Diskusjon:Darkover

Fra min side er oversettelsen avsluttet. Der er mye nedover om vesener og slekter jeg ikke har tatt med. Jeg lar dette stå til eventuelle ivrige sjeler som vil gå løs på det. Hvis det er urørt ved årsskiftet, sletter jeg alt det engelske. Jeg har fjernet lenker som ikke fører noe sted etter beste evne.--Bjørn som tegner 21. des 2006 kl. 10:47 (CET)

Darkover is the locus of the Darkover series of fantasy and science fiction novels and short story|short stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and others published since 1962. According to the novels, Darkover is the only human-habitable of seven planets orbiting a fictional red giant star called Cottman.

The Cottman stellar system

Of the seven Cottman planets, Darkover is the fourth-farthest in orbit, which gives the planet its other name, Cottman IV. Two of the three planets (Cottman II and Cottman III) which are closer to the system's star are gas giants, the third (Cottman I) is a barren, scorched rock too close to its star to sustain life. Of the three outer planets, the two farthest from Cottman (Cottman VI and Cottman VII) are gas giants akin to Earth's Jupiter and Saturn. Cottman V is an ice planet that while not toxic to humans, cannot naturally support a self-sustaining human population.

Like its neighbor, Darkover, too is a planet stuck in a permanent ice age with only one small equatorial strip of its only, smallish continent warm enough to support limited agriculture, fishing and livestock. But the planet's climate is harsh by any standard, with the warmest parts of the world snow-free for only a few weeks out of the year.

Similar in size to Earth, Darkover has a lower gravity due to its relative lack of metals and a higher percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere. Its orbit is also slower than Earth, with one Darkover year roughly equal to 15 Earth months.

Darkover Weather and Geography

Darkover's weather is affected by two major forces:

• A huge mountain range called "The Wall Around the World" which, due to the lower gravity, have grown to a height of 9,000 meters above sea level. This mountain range has the cooling effect of a third pole and has set the angle of Darkover's axis of rotation to be more extreme than that of Earth's which causes an extreme fluctuation between summer and winter temperatures in its equatorial region.
• Unlike the Earth, which has only one natural satellite, Darkover has four moons which affect tidal forces and weather patterns.

Darkover's four moons vary in size and color, two appear large from the surface of the planet. The largest is named Liriel, and appears to have a violet tint. The second largest, Kyrrdis, is described as "peacock blue." Of the four moons, the third, sea-green hued Irdriel appears to be mid-range in size while the fourth, Mormallor is a very small white moon. It is thought that Mormallor may have been a passing asteroid that was captured by Darkover's gravity.

A map of the habitable part of Darkover showing major settlements and landforms (Larger detailed version)

Viewing Darkover from space, the planet is dominated by polar icecaps that cover a majority of its surface. The sole continent, just a few degrees north of the equator, is linked to the northern icecap on the continental northern and eastern side where glaciers from The Wall Around the World mountain range abut the cap. To the south and west of that mountain range is Darkover's nominally temperate continental zone which borders the open water of the planet's ocean.

This part of the continent is dominated by forests of giant evergreen trees that grow in the mountain foothills to heights unimaginable on Earth due to the planet's lower gravity. Further, southwest from the forests are Darkover's highlands, plains, salt marshes and arable river valleys. On the continent's far western side is another mountain range called "The Hellers" and a high elevation cold desert plateau called "The Dry Towns."

Sentient native Darkover life

When humans first land on Darkover, they soon find an ancient world already inhabited by sentient life forms. Catmen and Ya-men were created by humans in the Ages of Chaos.

Catmen

Territorial cat-like non humans with primitive laran. Known to trade with Dry Towners and attack travellers.

Chieri

One of the first native species Earth explorers find are the chieri, a race of extremely long-lived, six fingered, tall and telepathy|telepathic individuals of semi-hermaphroditic physiology. They are variously described as having golden or grey eyes and with long, transulscent or silver-grey hair. The chieri also are a race on the verge of extinction due to low fertility rates. But it is found in rare instances that chieri and human can interbreed. The chieri are later explained in The World Wreckers as the last, dying remnants of a space travelling species whose abilities have dwindled with their fertility and ambition as a species. Darkover is, apparently, only the most recent stop on their intergalactic travels, and likely to be their last. Because Chieri and Humans are very similar biologically, and because they can interbreed, it seems likely that they are related to one another. It is possible that Humans are a sub-species of Chieri as they seem to have come first.

