http://wiki.lspace.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Holly+Mercer&feedformat=atomDiscworld & Terry Pratchett Wiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T20:18:39ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.40.0http://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Al-Khali&diff=34872Al-Khali2023-08-29T20:16:11Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>'''Al-Khali''' (also referred to as "'''Khali'''" in {{P}}), an ancient and prosperous city, is the current capital of [[Klatch (country)|Klatch]] and is located on the opposite shore of the [[Circle Sea]] to [[Ankh-Morpork]] and the [[Sto Plains]], near the mouth of the [[Tsort]] River. First encountered in {{S}}, Al-Khali is famed for its Harem and Frescoes and is governed by the [[Seriph]]. It has a bazaar known as [[The Soak]] where many traders, merchants, slavers and thieves carry out their daily business.<br />
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Al-Khali is something of a mirror to Ankh-Morpork; it, too, boasts a large, unwashed population that will try and sell visitors anything, and a location similar to [[The Shades]] where those who wander in without armed guards are unlikely to wander out. [[Rincewind]] discovered this area during his visit to Klatch in ''Sourcery''; his first clue that they had strayed into a danger zone was that no one had tried to sell them anything for five minutes.<br />
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Where Ankh-Morpork is famous for its smell, Al-Khali has its breeze; warm, sandy, blowing in from the desert, it is said to wear on visitors' sanities like a cheesegrater on the skin of a tomato, eventually seeming to rasp directly across their nerves.<br />
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The city boast a large temple to [[Offler]], the principal deity of Klatch. In the heart of the city may be found the Square of 967 Delights (Khalians are meticulous about things that interest them) where hourly tours take visitors about the detailed Frescoes, although it has been suggested that unmarried women should not view the Frescoes and that wizards should be forbidden from seeing them -entirely-.<br />
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In {{J}}, the harbour of Al-Khali sheltered the fleet with which Prince [[Cadram]] intended to invade Ankh-Morpork.<br />
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Also, in {{S}}, Al-Khali is where [[Abrim]] built his tower of magic in preparation for the battle against [[Coin]].<br />
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Al-Khali has a University, albeit a more mundane one, with a School of Medicine where [[John Lawn]] learnt the goal of medicine is to avoid actually killing people - a revolutionary and advanced concept for doctoring on the Disc. <br />
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==Annotations==<br />
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Al-Khali's name, in classically Pratchettian multilayered style (thus, it is geographically appropriate, yet indisputably and ironically {{J}}-esque) is derived from the Rub' al-Khali (Arabic: "the empty quarter"), one of the world's largest and most desolate sand deserts.<br />
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In chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: al-qaly - "the calcined ashes") is the basic, ionic, water-soluble salt of a {{wp|Alkali_metals|group 1}} or {{wp|Alkali_earth_metals|group 2}} element.<br />
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And on a third level: very intriguingly, a professional peer of [[Ian Stewart]] and [[Jack Cohen]] is Professor {{wp|Jim Al-Khalili|Jim Al-Khalili}} of the University of Surrey, one of Britain's foremost theoretical physicists. He has collaborated professionally with Cohen and Stewart, and one thing preventing him from being a British Sheldon Cooper is that he was born and brought up in Leeds and is a fervent fan of both Leeds United and Yorkshire County Cricket Club. It is difficult to envisage a Yorkshire version of Sheldon, and Jim has also had employment since the early 1990's as a science presenter for the BBC. The Al-Khali University (Mossy Lawn's ''alma mater'') echoes his name....<br />
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[[Category:Discworld geography]]<br />
[[de:Al Khali]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=%22Fingers%22_Mazda&diff=31744"Fingers" Mazda2021-05-04T20:00:22Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>The very first [[Thieves' Guild|thief]] to emerge on the Disc. He stole the secret of fire from [[The gods|the Gods]] and, even though he got his fingers burnt on the deal and it was hard to fence, is revered even today by Thieves everywhere. <br />
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The story is explored further in {{TLH}}, where we learn that the Gods, out of respect for his audacity and because they are sentimental about some things, granted Fingers immortality. But because the Gods are also just, and because they wanted make a VERY big point about what happens to people who dare steal things from [[Dunmanifestin]], they decreed that he spend his immortality trapped in a place found on no map, chained to a rock, where once a day a very big eagle flies down and pecks his liver out. (It is assumed that the liver regenerates overnight).<br />
