While visiting a small planet around an ordinarily boring star I happened upon some natives of limited cognitive skill and frightening body plan. These small, unscaled, wingless animals have only one visible orifice from which they make their mad skittering chirps and ingest their food, have brightly colored soft carapaces which cover very little of their soft bodies, appear amphibious and take it in turns to warm their blood on the shore and then cool off in the water, where I presume they also hunt and ingest their catch. Off in the distance I could make out strange structures, of regular sides and unnervingly straight geometry, which I can only assume are their temples and domiciles, which nearly drove me mad to look upon.
These creatures, by some deep unnatural rhythm and lying on special tapestries, would first lie on their wingless dorsal sections and then turn over leaving them exposed to attack from predators. This could only indicate a natural trust of the fellows of their species or some hidden defensive mechanism, perhaps spikes or stingers hidden just below their flabby skins. Perhaps these creatures are merely stupid. Unfortunately, I witnessed only one incidence of predation in my time among them which I'll outline later.
Some of the creatures, the smallest of them, spent more time in the water, presumably as they have not yet learned to regulate their body temperature or need to stay cool for some arcane reason. These smaller creatures often flailed their limbs and made shrill vocalizations as they disturbed the water. They also spent their time onshore building small dwellings and temples of wet sand in practice for building their own dwellings when they age, though these sand structures had a much smoother geometry than those horrible megaliths I spy further ashore. Some were tossing around and punishing a red and white life form which I assume must have been insolent or some source of food. I observed the skin of one of these life forms left on the sand, apparently flayed, for it's attempt to escape into the water or for it's meat. I also spotted a few of the creatures in combat, tossing a spinning disk at one another, though it must have been only practice as none of them were even maimed.
I also noted a mating ritual. Some of these creatures would strap themselves to boards of either organic or artificial make, and then, by matching speed with the incoming wave, attempt to prove they could stay on the board the longest, showing some primitive mastery of nature. This must win the right to fertilize their mate's eggs. While I have yet to find a nest of these creature's eggs, I'm sure they keep them in those distant and unnerving temples further inland which I'm loathe to approach.
As the world turned round away from the central star and it's fading light signaled danger to the creatures, perhaps not as stupid as I first surmised until I witnessed this predation, they grouped together and gathered their tapestries and ritual garb while others gathered the smaller creatures out of the water and off of the sand and collectively moved inland. After they reached a short distance inland they moved directly toward a lazy herd of shining, hard, insectoid creatures which quickly swallowed them up in their many mouths and roared to life. From this I can only surmise that the insectoid creatures were in some way camouflaged, perhaps by some means outside of the normal visual spectrum. The insectoid creatures then began to move further inland, past those unnerving structures, signaling to one another through a series of raucous honks and beeps.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Cthulhu at the Beach
While visiting a small planet around an ordinarily boring star we happened upon some natives of limited cognitive skill and frightening body plan. These small, unscaled, wingless animals have only one visible orifice from which they make their mad skittering chirps and ingest their food, have brightly colored soft carapaces which cover very little of their soft bodies, appear amphibious and take it in turns to warm their blood on the shore and then cool off in the water, where I presume they also hunt and ingest their catch. Off in the distance I could make out strange structures, of regular sides and unnervingly straight geometry, which I can only assume are their temples and domiciles, which nearly drove me mad to look upon.
These creatures, by some deep unnatural rhythm and lying on special tapestries, would first lie on their wingless dorsal sections and then turn over, with their ventral sides down leaving them exposed to attack from predators. This could only indicate a natural trust of the fellows of their species or some hidden defensive mechanism, perhaps spikes or stingers hidden just below their flabby skins. Perhaps these creatures are merely stupid. Unfortunately, I witnessed only one incidence of predation in my time among them which I'll outline later.
Some of the creatures, the smallest of them, spent more time in the water, presumably as they have not yet learned to regulate their body temperature or need to be cooler for some arcane reason. They also spent their time on shore building small scale dwellings of wet sand in practice for building their own dwellings when they age. Some were tossing around and punishing a red and white minion which I assume must have been insolent. I observed the skin of one of these minions left on the sand, apparently flayed, for it's attempt to escape into the water.
I also noted a mating ritual. Some of these creatures would strap themselves to boards of either organic or artificial make, and then, by proving they could stay on the board the longest would win the right to fertilize their mate's eggs. While I have yet to find a nest of these creature's eggs, I'm sure they keep them in those distant and unnerving temples further inland which I'm loathe to approach.
