Societal Allegory : The Radiant Wings - Science and Technology

Earlier posts did give indications of the plethora of magic based technology available to the Radiant Wings, so I'd like to give a consolidated overview of their advances here. This will probably be altered numerous times as I continue to develop the Radiant Wings, but this what I've got for now. I hope that I'll be able to fill in the details, the stories behind each discoveries, the biographies of each researcher, but that'll take up far too much time, and I confess I an anxious to finish the scaffolding and the foundation; I want to begin the structure of this story.

Given that there are 2169 years of scientific development to play around with, nothing much interesting would have happened according to modern anthropological thought. Personally, I feel it is rather strange to believe that the prehistoric ages could remain at elementary stages of technology for extended periods of time. To get a feel of the lengths of duration involved, you could just look at this helpful summary on wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_archaeological_periods

Really, prehistoric people were probably not any less innovative and curious about the world than we are today, or for that matter, over the course of recorded history. In the last 2013 years, we've advanced so far in so many areas since the Romans and the Han Chinese. I have serious doubts that human ingenuity would be trapped in stone and bronze based tools for the thousands of years. I'll admit that I'm not an expert in these things, but isn't it strange that the same species that went from super snail mail to practically instant email, from Aesculapius to anesthesia and from horseback to maglev in 2000 years would have stayed on bronze items for about that same period of time earlier in their development?

Anyway, the Radiant Wings have several cards in their favour that would expedite their development. Most importantly, a culture that was crafted specifically by Ällora to focus on science and technology. Social hierarchy and position was determined by subject expertise, elegant experiments and undeniable proofs. Another factor would be their extended lifespans; if you've been thinking about something for several centuries, you're probably going to understand its every fibre. In addition, young learners could hear the inspiring stories and discoveries of their scientific heritage directly from the luminaries themselves.

Well, this is a summarised timeline of technological developments and other related happenings in Radiant Wings society from 0AE to 2169AE, the first phase of Eldawn's history. Once again, AE refers to years After Elenrise.

1AE - The Order of Ällora is established, with Cevan as first High Priest until 199AE.

3AE - The crater of Elenis is hollowed by Ällora and Elenis is founded under Cevan. The eastern lands beneath the cliffs are tended to form acres of fields.

6AE - Ällora introduces the rest of the Pantheon of Light to the Shining Wings. Lassier, Lady of the Moon; Saroza, Lord of the Sun; Stalie, Maid of the Stars; and Nadron, Prince of the Night. Their orders are also established with respective priests or priestesses.

29AE - Ällora reveals a source of illemyst crystals through a Shining Wings leader, Selvanor. Selvaris settlement is established to mine the crystals. Illemyst crystals are just a fictional substance that is able to channel magic surprisingly well, I am thinking that it should be some sort of alumina lattice with a high content of metal linked in very fine filaments. Well I'm not a material scientist either; once I do more research this will likely change.

60AE - Hydroelectric generators are installed in Elenis to harness the power of the falls of the Berives.

173AE - Alanis is founded in Coralsea as a centre of research.

175AE - Bonvaris is established, as a source of metal for the growing cities of the Shining Wings

297AE - The Grand Temples of the Shining Wings pantheons are completed in Elenis

342AE - Mechanical Revolution begins. As mentioned before, magic allows a direct application of force to matter, as the user desires. As a result, tools were less essential for early development. However, once they were developed, they enabled less skilled magic users to better focus and direct their magic. Therefore there was still an accompanying rise in productivity with the widespread use of mechanical tools.

373AE - The statues of the Shining Wings pantheon are completed in Elenis. The generators are incorporated into their design.

423AE - Selvaron Link is established with a pioneer lev-tram system. Ällora's in charge of magnetism too after all, this would be the best way to transport things.

511AE - Capacitance Revolution begins. A way is found for illemyst crystals to store energy for later, portable use. 

573AE - The Grand Canal is completed between Elenis and Alanis.

731AE - Calvaris established as a settlement to dam the Farives River, an attempt by the Shining Wings to gain greater control of the occasionally unpredictable flow of water from Mirrorsea.

733AE - Calvaron Link constructed to improve transport between Elenis and Calvaris

865AE - Terion discovers how to employ the light and dark states of illemyst crystals to run basic computational functions.

