arrow?

The best target arrows for compound bows share some characteristics that allow them to excel in a variety of situations.

These arrows should be durable and easy to maintain, but they should also allow for accurate shooting so you can hone your skills efficiently, or just have fun.

Adjustable nocks are desirable, and secure tips that use o-rings help extend the life of the arrow.

The Best Target Arrow for Compound Bows

The clear winner when it comes to the best target arrows for compound bows is the Tiger Archery 30-inch Carbon arrows. These arrows are of high quality and come in various colors and are also suitable for target practice and outdoor archery.

check latest price

The durable materials used keep these arrows light and ensure they fly well and minimize any shock.

These arrows also feature essential characteristics such as replaceable nocks and secure tips for extended use with a compound bow.

The Reegox arrows are a close second with similar materials and construction that make them safe and reliable for both kids and adult archers.

from BowAddicted https://bowaddicted.com/the-best-target-arrows-for-compound-bows/

#BowAddicted

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suninagarajan · 3 years

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The Dancing Girls of Kai-Puriji

The Maharajah's of Kuru – Panchala take their concubines from the troupes of dancing girls within the palace. Palace agents scour the kingdom for suitable candidates, and in their wake word will go out to villages and townships and families who anxiously present their children for inspection and approval. When a suitable candidate is chosen a fee is exchanged and the girl leaves her family, home and way of life forever to become an ornament of the Maharajah's court, whether temple dancer or court dancer or festival entertainment, her role henceforth will be to delight, amuse and enchant.

She could be chosen for the tinge of her iris, the sweetness of her breath, the shape of an ankle or the turn of a smile. The girls could come from far and wide with no limits on a girl’s caste, religion or gender – some dancing girls are not girls.

Maharajah Bopirah Jha Kur the first Hindu Maharajah, preferred women of the Udra valley for the roundness of their breasts and filled his palace with the beauties of that land, Maharajah Jaikupi Bil Hur a Maharajah from the middle Maharati period preferred forest women for their dark complexions and wild natures and would have no other lover but the untamed savages of the forest. It was even said that a Maharajah once kept a red-haired woman from the north just to look at her.

In a moment, a girl could be transported from a mountain village or a desert mud hut and placed in state rooms in the palace. She would be schooled in the arts of music dance and deportment and would live, if not as a Rani, at least as well as a noble woman.

When she has reached her majority and has imbued the knowledge that palace scholars had troubled to bestow upon her, she will be moved to the House of Women and will live under the Maharajah's protection. There she will be provided with guards, servants, jewels and textiles, and if she is favoured, a suit of private apartments.

Each morning and evening she will be washed and anointed, her skin oiled and perfumed, her face painted with cosmetics, her hair brushed and adorned with flowers. She will be covered in the finest silks and her ears, neck, fingers, waist and ankles adorned with every gemstone pleasing to the eye and amusing to the ear, to await his majesty’s pleasure.

When permitted she may leave the palace accompanied by guards and, carried in a pandal carved from cedar wood, in laid with scenes of nature of ivory and gold, sumptuous cushions and billowing curtains will shield her from the heat and the gawping crowds and comfort her on her journey, as her troupe of personal attendants carry the pandal above the crowd, a sign of the Maharajah's opulence power and favour.

On selected festivals she might be paraded in the market square, when the people of Kai Purija will marvel at the treasures in the King’s house and the opulence of the Gods, she included. By his whim she may be called on to dance, sing, play or discuss philosophy or scripture with her master, some Maharajah's have even required a proficiency in Chess, or a talent for poetry.

Girls that successfully achieve positions with the House of Women will have undertaken years of training and education in order that they might enter the presence of the Maharajah. Their role is more than to act as a mere distraction. They are expected to engage the Maharajah's appetite through body, mind and soul and to lead these abstracts to the divine.

Many girls who have inhabited the House of Women have smoothed the Maharajah's temper and moved his judgement through their sweetness, reason and understanding to mercy and forgiveness ensuring that the Kingdom is at peace and at one with the universe. For this reason, in times past it was a crime punishable by five years hard labour in the desert, to look upon a dancing girl without the Maharajah's permission. Looking upon a favourite would often result in the beholder’s eyes being removed in the public sphere.

But such practices have long since been discontinued.

Her primary role is to ease his labours, soften his heart and clear his path to Wisdom. She is therefore valued and respected for her beauty, her artistry, her learning, her reason and for the comfort she might bring the Maharajah. But she is revered because she is the gateway to the divine.

