Ilii and Human deep-sea diving
Ilii and Human deep-sea diving
So the Ilii gradually abandoned their habitations on land when humans began moving to settle there, and went to live on the continental shelf. But what will happen in 200 or so years when some technological human civilization (probably the Verdurians) invents scuba-diving, bathyscapes, and begins to explore the ocean floor. What will happen when they discover the Iliu settlements? And what will happen if people are inspired by the Ilii's example to try to make their own under-sea habitats? How would they react?
con quesa- firm believer in the right of Spanish cheese to be female if she so chooses
"There's nothing inherently different between knowing who Venusaur is and knowing who Lady Macbeth is" -Xephyr
"There's nothing inherently different between knowing who Venusaur is and knowing who Lady Macbeth is" -Xephyr
The Ilii will kick their asses.
Or the humans'll be eaten by Ktuvoki. Either way, not happy.
Or the humans'll be eaten by Ktuvoki. Either way, not happy.
The man of science is perceiving and endowed with vision whereas he who is ignorant and neglectful of this development is blind. The investigating mind is attentive, alive; the mind callous and indifferent is deaf and dead. - 'Abdu'l-Bahá
My thoughts are that, depending on their level of technological advancement, it would either be a repeat of the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans (something that always depresses me, even though I'm completely white), or it would be a matter of time before hostilities broke out between the two peoples.
Unfortunately, I really can't see the possibility of civil, courteous relations remaining for an extended period of time. Factions on both sides--even if they aren't the respective governments themselves--are going to covet their neighbor's things. As the old saying goes, the grass is always greener or, in this case, the seaweed. Resources, technology, land on the seafloor, etc. are all going to be points of contention.
Now, certainly it would take a while for things to get to this point, and there's always the limiting factor in that the Verdurians (or any other land-based species) are simply not designed for this kind of environment, and they'd have to continually return to a dry place (undersea colony, a ship or submarine, or dry land itself). Also, depending on the conditions, there may not be anything that the Verdurians see as valuable, other than the scientific information that can be gathered there--not exactly a commodity, if you know what I mean.
Seems to me that either the situation will become one of strife, or contact between the Verdurians and the Ilii would be minimal at best for a long, long time.
Unfortunately, I really can't see the possibility of civil, courteous relations remaining for an extended period of time. Factions on both sides--even if they aren't the respective governments themselves--are going to covet their neighbor's things. As the old saying goes, the grass is always greener or, in this case, the seaweed. Resources, technology, land on the seafloor, etc. are all going to be points of contention.
Now, certainly it would take a while for things to get to this point, and there's always the limiting factor in that the Verdurians (or any other land-based species) are simply not designed for this kind of environment, and they'd have to continually return to a dry place (undersea colony, a ship or submarine, or dry land itself). Also, depending on the conditions, there may not be anything that the Verdurians see as valuable, other than the scientific information that can be gathered there--not exactly a commodity, if you know what I mean.
Seems to me that either the situation will become one of strife, or contact between the Verdurians and the Ilii would be minimal at best for a long, long time.
And pressing of the Undefined/The definition on my mind
Held up before my eyes a glass/Through which my shrinking sight did pass
Until it seemed I must behold/Immensity made manifold
Whispered to me a word whose sound/Deafened the air for worlds around
Held up before my eyes a glass/Through which my shrinking sight did pass
Until it seemed I must behold/Immensity made manifold
Whispered to me a word whose sound/Deafened the air for worlds around
- So Haleza Grise
- Avisaru
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Careful there. The Verdurians are a nationality, uesti are the species.Ezekiel wrote:My thoughts are that, depending on their level of technological advancement, it would either be a repeat of the colonization of the Americas by the Europeans (something that always depresses me, even though I'm completely white), or it would be a matter of time before hostilities broke out between the two peoples.
Unfortunately, I really can't see the possibility of civil, courteous relations remaining for an extended period of time. Factions on both sides--even if they aren't the respective governments themselves--are going to covet their neighbor's things. As the old saying goes, the grass is always greener or, in this case, the seaweed. Resources, technology, land on the seafloor, etc. are all going to be points of contention.
