Why wouldn't I eat the guy who I just bludgeoned for tyring to steal my shoes?
Free meat is nice, and I guess that humanoids aren't toxic.
I'm new to DS and I have just read some on about it on wiki and stuff that.
So I hope that it wasn't a stupid question.
Halflings are another case because they actively chase foreigners to eat them even when they have plenty of food available. For them bludgeoning a guy, eating him and stealing his shoes (power) IS the common moral.
They're not, Thri-Kreen that have had a streak of poor hunting will turn to eating humanoids, but beings that they are insects its not really that odd. Now if I remember correctly, the Monstrous Compendium entry on Wild Muls mentioned some may turn to cannibalism due to poor hunting skills or some such.
I played a Half-elf that had no problem eating other humanoids, though she did grow up amongst Thri-Kreen and it is a viable survival technique when things have gotten really bad.
The problem is that the English language doesn't really have a word for 'eating other sentient humanoids'.
They're not, Thri-Kreen that have had a streak of poor hunting will turn to eating humanoids, but beings that they are insects its not really that odd. Now if I remember correctly, the Monstrous Compendium entry on Wild Muls mentioned some may turn to cannibalism due to poor hunting skills or some such.
I played a Half-elf that had no problem eating other humanoids, though she did grow up amongst Thri-Kreen and it is a viable survival technique when things have gotten really bad.
Kreen will even eat their own kind, not just other intelligent beings. Although they do this as a desperate measure for survival and not as your typical endeavor.
This is also supported by the Rebirth history - where all races are decendents of ancient Halflings.
...I'm not sure where Thri-Kreen sit. I usually consider them a species alien from the others. Half-Thri-Kreen just makes be sick.
Rare, but still found in the Tablelands of Athas are Tohr'kreen which are larger than Thri-kreen.
Besides, it doesn't have to be realistic. It is Dark Sun after all and anything is possible. Dray exist, how were they created? Magic + Psionics? Half-Giants were created, how? Magic + Psionics? Half-Thri-kreen could exist too...
(half-halflings anyone?)
Quarterlings!
This is also supported by the Rebirth history - where all races are decendents of ancient Halflings.
Actually, (IIRC), Thrikreens have no connection to the rebirth, as they existed before it. Halflings viewed them as little more than animal intellect.
The problem is that the English language doesn't really have a word for 'eating other sentient humanoids'.
Being the only sapient life we know of, there's no reason for us to have developed such a word. If we were to meet other such life, I suspect the definition for cannibalism will be expanded; if only because, should the word ever be needed, the sensational story will need a word that can quickly be communicated to elicit an emotional reaction from readers/viewers.
Edit: Which is probably why the halflings of Athas are called cannibals, our first thought is "they eat people!" Only later do we realize cannibalism is, technically, the eating of one's own species, but by then we already know what we need to know.
Being the only sapient life we know of, there's no reason for us to have developed such a word. If we were to meet other such life, I suspect the definition for cannibalism will be expanded
I'd suggest then we'd call it serving, after the Twilight Zone episode "Serving Man". Watch it if you can, worth it.
That gives me an wonderful adventure: the Halflings start an open-arms policy to all city-state-folk (or maybe Tyr-folk). They could start advertising the perks of living in the Forests, and telling them all the amazing reasons to come live in the "luxurious" forests. Unlimited food. Unlimited water. Shade. Protection. No Templars. No Slaves. The forest is sooo amazing, that nobody wants to ever return.
Sort of a reverse Hansel and Gretle... where the children eat you!
While the fantasy genre may downplay this overall, I'd almost expect DS to emphasize it: cannibalism is a great way to pick up all kinds of nasty conditions that aren't a problem when eating any other type of meat.
Cure Disease.
While the fantasy genre may downplay this overall, I'd almost expect DS to emphasize it: cannibalism is a great way to pick up all kinds of nasty conditions that aren't a problem when eating any other type of meat.
