Barsoom and Barsoomians

 

Barsoomians

 

Reprinted with permission by Kumari Emeritus Mirra Zanzibar

 

Homonidae Monotremata-Sapiens (Egg laying homonids), sometimes referred to as Homonidae Barsoomis. Homonidae Barsoomis is used to distinguish them from the indigenous four-armed Barsoomian White Ape and the indigenous four-armed green-skinned tusked Tharks.

 

The usual height range of adult Homonidae Barsoomis is between six to eight feet tall. Homonidae Barsoomis species born and raised on Jasoom (Earth) usually develop to be between five and six and a half feet tall, the same usual range for modern Jasoomian Homonidae species. Homonidae Barsoomis height is greater than average Jasoomian Homonidae species because of the lighter gravity of Barsoom, as a result their Strength per unit mass is very low while in Jasoom (Telestia/Earth) gravity. Because they are accustomed to a much thinner atmosphere, Barsoomians also possess a heartier Constitution in most Telestian (Earth) normal environments under 20,000 feet altitude. On balance, the large size but low strength per pound, the average Homonidae Barsoomis and average Jasoonian (Telestian from Earth) are about the same overall strength. Due to extreme (some would say brutal) parental selection, Homonidae Barsoomis tend to be have very comely well formed symmetrical features and be quite agile and dexterous.

 

Homonidae Barsoomis resist aging, resist most disease/illness/infection, resist freezing and dehydration, and apparently they can recover from severe brain damage.

 

Barsoomians possess Proximity Communications-only Telepathic among Barsoomians (of all kinds) and other telepaths.

 

Barsoomians are accustomed to dry thin air and lower gravity and possess a low body temperature.

 

While Homonidae Barsoomis have near Jasoomian pithecine physiology in most respects they have radically different reproductive system than Telestial Homonidae – specifically being Oviparous (egg laying), despite which they are still and even sexually and reproductively cross compatible.

 

Distinctive Appearance - Minimal body or facial hair. Often black hair. Big near black iris eyes.

 

The only difference between the various Homonidae Barsoomis ethnicities are cosmetic and cultural. Hair Colour (or hairlessness), and skin tone. There are some minor variations in features, but within the range within 'races'.

 

Most Homonidae Barsoomis are almost devoid of body hair and facial hair, although some Okarians display short beards. Barsoomis Orovorian Therns do not even have hair on their head. Most Homonidae Barsoomis have obsidian black straight hair, although some Orovorians have light coloured or auburn hair. The myth about having no pub hair is because offworlders do not understand that Homonidae Barsoomis do not reach puberty until they are about 40.

 

Orovorians have dolomite white marbled skintones.

 

Omeans have dark grey to near obsidian skintones.

 

Okarians have light bright golden yellow skintones.

 

The reddish copper Homonidae Barsoomis are the net result of the interbreeding between Orovorians, Omeans, and Okarians. As they are also the vast majority of the population of Barsoomis, reddish copper Homonidae Barsoomis are sometimes by default referred to simply as Barsoomians. Orovorians, Omeans, and Okarians are frequently referred to as if they are variants of the reddish copper Homonidae Barsoomis, while in fact the Omeans are the actual oldest Barsoomis, and the copper Homonidae Barsoomis are actually one of the more recent variants.

 

Homonidae Barsoomis are extremely long lived, but it is unknown if that is innate or by some near applied medical means like on Amtor. Offworlders sometime unaccustomed to the extreme slow rate of ageing among Homonidae Barsoomis, mistaking an early pubescent girl for one who is full grown because she happens to be near a half century old.

 

Barsoomian telepathy is poorly understood, even by Barsoomians who take it for granted. Barsoomian telepathy appears to only work in immediate proximity. It allows some basic emotional state communication without language, the ability to detect overt lies, and a sort of danger sense making them very difficult to sneak up on. There is a theory that Barsoomian proximity telepathy also imparts great cultural compulsive conformity. Barsoomian telepathy also resulted with the Barsoomian language being very simple, because the nuance of emotional content via the telepathic connection. Thus important communications is almost always delivered in person, else expert word crafters have to be consulted.