Now, certainly it would take a while for things to get to this point, and there's always the limiting factor in that the Verdurians (or any other land-based species) are simply not designed for this kind of environment, and they'd have to continually return to a dry place (undersea colony, a ship or submarine, or dry land itself). Also, depending on the conditions, there may not be anything that the Verdurians see as valuable, other than the scientific information that can be gathered there--not exactly a commodity, if you know what I mean.
Seems to me that either the situation will become one of strife, or contact between the Verdurians and the Ilii would be minimal at best for a long, long time.
I don't know if the Ilii really go into covetousness. What little we know about Ilian morality suggests that it surpasses the human version. We also don't know precisely how technologically advanced the Ilii are; so in what sense would they and uesti be direct competitors? Hard to say.
Duxirti petivevoumu tinaya to tiei šuniš muruvax ulivatimi naya to šizeni.
- WeepingElf
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Hallo!
This begs the question whether the Verdurians or whoever want to settle on the ocean floor at all. If we take our world as an example: undersea cities were predicted by many, and they would be technologically possible by now, but yet there are none - because nobody wants to live in what is the ultimate cold, dark and damp place.
This begs the question whether the Verdurians or whoever want to settle on the ocean floor at all. If we take our world as an example: undersea cities were predicted by many, and they would be technologically possible by now, but yet there are none - because nobody wants to live in what is the ultimate cold, dark and damp place.
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The difference between our world and Almea, though, is that we do not have an entire civilization who is successful in living underwater as an example, and Almea does. I can just imagine the first prototypical Human submarine descending down an underwater ridge, and seeing an Iliu city, filled with all sorts of things that are completely foreign to them, and then returning to the spot with a fleet of research ships.WeepingElf wrote:Hallo!
This begs the question whether the Verdurians or whoever want to settle on the ocean floor at all. If we take our world as an example: undersea cities were predicted by many, and they would be technologically possible by now, but yet there are none - because nobody wants to live in what is the ultimate cold, dark and damp place.
con quesa- firm believer in the right of Spanish cheese to be female if she so chooses
"There's nothing inherently different between knowing who Venusaur is and knowing who Lady Macbeth is" -Xephyr
"There's nothing inherently different between knowing who Venusaur is and knowing who Lady Macbeth is" -Xephyr
- WeepingElf
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Hallo!
The ilii are successful in living underwater, yes, but they can do so in ways humans cannot. Just because there is a (different) sapient species down there, doesn't mean that Verdurians (or whoever) will want to live there too. To ilii, the ocean floor may be a liveable environment - but humans still need artificial life support, and if they are anything like us, it is not the kind of place they want to live in.con quesa wrote:The difference between our world and Almea, though, is that we do not have an entire civilization who is successful in living underwater as an example, and Almea does.WeepingElf wrote:Hallo!
This begs the question whether the Verdurians or whoever want to settle on the ocean floor at all. If we take our world as an example: undersea cities were predicted by many, and they would be technologically possible by now, but yet there are none - because nobody wants to live in what is the ultimate cold, dark and damp place.
Yes. But there is a difference between doing expeditions into a hostile environment (which we do here on Earth as well) and trying to live there. They surely will send research vessels, yes, and probably try to establish trade relations.con quesa wrote:I can just imagine the first prototypical Human submarine descending down an underwater ridge, and seeing an Iliu city, filled with all sorts of things that are completely foreign to them, and then returning to the spot with a fleet of research ships.
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- WeepingElf
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Hallo!
Exactly. I was just about to point out this fact.zompist wrote:Not to damp down the speculation, but some of the comments are missing the point that the iliu are not an unknown species. Almean humans know perfectly well who they are and where they live, and have been trading with them for milennia.
...brought to you by the Weeping Elf
Tha cvastam émi cvastam santham amal phelsa. -- Friedrich Schiller
ESTAR-3SG:P human-OBJ only human-OBJ true-OBJ REL-LOC play-3SG:A
Tha cvastam émi cvastam santham amal phelsa. -- Friedrich Schiller
ESTAR-3SG:P human-OBJ only human-OBJ true-OBJ REL-LOC play-3SG:A