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Mazda was eventually freed by [[Cohen]] and the [[Silver Horde]], who took it in turns to shake him reverentially by the hand, gifted him a ''very'' big sharp sword, and departed. That eagle is in for something of a surprise... as is the Discworld, now its first and greatest thief is free again - and immortal, with a self-regenerating body to boot...<br />
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==Annotation==<br />
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Bears more than a passing resemblance to the Greek legend of [[wikipedia:Prometheus|Prometheus]], which shares many characteristics with the tale of "Fingers" Mazda...<br />
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In [[wikipedia:Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrianism]] (incidentally the birth religion of Queen singer Freddie Mercury) '''Ahura Mazda''' is the creator and highest divinity, whose visible presence in the world is manifested through fire.<br />
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Strauss' ''Also Sprach Zarathustra'', known better as the music from ''2001 - A Space Odyssey'', is an attempt to recapture the moment the light of Mazda was born into the world.<br />
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Artist Maxfield Parrish painted a calendar series for the Edison Mazda Lamp Division in the 1920s. They were extremely popular and widely distributed. One of the paintings features Prometheus stealing fire, with the words “Edison Mazda” at the top. [https://www.google.com/search?q=mazda+prometheus+parrish+wikipedia&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=inv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjD167kxr3bAhVhzVQKHdQGD1QQ_AUIESgB&biw=375&bih=537#imgrc=WoEdZYKIpE5gIM: Maxfield Parrish’s Prometheus]<br />
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[[Category:Supernatural entities|Mazda, Fingers]]<br />
[[de:Langfinger Mazda]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Cohen_the_Barbarian&diff=31741Cohen the Barbarian2021-04-25T19:43:57Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>{{Character Data<br />
|title= The Barbarian<br />
|Cohen the Barbarian Illustrated by [[User:puggdogg|Michael Collins]] a.k.a. puggdogg<br />
|photo= Cohen The Barbarian.jpg|<br />
|name= Cohen the Barbarian<br />
|age= 90 something<br />
|race= [[:Category:Human characters|Human]]<br />
|occupation= Barbarian<br />
|appearance= Old, spry, bald, knee-length beard, one eye, crab like<br />
|residence= [[Discworld]]<br />
|death= <br />
|parents= <br />
|relatives= <br />
|children= [[Conina]]<br />
|marital status= <br />
|books= {{TLF}}<br/>{{IT}}<br/>{{TLH}}<br/>{{TB}}<br />
|cameos= {{J}}<br />
Mention in {{MP}} and {{S}}. <br />
}}<br />
<br />
Also known as '''''Ghenghiz Cohen''''', '''Cohen the Barbarian''' is the last and greatest of the [[barbarian heroes]]. He is over 90 years old (or 87 in ''The Light Fantastic'', in which he declares "If I wash twenty yearsh younger...I'd be shixty sheven"), which just goes to show how good Cohen is at not dying. Known to be leader of the [[Silver Horde]], a small group of similarly elderly barbarian heroes, many of whom have served with Cohen for numerous years. Like Cohen himself, the Silver Horde is ''very'' good at not dying in a line of work where insane risks and life-and-death gambles are relatively routine (note we say 'and' instead of 'or' - this is intentional, as *someone* tends to die in the instances).<br />
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In the book {{TLF}}, he commissioned a dwarf to make a set of special dentures made from the diamond teeth of Old Grandad, an ancient troll. It is speculated that he may be the only person on the Disc who can actually get away with this without drawing excessive retribution from trolls, mostly because he's sort of a force of nature. [[Rincewind]] describes the effect in the following way: "Once they've been around him for a while, people start seeing the world the way he does. All big and simple. And they want to be a part of it." Cohen's charisma is powerful enough for him to have attracted the [[Silver Horde]], despite the notoriously individualistic nature of barbarians.<br />
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He is of a wiry build and wears just his loincloth even in the snow. <br />
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The best things in life according to him are "hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper".<br />
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He has at least one known daughter (and is assumed to have many more children, most of whom he does not know). Her name is [[Conina]]. She is the daughter of a temple dancer. <br />
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It is generally difficult for others to consider Cohen a friend, given his volatile nature; when questioned by [[Havelock Vetinari]], Rincewind conceded that he could be considered Cohen's friend simply because he and Cohen had met a couple of times and Cohen hadn't killed him.<br />
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Cohen married [[Bethan]] who was a sacrificial virgin (at least back then she was) with a tanned perfect body, and a knowledge of chiropody - a perfect complement to Cohen's age-warped back. It is presumed they broke up at some point. According to Rincewind, Conina and Bethan are about the same age.<br />
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He wrote (or got somebody to write) the book ''[[Inne Juste 7 Dayes I wille make you a Barbearian Hero!]]''. However, it is suspected that [[CMOT Dibbler]] could have some responsibility for that.<br />