873AE - The Automation Revolution begins. Tools begin to take on self-directed functions so that specifically directed human effort is minimised.

957AE - Plans for Sanctuaries, large floating cities, are begun in earnest.

1105AE - Construction on the First Sanctuary begins

1200AE - The First Sanctuary is launched with great ceremony.

1255AE - The Connectivity Revolution begins. Networks are set up and permanently maintained, data streams pump through the streets of Elenis like ichor, energising the First City.

1780AE - The Autorepair Revolution begins. Manufacturing reaches a point where machines now service themselves. They can monitor their own condition, understand their original function and request for servicing by fellow machines if necessary. The role of the technician is subsumed.

1844AE - Shining Wings analysts release results that indicate only 10% of the original raw illemyst crystal remains in the Dälamond Mountain range.

1879AE - The School of Postcorporism spearheads the abstraction process with a few pioneer individuals. Once shown to be stable, the process quickly catches on, especially among the older generation.

2003AE - The Gavomond Mountains are prospected for illemyst and the results are promising. Negotiations begin between the Shining Wings and the Filial over the mining of the crystals.

2004AE - Ganvaris is established to supplement the supply of illemyst from Selvaris

2100AE - Terion is elected as High Priest of Ällora till 2199AE, for his contributions to the Automation Movement and work with computers.

So the main five Revolutions as of now are : Mechanical, Capacitance, Automation, Connectivity and Autorepair. I am certain this timeline will change and the details of their technology will be altered, but for now, this is what I have considered and will use as a general framework.

Societal Allegory : The Radiant Wings - Religion

To ensure his continued command of Radiant Wings society, Ällora assembles his own host of deities under his leadership. Humanity was not the only part of creation to turn away from its creator; some of the energetic beings aligned themselves with Ällora as well. Of these, he selected 5 of the most powerful, creative and intelligent, appointing them as members of his own pantheon. Sitting at the head, Ällora represented Light and all its inspiring associations. At his right, Saroza, Lord of the Sun, and Stalie, Lady of the Stars. On Ällora's left, Lassier, Lady of the Moon, and Nadron, Lord of the Night. Ällora worked to diminish all knowledge of Eleyon, disdainful as he had become of the shattered trinity. Day 1 became Day 0, Light subverted the Creator.

Under Ällora, a focus on technological progress and humanitarian improvement established itself. The faith of the Radiant Wings is a strange amalgam of attitudes that we would consider 'religious' and perspectives of what we would term 'scientific'. It always struck me as rather unfortunate that science and religion should be so often portrayed as rivals, a divorced couple. Perhaps a mental retort has already formulated itself in your mind, shouting : 'Copernicus, Galileo and Darwin!' Personally, I feel that human experience is massively diminished without either field.

Well, in response to that apparent dichotomy, The Radiant Wings have a religion based on technology and science. They value skepticism, seek their own answers, test claims by experiment and observation. Their chief priests and priestesses are selected on academic merit, their heroes are visionaries and thinkers who solved the day's leading scientific conundrums. At the same time, religious aspects come into play, honour accorded to the deities who represent the various qualities of the society. Prayers are worded before experiments begin, praise is given for conclusive data.

Time to introduce the Pantheon of Light with their original associations :

Ällora

We've already met Ällora, the leader of the Rebellion, the scornful child of Eleyon, deserter of Yevassë. In his adopted position of the Radiant Wing's chief deity, Ällora chose to embody innovation, inspiration and curiousity, the driving forces of research. This was, whether he realised it or not, ultimately still an acknowledgement of Eleyon's purpose for him, albeit in a warped way. In this capacity, Ällora strove to portray himself as the source, the prime mover, the part of the human spirit that pushes for progress. Covering the original Prime Mover with a deceptive notion. On a more mythological side, Ällora was light. Light has always been associated with clarity, good and inspiration. Think of the words 'brilliant', 'visionary', 'enlightened', 'illuminated', 'insight'; they, and their connotations, all help to characterise this association with light and success, light and progress. That relationship is what I would like Ällora to personify.