 

Barsoomis are oviparous, they lay clutches of goose-egg sized eggs, which hatch after about 5 years to a fully developed 50 pound child. It is not stated how nutrients are delivered to the eggs during said five years. Depending on the proximity of the hatchery, newly hatched Barsoomis know many behaviors and how to speak. Isolated clutches of eggs are usually put down to the sword, which is considered a mercy. It should be noted that Tharks raise their hatcheries in isolation on purpose.

 

Externally, Homonidae Barsoomis appear to be like any typical Homonidae species, but internal examination shows some distinct differences. The key anatomical difference between monotremes and other mammals gives them their name; monotreme means “single opening”, referring to the single duct (the cloaca) for their urinary, defecatory, and reproductive systems. Like reptiles, monotremes have a single cloaca. Marsupials have a separate genital tract, whereas most placental mammalian females have separate openings for reproduction (the vagina), urination (the urethra), and defecation (the anus). In monotremes, only semen passes through the penis while urine is excreted through the male's cloaca, thus placental Homonidae are considered unclean. The Homonidae Barsoomis penis is similar to that of turtles and is covered by a preputial sac.

 

Homonidae Monotremata Sapiens are also noteworthy in their zygotic development: Most mammalian zygotes go through holoblastic cleavage, where the ovum splits into multiple, divisible daughter cells. Contrastingly, monotreme zygotes, like those of birds and reptiles, undergo meroblastic (partial) division. This means the cells at the yolk's edge have cytoplasm continuous with that of the egg, allowing the yolk and embryo to exchange waste and nutrients with the surrounding cytoplasm.

 

Homonidae Monotremata Sapiens metabolic rate is low by most mammalian standards, an average body temperature of about 88°F.

 

Barsoomis practice extreme parental selection of eggs, sometimes as few as 1 in a hundred eggs are allowed to mature into hatchlings. Specialized clutch diviners screen out most unacceptably spawn while still in the egg. Barsoomians tolerate no physical or mental defect, disability, or shortcoming of any kind. Population needs, determines how many eggs are allowed to hatch at any given time. Even small polities would rather tolerate a reduction in population than compromise hatchling quality.

 

There are some cultural differences.

 

Omeans, the obsidian Barsoomis, consider themselves to be the first Barsoomis sentient species, and greater than all others.

 

The Dolomite-White Orovorians claim to have once ruled the entire planet half a million years ago, but that dominance was based on their sophisticated naval traditions back when Barsoom still had oceans.

 

The bald wig wearing Orovorians White Therns are very religious, claim to have a special relationship with the Goddess Issus and their elite practice cannibalism of the 'lesser races'.

 

Lothari-Orovorian have developed sophisticated illusion creating, and even know how to exploit Barsoomis proximity telepathy to create some illusiary effects. Orovorians consider themselves to be superior beings and as such should be exempt from labours, thus justifying their practice of Thern and Copper Barsoomis slaves. Slave hunting is considered a sport, not labour. Most religious Barsoomis worship Issus, but the Lothari-Orovorian worship a god they call Komal. Lothari-Orovorian are very fond of philosophy and the only reality is thought, and believe the entire world is a shared illusion. They feed those who believe in ‘realism’ and Tharks to their god, Komal. Beyond the few deity worshipping religions, most Barsoomis instinctively make references indicating ancestor worship, which implies an afterlife, but is rarely discussed.

 

Orkarians Yellow tend to be extremely isolationist.

 

Barsoomis tend not to wear clothes, but are extremely fond of ornamentation, particularly jewelry and ritualized stylized tools and weapons. Thern-Orovorian sometimes wear robes during religious ceremonies. Orkarians have been known to wear clothes for warmth when away from their climate controlled cities, because they live in the extreme cold polar regions. Inside of their domed cave-cities, Orkarians like other Barsoomis also only wear ornamentation.