Well I don't recall if it's true in 4E fluff, but in general serving the dead for too long will turn you into a ghoul. (In a fantasy context anyway.) Not turning into a ghoul is a damn good to abstain from serving, no?
And maybe the Halflings have found a workaround?
Halflings don't eat their own kind, only others - which would eliminate the transmission completely.
Either way, CJD and CJD-varients tend to take 15+ years to show sympthoms. Most inhabitants of Dark Sun would die from other causes first.
Here's a reference (there are many): www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cjd/detail_c...
dang man thanks for helping me out there.
1. Halflings don't eat their own kind. Doing so is grounds for exile. I don't recall kreen eating their own kind but I may be wrong on that one.
2. Some other humanoid races DO eat other humanoids. Belgoi are one that I recall off the top of my head. It wouldn't be surprising to see other "civilized" races do it in dire straits, particularly some of the tribes living in the wastes.
Why is it bad? What do the civilians on Athas REALLY have against cannibalism? Survival is survival. If you are dying of hunger and thirst, and there's a piece of meat next to you that contains water and nourishment, do you save yourself?
Not everybody will say 'yes' (there are many people on Athas and in the real world who would not eat human even if it meant saving one's own skin). I would expect some people on Athas who would take the opportunity in a life-or-death situation. Some would be even more tolerant of such practices... like, to a certain degree, Halflings.
So... why is cannibalism such a bad thing?
I'm guessing because civilized athasians (city-folk) like to distinguish themselves from the 'savage world' - it's a social structure thing. To be a savage on Athas is a grave insult. To be a 'cannibal' is likewise a grave insult. Just like being a barbarian, druid, farmer, etc... is probably socially detrimental. Caravan workers (they probably call themselves 'classy' and 'civilized' merchants) probably make a huge effort to distinguish themselves from the savage wastes they travel through on a regular basis. Again, this is all for social reasons. Working as an artisan, a merchant, bureaucrat, courtier, priest, monk or any other socially 'civilized' profession is probably distinguished.
The free citizens of the city of Nibenay make every effort possible to push their children through schooling. It is expensive, unless you have a daughter that can make it into the Templarate schools (ref: The Ivory Triangle).
Thus, races that are incredibly concerned about being civilized, like most Dwarves, Elves (merchants and city-dweller), Humans, Half-elves (of the city-streets), Muls, Half-giants, etc that live in cities would take insult to being cannibalised/eaten. There are probably even laws and against performing such acts in most or all of the cities/outposts. They probably regardless themselves as socially superior to savages. The more savage races, like Thri-Kreen, Half-elves (of the wilds), Nomadic Elves, etc might be more tolerant of cannibalism because they view it as a means for survival. Most of the people of the wastes might have heard a story or two about an acquaintance who's eaten somebody "to save their own skin".
From their own perspective, Halflings fit this mold perfectly.
Does that make sense?
I think that the smaller groups in the wastes would be awfully hard on murder (and by extention canibalism) inside the group, you can't really trust you fellow tribes-member if you think he/she/it wants to eat ya. If there is no trust in a group is will disintegrate and on the death-world that is Athas
... well.
As pointed out earlier, I think the DS use of the term is a loose one, emphasizing the consumption of sentient flesh. In that, in our world, we don't distinguish between eating one's friends and family, or eating other humans (sentient creatures) in general. It generally marks the absence of all civilization, or all comprehensible civilization. As such, any barbaric or desperate groups of people are liable to resort to cannibalism (in the sense of eating one's own or eating the flesh of sentients).
1. Halflings don't eat their own kind. Doing so is grounds for exile. I don't recall kreen eating their own kind but I may be wrong on that one.
This may have changed. The short story by Kevin Anderson has the halflings eating another halfling. Granted, this is a group far removed from the Forest Ridge so they may be much more opportunistic eaters than their brethren. Once we get the new fluff in the Dark Sun Campaign book we'll have a better idea.
Why are the Halflings the only ones on this deadly desert world that practice cannibalism?
Why wouldn't I eat the guy who I just bludgeoned for tyring to steal my shoes?