Maharajah Rhoopendra Narayan – Goi favoured the women of Bilhal, the blue tint of their eyes he said reminded him of the beauty of the Sapphire Kingdom. But Maharajah Riphender follows his father in his personal tastes, unlike his brother he understands a Maharajah cannot afford favourites and is careful to select his women from across his kingdom.

The palace agents who scour the country perform many functions other than selecting the favoured few to share the King’s bed and protection. Their function is mainly political. They are the Maharajah's eyes and ears. They bring him news of unrest, of the harvest, the state of ordinances, and where the best sapphires are to be found in a season. They carry messages to outposts and local chiefs across the vast unmanageable kingdom and are the locomotives and telegraph of Kuru – Panchala. Their name in Persian, the language of the court, means most trusted, and when they are on the King’s business they can be away from home for years at a time on a single walk.

They are his Majesty’s Walkers.

It is a crime punishable by death in Kuru Panchala to refuse hospitality to the Kings Walkers, it is both a sign of disrespect to the king and a crime against the kingdom. Walkers are revered for their knowledge and wisdom and are relied on by farmers, miners, and engineers, a Walker may know where best to place a well or a reservoir or the most efficient way of carving through rock, they may know of a cave where minerals can be found, or when a crop should be planted, and they are the only people authorised to collect sapphires which in Kuru Panchala are the sole preserve of the Maharajah.

Wherever they go across Kuru Panchala they are protected by the king’s great power and majesty. It is said that a Walker once stared down a bull tiger in the jungle of Koh with nothing more than his walking staff and the King’s authority.

Bhaktrivedanta Prabhupada had walked the length and breadth of Kuru Panchala for 50 years. He still remembers with fondness his first solo walk – two weeks through the unrelenting Namkukoa Kuru desert. It was a test of course, to Live.

He had spent the previous five years accompanying his father and learning the path; the location of the oasis’, which plants he could drink from, where he could rest, where a dried up well might deliver one last life-saving sip, and how to walk through the great forest without either getting lost forever in its undergrowth or unnecessarily disturbing a tiger. When his father had decided he was ready, he was sent into Namkukoa Kuru alone with a walking stick, some chapatis and a handful of uncooked dhal. He was ordered to pick an exquisite five-leaf Safrawi flower in bud, when its leaves had not yet turned from soft lilac into the deep blue they would later become. The blue Safrawi grows only in the west of the Namkukoa Kuru desert and its flowers stay in their youthful lilac for five days only each season.

Bhaktrivedanta had not known it, but that was the test. Those applicants that brought back a blue flower, failed. The Maharajah needed walkers who could find their way to a fixed point in the kingdom and back again quickly, the safety of the kingdom may depend upon their knowledge and skill. Those he has selected as Walkers will have passed tests of skill, knowledge, memory and understanding. As for the others, well the Maharajah has many subjects, he does not care if they die in the desert because of their own foolishness.

There was another reason for the selection of the Safrawi in bud that even Bhaktrivedanta’s father did not know about. When the Safrawi is in bud and only at that time it is a delicious delicacy which when dried and ground and sprinkled on food adds a volcanic heat and exerts a magical soporific effect on the eater. A Persian Maharajah who favoured concubines from Namkukoa-Kuru desert tribes became addicted to the flowers in the late Maharati period. His concubines had used this weakness to exploit the Maharajah by feeding him Safrawi several times a day and had nearly bankrupted the kingdom. The Maharajah had been quietly disposed of by his generals and his nephew placed on the Golden throne, the concubines were walled up and left to their fate.

The Safrawi when blue is in fact poisonous and should be treated with care. For either entertainment or instruction a former Maharajah, a distant ancestor of the current Maharajah and his late brother, would order those walkers who brought back the flower in its blue state to eat as he watched. Their bodies would writhe in agony for days and they would spit white foam from the mouth eventually dying in extreme pain some days later.

But such practices have long since been discontinued.

Bhaktrivedanta’s family had walked for the Narayan – Goi for so long it had changed their religion and altered their path. Bhaktrivedanta’s family had lived in the Kesh plains to the north west of Khassi and the Nymila valleys since the time of our Lord Dharma’s creation when his people were distant settlers from a foreign land. Back then they were Maharashtrian from the Keshkapi tribe but many generations of skirmishes with neighbours over land, trade and often a kidnapped wife or daughter led the Keshkapi to form alliances and eventually these alliances brought down the great Tukaram dynasty who had ruled since before time, an event still celebrated today.

