The Abyssals

[mike wightman]

In the original T5 book and cd - not in the 5.09 pdf - there is a galactic map that labels various regions of the galaxy.
The Essaray are there and so are the Abyssals (go to the Traveller map and zoom all the way out).

In his interview at TravellerCon - available of youtube thanks to Jon Brazer Enterprizes - MWM mentions the Abyssals and fills in some details.

They sound a lot like the Pentapod 'gods' from T2300 except they are not intelligent. Some of the 'bullets' (again borrowing from T2300 terminology) are intelligent and are responsible for the technological development and exploration of their part of the galaxy.

 

[Maksim-Smelchak]

In the original T5 book and cd - not in the 5.09 pdf - there is a galactic map that labels various regions of the galaxy.
The Essaray are there and so are the Abyssals (go to the Traveller map and zoom all the way out).

In his interview at TravellerCon - available of youtube thanks to John Brazer Enterprizes - MWM mentions the Abyssals and fills in some details.

They sound a lot like the Pentapod 'gods' from T2300 except they are not intelligent. Some of the 'bullets' (again borrowing from T2300 terminology) are intelligent and are responsible for the technological development and exploration of their part of the galaxy.

Please share a link of the video.

The abyssal are part of the future Galaxiad product and very much on the drawing board.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

 

[robject]

I've made that observation to Marc as well, Mike.

I don't think it was a conscious borrowing, since Marc draws from classic SF generally. But I can't remember a book that depicts things like that. On the gripping hand, there's a lot I haven't read.

 

[mike wightman]

I thought this would have been linked by now - here it is.

And many thanks to Jon Brazer Enterprizes for making this available.
Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z3K_JgCj5k
Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7qQQ95zHyo
Part 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ab5l32EZG4&t=1s

 

[mike wightman]

I've made that observation to Marc as well, Mike.

I don't think it was a conscious borrowing, since Marc draws from classic SF generally. But I can't remember a book that depicts things like that. On the gripping hand, there's a lot I haven't read.

Didn't Marc work on T2300 as well?

I always liked the Pentapod - and adapted them into MTU along with the Kafer - but the Abyssals sound like a better fit to the OTU and I want to know more about them

 

[robject]

I've got to watch those vids.

I assumed (!) Marc didn't work on 2300.

I actually wrote up T5 sophont profiles for the Eber, Klaxun, Xiang, and Yilii a few years back. Yilii were the most fun.. and most likely to not be correct.

Send me an email.

 

[mike wightman]

He's credited, and somewhere I'm sure I have a list of the countries he played in the great game bridging the gap from T2000 to T2300.

Forgot about the Ylii - I used those too although they definitely reminded me of Moties...

MTU version of the pentapod gods have been influenced by the unknown alien race from Blue Planet that made the Long John, and the Primes from Peter F Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga.

 

[robject]

So the Abyssals are defined only about as much as they intertwine with the Galaxiad. There is room for development here. If you're interested, post your thoughts here, or send them directly to Marc, or you can feel free to email me at robert.eaglestone at Gmail dot com.

In particular, how do humans become aware of them, and when? What does First Contact look like? Or are there agents already in Charted Space, acting on behalf of their home base?

 

[robject]

As far as the map goes, note that a lot of space is Abyssal space. A lot.

 

[David Johansen]

If they're expanding like Moties the Warhammer 40000 universe is going two wind up less dark than Traveller in the long run.

 

[Ulsyus]

So the Abyssals are defined only about as much as they intertwine with the Galaxiad. There is room for development here. If you're interested, post your thoughts here, or send them directly to Marc, or you can feel free to email me at robert.eaglestone at Gmail dot com.

Email sent Rob

 

[robject]

If they're expanding like Moties the Warhammer 40000 universe is going two wind up less dark than Traveller in the long run.

Interesting comparison that I hadn't thought of. I'd be more worried about the Essaray, myself. I don't know how Marc is going to dig himself out of these. Although, if he wants truly epic galactic classic pulp SF scenarios, I guess he now has them.

 

[robject]

I did some wild guessing, and it looks like the Abyssals are on the order of 10,000 parsecs distant from Charted Space. Charted Space, as you may know, is less than 500 parsecs across. So it's like covering twenty Charted Spaces.

 

[robject]

What we DON'T have, is a sophont profile for the Abyssals.

Anyone interested in contributing suggestions?

 

[mike wightman]

I'd need a bit more info about Marc's vision for them before taking a stab at a sophont profile.

Description so far resembles pentapod gods, yet they lack higher intelligence. Are they evolved in their native environment or some relic biotech from an earlier extinct race?

The 'bullets' they produce I am assuming are tailored to a specific niche - how is the requirement determined - do the gods just produce stuff at random and let evolution take its course?
Are the 'bullets' capable of reproduction? The first generation are synthetic but are the subsequent generations?

The bullets vary in characteristics - some may even be more plant like than animal? - perhaps some blend the characteristics of both. The bullets may have different degrees of intelligence but are always driven by genetic instinct to do the original task they were made to do.

Do the Abyssal gods re-locate or do they colonize new worlds by having a new god grow from a critical mass of bullets or a specific trigger for a bullet?

Are they allowed to have invented one of the levels of jump technology or do they spread STL?

Can the 'gods' incorporate genetic material from colonised worlds?

 

[Alagoric]

Essaray: in the Turkish language, "es saray", can be (badly) translated as meaning "palace of the spouse". Just a linguistic coincidence I'm sure, but still kind of inspirational.

 

[kilemall]

Hmm, if the Gods are not intelligent, let me throw out the idea that there would be a priest class of bullets that 'ask for' specific roles and have the divine/secret/jealously guarded means of how to do so.

 

[mike wightman]

That would require the bullets to understand the nature of their gods - this is a possibility for high TL bullet races.

Can't help but think one of the motivations of a high TL bullet race would be to find a way to remove their genetic programming that gives their gods final authority over their instincts.

Imagine being aware of the fact that your entire world will dissolve into a god if it reaches a critical size or triggers a particular instinct or receives the psionic instruction to do so...

To use CoC terms 'Old god servitor races' trying desperately to separate themselves from their 'devine' legacy...

 

[Ulsyus]

Imagine being aware of the fact that your entire world will dissolve into a god if it reaches a critical size or triggers a particular instinct or receives the psionic instruction to do so...

To use CoC terms 'Old god servitor races' trying desperately to separate themselves from their 'devine' legacy...

There could be more than a bit of truth in there.

If the Abyssal is treated as godlike by the bullets, whose end do the bullets serve?

If the god is not perceived to be intelligent but produces servitors which are, could that mean that the god has an intelligence that is just too difficult to be perceived by humans?

If the bullets are intelligent, are they independent? What is the extent of their free will? Are they offspring, or true servitors tied to the will of their (to our perceptions) unintelligent god?

If they spread as far as mapped, what could that tell us about the power of their god to ensure their propagation? If it has no hand in assisting their spread, what has enabled that to occur?

Could Grandfather sit down (so to speak) and have a cup of tea with them and discuss the establishment of races and universes?

 

[mike wightman]

Re-watching the video - part 3 14:30

The abyssal are stadium sized, unintelligent of themselves. They create minions that can be gatherers, workers, warriors etc, most of which are unintelligent but are controlled by he instincts passed on from the 'mother'.

Some of the minions are created intelligent and can build starships and have a sizable chunk of the galaxy. and yet they too are still driven by the "mother's" instinct.

So I think most of what I have added fits so far. The next thing to consider in competition between the abyssal and their minions and others of their race.

Now all I have to do is find a scenario that can introduce a group of PCs to these beasties and see what comes of that...