Kyrri

Humanoid-type bipeds, kyrri are covered with grey fur and have monkey-like faces with glowing green eyes. Kyrri can give off electric shocks.

Trailmen

This semi-arboreal race of vegetarians build large cities in Darkovers tall trees. Their population suffers when humans live nearby.

Ya-men

Although the actual intelligence of this bird-like race is in question, these mountain-dwellers are seldom seen by humans who inhabit the low lands.

Cralmac

Artificially bred by humans during the Ages of Chaos, the cralmac are semi-intelligent beings apparently developed from genetically altered human DNA. They usually feature in the Darkovan novels as the servants of laranzu working in the towers, with the explanation that theirs is the only touch humans in the hyper-sensitive state of the matrix worker can bear. It is not unusual for hostility against a woman of high social status to be expressed in terms of a spurious accusation that she engages in intimate relations with her cralmac servants.

laran, chieri and human interbreeding and the kireseth

Perhaps the most significant feature of Darkovan society is the presence of laran, the psychic powers of the comyn, who are the ruling class of Darkover. Various arguments are presented to explain the high presence of psychic abilities in the human population of Darkover. One of the most significant is that the human colony described in the 'first' chronological book, Darkover Landfall, received the genetic material which carried laran from the chieri who fathered children on human women, and who bore children to human men. The original population of the colony also derived overwhelmingly from certain areas of north-west Europe (the Scottish highlands, Ireland and the Basque country) commonly linked in popular belief and tradition with a high level of supernatural abilities such as the second sight.

The other, equally significant argument is that the planet itself contributed to the realisation of psychic abilities in its human population, primarily through the star flower or kireseth. The 'ghost winds', where kireseth flowers bloom in unseasonally warm weather and then produce a vast amount of the psychotropic pollen which give the winds their name, are described in Darkover Landfall as the first human experiences with Darkovan pharmacopia and its psychological effects.

The Darkover series consists of several novels and short story|short stories set in the fictional world of Darkover as created by science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Darkover chronology

See also: List of Darkover books for a complete chronological bibliography of Darkover books, anthologies and series by date of publication.

Although the following Darkover chronology includes a book list for novels set in specific time periods, each was written to stand as a separate story and the individual novel plots are not dependent upon one another. Bradley herself recommended that the books be read in the order in which they were written, rather than the Darkovan chronological order, as her writing style changed considerably over her career.

The time periods the books belong in, particularly the ones in the Ages of Chaos and the Hundred Kingdoms Era, are blurred. Reflecting on that some books state they are in one era, and then there is evidence with story lines lining up to support where it goes while the chronology in the books state there are a different era, the books are in order as their story falls into place. (Not the chronology in the beginning of some of the books.)

The Founding

An age of war and strife retaining many of the decimating and disastrous effects of the Ages of Chaos. The lands which are later to become the Seven Domains are divided by continuous border conflicts into a multitude of small, belligerent kingdoms, named for convenience "Hundred Kingdoms|The Hundred Kingdoms." The close of this era is heralded by the adoption of the Compact, instituted by Varzil the Good. A landmark and turning point in the history of Darkover, the Compact bans all distance weapons, making it a matter of honor that one who seeks to kill must himself face equal risk of death.

Eventually the planet was (re-)discovered by a human space traveling civilization and a spaceport was established near Thendara, the only large city on Darkover.

To account for the apparent discrepancy between the length of (recorded) history on Darkover and the length of time that had passed for the rest of humanity, the author mentions that early FTL drives could cause dislocation in time as well as in space when mishaps occurred. Thus, the ship of the original colonists was not only thrown off course, but also backwards in time, allowing for the long history of Darkover to coexist with human history.

Following Bradley's death in September 1999 a number of works which were in progress at the time have been published posthumously or are reported as planned for publication, including: Thunderlord!, The Fall of Neskaya, Zandru's Forge, A Flame in Hali, and Reluctant King.

In addition to the above books, several anthologies written by the Friends of Darkover and edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley were also based in the Darkover universe.