Saroza

Saroza is the Lord of the Sun; like the rest of the Pantheon of Light under Ällora, he was originally an energy based being. He was one of the most powerful energy beings, along with Lassier, hence the two of them were associated with the major lights, the Sun and Moon respectively. Saroza became associated with the art of observation in the scientific process. It is by the light of the sun that accurate observations can be made, at least early on in the progress of Radiant Society. In the day, the world is clearly visible, observable and resolved. Before conducting experiments, a quick prayer was worded to Saroza to ask for accuracy, precision and a keen eye for detail. In other aspects, Saroza is associated with the masculine. In trying to portray a complete host of gods, Ällora mimicked the roles of the deols in some respects, this was one of them. Saroza was given many of the qualities that were originally in Oleris's domain.

Lassier

Lassier, Lady of the Moon, is the female aspect of the false pantheon. In parallel with Saroza's replacement of Oleris, Lassier took on many associations that were Unaven to begin with. While many ancient cultures actually had a male moon god and a female sun goddess, I have to say I'm with the Greeks and Chinese on this; the moon feels feminine to me. I had a lot of trouble deciding on what quality of experiment should be associated with her, so I'm afraid the one I've settled on here might not be final. At present I feel that she should be linked to the qualities of hypothesis and intuition. By that I mean the gut feeling that you might have that tells you to approach your research from this angle, or the sudden link that you make between two processes without firm evidence to support that claim. The moon is also associated with madness and lunacy, so intuition could perhaps be viewed as a controlled madness, an unexpected direction from logic alone. Many people say that science should be entirely evidence based, but I feel that our intuition and human desire for order often play on our minds as we hypothesize. So the Moon reveals by light, but only some things, in a restrained fashion, reducing the mass of observations to those that appear to be relevant. The monthly phases of the moon would perhaps only come into play with Lassier's association with femininity, and not so much with discernment and hypothesis.

Stalie

Stalie, Lady of the Stars, is tied to the process of interpretation. This was a much clearer association for me. The stars are so representably interpreted and connected as constellations. The seemingly random dots have become linked in grand figures or beasts. The constellations in turn have been interpreted in stories and myths. So just as this was done with the speckled array of the stars, an experimenter looks the data, identifies significant points, patterns, and draws a conclusive story about their relationships.

Nadron

Nadron, Lord of the Darkness, referring to the absence of light, stands as a reminder to the Radiant that we cannot know and control everything about our experiments. He is the patron of uncertainty and evaluation in the scientific process. In the cautious, reflective darkness, we watch our steps with greater attention. I want to be clear that darkness is not malevolent and evil, but just the absence of light. The qualities that Nadron embodies are complementary to the rest of the pantheon. He is still aligned with light, but in a less directly obvious way. 

I say that these are the original associations of the gods of light, because as Radiant Wings society changes and develops, each of them adopts other responsibilities and associations. Well that's all for now, I hope these associations between religious gods and scientific qualities makes idealogical sense. Science and religion don't have to be completely separated, do they?

Imperial Rhythms

There is a popular use of ancient civilisations, glorious empires of the past, in a ton of fantasy and fiction. The fallen cultures provides a sense of temporal scale, history extending far into the past. Invoking a reflection of our Earthly history; the romance of Rome, the ideal of Greece, the riches of the Babylonians, the mystery of Atlantis; the constructed world is easily infused with heritage and weight. Consider the Numenoreans of Middle-Earth, their grand ruins embellishing the rugged landscape. Further back, the elvish strongholds of the First Age. Even the Yellowstone Demarchy of Revelation Space has a similar quality, a former power is reduced to almost nothing, while its memory endures.

Cycles of ascension and destruction, tides of history. Why do ruins captivate our imagination? They recall the golden ages of ancient eras, but at the same time, they are clear reminders that the period in question is long past its terminus. We become archaeological pathologists, picking through the corpse of a city, looking for clues to how it collapsed. For we fear, realising that the time we live in now could be torn to instability by parallel pressures.

And what a time we are in! When has the world ever been so connected? When have ideas ever been as accessible as they are now? When have conveniences and choices imposed themselves so readily on so much of our population? Surely we are headed for some ideal, the future assured... But we are cautious, ever the record of the destroyed Empire haunts our progressive steps. Its narrative has been told and retold. In Asimov's Foundation Series, the Galactic Empire, apparently in its heyday, meets fatal contradictions and declines. In Star Wars, a single man seizes power from a senate, declaring himself Emperor...

