gigan
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Post by gigan on May 10, 2009 22:06:53 GMT -5
This thread will be used to record ideas, musings, etc, on Wu Jen technology. Not just what they have and use, but it should examine the motivations shaped by culture, and in turn at least a little culture shaped by the technology.
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gigan
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Post by gigan on May 10, 2009 22:57:15 GMT -5
Primary inspiration is oriental, flavors from things such as Neo Tokyo are likely to be borrowed from. Take Chinatown, expand the height of its style to take in technology that lets one span the stars. Pragmatism, high technology, competence, veneration of age and wisdom, honor. Persistence and determination are respected, malicious treachery is not.
Clans exist, operate much like tongs were originally meant to, for protection and mutual benefit. Actual tongs may bridge clans. Megacorps exist, but do not Wal-mart. They keep to their strengths, acquire smaller companies or an interest in them when beneficial.
There is a Council of Elders, of which at least half are a special kind of AI. Wu Jen of advanced age who are known for their wisdom and experience may be asked to undergo Ascention, which is the encoding of their brain's activity into an AI construct, so that their wisdom and experience will not be lost to their people when their body passes on.
These AIs are treated with as much reverence as the person was in life, if not more. They are one of very few AIs allowed to decide when their "end of service" comes. As AIs they have tools at their disposal for dealing with periods of inactivity and the like that come from thinking several times faster than the average person, so the decision to terminate is typically based on the belief that their time has passed.
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gigan
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Post by gigan on May 11, 2009 23:52:58 GMT -5
The best known example of Wu Jen melee weaponry is the cryssteel sword. The blade is a an example of custom nano-forging elevated to the level of a sacred art. While exact shape and size may vary from example to example, there are certain consistent qualities.
On the molecular level the blade is an interwoven series of springs, arranged so that pressure causes them to compress and link into a hard, angular structure until the strain passes. Such strikes may cause a brief oscillation from the structure, a distinctive chime. This "song" is by and large unique to each swordmaker thanks to individual choices on faceting, compression points and dimensions. At least one fake (though likely few exist) has been found by having a song which sounded "sickly" or was markedly different from that of its claimed maker.
Cryssteel blades are at least partially translucent, surfaces typically looking oiled even when perfectly dry. A standard blade can be faintly seen through when held up to the light, and generally has pearlescent coloration.
If one is willing to sacrifice part of the strength of the blade, it can be made collapsible by the addition of pneumatic actuation and active nano-eutectics. A collapsible cryssteel blade is comprised of thousands of ringlike segments, each with nanoscale latches that engage or retract in order to secure the structure.
Deployment involves the opening of these latches in tandem with the application of compressed air to the interior of the structure, propelling each segment to the limits of its ability to travel. Each segment locks into place as it reaches its limit, which culminates in the formation of a blade that is hollow and yet quite capable of taking on a standard metal blade and winning.
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