Man in Space wrote: ↑Wed Oct 09, 2024 7:01 pm
The Rad-Priests of Oqsh
Oqsh (whose name has existed for some time and wasn't made up because of Oklo—it might be spelt different but I've mentioned it in this thread before) is a polity somewhere within the Burning Mountains (presumably on the northern face and not "in the elbow"). I really,
really want to do like that nuclear semiotics video suggested and have literal rad-priests, but I want to do it in a way that sounds at least
halfway plausible and it makes me ponder the question of whether figuring out nuclear power earlier would be realistic, and how that might affect the society if so.
I'm going to throw stuff to the wall and see if
any of it sticks.
Oqsh has always been a feared, bellicose recluse state tucked away somewhere on Íröd. Mountains are sometimes known for what is mined of them, and that seems as good a starting point as any. I found
this thanks to the august Dr. Wik E. Pedia, and it seems to say that the Oklo reactors were at some point below ground? Which makes it reasonable that they'd know something was down there thanks to an iconic subterranean cave system with a notable groundwater reservoir. My guess is there'd be a sort of natural reactor site that was accessible thanks to said caves, and that—after much trial, error, and loss of life—at least
some of the basics were worked out. Part of this would translate into the sort of weighty aesthetic that I've had in mind for Oqsh for a while (a subtle nod to radiation protection).
Unlike a putative cult of radiation as discussed in the present era on Earth, the Oqsh cult seems like it'd be a mix of ancient history mythologized and actual scientific or practical observation. I think an inversion in order in that the Oqsh cult not only does not clash with mainstream science, it
encourages it, in large part to better understand the phenomena at play in radioactivity. zompist has mentioned the trope of the lame smith possibly owing its origins to the use of arsenic in historical metalsmithing, and I wonder if something similar would be at play here. The vomiting acolyte (which would be hilarious since it's already a trope in Caberdom that having a weak stomach is a sign of good character—
i.e. you literally can't stomach bad deeds—and saying of someone that they have a strong stomach is a grave insult), maybe? A trope that death is, ideally, painful (
i.e. that you suffer and die from eventual cumulative radiation exposure)?
This also suggests to me that it's possible (whether it's likely is another story entirely, but
possible is the target for now) that, with enough savvy and good fortune, other, similar reactors could be made if knowledge got out in some form or other, and what sort of effects that would have on Írödian history. I
do know that fusion is known in the "present day", and helium-3 is used a lot; it's the entire reason for the colonies around Náirad—they simply scoop it up from the night side of the planet, process it while still in the B system, and then cart it off back to Íröd for use.
There should likely be an Oqshite cult presence in the Patchwork States.angu