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Cohen served a brief stint as Emperor of the Agatean Empire, after the Silver Horde stole the entire Empire. However, he soon grew bored of a life bereft of constant adventure and peril, and when [[Old Vincent]] choked on a cucumber (a decidedly un-heroic way to die), he led the Horde on a final mission - returning fire to the gods in the form of Agatean Thunder Clay.<br />
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Cohen, over the course of his long career, has been everywhere and done everything, sometimes twice. After learning of the man's exploits, he views himself as similar to [[Carelinus]], the greatest conquerer in the history of the Disc, only "not as cissy, obviously". <br />
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During his final adventure (on the Disc, at least), Cohen joined the very small group of people who have successfully cheated [[Fate]] by rolling a 7 on a 6-sided die. Of course, he did this by cutting it in half while it was up in the air, so that both the side showing 6 and the side showing 1 landed face up, but everyone agreed that it was a fine stroke and certainly a very barbarian-like way of solving the problem. <br />
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He, and most of the rest of his horde, was last seen taking his leave of [[Dunmanifestin]], the home of Gods, on stolen Valkyries mounts, after a mission aimed to blow the place to smithereens. Whether or not they were actually dead at the time is left to speculation, but as Cohen said, they didn't think they were dead and they'd never cared what anyone else thought.<br />
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Once bought an apple.<br />
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==Annotations==<br />
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Cohen is clearly based on the mighty {{wp|Conan_the_Barbarian|Conan the Barbarian}}, created by Robert E. Howard as a "virile, axe-wielding, fur-bearing, cranium-smashing barbarian" and being still reimagined today. Cohen is the end-of-life, what-they-might-become story of an elderly hero whose days of trampling the jewelled thrones of the world beneath his sandalled feet etc. etc. are not over yet, even if he needs a support to trample these days.<br />
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While the epithet ''Cohen the Barbarian'' parodies Conan the Barbarian, his proper name ''Ghenghiz Cohen'' is a clear reference to ''Genghis Khan'', a barbarian who became the founder and Emperor of the Mongol Empire in the 11th-12th centuries. Like Cohen, he was also said to have fathered a large number of descendants. His grandson Kublai Khan would conquer China, the primary [[Roundworld]] counterpart of the Agatean Empire.<br />
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The "Cohen" part leads to the gag "wholesale slaughter", being a pune on the Roundworld understanding of Jews being rather good salespeople.<br />
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"The best things in life according to him are "hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper". This is a reference to the Arnold Schwarzenegger {{wp|Conan_the_Barbarian_(1982_film)|movie version}} of Conan, wherein in some forsaken yurt the various gathered chieftains and warriors are swapping their versions of what is best in life. Conan is asked, and replies "to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women." TP builds this scene up in much the same way, to end on the gags about growing old. The Conan quote is itself based on one (likely apocryphally) attributed to Genghis Khan.<br />
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{{wp|David_Bradley_%28English_actor%29|David Bradley}} (the caretaker; Argus Filch; in the ''Harry Potter'' movies and the gangster Stemroach in ''Ideal'') plays Cohen in the Sky One adaptation of {{COM}}.<br />
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[[Category:Discworld characters]]<br />
[[Category:Serial characters]]<br />
[[Category:Leading characters]]<br />
[[de:Dschingis Cohen]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Evil_Empire&diff=31532Evil Empire2021-03-16T18:50:41Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>An [[empire]] (now dissolved) that once spanned a bigger part of the Disc including [[Überwald]], [[Borogravia]], [[Mouldavia]] and [[Zlobenia]] (according to {{NW}}) and was ruled by a [[Sourcerer]] known as the Evil Emperor, who was, well, evil. Under the [[Evil Empire]], [[Orcs|all sorts of nasty things]] were created and used in war. As [[John Hicks]] puts it in {{UA}}, "you got what it said on the Iron Maiden".<br />
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It was mentioned under the names Unholy Empire and the Dark Empire in the earlier books, and first described in detail in {{UA}}. Later revealed that to its citizens it was known as the Überwald Sorcerous Republic.<br />
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Its symbol is a double-headed bat.<br />
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See [[Orcs|here]] for more.<br />
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== Annotation ==<br />
It is an allusion to the Soviet Union (confirmed by Terry) with elements of standard fantasy Dark Empires, like Tolkien's Mordor.<br />
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In the mid-1980s, during a tense period of the Cold War, American president Ronald Reagan famously described the Soviet Russian-headed Warsaw Pact of nations as "the Evil Empire". Some unkind speculators wondered if the title had been provoked by Ronnie's latest viewing of "Star Wars", or by his flirtation with evangelical Christianity in which godless Communism was always equated with the Antichrist.<br />
