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		LARAN,MATRIX STONES AND DARKOVER
		A STUDY OF "REAL" PSIONICS, AS 
		USED In A DARKOVER CAMPAIGN 				SETTING
			BY JIM GRUNST

LONG AGO I RAN AN ALTERNATIVE CAMPAINGN SETTING FOR MY D&D GAMES, ONE BASED UPON M.Z.BRADLEY'S "DARKOVER" NOVELS. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT INSTEAD OF THE CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM OF "BATTLE MAGIC" SPELLS, A SYSTEM OF "PSIONICS" WOULD NEED TO BE USED.I HAVE THE LUXURY OF OWNING A COPY OF THE "DARKOVER CONCORDANCE" WHICH IS BASICALLY A DICTIONARY/GUIDE BOOK TO ALL OF THE DARKOVER NOVELS. THIS BOOK NOT ONLY DETAILED ALL OF THE DARKOVER SETTING-LOCALES,FAMILIES,HISTORY-IT ALSO DETAILED ALL OF THE PSIONIC ABLILITIES FOUND ON DARKOVER.THESE ABILITIES ARE REFERRED TO AS "LARAN", THE PEOPLE SKILLED IN THE USE OF LARAN ARE KNOWN AS "KEEPERS","TECHNICIANS" OR "LARANZU".
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DARKOVER FOLLOWS:
ONE DAY IN THE MID 22'ND CENTURY, A COLONY SHIP BOUND FOR THE "BOREALIS"COLONIES MALFUNCTIONS AND TRAVELS OFF COURSE TO EVENTUALLY CRASHLAND ON AN UNCHARTED PLANET. THIS PLANET WOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE BEEN COLONISED, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE STAR IN THIS SYSTEM IS A RED STAR, AND THE PLANET, THOUGH TYPE M,IS A METAL-POOR WORLD. THERE ARE OCEANS ON DARKOVER, AND A VAST,TALL MOUNTAIN RANGE, THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN ANY ON EARTH, KNOWN AS THE HELLERS. DARKOVER HAS 4 MOONS, I ONLY RECALL THE NAME OF ONE-LIRIEL. DARKOVER IS A COLD WORLD, IT SNOWS EVERY DAY, EVEN IN SUMMER.NOW, YOU MAY RECALL THAT I MENTIONED THAT DARKOVER IS A METAL-POOR WORLD. THIS WOULD NORMALLY HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF CIVILIZATION,BUT NOT IN THE CASE OF DARKOVER. AFTER THE CRASH OF THE COLONY SHIP, AND OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL CENTURIES, MOST TECHNOLOGY WAS FORGOTTEN,LOST FOREVER BY THE DESCENDANTS OF THE FIRST COLONISTS.INDEED, WHEN DISCOVERED BY ACCIDENT 2000 YEARS LATER BY AN IMPERIAL SCOUT SHIP, THE NATIVES OF DARKOVER DID NOT KNOW OF THEIR TRUE ORIGINS.AND DUE TO THE BUERAUCRATIC BUMBLING AND MISPLACEMENT OF OLD RECORDS FROM EONS PAST, NEITHER DID ANYONE ELSE RELISE THAT DARKOVER WAS A "LOST COLONY".THOUGH A FEW SUSPECTED.....