 

Most Barsoomis have large eyes with nearly black irises, although some Orkarians have lighter coloured eyes.

 

Barsoom has only less than two million square miles of irrigated arable land, but this is enough to feed the entire population of about fifty million, only requiring 10% of the population to till and irrigate the land. Almost all farming is performed by forced labour, either as punishment for crimes, spoils of war, or as a result of slave abduction sport. Slaves working in agriculture are considered fortunate compared to mining slaves which typically do not live long. A third of the Barsoom population are members of the elite warlord aristocracy or noteworthy accomplishments, who are exempt from work, a slave working in the mines or tilling the fields, or a servant serving one of the warlords. Service in warfare is how one advances in the aristocracy other than outstanding feats of science or engineering, gaining fiefdoms of fields and mines, businesses, ships, servants, soldiers, etc. The competition is fierce. There is nothing resembling taxation.

 

Murder might seem difficult among a telepathic population, but 7 murders occur per day in the major city of Helium. This adds up during their long lives to a 1 in 20 chance to die from murder. The majority of murders appear to be consensual chivalric type duels or very spontaneous. There are very few planned murders or rapes.

 

Most warfare is of a chivalric in form, contesting matters of self-perceived breaches of honour, or they are hunting parties to hunt down pirates or raiders who plunder the lesser defended canal regions occupied mostly by agricultural or mining slaves and their handlers.

 

Goolians appear like most Copper Barsoomis, except they have exceptionally large feet and powerful leg muscles optimized for tremendous leaping ability. Goolians are not very bright, and are grossly uneducated. They are only known to live on one small island in the Toonolian Marshes. They are preyed upon by creatures known as Man-Eaters. They defend themselves mostly by fleeing. They are marsupials, the females carry their young in their pouch until they hatch and then for some time afterwards until they are old enough to gather their own food.

 

Hormad are a large synthetically created promethean construct made from the body parts of Copper Barsoomis, grown in giant vats. Hormad are substantially larger and stronger than typical Barsoomis, and are usually deformed and misshapen, very resistant to harm, but not fire. Some Hormad have been used to transplant the brains of other Barsoomis. Nearly indestructible, a new body can be grown from just the head if the brain is still intact. Their main point of manufacture is a facility on an island called Morbus in the Toonolian Marshes. Hormad have no reproductive capabilities.

 

Tharks and the Silver Apes are the most populous sentient other than Homonidae Barsoomes. Tharks range between 12 and 18 feet tall, and have green skin and 2 pairs of arms. Knobby antennae instead of ears, and tusks. Thark eyes are large and wide-set, with snowy white sclera and blood red irises; each eye is capable of moving independently of the other. Newly hatched Thark skin is a light yellowish green, which darkens to a deeper green as they get older. Tharks are also oviparous, whose eggs hatch after 5 years in the hatchery. All Thark males are warlords. All useful labour is performed by the females. Thark children are taught since their first year that they are tolerate to live as long as they are useful. Tharks also practice a particularly merciless parental selection of the eggs and hatchlings. As Tharks do not till fields or mine minerals, all of their raw resources are obtained from warfare. Kidnapping for ransom and slave trade is a common vocation. Tharks are stronger per pound than other Barsoomians, but their main advantage is their tremendous size. Tharks have between 3 and 5 special ability slots for height, which makes their DmgBonus and build to be 8 to 32 times higher. Tharks have little or no Mojo, but a respectable amount of willpower.

 

Silver Apes range between 12 and 18 feet tall, have pearly white skin, are virtually hairless except for the thick mane of hair on their heads. They have 2 pairs of arms, the middle pair used as either extra hands or extra feet, often used to aid when walking or running. Vicious and violent, they are sociable among their own kind, forming families, clans, and tribes. They have enough technology to make clothes from animal skills and simple weapons that don’t require metal-smithing. They enjoy the taste of the flesh of Barsoomis, which they typically consume raw, sometimes while the victim is still alive. They tend to congregate in abandoned Barsoomis cities, but also the Toonolian Marshes and the Valley of Dor. Silver Apes are stronger per pound than other barsoomians, but their main advantage is their tremendous size. Silver Apes have between 3 and 5 special ability slots for height, which makes their DmgBonus and build to be 8 to 32 times higher. Silver Apes have little or no Mojo, but a respectable amount of willpower.