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The title Unholy Empire may allude to the Holy Roman Empire. The HRE was one of many Central and Eastern European countries (the Roundworld counterparts of Überwald and nearby lands) that used a double-headed eagle charge.<br />
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{{Stub}}<br />
[[Category:Discworld geography]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Orcs&diff=31531Orcs2021-03-16T18:42:59Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>On [[Roundworld]], "'''Orc'''" is a word used to refer to various races of tough and warlike humanoid creatures in various fantasy settings. Orcs are often portrayed as misshapen humanoids who are brutal, warmongering, and sadistic. See the annotations below for further information here. <br />
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They were developed by {{wp|Tolkien|JRR Tolkien}} out of folkloric goblins (which he continued to use as a synonym), but became much nastier and less whimsical as his stories evolved. They are of human shape, of varying size but always smaller than Men, ugly, filthy, with a taste for human flesh. They are fanged, bow-legged and long-armed, and some have dark skin as if burned. They are portrayed as clever and crafty, but also miserable and vicious. Tolkien conceived many possible origins for them (canonicity is uncertain), but most of them see them as corrupted from a natural creature by the dark lord Morgoth, broken and twisted into his evil soldiers. The most commonly known version is that they were corrupted Elves, as was described in the posthumously published ''The Silmarillion'' collated by his son Christopher.<br />
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On the Disc, however, although the popular conception is of orcs as we understand them, the only one we've met so far in the entire canon is [[Nutt|Mr Nutt]], who is the protagonist of {{UA}}, during the course of which he explodes all these myths. He is intelligent, well-read and capable of feats of love and poetry.<br />
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The Orcs seem to have been used as intelligent weapons by a sinister force just as they are in ''The Lord of the Rings'': they fight with ferocity, so long as a guiding 'will' (e.g., Morgoth or Sauron) compels/directs them. In some places, Tolkien describes Orcs as mainly being battle fodder. Dr [[John Hicks|Hix]] has a way of seeing the creatures in battle and they ''are'' terrible and deadly, but there are whips driving them on. It is not necessarily an inherent evil but a forced one.<br />
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In a twist on Tolkien's vision of their begetting, whilst the common view is that they are warped goblins, Lord [[Vetinari]] comments that they must have been bred from men, because only mankind has the wanton capacity for such evil evinced by the orcs in the Dark Wars that enslaved large areas.<br />
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They were presumed wiped out, although there have been rumblings of some new colonies/nests and the attempted genocide of them. Vetinari asks [[Nutt]] if he would go with his erstwhile rescuer, [[Mightily Oats|Pastor Oats]], into the heart of the [[Evil Empire]] (shades again of Sauron?), and bring them into the light. It seems an enormous task, but Nutt accepts. Whether we ever hear that tale is in the lap of the {{wp|Alzheimer's disease|Gods}}.<br />
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It is an unusual development for the Disc, because there have always been enough non-human races for humans to fight up 'til now. Early in the canon it was [[Gnolls]] taking the place of orcs in the "traditional" fantasy way, and there's always [[Goblins|goblins]], [[Trolls|trolls]] and the like.<br />
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==Annotations==<br />
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'''Etymology of the word "orc":'''<br />
<br />
The modern use of the English word "orc" to denote a race of evil, humanoid creatures begins with {{wp|Tolkien|JRR Tolkien}}. His earliest elvish dictionaries include the entry "Ork (orq-) monster, ogre, demon" together with "orqindi ogresse." Tolkien sometimes used the plural form orqui in his early texts. He sometimes, particularly in ''The Hobbit'', used the word "goblin" instead of "orc" to describe the same type of creature, with the smaller cave-dwelling variety that lived in the Misty Mountains being referred to as "goblin" and the larger ones elsewhere referred to as "orcs".<br />
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'''Old English influence:'''<br />
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The word "Orc" is Old English for "Foreigner, Monster, Demon" and was used to refer to the Normans invading the English in 1066. Middle Earth in Old English was the place between heaven and hell where humans dwell.<br />
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Tolkien's own statements about the real-world origins of his use of the word "orc" are as follows:<br />
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* "the word is, as far as I am concerned, actually derived from Old English orc 'demon', but only because of its phonetic suitability"<br />
* "I originally took the word from Old English orc (Beowulf 112 orc-neas and the gloss orc = þyrs ('ogre'), heldeofol ('hell-devil')). This is supposed not to be connected with modern English orc, ork, a name applied to various sea-beasts of the dolphin order."<br />