AFTER THE FIRST TWO CENTURIES, AS THE SHIP'S MATERIALS WERE ALL SCAVENGED AND THE ONBOARD SUPPLIES WERE CONSUMED,THE DARKOVER COLONISTS WOULD PROBABLY HAVE REMAINED AN EXTREMLY PRIMITIVE PEOPLE HAD NOT SEVERAL FACTORS NATIVE TO DARKOVER INFLUENCED THE HUMANS. FIRST, THERE WERE OTHER BEINGS ALSO ON THE SURFACE OF DARKOVER-THE MYTHICAL CHIERI, AN UNUSUAL ALIEN RACE, RUMORED TO BE FROM THE STAR TAURUS (HALI IN DARKOVER LANGUAGE).THE CHEIRI ARE A LONG-LIVED RACE,SIMILAR TO ELVES IN APPEARANCE AND MANNERISMS.ONE DIFFERENCE IN THEIR PHISICAL MAKEUP IS THE FACT THAT AT CERTAIN TIMES OF THEIR LIVES, THE CHANGE GENDER. THE CHIERI IS EITHER MALE,FEMALE OR NUETRAL.UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A POWERFUL,NATURALLY OCCURING,PSYCHOGENIC POLLEN, THE "CHANGE" OCCURS. THE POLLEN COMES FROM A PLANT CALLED THE KIRISETH FLOWER. THE KIRISETH POLLEN BLOWS UPON THE WINDS OCCAISIONALLY,AND WHENEVER IT DOES, IT CAN EFFECT MASS POPULATIONS OF HUMANS AND CHIERI ALIKE. IN HUMANS, THE POLLEN CAUSES MADNESS AND DEATH. THOSE WHO SURVIVE THE "GHOST WINDS" AS THE NATIVES KNOW IT, ARE PROFOUNDLY CHANGED. THE KIRISETH POLLEN HAS THE ABILITY TO ENHANCE PSYCHIC ABILITIES, TO OPEN THE CHANNELS OF PSYCIC POWERS. AS THE POLLEN ALSO ALTERS THE CHROMOSONAL STRUCTURE,OFTEN TIMES THE PSI ABILITIES ARE PERMANENT, AND ARE PASSED ON DOWN THE FAMILIAL LINES. THE CHIERI ARE A VERY ANCIENT AND ADVANCED RACE COMPARED TO HUMANS. THEIR CHILDREN ARE GIVEN "MATRIX STONES" WHEN THEY ARE VERY YOUNG, AND SOON OUTGROW THE NEED FOR THEM. THE MATRIX STONE HAS THE ABILITY TO CONVERT MATTER TO ENERGY, OR VICE VERSA, AND THIS PROCESS IS THOUGHT CONTROLLED,RELATED TO PSI-POWERS. NOW, AS IT HAPPENS, ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS HAPPENED TO MEET A CHIERI DURING A GHOST WIND, AND IN A STATE OF MADNESS MATED.AFTERWARDS, THE CHIERI GAVE THE HUMAN A MATRIX STONE. THE CHILD OF THAT UNION BECAME THE PROGENITOR OF THE SEVEN DOMAINS OR ANTECENDANTS OF THE MAJOR FAMILIES OF DARKOVER. THESE FAMILIES BECAME KNOWN AS VERY POWERFUL "LARANZU" AND EACH FAMILY HAD A UNIQUE "GIFT".THE SEVEN DOMAINS OF HASTUR PROSPERED, AND THUS TECHNOLOGY ADVANCED. LARAN WAS USED TO PERFORM ALL MANNER OF TASKS WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY REQUIRED MAN OR MACHINE TO ACCOMPLISH-ROAD BUILDING,MINING,MEDICINE-ALL MANNER OF LABORS COULD BE PERFORMED WITH LARAN, AND WITH AN ACCURACY AND PERCISION NEVER BEFORE ATTAINED. IT BECAME POSSIBLE TO MANIPULATE MATTER/ENERGY DIRECTLY, DOWN TO THE LAST ATOM.
UNFORTUNATELY, ABOUT THE TIME THAT DARKOVANS WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH SPACE TRAVEL AGAIN(IN THE FORM OF MATRIX POWERED SHIPS),THE AGE OLD SPECTRE OF WAR APPEARED AGAIN,TRANSFORMING THE SEVEN DOMAINS INTO THE HUNDRED KINGDOMS. EACH OF THE HUNDRED KINGDOMS WAS LEAD BY IT'S OWN DESPOT, EACH SEEKING POWER OVER ALL. WHOLE REGIONS WERE LAID WASTE, SIMPLY BY THOUGHT. THE LARAN USERS COULD SIMPLY ENVISION THE CORE OF A SUN APPEARING OVER/IN AN ENEMY CITY, AND INSTANTLY THOUSANDS WOULD DIE IN A NUCLEAR CONFLAGRATION.THESE WERE THE AGES OF CHAOS.