So societal forensics tries to identify destabilising factors, to halt their malevolent progression among the societies still among the living.

With Eldawn, I certainly intend to employ this archetype in future, but at present, I feel compelled to take things a step further. Simply dotting ruins on a map implies a heritage, but never elaborates. When did those civilisations rise? When did they approach that asymptote of utopia before dispersing into the mist of the past? What were they like? Therefore, my account of Eldawn begins from the first civilisations, right after Creation. There are no ruins to recall dramatised re-imaginings of our real world history; these societies are the people who built them. The Radiant and the Filial are the very factions that dwelt in the first cities and halls, buildings that would later be abandoned for younger cultures to dissect and romanticise.

Setting the story in such a context is quite ambitious, but I feel it will be interesting as a result. How do these societies understand the world, without the wisdom derived from previous cadavers to guide them? Unable to draw on the seasons of yesteryear, would they not view history differently? To the first civilisations, progress would seem like a straightforward progression, culminating in some immaculate structure to last for all eternity. What a realisation it would be then, to watch for the first time, as the tide draws back down, realising that it cannot stay high forever.

Regardless, people remain inhabited by the same concerns. We learn, teach, find, lose, hold, fear and love, and will do so until the end of time. In that sense, the first cultures are not so alien, the same core human spirit is common to us all; something that lasts beyond the capricious fluctuations of the past and the future.

Societal Allegory : The Radiant Wings - Agriculture and Gastronomy

Farming is a central activity in many early cultures, and the Radiant were no exception, at least in their earlier phases of development. The farms for the Radiant were first established on the Elenian Fields. A little backtracking, but the Fallen had already been given knowledge of crops and agriculture. For even after their Rebellion, Eleyon and Yevassë could not bear to see the condition of man reduced to a state of abject hunger. Cevan was already a farmer before he turned to Ällora for guidance, so he was in charge of the agricultural sector, educating the younger generation of the newly formed society. Ällora begins to strengthen the Radiant's magical abilities soon after their decision to give him their allegiance, but only in electromagnetic magic, which was Ällora's domain. The other magics, Yevanian, Unaven and Olerist, were not granted to the capacity of the Radiant Wings. Initially, their inexperience with magic did not allow them to use electromagnetism very effectively, but soon, techniques and applications were found that made the manual work of farming much easier and much more systematic.

When I refer to manual work, this simply includes work that has to be done under the direct supervision and control of a person. It includes both physical labour and magical exertion. A farmer will be tired mentally if he overused his magic, just as physical fatigue would set in with prolonged physical work. Perhaps the main advantage of magic could be viewed as the ability to do away with tools, provided that the user has attained necessary proficiency with magic of course. Force can be applied directly and precisely with the mind, instead of having to manufacture equipment to do so. This did allow developments to progress expediently, but sooner or later, automated tools also come into play, just to take the burden off human shoulders all but entirely.

The Elenian Fields were sufficiently productive for the needs Radiant Society for the first ~600 years of Radiant history, in accordance to the technological enhancements that were applied to the farms. Soil of the fields was fertile, and maintained so by the nutrient-rich water from Mirrorsea that flowed from the Berives. The Mechanical Revolution in about 342AE and the later Automation Revolution in 873AE did contribute immensely to the output of the region in those times. However, by 650AE, Malthusian concerns were beginning to grow; that the existing level of technology could not support enough food production for the flourishing populace of Elenis and Alanis. It was during this anticipated crisis that the  Radiant turned to the elves for aid. The Filial who did interact with the Radiant observed that the crop species that the Radiant used were simply biologically inferior to the strains grown by the Filial in Vedathen. The breeds modified by decades of elvish bioengineering had better efficiencies, required less tending and tasted better as well. At the request of the Radiant Wings, the Filial offered to share their enhanced crops with the Radiant, and the quantity and quality of the food that the Elenian Fields produced was significantly augmented as a result.