As the world turned round away from the central star and it's fading light signaled danger to the creatures, perhaps not as stupid as I first surmised until I witnessed this predation, they grouped together and gathered their tapestries and ritual garb while others gathered the smaller creatures out of the water and off of the sand and collectively moved inland. After they reached a short distance inland they moved directly toward a lazy herd of shining, hard, insectoid creatures which quickly swallowed them up in their many mouths and roared to life. From this I can only surmise that the insectoid creatures were in some way camouflaged, perhaps by some means outside of the normal visual spectrum. The insectoid creatures then began to move further inland, past those unnerving structures, signaling to one another through a series of raucous honks and beeps.
These creatures, by some deep unnatural rhythm and lying on special tapestries, would first lie on their wingless dorsal sections and then turn over, with their ventral sides down leaving them exposed to attack from predators. This could only indicate a natural trust of the fellows of their species or some hidden defensive mechanism, perhaps spikes or stingers hidden just below their flabby skins. Perhaps these creatures are merely stupid. Unfortunately, I witnessed only one incidence of predation in my time among them which I'll outline later.
Some of the creatures, the smallest of them, spent more time in the water, presumably as they have not yet learned to regulate their body temperature or need to be cooler for some arcane reason. They also spent their time on shore building small scale dwellings of wet sand in practice for building their own dwellings when they age. Some were tossing around and punishing a red and white minion which I assume must have been insolent. I observed the skin of one of these minions left on the sand, apparently flayed, for it's attempt to escape into the water.
I also noted a mating ritual. Some of these creatures would strap themselves to boards of either organic or artificial make, and then, by proving they could stay on the board the longest would win the right to fertilize their mate's eggs. While I have yet to find a nest of these creature's eggs, I'm sure they keep them in those distant and unnerving temples further inland which I'm loathe to approach.
As the world turned round away from the central star and it's fading light signaled danger to the creatures, perhaps not as stupid as I first surmised until I witnessed this predation, they grouped together and gathered their tapestries and ritual garb while others gathered the smaller creatures out of the water and off of the sand and collectively moved inland. After they reached a short distance inland they moved directly toward a lazy herd of shining, hard, insectoid creatures which quickly swallowed them up in their many mouths and roared to life. From this I can only surmise that the insectoid creatures were in some way camouflaged, perhaps by some means outside of the normal visual spectrum. The insectoid creatures then began to move further inland, past those unnerving structures, signaling to one another through a series of raucous honks and beeps.
Cthullhu at the beach.
While visiting a small planet around an ordinarily boring star we happened upon some natives of limited cognitive skill and frightening body plan. These small, unscaled, wingless animals have only one visible orifice from which they make their mad skittering chirps and ingest their food, have brightly colored soft carapaces which cover very little of their soft bodies, appear amphibious and take it in turns to warm their blood on the shore and then cool off in the water, where I presume they also hunt and ingest their catch. Off in the distance I could make out strange structures, of regular sides and unnervingly straight geometry, which I can only assume are their temples and domiciles, which nearly drove me mad to look upon.
These creatures, by some deep unnatural rhythm and lying on special tapestries, would first lie on their wingless dorsal sections and then turn over, with their ventral sides down leaving them exposed to attack from predators. This could only indicate a natural trust of the fellows of their species or some hidden defensive mechanism, perhaps spikes or stingers hidden just below their flabby skins. Perhaps these creatures are merely stupid. Either way, I witnessed no predation in my time observing them, which was unfortunate.
Some of the creatures, the smallest of them, spent more time in the water, presumably as they have not yet learned to regulate their body temperature or need to be cooler for some arcane reason. They also spent their time on shore in the practice of building small scale dwellings of wet sand in practice for building their own dwellings some day. Some were tossing around and punishing a red and white minion which I assume must have been insolent. I observed that one of these minions was left on the sand, apparently flayed, for it's attempt to escape into the water.
I also noted a mating ritual while observing these creatures. Some of the creatures would strap themselves to boards of either organic or artificial make, and then, by proving they could stay on the board the longest win the right to fertilize their mate's eggs. While I have yet to find a nest of these creatures eggs, I'm sure they keep them in those distant and unnerving temples further inland which I'm loathe to approach.