ONE DAY, A MAN KNOWN AS VARSIL THE GOOD CAME INTO A POSITION OF POWER, AND FORCED AN END TO THE WARS OF THE HUNDRED KINGDOMS. ONE OF THE CRUCIAL DOCUMENTS OF ALL TIME WAS CREATED AT THIS TIME,KNOWN SIMPLY AS THE COMPACT.THE COMPACT BECAME THE BASIS OF ALL LAW IN DARKOVER CULTURE, MUCH AS THE KORAN ON ANCIENT EARTH. THE COMPACT AMONG OTHER THINGS PROHIBITS THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE OF ANY SORT THAT TAKES THE THREAT OF DEATH FURTHER AWAY THAN ONE'S OWN ARMS REACH,THUS PROHIBITING ANY AND ALL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. THE COMPACT ALSO MAKES PROVISION FOR THE FORMATION AND FUNCTION OF A GROUP OF REPRESENTITIVES FROM ALL THE LANDS OF DARKOVER, KNOWN AS THE COMYN, OR HIGH COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL MEETS IN THE CASTLE OF THE LAST OF THE GREAT MONARCHS, REGIS HASTUR. IT WAS DURING REGIS HASTUR'S GRANDFATHER'S REIGN THAT EARTHMEN "DISCOVERED" AND ESTABLISHED TRADE RELATIONS WITH DARKOVER. EVENTUALLY A TRADE CITY WAS ESTABLISHED, SECTIONED OFF FROM THE REST OF DARKOVER. THE STAR PORT SECTOR IS CLOSED TO DARKOVANS IN GENERAL, AND LIKEWISE THE TERRANS ARE BARRED FROM JOURNEYING INTO DARKOVER TERRITORY. OCCAISIONAL JOURNEYS ARE ALLOWED, UNDER EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
WOEMEN IN DARKOVER CULTURE TRADITIONALLY HAVE NO RIGHTS OR FREEDOMS,ESPECIALLY IN THE "DRYTOWNS" REGIONS. SOME OF THE DARKOVAN WOEMEN CHOOSE TO RENOUNCE THEIR FAMILY NAMES AND JOIN THE FREE AMAZONS, OR RENUNCIATE'S GUILD. THE COMPACT ALLOWED THIS SEVERAL CENTURIES PAST, WHEN A DISPUTE AROSE OVER A DECEASED LEIGE-LORD'S ESTATE.THE LADY OF THE CASTLE WAS CARRYING THE UNBORN HEIR TO THE LATE LORD'S ESTATE .IN COUNCIL, THERE WERE THREE OTHER CONTENDERS FOR THE ESTATE.EVERYONE KNEW FROM PAST EXPERIENCE THAT IF THE ESTATE WERE HANDED OVER TO ONE OF THESE MEN, THE LADY WOULD BECOME THE PROPERTY OF THAT MAN, AND WOULD LIKELY BE PUT TO DEATH, ALONG WITH THE UNBORN HEIR. ONE OF THE OTHER WOMEN CAME FORWARD AND STOOD AS "PAXMAN" OVER THE UNBORN CHILD, AND SWORE THE OATH OF PROTECTOR OF THE CHILD, UNTIL THE CHILD REACHED THE AGE OF RECOGNITION (18 YEARS).THE THREE MEN BECAME SO ENRAGED AT THIS "BLASPHEMY" THAT THEY TOOK UP SWORDS AND ATTACKED HER. SHE DEFEATED THEM HANDILY, AND THEN SHE AND THE LADY PLACED THEIR HANDS IN THE FIRE OF THE COUNCIL AND SPOKE THE OATH OF THE RENUNCIATE FOR THE FIRST TIME. NOW, THE FIRE OF THE COUNCIL IS WELL KNOWN FOR ONE ASPECT- IF YOU SPEAK AN OATH THAT IS UNTRUE, OR WHICH THE PERSON WILL BE INCAPABLE OF CARRYING OUT, OR OTHERWISE SPEAK AN UNTRUTH, THEN THE FIRES OF THE COUNCIL WILL UTTERLY BURN TO A CRISP THE HAND OF THE OATH MAKER. AS IT WAS ON THAT DAY, THE OATH OF THE RENUNCIATE WAS SPOKEN. THE HIGH COUNCIL WAS SO TAKEN BY IT, THAT THEY DECIDED TO MAKE THE OATH A PART OF THE COMPACT, AND THUS LAW.THEREBY GIVING ANY WOMAN BORN OF DARKOVER THE RIGHT TO DECIDE HER OWN DESTINY, INDEPENDENT OF ANY OTHER PERSON'S DESICIONS OR POSITION OF POWER. NOT EVEN A KING MAY BREAK THE COMPACT, WITHOUT GREIVOUS RESULTS.
THAT ABOUT SUMS UP DARKOVER. IT IS A REALLY GREAT SERIES, MIXING WELL SWORDS AND SORCERY, AND A TWIST OF SCI-FI. THE NEXT PORTION OF THIS ARTICLE WILL DEAL WITH THE "MATRIX STONE" AND LARAN IN GENERAL,AS IT MIGHT BE USED IN A FANTASY GAME SETTING.