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'''Possible Games Workshop influence:'''<br />
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The British-owned and originated miniature wargames company Games Workshop has long promoted a pair of settings, Warhammer Fantasy and its science-fiction descendant Warhammer 40,0000, in which exists a race of orcs (spelt with a K in the sci-fi game) who are biologically engineered super-soldiers, insanely hard to kill, extremely strong, and generally quite dangerous. Furthermore, the culture of these orcs is based upon British football hooligan 'culture', with Cockney-flavored racial language, chanting warcries and general antics. The fact that the orcs of the Discworld are biologically engineered super-soldiers, and the fact that they first receive proper detailing in a book about football culture and hooliganism, certainly invokes comparisons. And of course there's GW's ''Blood Bowl'' game, a fantastic parody of American Football where Orks are held to have the body size, temperament and general intelligence of American sporting jocks. <br />
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[[Category:Discworld humanoid species]][[de:Orks]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=History_Monks&diff=31395History Monks2021-01-04T23:36:43Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>[[File:Time slips away.jpg|399px|thumb|left|Illustration by [http://www.flickr.com/photos/fearghal_breathnach/ Fearghal Breathnach]]]<br />
The History Monks are officially called ''The fighting monks of the Order of Wen''.<br />
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Living in a hidden valley of the [[Ramtops]], in the area known as [[Enlightenment country]], the History Monks (No Such Monastery, the Men In Saffron ...) are the keepers of History. Their role is to ensure that history follows its correct course, and even to make sure that it exists at all. Times are always getting worse, the monks feel. Again and again some wizard or artificer or mad scientist tinkers with the machinery and shatters the fabric of time and space. The History Monks consider it their duty to put the pieces back together, and to ensure that there are more pieces to follow the present moment. (Incidentally, their activities are quite useful to dismissing perceived timeline issues in particular books, if one is so inclined.)<br />
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The monastery was founded by [[Wen the Eternally Surprised]], a monk who understood the true nature of time, and fell in love with the [[anthropomorphic personification]] of [[Time]]. The History Monks follow the directions in the History Books, huge books in which the entire course of history, including what ought to happen in the future, is written. The History Monks also pull time from places where it's not needed (ex. a classroom of bored pupils) and put it into places where it's needed (ex. a busy factory). The instrument for storing time and paying it out is called a [[procrastinator]]. The History Monks also use a mandala (a spread of colored sand) to monitor anomalies in the fabric of time.<br />
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The monastery is called [[Oi Dong]]. The grounds include classrooms for lectures, dojos for physical training, [[Qu]]'s area for technological experiments, [[Lu-Tze]]'s [[Garden of Five Surprises]], the [[Abbot]]'s quarters, the Mandala hall, and the hall for the procrastinators. Since Wen has set time to stay at the same day in Oi Dong, it is always a perfect day, with ice floating in the stream, and cherry trees with beautiful cherry blossoms which (somewhat depressingly, in Lu-Tze's opinion) never develop into cherries.<br />
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In the Dojos, the monks learn from the [[Dojo Master]] and practice slicing time, partly to use it as a martial art. It is basically about [[slicing time]] faster than your opponent, and so getting in hits faster than he can. There are rumours about an advanced form of this called [[Déjà Fu]]. So far, only sweeper Lu-Tze seems to have mastered it.<br />
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The History Monks play pivotal roles in the books:<br />
*''[[Book:Small Gods|Small Gods]]'': interference with the course of history.<br />
*''[[Book:Thief of Time|Thief of Time]]'': operations in the monastery.<br />
*''[[Book:Night Watch|Night Watch]]'': field operations and living among civilians.<br />
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In {{GP}}, a possible History Monk is also glimpsed, as an otherwise unremarkable sweeper with nothing suspicious ''whatsoever'' about him, in the vicinity of the Sorting Engine in the [[Ankh-Morpork Post Office]]. Just a field agent, keeping a trained and watchful eye on yet another of those pesky devices those buggers in [[Ankh-Morpork]] keep building, which have the power to distort space and time? <br />
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:<br />
[[Category:Groups]]<br />
[[de:Die K&auml;mpfenden M&ouml;nche des Ordens von Wen]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Broomstick&diff=31387Broomstick2020-12-30T15:28:43Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>A device for magically enhanced travel favoured by [[Witches magic|witches]]. It takes the form of the standard [[wikipedia:Besom|besom]], ie a stout stick with a bundle of broom twigs tied securely to one end. (From the broom plant, ie ''broomstick''.) An early, more sophisticated, version encountered and used by [[Rincewind]] and [[Twoflower]] had handlebars, although most witches dispense with this accessory.<br />