As the world turned round away from the central star and it's fading light signaled danger to the creatures (perhaps not as stupid as first surmised) they grouped together and gathered their tapestries and ritual garb while others gathered the smaller creatures out of the water and off of the sand and collectively moved inland where a large and lazy herd of shining, hard, insectoid creatures quickly swallowed them up in their many mouths and then signaling through raucous honking a movement inland past those unnerving temples.
These creatures, by some deep unnatural rhythm and lying on special tapestries, would first lie on their wingless dorsal sections and then turn over, with their ventral sides down leaving them exposed to attack from predators. This could only indicate a natural trust of the fellows of their species or some hidden defensive mechanism, perhaps spikes or stingers hidden just below their flabby skins. Perhaps these creatures are merely stupid. Either way, I witnessed no predation in my time observing them, which was unfortunate.
Some of the creatures, the smallest of them, spent more time in the water, presumably as they have not yet learned to regulate their body temperature or need to be cooler for some arcane reason. They also spent their time on shore in the practice of building small scale dwellings of wet sand in practice for building their own dwellings some day. Some were tossing around and punishing a red and white minion which I assume must have been insolent. I observed that one of these minions was left on the sand, apparently flayed, for it's attempt to escape into the water.
I also noted a mating ritual while observing these creatures. Some of the creatures would strap themselves to boards of either organic or artificial make, and then, by proving they could stay on the board the longest win the right to fertilize their mate's eggs. While I have yet to find a nest of these creatures eggs, I'm sure they keep them in those distant and unnerving temples further inland which I'm loathe to approach.
As the world turned round away from the central star and it's fading light signaled danger to the creatures (perhaps not as stupid as first surmised) they grouped together and gathered their tapestries and ritual garb while others gathered the smaller creatures out of the water and off of the sand and collectively moved inland where a large and lazy herd of shining, hard, insectoid creatures quickly swallowed them up in their many mouths and then signaling through raucous honking a movement inland past those unnerving temples.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Revision 2
The end of Serfdom throughout Europe brought many social changes to the lives of the peasantry. In particular serfdom was obsolete in England by 1500, earlier than most European countries by a few hundred years. In opposition to the tales of the Middle Ages, of gallant knights and heroic deeds in romantic fiction, the lives of even the richest of nobles was utter squalor by modern standards and the poor who worked their land as serfs were even worse off.
Serfdom was a long running practice in England during the Middle Ages grown mostly from the need of the peasantry to be protected. The King granted fiefs, land with resources, to loyal soldiers in return for fealty. These lords promised to raise armies as needed and to pay taxes as called upon among other duties to the King. These soldiers, Barons or Counts, did not own the land, but were granted the land to use as they saw fit, it could be passed by heredity, but if the King was displeased, could be reclaimed.
Peasants were free people who could come and go as they pleased, but lacked protection against thieves and raiders, and the protection of the lord of the fief was often the only safety a peasant had. The lord, in exchange for loyalty, service, and rent allowed the peasant a plot of land on which to build a home (a thatch or mud hut usually) and a way to scratch out a meager living subsistence farming, being part of the lord's armies and guard, or doing general labor (usually a mix). Of course the fief holders took advantage of their power and the peasants became indentured servants, or Serfs under such a system.
Several events occurred which brought the decline and eventual fall of Serfdom in England:
* The Black Plague: The Black Plague killed 30% to 60% of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.
Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports.
Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic and geographic freedom. The new found mobility of the former serfs gave rise to the free laborer. A person was free to seek employment, a better wage or a different employer as they saw fit.
Serfdom was a long running practice in England during the Middle Ages grown mostly from the need of the peasantry to be protected. The King granted fiefs, land with resources, to loyal soldiers in return for fealty. These lords promised to raise armies as needed and to pay taxes as called upon among other duties to the King. These soldiers, Barons or Counts, did not own the land, but were granted the land to use as they saw fit, it could be passed by heredity, but if the King was displeased, could be reclaimed.
Peasants were free people who could come and go as they pleased, but lacked protection against thieves and raiders, and the protection of the lord of the fief was often the only safety a peasant had. The lord, in exchange for loyalty, service, and rent allowed the peasant a plot of land on which to build a home (a thatch or mud hut usually) and a way to scratch out a meager living subsistence farming, being part of the lord's armies and guard, or doing general labor (usually a mix). Of course the fief holders took advantage of their power and the peasants became indentured servants, or Serfs under such a system.