Once the Tukaram dynasty had been put down the Keshkapi’s along with other Maharashtrian hill tribes made free to expand their territory but they had not reckoned with the Hindus of the south. 500 years of fighting and slaughter had weakened the Maharashtrian of the Kesh and greatly reduced their numbers, but it had also led to the buildings and adornments of great temples, shrines and monuments and Maharashtrian workers had helped build the Golden Temple and Dhaga Madhye, the Greatest Palace in the Cosmos and the gods most favoured resting place. They had built canals and reservoirs and farmsteads and schools of learning and had helped bring the King’s bounty to the land.

Somewhere along the bloodline the Kesh and other Marathi had made peace with the Hindu warlords of the south, and had become in their loyalty, devout Hindus. Bhatrivedanta suspected that this capitulation was due in large part to the engineering achievements of the then Tamilian ruling clan because, on one of his many walks Bhatrivedanta had spotted an inscription on a shrine built into the wall of an aqueduct. He had noticed it because it was a Maharanti translation of a Persian saying, barely legible. He had mentioned it in his report and the following summer was instructed to take a party of scholars of Persian and Maharanti specialisms to the shrine. The court sages travelled in their sumptuous pandals and Bhatrivedanta walked alongside. He had pointed out the inscription to the philosophers of letters, but had heard no more -

well, he was not of their class and profession, and he had played his part.

Kuru Panchala, which is otherwise a dry and arid land is populated with channels and reservoirs of towering size often with shrines built into their walls or else housing the outposts of the Kingdom. Bhatrivedanta had once walked the top of the aqueduct that runs atop the Nakambah fort in Namkukoa, west of the Sun Palace. Bhatrivedanta had made the mistake of looking down and immediately wished that he hadn’t, it appeared to him in that moment that the gods were playing tricks with him and had removed the ground. He had the distinct sensation that he was floating in mid air and that should he fall, he would keep falling for eternity.

He had recounted the experience for his father as they walked the paths together, as he felt he should if he was to imbue the higher wisdom of his experience. The father who was the keeper of higher knowledge, in response to Bhaktivendanta’s quest for answers had offered a most unfatherly response: “well – sometimes the gods get bored”.

His father had walked for the current Maharajah's grandfather for 47 years 8 months and 2 days. The length of an agent's walk was a matter of pride and achievement passed down from father to son and each walk was recorded for its knowledge. Those who walked for over 40 years received the honour of the Great Walk and their achievements were noted in the records room of the Golden Palace, that others might learn from their endeavours.

Bhaktrivedanta had cried the day he matched his father’s achievement, but from that day, spent alone on the Kur mountain pass on the way to Bilhal, he had not cared to notice time passing. His 50 years would be up in the spring and he would join less than 10 walkers in the history of the current dynasty to achieve that feat. But Bhaktrivedanta had suspected for some time that he would not be satisfied with 50 years. He was old, yes, and getting older. But his strict Hindu practice of chanting in the morning, silent meditation at night and the eschewing of meat and cow products coupled with a lifetime of spiritual yoga had provided a rejuvenative quality to his body and suppleness to his limbs that meant that even at his age, he could easily walk at a brisk pace, climb when necessary, and run if needed.

So when a man like Bhaktrivedanta Prabhupada changes his path in the middle of the day it means only one thing.

He’s picked up a scent.

#creative writing #india #fiction #my wriring #new fiction #books #bookslr #booksblr #reading #fictional history

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lesbrarians · 6 years

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Bioware’s Plotholes are AWFUL

So in case anyone’s wondering, I failed NaNo this year. Bad. Like, I only wrote 18,000 words. And they were all terrible words and a bunch of them don’t even count bc it was dialogue from Nexus: Uprising.

So I read Uprising bc it was relevant to the prologue of this NaNo.

And I STILL cannot stop thinking about this motherfucking plothole that's so big you can fly the Tempest through it.

Here's a list of some of the krogan clan names I came across on Elaaden: Jorgal, Ganar, Jair, Korten, Kariss, Ravanor, Gulnaz, Kohrr, Kormer, Wik, Chaman, Urdnot.

It makes no sense for ANY of these clan members to be here. I don't know how or why they are here. Bc literally. LITERALLY. The only krogan who are woken up in the first wave are the Nakmor clan. The only krogan who put down the uprising are the Nakmor clan. The only krogan who join the exodus at the same time as the exiles are the Nakmor clan.