Apart from crops, the Radiant supplemented their diet with the fish caught from the bounty of Coralsea. This was naturally favoured among the Alanians, as they dwelt on their city in the midst of the reefs. Kelp was another source of food. So through a combination of land agriculture, fishing and kelp harvesting, the nutritional needs of the people in the Radiant Wings cities were well met. By the year 1000AE, when the Automation Revolution was complete, the Elenian fields, the Alanian fisheries and kelp harvesters were fully computerised, requiring minimal human supervision.

Preparation of food progressed, expectedly, from practical concerns to aesthetic and epicurean ideals. As was usually the case, novel and fashionable methods of preparation came into conception in vibrant Alanis, and eventually spread out over most of Radiant Wings society if the dishes were popular enough. I don't have too many specific ideas about this area of their society yet, but there are certainly sumptuous seafood platters, varieties of noodles and bread, and delicious desserts.

Interestingly enough though, by the time of 1879AE and the rise of the School of Postcorporism, demand and interest in food begins to plateau and actually decreases. This is a consequence of the abstraction process led by the Postcorporists, which will be explained in a future post concerning the development of medicine and physical intervention in Radiant Wings society.

Thoughts : Revelation Space

I recently delved my way through the final book of Alastair Reynold's 'Revelation Space' universe, and I must say I have been taken through a brilliantly and imaginatively constructed sub-reality.  It was such a thrilling journey that I am compelled to write something in response, I don't think that's too far out of line of the focus of this blog, which is on stories after all. The series was engaging from beginning to end, always brimming over with fresh ideas. There was no lack of beautifully vivid descriptions, but they were always kept slightly off-kilter by their juxtaposition with unsettling, sometimes quite horrific, circumstances.

The cross references between the books made the series another notch more enjoyable and culturally believable. There was such a powerful sense of history and place, despite the stories being set on other planets, in lighthuggers or in the distant future. It is grandiose in scope, beginning from the first human forays into space and the Conjoiner Transenlightenment, ranging all the way into the distant future, the rogue Greenfly terraforming agent. I love the realistic tone that the series has, for example, doing away with faster-than-light travel and exploring the social and political consequences of the massive starships gliding, isolated, in the vast emptiness of interstellar space.

Part of why the series was so appealing was its constant quality of pushing the speculative limits of technology. I find, well... I suppose this is quite obvious, but I find that for the most part fiction can only look ahead to future technologies that are just beyond the fringe of what we know. We certainly couldn't expect H. G. Wells to write convincingly about nanotechnology and relativistic time dilation in the same way as a modern science fiction author would. I suppose Reynolds is advantaged in this respect by his knowledge of astrophysics, so he can forge ahead based our most recent understanding of the universe's fundamentals. And golly... what technologies he envisions : marvels of human and alien engineering abound in the novels, their exact mechanics teetering on the brink of what we could consider possible. Enhanced mental and physical physiology, extensive smart materials, alpha-level simulations, cryo-arithmetic computing, alien neutron star computers and augmented reality, to name a few.

Societies in the Revelation Space saga are just as impressive as the technology; the post-human Conjoiners, the ruined Demarchists, the exotic Ultras. While the picture he paints of humanity's future is grim and bleak, there is still a strong thread of ingenuity, tenacity and courage that plays with my hopes for restoration and recovery, a coming period of prosperity after the storm. I should be glad to relive the experience of this riveting narrative again. The dynamic moods shifting from intense activity to quiet pensive lulls, the poignant vision of a largely unpopulated lighthugger in the solitude of an all-embracing night, the truly alien, inhuman life apart from Homo sapiens sapiens and the fortitude of the characters in the midst of it all.

Societal Allegory : The Filial - Overview

In contrast the Radiant Wings, the Filial are a mixed society of elves and fallen men, they represent a society aligned with Yevanian values, in opposition to the Radiant Wings. Instead of individualism, they focus on community, in place of a focus on technological progress, they make the most of what they have. Technology is based less on direct magical application and more on biological systems when it is employed. This stems from their preference of looking understanding the uses of the bounty already existent around them, instead of devising novel methods and devices.

The Filial bear their title as they are the loyal children of Eleyon. The elves have never lost their original communion with the Creator, while the Repentant are the fallen humans who strive to serve the purposes of the All-Father, despite their weakened spirit links. I wanted to reflect the sense that Eleyon maintained a close familial relationship with his followers, so the word filial, normally reserve for parent-child relationships, was nonetheless applicable.