<br />
While associated with witches, [[Wizard's magic|wizards]] have been known to use them in extremis:<br />
* There is apparently a museum at [[Unseen University]] where several fine examples are kept as curios.<br />
* [[Ridcully]] uses one to launch an aerial assault on the Ginger-monster in {{MP}}.<br />
* Another is used to fetch [[Dr. Lawn]] to a medical emergency in {{NW}}.<br />
* A previous Archchancellor daringly took [[Granny Weatherwax]] on a joy-ride. Well, she was driving and he was pillion, but there's the look of the thing to consider... Granny had just acquired her broom at that time; a low-performance but oddly durable device that has been likened to "a split-window Morris Minor." (It has been noted that in the Dutch translations of Pratchett's early books, the concept of a ''split-window Morris Minor'' has been replaced with a Dutch term used to describe the sort of clunking elderly one-gear bicycle ridden by elderly women in a very unsteady fashion (omafiets).).<br />
* The University provides some in {{T!}} as one of the means to tune the coaches of [[Sam Vimes]]. He needs to get to [[Koom Valley]] very - you could say magically - fast, but only with a little hocus and no pocus.<br />
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A wizard's [[staff]] has been disguised as one by the cunning expedient of tying broom twigs to it, and in the hands of a mere cleaner, this potent magical artefact was overlooked by passing wizards. On the other hand, [[Moist von Lipwig]] disguised an ordinary besom as a magical broomstick to wind up (or put the wind up) [[Reacher Gilt]] before the great race in {{GP}}.<br />
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There was the suggestion in {{WA}} to create a huge bezom with stewardess and meals served. So far nothing has come from this on the Disc.<br />
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Elsewhere on the Disc other flying aids are employed: [[Elves]] use yarrow stalks and in [[Klatch]] the [[Magic Carpet|magic carpet]] is the flying aid of preference. A lightly-loaded broomstick can achieve seventy miles per hour, about as much wind as the rider can withstand. (However, in keeping with the Wizardly ethos of "let's see what this baby can ''really'' do!", a wizard's staff used in the broomstick role can and will go much, much, much, faster. As an illustration, consider the [[Dean]], who is undergoing a prolonged second childhood and who would leap at the chance to be considered a boy racer...) The carpet appears to be slower, if more comfortable.<br />
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==Annotation==<br />
In the north of England and elsewhere, a '''[[wikipedia:Besom|besom]]''' is a name for the classical broomstick made by firmly tying broom twigs to the end of a long stout staff of wood. <br />
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A besom is also a not-entirely-complimentary term for the sort of {{wp|Nora_Batty#Nora_Batty_.28Kathy_Staff.29|Nora Batty}} figure, a stout woman of firm ideas in late middle age (or elderly), who would wield a broomstick with almost as deadly an effect as she would wield her tongue. By natural extension, it was also a synonym for '''witch''' in both its descriptive and pejorative usages.<br />
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[[Category:Devices]]<br />
[[de:Hexenbesen]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Llamedos&diff=31232Llamedos2020-10-17T17:52:21Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>{{Nation Data<br />
|title= Llamedos<br />
|picture=Blank.jpg| <br />
|established= <br />
|motto= <br />
<br />
|neighbours= [[Octarine Grass Country]], [[Hergen]]<br />
|features= mountains, waterfalls<br />
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|population= Human, & Dwarf<br />
|size= if flattened out, about the same as the Sto Plains<br />
|government= Theocratic (Druid)<br />
|capital= [[Pant-y-Girdl]]<br />
|currency= the ''ffyrling''<br />
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|notablecitizens= [[Imp Y Celyn]], [[Harry Dread|Evil Harry Dread]], [[Rhys Rhysson]], [[Dai Dickins]], [[Lawrence "Leeky" Llwyddianus-Bonheddwr]]<br />
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|imports= monoliths, trilithons<br />
|exports= rain, coal, silver, [[Harry Dread|Evil Lords]], [[Army|sergeants]], bards<br />
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|anthem= Various. ''Raindrops Are Falling On My Bed'' has been mentioned. <br />
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|books= {{SM}}, {{RS}}, {{CDA}}<br />
}}<br />
'''Llamedos''' is a hilly and permanently rainy country on the main continent. It is the home of [[druid]]ism and druidical music and lots and lots of cold, exceptionally wet rain (It even has rain mines). It is also home to some dwarf clans, who mine coal in its hills. Famous inhabitants include: [[Rhys Rhysson]], who would become [[Low King]] of the dwarfs; [[Imp y Celyn]], a.k.a. Buddy, lead singer and guitarist of [[The Band With Rocks In]], during the [[Music With Rocks In]] fever in [[Ankh-Morpork]] (see ''[[Book:Soul Music|Soul Music]]''); and Sgt. [[Dai Dickins]], a stalwart in the [[Glorious Revolution]] (see [[Book:Night Watch|Night Watch]]). Evangelist and explorer [[Llamedos Jones]], reputed to have discovered the [[Brown Islands]], was also a native. The main town would appear to be [[Pant-y-Girdl]]. <br />