Free meat is nice, and I guess that humanoids aren't toxic.
I'm new to DS and I have just read some on about it on wiki and stuff that.
So I hope that it wasn't a stupid question.
Its a perfectly valid question. The thing to notice is that Halfings aren't cannibals because they need it. Food isn't as scarce as you think in Athas. As someone said in another post, there is enough food in athas to support non farmer social classess, like templars, nobles and artisan, and still leave enough to trade with other cities and make alcohol.
I still see halflings going after a kreen with lemons and butter however, no really who eats who in that meeting?
Also in the context of the game, I would assume cannibalism would be best described as eating anthropomorphic beings.
I would not include all self aware or sentient beings, since great apes and whales are sentience of themselves and have been eaten in earth without any sort of taboo. In the other hand eating humans form other ethnic groups was taboo for everyone except the anthropophagous culture.
Its also interesting to note that the player races are called races, with suggest that they all are part of the same spicies, altohught I guess that was not the intented purposed of the Label.
So basically hlafing are antrhopophagous, but not becuase they need it; its a culturally accepted behavior for them. Perhaps, since they are feral they mimic the preatorial behavior and eat ther kills, and they kill the oher races because they defiled the world.
turlough
The Halflings are from Jamaica!
The Reason they don't 'typically' eat people is the same reason we don't 'typically' eat people. It's a social moral that's instilled through education and raising in the society. Just like incest being unacceptable is largely a socially indoctrinated thing.
Yes. I know if you inbreed for generations it up's the chances of negitive recessive traits coming out in the offspring, but again, they didn't know this in the time frame that the games are set. It's a social thing.
If you're brought up, taught that eating other people is 'bad' and 'wrong' and 'evil' and only to be done in extream extream extream cirumstances.. That's how you're brought up.
If you're brought up in a sheltered culture (( like some tribes on earth for example)) Where eating your fallen enemies is ok, but not YOUR people.. then that's what you think is ok.
Halflings, apperently don't often eat their own kind, but see no problem cowing down on others. Because that's how they're brought up.
To answer the orignial question though, I'd imagine the further you get from the citys, the STEEPER the climb you'd get on oppertuinistic cannibalisim. Especially blood drinking. People think it's 'gross' in first world countries but many second and third world countries, the blood of animals is saved and used in cooking and other things. They think we're nuts for throwing it away. On a desert planet, when you might die of thirst in a day or two. yes. Drinking blood if it's around is going to happen.
Out in the desert, away from citys, if someone dies.. you can either leave the body for the animals and die the next day.. or cut off a bit, drink the blood and eat it and live for a week, More and more people would choose life.
It's probably not something crowed about. Any more than you hear people bragging about it here on earth.. but yeah. On a desert planet. It wouldn't just be the halflings.. it'd be most anyone caught in the desert with no other option.
I think that shows that they do, in fact, eat sentient humanoids, aside from just times of dire need.
Eating an intelligent creature is either gross or hard. By that, I mean that humanoids, like other animals, die through natural causes (age, disease) or violence (arena battles, murder, human sacrifice).
If a person had died from natural causes, they probably aren't good eatin'. If you come across a corpse in the desert, you probably won't eat it, regardless of its species, unless it's clearly very fresh - even then, you're probably rightly concerned about getting whatever killed it. If you were walking alongside another person, though, and they just gave out from exhaustion... maybe you get a little blood before moving on. Generally, people don't want meat unless they know its fresh or if they're starving.
Killing a person to get their flesh? Now that's trouble. In any kind of community, murder is going to be frowned upon - the whole reason people get together in the city states is because it's easier to stay alive. You can't go around killing people to eat them without the templars getting annoyed. If it were somehow acceptable legally, it still wouldn't be practical. Surviving anywhere on Athas is hard, and a person is more useful as a slave making dinner than as dinner itself.
