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What's the average lifespan for each of the Almean sapients, including humans?

I don't think I've set specific numbers, but here's what I recall.

humans, flaids - about like ours
ilii - over a thousand years
elcari, murtani - 300 years (average)
ktuvoks - somewhat shorter than humans

It's hard picturing the murtani actually making it to the end of their theoretical lifespan. Living among murtani is a bad lifestyle choice.

zompist wrote:I don't think I've set specific numbers, but here's what I recall.

humans, flaids - about like ours
ilii - over a thousand years
elcari, murtani - 300 years (average)
ktuvoks - somewhat shorter than humans

It's hard picturing the murtani actually making it to the end of their theoretical lifespan. Living among murtani is a bad lifestyle choice.

What evolutionary forces were at work to make the lifespan's of the ilii, elcari, and murtani so long?

Ngo wrote:

zompist wrote:I don't think I've set specific numbers, but here's what I recall.

humans, flaids - about like ours
ilii - over a thousand years
elcari, murtani - 300 years (average)
ktuvoks - somewhat shorter than humans

It's hard picturing the murtani actually making it to the end of their theoretical lifespan. Living among murtani is a bad lifestyle choice.

What evolutionary forces were at work to make the lifespan's of the ilii, elcari, and murtani so long?

and the Ktuvok's as short as it is?

Cypress wrote:

Ngo wrote:What evolutionary forces were at work to make the lifespan's of the ilii, elcari, and murtani so long?

and the Ktuvok's as short as it is?

The elcari have been discussed here.

For the others, we're probably not looking at evolutionary reasons at all. Both ilii and ktuvoks have been civilized for so long that we're dealing more with science fiction than fantasy-- meaning that they've effectively chosen to be as they are. And what both species have optimized themselves for, at least in part, is war with each other-- but with different strategies. The ilii have chosen wisdom, the ktuvoks strength. That is, the ilii prefer to wage war cleverly, and for this long life is useful; it means that they have a thousand years of tricks in living memory. The ktuvoks rely more on power and endurance, and thus most of their population is (relative to the ilii) young.

zompist wrote:The ilii have chosen wisdom, the ktuvoks strength. That is, the ilii prefer to wage war cleverly, and for this long life is useful; it means that they have a thousand years of tricks in living memory.

Wouldn't that sort of information also be useful to ktuvoki, who rely on trickery and manipulation to create the empires that they deploy against the ilii? Or did the ktuvoki rely more on their own strength and sorcerous abilities against the ilii -- these things didn't seem to avail them much against well-organized human foes?

These Elcari sound like cool people.

Eddy the Great wrote:These Elcari sound like cool people.

But are they people?

Cool....

ils wrote:

zompist wrote:The ilii have chosen wisdom, the ktuvoks strength. That is, the ilii prefer to wage war cleverly, and for this long life is useful; it means that they have a thousand years of tricks in living memory.

Wouldn't that sort of information also be useful to ktuvoki, who rely on trickery and manipulation to create the empires that they deploy against the ilii? Or did the ktuvoki rely more on their own strength and sorcerous abilities against the ilii -- these things didn't seem to avail them much against well-organized human foes?

It may help to think of the ktuvoks as neocons. Not that they were modelled on them, of course, but the basic idea is similar: no matter how clever your opponents think they are, enough brute strength and you'll roll right over them.

zompist wrote:It may help to think of the ktuvoks as neocons. Not that they were modelled on them, of course, but the basic idea is similar: no matter how clever your opponents think they are, enough brute strength and you'll roll right over them.

Funny, you don't see neocons changing laws and traditions through the courts instead of the legislatures like libbys . . . so who's using brute force to roll over whom?

When you know you can't get your way, find a judge who will change the law for you . . . the libby way. Sounds like the ktuvoks are liberals to me.

zompist wrote:It may help to think of the ktuvoks as neocons. Not that they were modelled on them, of course, but the basic idea is similar: no matter how clever your opponents think they are, enough brute strength and you'll roll right over them.