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The odd tendency of local placenames to spell strange things backwards in Morporkian does not arise from any jocular attitude on the part of the Llamedosians. They are known as a rather dour and humorless group. {{CDA}} hints that it even rains indoors and books have titles like ''How Damp Was My Mattress''. Sheep do not need to be dipped so much as regularly wrung out, for instance. <br />
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The [[Prince of Llamedos]] is, historically, the courtesy title given to the eldest son and heir to the throne of [[Ankh-Morpork]] and may derive from a time when Llamedos was part of the Ankhian Empire. The current (undeclared) Prince is [[Carrot Ironfoundersson]]. It nominally at least provides one [[Army]] regiment: the [[35th Llamedosian Foot]]. Their last stand at [[Howondaland|Lawke's Drain]] is a battle honour the nation remains quietly proud of. <br />
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According to {{RS}}, Llamedos, and Pant-y-Girdl, are on the coast of the Rim Ocean. However, the {{DM}} places the country well inland: the only way Llamedos could have a coast and a seaport is if [[Hergen]], otherwise in the way, is moved up or down the coast a bit. Or Hergen is a western province of Llamedos. {{CDA}} resolves this problem, blaming the somewhat ephemeral nature of [[Chimeria]] for any confusion. The river [[Llwk-Yu]] (see note on spelling) runs through the town, and the recently expanded port serves both river barges and shipping to and from the Circle Sea and Sto Plains ports. On the world map, Llamedos is seen to be a long relatively narrow country with a coastal strip, just hubwards of [[Chimeria]], with [[Hergen]] to the rimwards-by-turnwise of both. [[Koom Valley]] and the beginnings of the settled countries leading down to [[Quirm]]and Ankh-Morpork are to the hubwards-by-widdershins. <br />
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Two other named towns in Llamedos are [[Cwtch]] and, confusingly, [[Cladh]]. <br />
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==Annotation==<br />
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Llamedos and its inhabitants closely resemble {{wp|Wales|Wales}} and the Welsh, with a possible Gaelic (Scots-Irish) fringe.<br />
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The name Llamedos is a reference to Llareggub, the town in [[wikipedia:Under_Milk_Wood|''Under Milk Wood'']], the poem by [[Roundworld]]'s Dylan Thomas. The trick is to read them backwards:<br />
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[[Category:Discworld geography]]<br />
[[de:Llamedos]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=Cabbage&diff=29896Cabbage2019-01-08T17:58:48Z<p>Holly Mercer: </p>
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<div>Most of the [[Sto Plains]] is sown to cabbage, the main source of food on the Plains. To the stolid hard-working farming community, this is a source of pride.<br />
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During the events of {{GP}}, [[Moist von Lipwig]] and [[Stanley Howler]] were not slow to capitalise on this by bringing out a range of commemorative [[stamps]], one of which, the Cabbage Green, is entirely made from cabbage-derived material and prone to spontaneous combustion.<br />
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Brassic Parks in [[Ankh-Morpork]], an area since redeveloped for housing, was formerly the site of extensive cabbage growing.<br />
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The [[Sto Plains Growers Association]], the relevant trade guild, is based in [[Big Cabbage]] and is represented locally by Mr Cartwright, resident at Mrs [[Eucrasia Arcanum]]'s boarding house for gentlemen of quality. <br />
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==History==<br />
Cabbages are believed to have originated in the [[Agatean Empire]], where it was considered a compliment to the host to break wind loudly after a meal. From there, cabbages were brought across the Hub and found their way down to the Sto Plains. In the "Burpy", a small, dark cabbage, can probably be seen the Agatean original.<br />
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The Agatean connection was renewed by the B'Hang family, who moved to the paradise presented by the Sto Plains and who sought to establish an Agatean-style production plant for [[Grimchi]], a native delicacy loved, or at least avoided, at home. However, Grimchi could be viewed as a cabbage-based example of parallel evolution. The thing it independently evolved alongside might be [[Wow-Wow Sauce]]. As with Wow-Wow, keeping a critical mass of the stuff in one place - or seven different places - is something you do only once, and very briefly. The seven massive craters that give [[Seven Bangs Halt|Seven Bangs]] its name and a residual population of 27 are mute testament to this. <br />
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The splendour of a crop is often the judge of a farm and family's diligence, and the endless nature of this is noted in a famous song:<br />
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:Cabbages in my garden grow,<br />
:Cabbages in the fields do show,<br />
:I must get out there with my hoe,<br />
:Diligently tilling, row on row,<br />
:But rather to the pub will go.<br />
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==Varieties==<br />
There are over 300 different varieties of cabbage, some of which are listed below.<br />