Now to narrate the events that led to this faction's formation. After Ällora appeared to Cevan, he returned to the rest of the fallen, exiled humans and beseeched them to come away with him to a future of independence from Eleyon. Aram and Etria distrusted Cevan's claims of Ällora's promises, as they had suffered great loss from the Prometheus Chalice. Even so, Cevan took some of his siblings, children, nieces and nephews away to the east to found Elenis. The rest of the Fallen remained with Aram and Etria, and called themselves the Repentant.

A choice was offered to the few immaculate elves who remained in the Garden of Elen after the Rebellion. Elenrise would soon occur, so the elves there needed to relocate. Yevanis and The Soul of Eleyon, Eleyon's energy aspect, told them each elf could either leave the broken physical reality of Eldawn, or remain to try and work against the influence of Ällora. All but 14 of the elves decided to depart into the energy plane and leave their corporeal reality behind. Another protected reality would be made for them, distinctly located, and they feature very little in the rest of the story. Of the 14 who stayed, 7 were male and 7 female. All the elves in Eldawn post-Rebellion are descended from these 7 immortal unions.

Following Elenrise, the Elves reach out to the small settlement of the Repentant which had established itself on the shores of Varives lake. The elves took the Repentant into their protection and moved north, into Vedathen Forest. The Repentant dubbed their magically adept protectors 'Guardians', and so collectively, the Guardian elves and the Repentant humans constituted the Filial.

The Filial established the city of Yevanis in the Vedathen. The Guardians assumed authority, directing construction and progress. They interfaced with the vital animating energy of the forest around them. While animals and plants do not have a Spirit, etheric aspect, they still have an energetic aspect that exists in the energy plane. With their magical prowess and spirit link, the elves are able to direct changes in the flora and to influence the behaviour of the fauna around them. The city of Yevanis would become an apex of bioengineering, a homeostatic system of symbiotic interaction.

The Repentant helped out where they could, but they were severely limited by their compromised magical ability. Their focus is to attain the same degree of intimacy with Eleyon as they used to have. They wanted to maintain a society of emotional and spiritual functionality, material and technological advantages were relatively unimportant. Together with the Guardians, the Repentant strive to be the ideal community that Eleyon wanted. When the Body of Eleyon made his way to Yevanis, they care and support him.

Despite their efforts, conflict inevitably did arise, new generations of humans did mot share the same beliefs as the older ones, the first death, Aram's, unsettled them all. Tensions rose between groups of discontent men and the perceived elvish elite. Their existence was far from ideal.

Nevertheless, their society believed in contentment as much as possible, to live in simplicity and community. The atmosphere of the Filial was markedly different from the social philosophy of the Radiant. They focused on the heart and the human condition. Examining the spirit and the soul, they tried to strengthen the tenuous connection by striving and prayer, pious deeds and goodwill. The result was a society deeply concerned with human relations, equality and mutual respect.

Apart from interpersonal relations, the Filial also busied themselves with the study of biological and environmental systems. They did not forget their commission as the stewards of creation, a task assigned to mankind when Eleyon first created them in the Garden. This was done to preserve as much of the biosphere as possible, and to ensure ecological security in an imperfect reality. So, while the Radiant were linked with light and the heavens, the Filial were associated with life and the earth.

Social standing in Filial society was naturally determined by age, just as it was with the Radiant Wings. In addition, moral integrity was highly valued, as judged by the codified ethical system that developed from their musings on human interaction. The elves, as the ageless, flawless Guardians were necessarily accorded their due respect. In terms of numbers however, the elves were only about a fifth of the population.

And so, the Filial represent the Yevanian-valued society while the Radiant are aligned to Älloran thinking. The interplay between these two factions allows me to examine both the results of these contrasting ideologies and the tension between individual thinking and a society's culture. There will of course, be those who are born into a faction and disagree with their elders, they may defect, or turn themselves out of social company, feeling isolated just as any of us would in their situation. Yet, both societies begin on a fresh slate, traditions barely established, that perhaps does distinguish them from our history laden world. Or does it? In this time of increasingly globalised world-views, homogenous culture and a cessation or diminishment of many traditional practices, perhaps we are not so different from a newly awakened collection of humanity, without the burden of inherited customs.