 

Dorians are a blue-skinned cyclopean non-sentient species which subsists primarily cellulose plant matter which requires blood for them to digest, ranging in height from 8 to 12 feet tall. Possessing one large white eye in the center of their face with no appearance of iris or pupil. They possess no nose, just a single round nostril just below their eye. They possess thick black wriggling wormlike hairs about 8 to 10 inches long, which move independently of each other which provide hearing and reacts to noises. They possess two sinuous trunklike arms extruding from their torso which end in mouths and razor sharp claws that shred leaves and grass which make up the majority of their diet. They are not truly vampires, they need the blood so they can digest the leaves and grasses they eat. They possess enormously large feet and very muscular legs and large tail all optimized for their prodigious leaping attacks. They have thick syrupy greenish ichor blood. Their brains are small and do not possess reason or communication. They are creatures of instinct who process sense data and some hard wired instinctual responses. Reproduction is via some sort of budding process from the sides of their torso’s which eventually drop off and begin foraging. Dorians are probably the strongest per pound of any Barsoomians. Dorians have almost negligible Mojo, Intelligence, Education, Presence, or Willpower. They are bloodsucking foraging grazing dangerously sleepwalking automatons no smarter than livestock.

 

Kaldanes are a highly intelligent species inhabiting Bantoom. Kaldanes appear as over sized blue-grey heads, with six spider-like legs that they walk, as well as two symmetrical chelea that they use to eat. They possess large lidless bulging eyes are, noses nothing more than narrow slits, and their mouths round tooth filled sphincter-like holes. Karldanes to control others with their minds, rank is determined mainly on the basis of ones mind control capabilities. Every Kaldane is 'born' with all of the knowledge and memories of its ancestors, to the point of knowing what different animals taste like. The 'leader' of a given clan of Kaldane produces the eggs from which all Kaldanes in their clan hatch. Every thousand or so eggs a new leader egg is produced. The new leader always uses the same name as the old one and possesses all of its memories, and life in the clan continues as if nothing has happened when the new leader kills the old one and takes over. The Kaldanes do not exactly have a religion, but they do have philosophies, goals, and ideals that they follow with religious zeal. Their ultimate goal is to become nothing more than the perfect brain; they consider their physical bodies next to worthless except as necessary to support their brains. They believe themselves all identical; if one Kaldane likes something, supposedly all like it (likewise if they hate something.) Kaldane regarding all non-Kaldanes as inferior creatures to be exploited (if useful) or destroyed (if not), and think nothing of eating flesh of other Barsoomian sentient species. Kaldanes use what they call a Rykor, which is an artificially manufactured headless copper Barsoomian, lacking a head, which they use for performing menial physical tasks. Kaldanes are not large, at full growth, they are 50 pound heads with a few spindly legs. Despite their off-putting appearance, when they are perched atop one of their Rykor, they can be quite engaging conversationalists. Kaldane mouths are located where one might normally expect their anus to be located. An obscure attack is that the Kaldane can leap upon a person and burrow their teeth into the skull of the person and somehow insert something into the victim’s brain which allows them complete motor control over the victim, even the use of their arms, legs, and hands, turning them into their personal Rykor conveyance.