Heh, I guess that would explain why the ktuvoks are the less successful lifeform overall...

samisto wrote:

zompist wrote:It may help to think of the ktuvoks as neocons. Not that they were modelled on them, of course, but the basic idea is similar: no matter how clever your opponents think they are, enough brute strength and you'll roll right over them.

Funny, you don't see neocons changing laws and traditions through the courts instead of the legislatures like libbys . . . so who's using brute force to roll over whom?

When you know you can't get your way, find a judge who will change the law for you . . . the libby way. Sounds like the ktuvoks are liberals to me.

Let's just blame the Canadians.

Ktuvoki = Canadians.

Whimemsz wrote:Ktuvoki = Canadians.

Well known for crushing everything in our path. That's why we only need, like, twenty guys in our military! Bow to the iron fist of the Dominion...

samisto wrote:

zompist wrote:It may help to think of the ktuvoks as neocons. Not that they were modelled on them, of course, but the basic idea is similar: no matter how clever your opponents think they are, enough brute strength and you'll roll right over them.

Funny, you don't see neocons changing laws and traditions through the courts instead of the legislatures like libbys . . . so who's using brute force to roll over whom?

Well, the neo-cons favor invading any country that suits them which is a far cry from America's tradition of non-interventionism.

Ngo wrote:

samisto wrote:

zompist wrote:It may help to think of the ktuvoks as neocons. Not that they were modelled on them, of course, but the basic idea is similar: no matter how clever your opponents think they are, enough brute strength and you'll roll right over them.

Funny, you don't see neocons changing laws and traditions through the courts instead of the legislatures like libbys . . . so who's using brute force to roll over whom?

Well, the neo-cons favor invading any country that suits them which is a far cry from America's tradition of non-interventionism.

I just found it offensive, so in the great liberal tradition of sensitivity, please respect that. Thank you.

Heh... America hardly has a tradition of non-interventionism. Though it would be good if we did.

pastoralist wrote:Heh... America hardly has a tradition of non-interventionism. Though it would be good if we did.

It had one, but it was ignored so much that it was finally abandoned.

zompist wrote:I don't think I've set specific numbers, but here's what I recall.

humans, flaids - about like ours
ilii - over a thousand years
elcari, murtani - 300 years (average)
ktuvoks - somewhat shorter than humans

I'm curious as to how the ilii's lifespan got so long. At first glance, 1000+ years doesn't seem likely, if at all plausible, but I'm sure there's some way it could happen. It makes them even more comparable to Elves, in my opinion (and I'm not saying that in a bad way )

The same goes for the Elkari and the Murtani...~300 years is almost exactly what the lifespan of your average Tolkeinesque Dwarf, isn't it?. Interesting.

How closely are the humans/Flaids and the Elkari/Murtani related, and what causes such long lifespans in the Ilii and Elkari?

In human societies, lifespan is a good gauge of overall quality of life. It varies surprisingly widely; in bad times you're lucky to reach 50; today Americans can expect to reach 90.

As a species advances, it gets more control over nature, and over itself-- it can concentrate on extending lifespan, if it wants. (We're doing this already, to a large extent... possibly a questionable extent, since we seem to value it higher than other quality-of-life issues.) If people are enjoying life, they're likely to want to do so as long as they can.

Well, the neo-cons favor invading any country that suits them which is a far cry from America's tradition of non-interventionism.

That's the funniest thing I've ever read. The US is an empire in all but name.

I think y'all are hijacking the thread...take it to None of the Above

Eddy the Great wrote:

Well, the neo-cons favor invading any country that suits them which is a far cry from America's tradition of non-interventionism.

That's the funniest thing I've ever read. The US is an empire in all but name.

It is now, but it was not always so; or at least it was not as bad.

Ngo wrote:

Eddy the Great wrote:

Well, the neo-cons favor invading any country that suits them which is a far cry from America's tradition of non-interventionism.

That's the funniest thing I've ever read. The US is an empire in all but name.

It is now, but it was not always so; or at least it was not as bad.

DarkFantasy's right, guys.