Several events occurred which brought the decline and eventual fall of Serfdom in England:
* The Black Plague: The Black Plague killed 30% to 60% of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.
Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports.
Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic and geographic freedom. The new found mobility of the former serfs gave rise to the free laborer. A person was free to seek employment, a better wage or a different employer as they saw fit.
Sociology Revised
The end of Feudalism throughout Europe brought many social changes to the lives of the peasantry. In particular, England began moving away from the system in around 1500, earlier than most European countries by a few hundred years.
Feudalism was a long running practice in England during the middle ages grown mostly out of the need for the peasantry's want to be protected. The King granted fiefs to Barons in return for fealty and the promise to raise armies as needed and to pay taxes as called upon. The Barons did not own the land, but were granted the land to use as they saw fit, it could be passed by heredity, but if the King was displeased, could be reclaimed. Peasants were free peoples who could come and go as they pleased, but lacked protection against thieves and raiders, and the protection of the lord of the fief was often the only recourse a peasant had. The Baron would, in exchange for loyalty and service allowed the peasant a plot of land on which to build a home (a hut really) and a way to scratch out a meager living subsistence farming and being part of the lord's armies and guard. Of course the fief holders took advantage of their power and the general setup was more akin to slavery or indentured servitude which was called Serfdom.
Several events occurred which set the stage for the decline and eventual fall of Feudalism in England.
* The Black Plague: The Black Plague decimated two thirds of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.
Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports. Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed, in a manner of speaking, from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic freedom.
Feudalism was a long running practice in England during the middle ages grown mostly out of the need for the peasantry's want to be protected. The King granted fiefs to Barons in return for fealty and the promise to raise armies as needed and to pay taxes as called upon. The Barons did not own the land, but were granted the land to use as they saw fit, it could be passed by heredity, but if the King was displeased, could be reclaimed. Peasants were free peoples who could come and go as they pleased, but lacked protection against thieves and raiders, and the protection of the lord of the fief was often the only recourse a peasant had. The Baron would, in exchange for loyalty and service allowed the peasant a plot of land on which to build a home (a hut really) and a way to scratch out a meager living subsistence farming and being part of the lord's armies and guard. Of course the fief holders took advantage of their power and the general setup was more akin to slavery or indentured servitude which was called Serfdom.
Several events occurred which set the stage for the decline and eventual fall of Feudalism in England.
* The Black Plague: The Black Plague decimated two thirds of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.
Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports. Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed, in a manner of speaking, from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic freedom.
Sociology Discussion Ramblings
Feudalism was a long running practice in England during the middle ages grown mostly out of the need for the peasantry's want to be protected. The King granted fiefs to Barons in return for fealty and the promise to raise armies as needed and to pay taxes as called upon. The Barons did not own the land, but were granted the land to use as seen fit, it could be passed by heredity, but if the King was displeased, could be reclaimed. Peasants were free peoples who could come and go as they pleased, but lacked protection against thieves and raiders, and the protection of the lord of the fief was often the only recourse a peasant had. The Baron would, in exchange for loyalty and service allowed the peasant a plot of land on which to build a home (a hut really) and a way to scratch out a meager living subsistence farming and being part of the lord's armies and guard. Of course the fief holders took advantage of their power and the general setup was more akin to slavery or indentured servitude which was called Serfdom.
Several events occurred which set the stage for the decline and eventual fall of Feudalism in England.
* The Black Plague: The Black Plague decimated two thirds of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.
Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports. Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed, in a manner of speaking, from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic freedom.
Several events occurred which set the stage for the decline and eventual fall of Feudalism in England.
* The Black Plague: The Black Plague decimated two thirds of the population making the labor of the serfs a more scarce resource. In this the serfs found a new power which lead to a Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
* Due to The Crusades more trade began flowing into England which moved the economy to a money system as opposed to a land based system.
* A Centralized Government was formed around the Magna Carta which moved the power away from the lords of the fiefs and into the hands of Parliament.
Due to the Peasants' Revolt the laws involving land owners and tenants were forced to change. Further, it was becoming less profitable to farm small strips of land and to raise armies, instead larger plots were farmed and professional soldiers would war for money. The increase in trade made the cities grow larger and there was a demand for labor in the cities and ports. Due to these reasons, the peasantry, once tied to a lord and a plot of land were freed, in a manner of speaking, from the bondage of serfdom and found new economic freedom.
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