 

Sarmaks are a mollusk-like Barsoom species which attempted unsuccessfully to invade Surrey and Grover Mills in 1898. Sarmaks have leathery-skins and tentacles. Sarmaks have no digestive organs and feed directly on the blood of creatures that do have digestive organs. Sarmak reproduce asexually, children being born by "budding" off from the parent. Internally, the Sarmaks consist of a brain, lungs, heart, and blood vessels. Sarmaks are arguably very intelligent, and technologically advanced, capable of interplanetary transport, constructed advanced weapons such as the Heat Rays, as well as war machines like the Tripod Tanks. There is some speculation that the Sarmak are related to the Kaldane. There is also speculation that the Sarmak (and Kaldane) came to Barsoom from a planet orbiting Rigel, and before that somewhere in the Andromeda Galaxy. Both Sarmaks and Kaldanes have their common goals of becoming just the perfect mind. Sarmaks constructed huge rail thrusting devices capable of fireing cylinders containing both Sarmaks and material for war machines to Earth. They had multiple Red Martians working for them to carry out this plan. Sarmaks are much larger than Kaldanes, but are substantially less personable, quite socially impaired. They have a fragile constitution. They are very intelligent, strong willed, and very educated, but have almost no Mojo.

 

Barsoomian Technology

 

atmosphere factory — an ancient construct built by the Orovars and operated in the present day by the red Martians which provides the artificially generated atmosphere of Mars.

 

atom gun - hand weapon described as a pistol or rifle in Giant of Mars.

 

brain and organ transplants and other surgical/medical miracles (Master Mind, Synthetic).

 

carborundum aluminium — a light-weight material, nearly impenetrable, used in the construction of Barsoomian fighting airships.

 

mechanical brains — computers; a device capable of responding to telepathic commands and utilized in Fal Sivas' spaceship (Swords)

 

Destination Compass, also known as the gyro-compass (directional compass) — an aerial navigation device which Carthoris improved. In operation one sets the desired latitude and longitude. The device then navigates to the location, then shuts down the propulsion and lowers the craft to the group. It also has altitude ranging which operates by reflected light (lasers) which prevents ground collision. The device is so light sensitive that it functions by starlight, or in the event of the occasion that the night sky is covered with cloud, by the beam of a downward directed artificial light. (Giant.)

 

Disintegration Ray — — invented by Phor Tak of Jahar; a weapon which can be set to selectively destroy organic or inorganic materials. (Fighting)

 

Eighth Ray — a form of antigravity produced from forces emanating from the planets and stars.

 

Electromagnetic Defense Device — most significant is the Guardian of the North, a vast magnetic device built over the North Pole for the defense and destruction of airships. (Warlord and Thuvia)

 

Equilibrimotors — The equilibrimotor is an ingenious device for individual flying. It consists of a broad belt, not unlike the life belt used aboard passenger ships on Earth; the belt is filled with the Barsoomian eighth-ray of propulsion, to a sufficient degree to equalize the pull of gravity and thus to maintain a person in equilibrium between that force and the opposite force exerted by the eighth ray. Attached to the back of the belt is a small radium motor, the controls for which are on the front of the belt; while rigidly attached to and projecting from the upper rim of the belt is a strong, light wing with small hand levers for quickly altering its position.

 

Flying Death Torpedo — a "smart" torpedo that will adjust trajectory to destroy a designated target; invented by Phor Tak of Jahar.

 

Food tablets — concentrated energy (Warlord)

 

Forandus — — lightest and hardest of metals used by Barsoomians; principally a building material.

 

Gridley Wave —radio-like frequency/device used for real-time communication between Jasoom (Telestia/Earth) and Barsoom.

 

Handheld torches — a portable illumination device found in Horz. It is a cylindrical object producing a cold light when exposed to atmosphere; the greater the exposure, the more light produced; an ancient device manufactured by unknown methods that have not been duplicated in modern times.

 

Hormads — Hormads are produced from large vats and a chemical mixture; cannot be killed though can be incapacitated by striking the head from the body; self-regenerating, though the process is flawed—a hormad head might regenerate a leg from the neck down instead of a body and have to be again decapitated or thrown back into the vat; created by Ras Thavas of Toonol during his residence at Morbus (Synthetic)

 

deathless minds hypnosis — specifically the Lotharians, additionally the creature in the pits of Horz.