A significant number of cabbages on this list were developed by Mr [[Antipater Slack]] of [[Great Slack]], a man who was to cabbage-breeding what [[Bergholt Stuttley Johnson]] was to architecture and design. You have been warned. <br />
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* Autumn Reliant<br />
* Big Hearted Arthur<br />
* The [[Sto Kerrig|Bockingfield]]<br />
* [[Blue Bolter]]<br />
* [[Burley Bolter]] (will leap out of the ground and headbutt you.)<br />
* Burpy<br />
* [[Grimchi|Choi Champion]]<br />
* Helit Prize<br />
* [[Grimchi|Jolly Giant]]<br />
* The Kendle Green (actually red. Oh, how cabbage farmers laugh!)<br />
* King's Snivel<br />
* Micklegreens Juicy<br />
* Morning Glory (tastes slightly of mice.)<br />
* [[Upunder|Offle King]]<br />
* Old Anchor<br />
* Porraceous Sprouter<br />
* Red Whammy<br />
* [[Rumptuous Javelin]]<br />
* Savoloy Special<br />
* Scentless Mute<br />
* Schweinfart Emperor<br />
* [[Slack Snapper]]<br />
* Spring Pouncer<br />
* Sto Leafy<br />
* Sto Red (actually green. The long winter evenings simply fly by down on the Sto Plains.)<br />
* Sto Stalker (follows you home and waits outside the privy when you've had cabbage beer.)<br />
* Sto Stout<br />
* Sto Whopper<br />
* Titanic Iceberg (most of the cabbage forms underground.)<br />
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The varieties Old Anchor and Red Whammy were originally cultivated for use in cabbage duels, the first recorded one taking place in the [[Discworld calendar|Year of the Pensive Frog]]. This event, once popular with the gentry of the Plains, has now all but died out.<br />
Of special mention is the False Cabbage, which is a poisonous plant that mimics cabbages in order to tempt in prey. The poison can be neutralised if accompanied by beer.<br />
Also note the Cabbage Frog, which grows 'leaves' and stays very still until butterflies lay their eggs on it, whereupon it eats them.<br />
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==Annotations==<br />
Alongside the digestive effects of cabbage, "Burpy" is possibly a reference to Burpee, an American-based company that sells vegetable and flower seeds to home gardeners. They offer many different cultivars, including a dozen varieties of cabbage.<br />
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==Also see==<br />
* [[Antipater Slack]]<br />
* [[Big Cabbage]]<br />
* [[Grimchi]]<br />
* [[Makepeace Thomas Bounder]]<br />
* [[Squelch]]<br />
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[[Category:Food and drink]]<br />
[[de:Kohl]]</div>Holly Mercerhttp://wiki.lspace.org/index.php?title=D%27reg&diff=24442D'reg2016-06-04T20:10:35Z<p>Holly Mercer: Changed the description of Tuaregs from "Arab peoples" to "Berber peoples." I'm surprised this hasn't been corrected in almost seven years.</p>
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<div>A member of a cheerfully anarchistic desert tribe in [[Klatch]] who will fight ''anyone'' on general principles. Think of the [[Pictsies|Nac Mac Feegle]] in flowing desert robes, and you have a good idea of their general temperament.<br />
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First encountered in {{SM}} as the resident opposition to the [[Klatchian Foreign Legion]] encroaching on their otherwise pristine desert. <br />
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The concept of D'Regness is discussed at greater length in {{J}}, where their opposition to being a part of ''anyone's'' Empire, or any part of a set-up where taxes and loyalties are expected to be paid, is crucial to the development of the story.<br />
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They have very strict ideas about women fighting: they expect them to be good at it. It is generally said that if a D'reg is your friend he is your friend for the rest of your life, and if he is not your friend the rest of your life will be about five seconds; to still be alive five minutes after meeting a D'reg tribe is a clear indication that they really like you. Distrust is generally encouraged among the D'regs, with [[71-hour Ahmed]] once telling Vimes that his mother would be greatly offended if he trusted her on the grounds that she would feel she hadn't brought him up properly. <br />
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In Jingo, [[Samuel Vimes]] made friends with them unintentionally by the dangerous expedient of giving their (then) leader an Ankhian Handshake. This committed them to (i) a change of leader, as anyone foolish enough to let himself be taken in like that couldn't have been worth following; and (ii) seventy-two hours worth of hospitality extended to Vimes's 'regiment'. <br />
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This is a crucial seventy-two hours, as the D'Regs are quite prepared to transfer their loyalties to a leader (Vimes) who is mad enough to be not only hopelessly outnumbered, but to charge both sides simultaneously, as they manoeuvre into battle. (This is helped by [[71-hour Ahmed]] innocently confusing the words of command which a camel understands as "Speed up!" and "For Gods' sake stop!")<br />
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==Annotation==<br />
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The name ''D'reg'' is a combination of [[Roundworld]]'s [[wikipedia:Tuareg|''Tuareg'']] nomadic Berber peoples, who are generally warlike when antagonised, and ''Dreg'' as in the "dregs of humanity" - dregs, for non-English speakers, being the horrible bits left at the bottom of a cup of coffee, tea or barrel of beer: the worst bits.<br />
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[[Category:Groups]]<br />
[[de:D'regs]]</div>Holly Mercer