About 300-500 krogan are initially woken up (the numbers are a little nebulous, as you'll see below -- half of the station is Kesh's krogan, but the number of crew members jumps from 600 to 1000 -- some renegade assholes did wake up some non-critical personnel, but not like, 200 people worth??). These krogan are Nakmor Kesh's workers, all members of her clan. The engineers and construction crew who built the Nexus and are in charge of the manual labor and repair of the station. The mutiny happens. Tann and Addison go behind Sloane's back and wake up Morda. She demands that the rest of the clan be woken up so that she can have her warriors by her side. Spender's a slimy sleazeball who makes a promise he can't keep, Morda gets pissed, and the Nakmor clan decide to leave and start a new life for themselves out in this deadly galaxy.

So here are the facts and their locations in my ebook:

"Roughly half of the list [of the people to wake] consisted of krogan workers, all members of the Nakmor clan" (location 1739)

"An hour later, still desperate for that coffee, a sharp headache pressing at the back of her eyes, Sloane stood atop a desk and faced more than six hundred Nexus crew." (location 1855)

"'The Nakmor clan put muscle and bone into this place. When it neared completion, we received an invite.'" (location 2133)

"'If you get ten [volunteers to go into cryo] out of the thousand currently awake, I'd be shocked.'" (location 3396)

"'Is the entire clan awake?' 'Only the workers,' Spender said. 'I shall have my warriors at my side for this, to share in the glory. Wake them.' [...] 'We stride into a bloody field, Nakmor.'" (location 5461, 5688)

"'You killed members of the Nakmor clan--' 'They came at us, guns blazing!'" (location 6013)

"The Nakmor Clan would be victorious with or without the Nexus. It seemed that some things on this so-called 'other side' would not be so different after all. [...] Ranks of krogan filing into the small armada of shuttles being provided them, Nakmor Morda at the head of the group, arms folded in defiance and resolve, overseeing the exodus." (location 6184)

"Kesh was not idealistic. She'd worked to the bone for this station, this Initiative, and she would die for it if she had to. Or, as it turned out, leave her clan for the betterment of it. [...her work] was to rebuild. Preparing the Nexus, she thought as she turned away from the last glimmers of her only people, for the eventuality of peace." (location 6272)

Like there's literally no other way to read it. There were no other clans involved in putting down the uprising -- it's the Nakmor who strode into the bloody field, it's the Nakmor who died in battle (far, far less than the number of exiles tho, o o p s), it's the Nakmor who say they'll be victorious with or without the Nexus. There's at least 500 of them (if you lowball and say there's 300 workers and that Morda, her warriors, and the rest of the clan are only 200 strong) but it's probably closer to like. 600-1000 Nakmor imo, I have a feeling that the warriors and the rest of the clan aren't gonna be smaller than the subsection that worked in construction. That's so many!!! So many Nakmors!!! We didn't need to see other krogan clan members in the game, everyone could have been a Nakmor and it'd make perfect narrative sense!!!

Bc seriously, where the FUCK did the other clans come from. Who woke them up. When did they leave the Nexus. Like, they're leaving the next day, as far as I can tell. The life support team, the people who KNEW how to operate the stasis pods just mutinied, the head of life support is fucking dead, Kesh is the only person left who knows how to do this stuff. One person physically cannot open that many stasis pods in that short a timeframe. Also, there's already too many mouths to feed, that's why the mutiny happened in the first place. And Morda doesn't want any more krogan clans woken up!!! She “not all krogan”s Kaje bc she doesn't want her clan lumped in w the rest of the krogan. ("Better to take [the Nexus] over," Kaje added, "and claim it for all krogan." "My krogan," Morda corrected.) And you know they didn't just wake up all the different krogan and were like "yo I know you just woke up but hey everything sucks and we're leaving our new home, you're not even in our clan and you weren't even betrayed, but come with us into the deadly wilderness even tho you have no idea what the fuck is going on" like there is absolutely zero justification for that, that's not a theory that even begins to hold water.

OH and the krogan names that I saw on Elaaden? Kormer Ryn posted in the “New Fathers” group on the terminals. So. It’s not like it’s a few isolated clan members amongst a bunch of Nakmor. There’s a ton of other clans in the game and those other clans have children, and it makes NO sense with the narrative established in Uprising. Why the FUCK would the Nakmor clan wake up members of other clans AND those clan members’ children???? They wouldn’t.

How do you fuck up your lore this badly, Bioware.

I'm so pissed off.

#bioware critical #mass effect critical #mass effect #mass effect andromeda #nexus uprising #mass effect references #long post #mass effect thoughts

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