Darkovan Humans - The Comyn

The Comyn are the main seven laran-gifted families of Darkover, the descendants of human-chieri pairings. The Comyn learn to use native matrix stones to help focus and strengthen their laran powers to duplicate and sometimes surpass science-based technology. Each Comyn family controls a domain, but strategic inter-marriage and feudal land issues result in fluctuating domain borders. The seven families include:

Hastur of Hastur

Gifted with the power of the living matrix, some born into this Hastur family are able to achieve great laran power without the need for an artificial matrix stone. This branch of the Hastur family also holds regency and most real power throughout most of Darkovan history (especially in later years). Their family crest is a silver tree on a blue background.

Hastur of Elhalyn

Gifted with the power of foresight, some born into this family have the ability to see all possible outcomes from every decision made or choice presented. This gift is viewed by a curse by some as the foresight shows as many gruesome as positive outcomes. The Elhalyns are also acknowledged as the 'ruling' family of Darkover, though most Darkovans accept Hastur of Hastur as the real power behind the throne. Though most upper-caste Darkovan families have problems with mental stability (due to inbreeding to keep laran as strong as possible), the Elhalyn line suffers from this badly, particularly in recent generations. Their family crest is a crowned silver tree on a blue background.

Alton

Gifted with the power of forced rapport, some born into this family have the ability to force their way into an unwilling mind to establish a painful telepathic link of minds. This has caused much distrust between the Altons and other families, especially the rumors that an angry Alton has the ability to kill with his or her mind. In the past, those with the Alton gift have greatly abused their powers and committed heinous crimes.

Ardais

Gifted with the power of laran catalyst, some born into this family are able to switch on latent laran powers in others. However, this particular gift was thought to have died out, until Danilo Syrtis-Ardais proved to possess it.

Aillard

The Aillard gift is never specified in the novels. However, due to centuries of inbreeding, the gift can only manifest in female members of the line. Therefore, they are the only Domain ruled by women. Possibly their gift is what makes the Aillards more fit to be Keepers since many of the powerful female Keepers were Aillard. Their family crest is the feather.

Aldaran

Gifted with true sight, some born into this family have the ability to see what will come to pass. This particular clan is distrusted by most other Darkovans, supposedly due to some great crimes in the past. Though there are references and hints, the true reason is never fully given.

Ridenow of Serrais

Gifted with empathy, some born into this family have the ability to sense alien intelligences. This clan was originally only the Serrais, but Dry-Towner bandits ravished and impregnated many of the Serrais women (whose clan was dying out in the Ages of Chaos). This rejuvenated the strain, and allowed the Serrais gift to survive in the Ridenow bloodline. This 'impurity' makes the Ridenow the least prestigous of the comyn.

Minor families

MacAran

• Based in the village of Falconsward in the Hellers, MacArans have the ability to establish a rapport with animals. They are known for their hunting falcons.

Leynier

• It is rumored that in rare cases members of this family have the ability to change shape.

Lanart

• This is a more militarized branch of the Alton clan. Their sons traditionally run the military in Thendara, especially in the absence of an Alton lord.

Di Asturien

• Part of the greater Hastur family, they live in castle Asturias near the Venza mountains.

Lindir

• Intermarried into the Aillard family.

Storn

• The Storn family intermarried into the Aldaran clan.

Syrtis

• The Syrtis family has intermarried into the Hasturs, but they are still known as the finest horsemen on Darkover. They are also traditionally paxmen to the Hastur men.

Rockraven

• Part of the greater Aldaran family, the Rockraven clan are centered at Ravenscrag in the Hellers. The Rockraven gift is the ability to control the weather by tapping into the planet's magnetic fields. This gift was once thought to be dominant only in females. Recently, however, at least two young males have shown signs of this gift, and tales survive of others during the Ages of Chaos. (Note: No mother has ever survived the birth of a child that possessed the active expression of this gift.)

Note

The particular laran powers were brought into existence by a process not unlike genetic engineering and was continued through a breeding program. A few laran powers such as the Rockraven Families abilities changed over time. The Rockraven's power of weather control was at one point deemed unsafe and out of control and is not heard of much in the books

See also

• Marion Zimmer Bradley

External links

• http://mzbworks.home.att.net/index.htm Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust
• http://www.darkovercon.com/ Darkover Fan Convention

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