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Shunting Exercise - Nice to see what to do (or not to do!) |
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*Agora; The public open space that
formed the heart of ancient Greek cities and it's the origin of
most western conceptions of public, or civil, space as center of
for social interaction for ceremony and democratic life on a
pedestrian scale. |
Kurt Bremen, the leader of the knights, scanned the warriors on the battlements seeing several had trained bows on them, and his frown deepened. ‘All I am hoping,’ replied Bremen in his clipped Altdorf accent, ‘is that none of the soldiers up there have loose bow fingers. How you permit the lower orders to address you is none of my concern. My only priority, Ambassador von Velten, is to see you safely to your post.’ Kaspar nodded, ignoring Bremen’s oblique disdain for his current task, and followed his stare. ‘You don’t think highly of the Kislev soldiery, Kurt? I commanded many of them in battle. They are wild, it’s true, but they are men of courage and honour. The winged lancers are the equal of any Empire knightly order...’
What you must know !
SKINPLANTS AND ELECTOOS ! A development of crystal technology is its use for personal ornamentation. Many races apply paint or tattoos and within the Imperium the practice is common. This is true of all levels of society, from the lowly city-scum of the hive-worlds to the most sophisticated of the Adeptus Terra. Amongst government servants and employees of the Navigator families these marks serve as identification as well as ornament. Devices are also used as secret signs by governmental and anarchist agents, psychic covens and pirates. Tattooing is commordy achieved using materials and technology of a very ancient kind - although the inks used can be of any colour (including flourescent) and can be removable, temporary or degenerative when exposed to light, laser light, heat. etc. Skinplants are sophisticated tattoos - very sophisticated. The miniaturisation possible using crystal technology makes it possible to create a functioning device between layers of skin. The device cannot include mechanical components or utilise large amounts of power. The most popular application of this idea is to power and control an electrically sensitive tattoo. So, any citizen with sufficient credit can have a device or logo on their forehead which actually lights up and fiashes! This can be either controllable, light-sensitive or a permanent fixture. The subcutaneous wristwatch is a standard way of carrying the time - light pressure on the wrist activates the digital display beneath the skin. A character could even go to the lengths of having an entire limb or his whole body glow if he wanted! A light emitting patch on the palm will illuminate a small area within 10 cm and is popularly known as the 'thief's light', providing sufficient light to pick locks, operate switches, etc. Electoos also utilise crystal technology, but involve a lot more work and a great deal of skill to create. An inert layer of conductive material is inserted beneath the skin, sometimes it is injected and allowed time to form before the process can continue. Crystal stacks are built up on this film and waste material is dissoived out. The Electoo can then be programmed to function as any control or monitoring device. On Earth everyone carries an electoo containing personal details, credit ratings, security grades and details of social record - these act as police files and automatic credit facilities. Sensors at building entrances read the details of every electoo carrying individual that passes them - so a constant record can be build up of anyone's movements. Similarly when an individual buys anything, a till-sensor automatically modifies the credit rating of the electoo accordingly. The system is also used throughout the Adeptus Terra and on some imperial worlds either generally or within specific social levels. As electoos are invisible they are ideal for carrying secret messages - information is coded so as to be almost useless except to the intended recipient. A character carrying a Electoo need not be aware of the fact, and certainly wouldn't be aware of its contents. Electoos carrying secret messages can be split between several people and only work when joined. Electrografts are a special form of electoo engineered directly onto the recipient's cerebellum. This involves cutting away a portion of skull and creating the electoo directiy on the brain tissue before (usually) replacing the section of cranium or covering with synthetic material. An electrograft reacts with the brain to alter a creature's memory, personality and knowledge. Many of the Imperium's technollogical secrets are passed on by this means, and it is certainly a quick and easy way to learn how to speak new languages, operate machinery, etc. On the other hand, interferance with the mind tends to cause personality disorders, problems with memory recall and occasionally total mental breakdown. Once inserted an electrograft can be reprogrammed almost indefinitely, although repeated re-use accelerates the degenerative process.