KhorasForum

Okay, I have two questions about the Thallasians.

First, how sofisticated is the Bio-Luminescence language of the nobles? Can they be assumed to be able to communicate with a complexity close to human languages?

Secondly: Say a ship is attacked by a group of Thallasians who try to sink it in some way. Aboard the ship is a mage who uses a heat spell to make the water boil and kills all the Thallasian. Do they turn red? I realize this won't turn up often, but do Thallasians turn red when you boil them?

EDIT: typos

The bio-luminescent language of the Thallasian nobles is very sophisticated. They can communicate with complexity equal to human language. After all, the nobles do pretty complex things - build cities, study magic, command troops, etc. The study of magic requires complex thoughts and words. So, yeah, it's pretty sophisticated. Also, they can communicate as quickly as the spoken word.

Note that non-Thallasians would never be able to understand what Thallasian nobles are saying to each other unless they had spent many months learning it from a Thallasian. Even then, the human eyes and visual cortex aren't really adapted for this kind of communication. Even if a human did spend a year or so studying the light patterns, he'll never be as good at "reading" it as a native Thallasian and he'll never be able to "say" anything in the Thallasian language since he can't generate light. Unless he's a mage cooks up some magic to simulate the light patterns.

On the subject of magic and the language, I think that normal language translation spells (Comprehend Languages, Tongues, etc) would probably not work on the Thallasian bio-luminescent language. It's a totally different method of communication. However, an ingenious mage could probably invent a whole new spell to converse with the Thallasians. But, so far, that hasn't been done yet. As a DM, I would allow it. It would be difficult, but a determined mage could probably eventually do it and then could talk directly to the Thallasians.

As far as boiling Thallasians... yes! Boiling a Thallasian (if you boil it long enough) will turn most of the shell reddish. Most shellfish (not all, but most) will turn red if you boil them. There are a number of pigments in crab shell and only the red one is stable. The rest are heat sensitive. If you boil the shellfish, the blue and green pigments break down. The red ones survive. In fact, the blue and green pigments often release the red pigment when they break down, so the shell turns even more red than it was initially. Thallasians are the same way. If you boil it long enough, the shell will turn red. If you really want to get into the nitty gritty details, you have to boil a Thallasian for about 15 to 20 minutes to get it to turn red. How's THAT for specific?   Why so long? A thallasian shell is MUCH thicker than a typical crab shell, so it takes 2 to 3 times longer to generate that chemical change.

Of course, most spells don't heat the water for that long. And you'll probably kill the Thallasian long before you hit the 15 minute mark and probably before he starts to turn red. But if you've got a sadistic mage who really wants to turn the dead Thallasian red and then, maybe, say, eat him... yeah, it's gonna take a while to thoroughly cook him.

Also, keep in mind that if your ship board mage throws a spell out to heat the water, the thallasian nobles (who are very good at controlling water temperature and such) are probably going to try to counter it with their own spell.

Interesting questions!

hmm interesting i'm wondering if you could equate some "magic like effects"
thru light patterns....right now we have lazer lights that can create confusion
and nauseua...and i know i've heard of some light patterns cuasing seizures
in people...maybe we can comemup with a set of "magic" tricks for these folks
it wouldnt be nothing real powerful maybe but maybe the magic coould be
centered on confusion/evasion...

impressive drawings kristian i just seen them...very detailed i might add...

well done...

Thanks.    I used shrimps as a reference for the workers and lobsters for the warriors. And to make the noble look more humanoid i drew him upright. Google picture search is invaluable to me when drawing any of the animal-like creatures.

And Kristian just started working on the fauna, beginning with aquatic life forms. I'm heading out on a business trip for a few days, but as soon as I get back, I'll get those uploaded to the site. 

Update - I'm on my business trip and I'm sitting in a lodge on the top of a mountain and they've got a wireless network! And I just happen to have a company laptop with me. This is COOL!    I thought I was going to be disconnected from the world for 4 days. I mean, this place is in the middle of NOWHERE. And there's no TVs or anything. But this wireless network works pretty well.

Never mind me, I'm just giddy with technology. I'm SO glad I've got internet access.   

thats cool isnt it..middle of nowwhere and still linked!...

i always wanted to do that out in the middle of
of the NW terr., CA....or the middle of the pacific...