 

invisibility and cloaking devices — organic and inorganic methods of inducing invisibility; Phor Tak of Jahar developed an invisibility paint that, when applied to cloth or warships, bent light rays around the object producing the invisibility effect. The humans in the Forest of Lost Men swallow a pill which renders one invisible for ten zodes. On Sasoom the Savators plaster their dwellings with a sand of invisibility which reacts in the same fashion as the Phor Tak paint, bending light around objects.

 

Microset — radio with at least one secret frequency.

 

Nerve machine — — controls the bodies of indexed and encoded subjects in the First Born Valley of Kamtol. (Llana)

 

Ninth Ray — used in atmospheric plant

 

personal home protection — houses hydraulically raised at night.

 

photostatic copies —reproduction of images in an instant. Described as a service of the Temple of Knowledge, Greater Helium (Fighting).

 

Pneumatic tube transport systems (Thuvia)

 

Radio Aerogram Wireless, etc., — headphones and morse code.

 

Radium — can either refer to everlasting light bulbs, explosive bullets, or pistols and rifles

 

range finders — wireless, generally used to target large weapons from airships.

 

Recording Machine — — type of computer assisted telefax which records weights and measures, and transmits from a distance.

 

space ships — Two vehicles are described capable of space flight—the manually operated ship created by Gar Nal of Zodanga and the thought-operated ship created by Fal Sivas of Zodanga. Both ships traveled to Thuria, the nearer moon. (Swords)

 

Street lighting — Street lighting of Toonol, and in fact the same condition applies to the lighting of other Barsoomian cities I have visited, I noted for the first time that night as I waited upon the landing stage for the return of Bal Zak with the watchman. The luminosity below me seemed confined directly to the area to be lighted; there was no diffusion of light upward or beyond the limits the lamps were designed to light This was effected, I was told, by lamps designed upon principles resulting from ages of investigation of the properties of light waves and the laws governing them which permit Barsoomian scientists to confine and control light as we confine and control matter. The light waves leave the lamp, pass along a prescribed circuit and return to the lamp. There is no waste nor, strange this seemed to me, are there any dense shadows when lights are properly installed and adjusted, for the waves in passing around objects to return to the lamp, illuminate all sides of them. The effect of this lighting from the great height of the tower was rather remarkable. The night was dark, there being no moons at that hour upon this night, and the effect was that obtained when sitting in a darkened auditorium and looking upon a brilliantly lighted stage.

 

Submarines — First Born vessels capable of navigating the depths of the Omean Sea. (Gods)

 

Sunrays — used in Okar for solar energy and heating.

 

Suspended Animation — the many frozen warriors collected by Hin Abtol of Panar, a red Jeddak of the Barsoomian North. Humans cached in frigid conditions then later thawed to supplement Hin Abtol's armies. (Llana)

 

Television —invented by Ras Thavas, Giant

 

"Theoretical Mechanics" — a technical book authored by an unnamed Barsoomian. (Swords)

 

Standardized traffic flow — in urban areas. These ground fliers are a common means of private transportation in many Martian cities. In Amhor all north and south traffic moves at ground level at intersections, east and west traffic passing above it. East and west traffic is compelled to rise above north and south traffic at each intersection because there is a short runway inclining upward to a height of about ten feet at each intersection, ending in an abrupt drop at the intersection. These inclines force all east and west traffic to rise above the north and south traffic intersections. All vehicular traffic moves in but one direction on any avenue, the direction of flow alternating so that half the avenues carry traffic in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction. Left turns are made without diminishing speed by the simple expedient of rising above both lanes of traffic. The result is that traffic flows steadily in all direction at an average speed of about fifty miles per hour. Parking accommodations are frequent, and are found inside buildings at a level of about sixty feet above the pavement. North and south pedestrian traffic moves without interruption in either direction on both sides of North and South Streets at the ground level; and, similarly, on East and West Streets through underpasses at street intersections. (Synthetic)

 

Watch/Chronometer — A cylindrical bracelet of gold about my wrist was my Barsoomian chronometer—a delicate instrument that records the tals and xats and zodes of Martian time, presenting them to view beneath a strong crystal much after the manner of an earthly odometer.