Weird Vahnatai
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 04:46
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Actually, there's only one H in "vahnatai". :P -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 6068
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 08:43
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One thing confuses me about the name: Are we supposed to capitalize "Vahnatai?" I mean, we don't often capitalize "Human," but the Vahnatai are often so full of themselves, and it is refering to a specific race. Maybe we should start capitalizing both. Here's another fun fact about the Vahnatai: You know how the Vahnatai are so flexible? It's because they don't have bones. :eek: -------------------- "Sometimes I get all hungry! And then I catch some flies! They fly into my webs! They are really yummy guys!" -Spider Posts: 209 | Registered: Monday, July 4 2005 07:00 |
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Master
Member # 5977
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 09:06
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Actually, there are many life forms without bones. They get their body (Sorry, I couldn't find an appropriate word) from other things, like water (gelly fish). other (like snails) just stay on the ground without being very high, which enables them to not having bones. How do you actually know they don't have bones? because if I'm not very mistaken and I just don't rememebr it properly, then an undead Vahnatai (like Vahnavoi, i think) leaves bones when you slay it. -------------------- Play and rate my scenarios: Where the rivers meet View my upcoming scenario: The Nephil Search: Escape. Give us your drek! Posts: 3029 | Registered: Saturday, June 18 2005 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 09:33
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On the subject of capitalisation, I think we should capitalise whenever the word 'vahnatai' is used as a noun "the Vahnatai are unhappy because their crystal souls were stolen", but drop the capital when the word is used as an adjective "you have learned more about the vahnatai language". Changing the subject: Thralnai, it was a joke. The graemlin was a clue. -------------------- "I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 6068
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 09:58
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Yes the bone thing was a joke, as were the other things. As for the Vahnavoi thing though, it couldn't have been avoided since they're undead, and undead leave bones behind. It's just the graphic, it doesn't really mean anything. But here's something I'll bet you didn't know: When the Vahnatai go into "resting," they get into the crystals by opening them up like doors (the crystal coffins have hinges on them, with body depressions, just like human coffins). There's really no other way. Any ways, I've discovered that instead of food, they fight each other in their minds and then "think-eat" each other! And instead of breathing, they absorb the minerals from the crystal coffins of the dead Vahnatai! Teleporter crystals serve as waste recepticles. This is why Vahnatai resting sites become ruins after so long. Facinating! :D -------------------- "Sometimes I get all hungry! And then I catch some flies! They fly into my webs! They are really yummy guys!" -Spider Posts: 209 | Registered: Monday, July 4 2005 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 643
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 14:03
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Enter the Vahtrix. -------------------- Fine Meal is people!!! Posts: 289 | Registered: Saturday, February 16 2002 08:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 14:14
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*yawn* -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 14:28
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As far as I know, capitalizing "vahnatai" is primarily a boards thing. The games don't do it much if at all. -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 5969
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 15:15
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For some reason I always thought it was capitalized. I think it might be capitalized in the Exile FAQ (some reference to a Vahnatai cave, I think). Or something. And then when I played Avernum II, I thought "Hey, isn't that a typo? 'Vahnatai' is capitalized!... Wait, no, this is the actual game!" :D -------------------- A C, an E-flat, and a G walk into the Tower of the Magi. Ambrin walks up to them and says, "Hey! It's the Triad!" Kelner snorts and says, "Pretty minor Triad if you ask me." Posts: 242 | Registered: Thursday, June 16 2005 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 15:23
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Jeff doesn't capitalize Nephilim, Slithzerikai, or Vahnatai. I, however, like capital letters. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Wednesday, August 31 2005 16:07
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Most writers don't capitalize human, dog, platypus, or flatworm. Platyhelminthes is capitalized, but that is because it's a phylum. Unless vahnatai are actually Vahnatai speciesname, there's no reason to capitalize. —Alorael, who excludes Tolkien, who was also fond of capitals. When you create your own language, you can create your own system of capitalization too. Until then, it is only courteous to adhere to the same system as the man who invented the name. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Thursday, September 1 2005 02:44
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Vahnatai vahnatainis. Also, Elves and Dwarves are commonly capitalized in fantasy fiction, as are Men, when the term is used to refer to humans. But that's an author's choice too, and apparently Jeff decided not to capitalize species names. -------------------- Encyclopaedia • Archives • Members • RSS [Topic / Forum] • Blog • Polaris • NaNoWriMo Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. I have a love of woodwind instruments. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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...b10010b...