Since you won't be farming people in the cities, the only way to get the meat is to hunt them them carefully, but why bother? While this would make a cool adventure (catch the serial killer stalking the people of Balic for their flesh), it doesn't make sense as a practice. Humanoids are dangerous. Human(oid)s are the deadliest predators, and it's a two-way street. It's not worth the personal risk. Not only is your dinner about as smart as you are, it may very well be carrying a concealed obsidian dagger - or even armed with dangerous psionic powers.
Finally, people in the cities aren't at constant risk of starvation. The cities exist precisely because they are able to secure sources of water and food. Most people aren't feasting on a daily basis, but they can get enough protein and carbohydrates to make it through the night.
What about the halflings and thri-kreen? Well, it's a fair question. The thri-kreen don't seem to actively hunt humanoids, but they'd eat those they'd killed. With no cities or even villages, the thri-kreen have no social mores against eating intelligent flesh. For them, leaving the body of an enemy to rot is simply foolish. There's nothing sacred about a corpse. They may also benefit from their lack of sleep. For humans, death may resemble sleep; think of a body in a coffin and how peaceful it can look. We think of death as rest. For the thri-kreen, who never sleep and never have a natural interruption of consciousness, death is much more distinct from life. They have no sentimental thoughts for mindless bodies, dead or alive.
Halflings are another story. Biologically they are basically little humans (no two races are as similar, it seems). I think their cannibalism is a product of their history and environment.
Halflings had it rough. They went from ruling the planet as its lone intelligent species (except, possibly, for the ancient winged kreen) to being one race among dozens. They watched as the other races tore the planet apart and turned it from a green forest world to a dead desert world. Even with the true history lost, the halflings will have legends of the brutality of the other races and how they destroyed the world.
Second, the other races are isolated from the Forest Ridge. It's a mythical place to them and completely alien. As the few visitors trample through the trees and cut their way through vines, the wily halflings will only see brutish giants tearing through the environment, destroying it crudely just as it's said they did in the old legends. They deserve no respect.
Third, there's no agriculture in the jungle. All food is gathered or hunted. While humans hunting humans in Tyr is dangerous business, halflings hunting humans is the Forest Ridge is much easier. The halflings know the land and can more easily navigate it. Other humanoids will be baffled are largely be easy prey, especially compared to many other creatures which have adapted to the jungle. As a halfling hunting party, you might choose between battling a dozen poisonous giant snakes or killing two lost human explorers; the latter is pretty easy.
Finally, humanoid meat is safe and plentiful. Killing jungle creatures might leave you with dangerous flesh, but city folk are plump and poison-free.
You wouldn't hunt the guy in the armor carrying the battle axe. You'd hunt the fat guy sweating his head off in the alley as he walked home drunk.
Or the one farmer a bit away from everyone else.
With a bow.. from a distance. So if you don't get him with your first shot. you do with your second or third. Just like a Predator doesn't pick the biggest baddest Male lion to eat, he picks the slow or young gazell. Same thing here. Human cannibals wouldn't go after the Templars, or mages. The knights or rangers. The gladiators or assassins.
You eat the merchant, or the flower girl, or the bar maid.
For the halflings, it was probably something borne of nessisity that became habit then became socially acceptable till society evolved around it.
Little halflings driven to the edge. Pushed out by the larger races. Left on the edges to starve or die... food taken by the bigger people. Sure.. 3 halflings teaming up on a guy in the dark could kill him... then.... starvation, desperation.. the drive to survive.... that NEED to survive.... the guy becomes dinner. Rationalisation.. then intellectualisation. "Wow.. that was alot easier than fighting some desert monster, 3 of us.. maybe one would live... we all lived killing that human... "
Then the thought. "Well we won't do it again.... unless we have no other choice"
Evolves to "Well, it's safer... if repugnant.. lets try and not do it"
to "It's just easier.. and they're not US.. they're not HALFLINGS.. they're LESS than people. They're despoiling animals"
to "Look son.. You can take 10 of your friends and fight a desert beast.. maybe die.. or 3 of your friends and you can take out a human in the night.. and eat for a week"
to
"This is how my dad taught me to kill humans to preserve the best cuts...."