Member # 869
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written Thursday, September 1 2005 03:26
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Mmm, vahnatainis -- the alcoholic drinks made with gin, vermouth, and a twist of chitrach webs. -------------------- The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure! Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 1546
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written Thursday, September 1 2005 04:42
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Mmmmm, 3 totally horrible drinks mixed into one ultimately horriby drink. shame on you for mentioning it =/ -------------------- A Sucaran Child is standing here. You say, "hello" The small child looks at Preserver Aldous wide-eyed and awed. Posts: 269 | Registered: Friday, July 19 2002 07:00 |
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Master
Member # 5977
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written Thursday, September 1 2005 04:50
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quote:Sorry, didn't want to start an intelligent sort of conversation. Sorry for that. (I myself actually don't really understand my response... Ah well, what do I care. :confused: ) As for the CapiTalIzatIOn: Its proabbly just something that people do when writing fast. As for the coffins: that doesn't look to me like something a really advanced crystal coffin thing would have, but indeed. How else would they enter? As for the... This is getting boring TAKE 2 About the "think eating": Did you think of that yourself? :P -------------------- Play and rate my scenarios: Where the rivers meet View my upcoming scenario: The Nephil Search: Escape. Give us your drek! Posts: 3029 | Registered: Saturday, June 18 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Thursday, September 1 2005 05:47
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quote:It was, uh, just for emphasis. Yes. Empf Fah Syz. :o -------------------- Encyclopaedia • Archives • Members • RSS [Topic / Forum] • Blog • Polaris • NaNoWriMo Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. I have a love of woodwind instruments. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Thursday, September 1 2005 08:08
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Tolkien and his closest imitators are the ones who capitalize Men, Elves, and Dwarves. Some others capitalize Elves and Dwarves but not men, which is strange, and more just leave them all lower case. —Alorael, who also enjoys pointing out that elvish and dwarfish are words. Elven and dwarven are not standard English. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Friday, September 2 2005 19:35
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quote:For consistency, it should be elfish and dwarfish, or elvish and dwarvish. :P -------------------- Encyclopaedia • Archives • Members • RSS [Topic / Forum] • Blog • Polaris • NaNoWriMo Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. I have a love of woodwind instruments. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 1546
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written Saturday, September 3 2005 04:19
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quote:You are forgetting the key point though: it is based on the English language :) -------------------- A Sucaran Child is standing here. You say, "hello" The small child looks at Preserver Aldous wide-eyed and awed. Posts: 269 | Registered: Friday, July 19 2002 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 6068
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written Saturday, September 3 2005 06:52
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Yes, but a little too so with "Middle Earth." Why the heck did there have to be a "Middle in it?" :confused: Oh, and my new Vahnatai discovery: Mind Crystals are really just Crystal Souls that have gotten sooooooo old that they aren't of any guiding use anymore. So they give one last gift as a sense of fulfillment... or drain your mind as a final strike before they go to Hell... Amazing! Absolutely Amazing! -------------------- "Sometimes I get all hungry! And then I catch some flies! They fly into my webs! They are really yummy guys!" -Spider Posts: 209 | Registered: Monday, July 4 2005 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 5969
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written Saturday, September 3 2005 07:11
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Tolkien was very logical. He maed the plural of 'elf' 'elves', as it should logically be, instead of the standard 'elfs'. Not only is it more difficult to pronounce than 'elves', but it also makes no sense when you consider 'wolves', 'leaves', 'knives', 'shelves', &c. I think that in medieval times "the middle earth" meant the real world, as opposed to heaven, hell, &c. I vaguely remember reading that somewhere. ^^;; -------------------- A C, an E-flat, and a G walk into the Tower of the Magi. Ambrin walks up to them and says, "Hey! It's the Triad!" Kelner snorts and says, "Pretty minor Triad if you ask me." Posts: 242 | Registered: Thursday, June 16 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, September 3 2005 11:52
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Elfish and dwarfish are also English words but not, interestingly enough, the same words as elvish and dwarvish. They're synonyms for most purposes, though. —Alorael, who believes Middle-Earth is based on Midgard linguistically if not entirely conceptually. It probably has to do both with the fact that Middle-Earth was the home of mortals (and elves and such) between spiritual realms and the fact that Middle-Earth came after the Beginning with a capital B and before our current Earth, according to Tolkien's mythology. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 2829
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written Saturday, September 3 2005 18:41
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All interesting questions, true, but taken too seriously. As Plato once ejaculated, "Save the phenomena!". Attempting too stringently to dissect an issue de-mystifies it and can lead to a sad, detached, ennui that will leave both the subject of inquiry and the inquiring subject at a loss. edit: Note, however, that the author of this particular reply is not stating that all things be dealt with in such manner, but rather it is the utility of the information in question and/or capacity of the mind in retention and application that should direct our interests toward the minutae and it's many, wending tangents. Put simply and in context, a pregnant Vahnatai is only of interest to one who is either: A)A viable male of the same, elusive species, B) An unconscionable pervert, or C)An Avernite who needs to deal with said pregnancy in some capacity including delivery of, maintainence of, or avoidance of. Add' Edit: Note bold text, I am not against such a pursuit. Merely cautioning against frivolity when such endeavors exceed the grasp of the ponderer, his methods, or even his dedication to the task. [ Sunday, September 04, 2005 12:01: Message edited by: Lochmacher ] Posts: 21 | Registered: Sunday, March 30 2003 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Saturday, September 3 2005 21:46
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Have you no appreciation for the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake? Can you not see the hypothetical beauty of a pregnant vahnatai, no matter how fictitious such an entity may be even in a fictitious context? For shame! It is not those who dare to question unrealities and dream of an ever more complex and complete world who reduce everything to dry facts and figures! —Alorael, who would have to agree with the assessment of those who are curious about pregnant vahnatai, though. You don't ask about pregnant hydras (the small, primitive organism, not the lizard with many heads). Accept that budding can be beautiful too. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Apprentice
Member # 6281
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written Wednesday, September 7 2005 11:49
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quote:I think that slithzerikai is actually the easier to spell, since vahnahtai has that extra 'e' that shouldn't be there, kind of like 'phlegm'. Posts: 5 | Registered: Wednesday, September 7 2005 07:00 |