Mul intelligence

[amish overlord]

I am curious how intelligent is a mul? Know they are physically stronger than both humans and dwarves, due to statue, being taller and more muscles. They are hardier as well. From the race helpfile seems to indicate they can be as smart as a human so could technically be a genius (but limited to intellectual growth due to upbringing).  Is this the consensus?

Amish Overlord  

[Marauder Moe]

Physically, muls bear most of the bulk of their dwarven parent, being extremely strong and rugged. Most of the height and cunning of their human ancestry is preserved as well--from a purely Scientific point of view, a much better product than half-giants.

So pretty much they're almost as smart as humans on average.

[Hymwen]

But a mul will practically always be bred for nothing but fighting, so don't expect to see many brilliant, poetic muls.

[Marauder Moe]

Oh god... mulish poetry...

[Larrath]

Muls are probably a little smarter than dwarves.  Their primary advantage is that muls don't have a Dwarven Focus, which means their thinking is far, far more agile.

That said, muls are basically viewed as killing machines by most people - and the slavers that breed them aren't likely to care about their intelligence.  Outlaw groups that contain muls (or are led by ones) might see that muls aren't particularly stupid, but they're still not as sharp-witted as a human (let alone an elf).

[jstorrie]

Muls tend to be very introspective and emotional, as well, so they may be smarter than humans at certain things. There's reference in the documentation, for example, to the fact that they can make very awesome leaders.

[Barzalene]

I don't think there's a cap on their intellectual potential, or capacity for brilliance, however, they are emotionally stunted.

[marko]

I coulda sworn there was a great mul document about roleplaying a mul written by Gentle's player but I can't find it.  

Basically, from what I understand, muls are intelligent and extremely emotional.  Not just a little emotional but.. well, take emo and put it on roids then back it up with the strength of a baby elephant and you get a mul.

This is why muls are so dangerous because it takes a very skilled slaver to condition a mul to be able to handle its emotion to be stable and usually these slavers make use of an 'outlet' called a bondmate.  The bondmate can be sexual or it may just be a friend but it is usually (almost always) the opposite sex and is a mechanism for the mul to dump its emotions and thus not into a rage (or crippling depression).

When a mul breaks its conditioning that's when the real fun begins.  They are stuck with trying to find an identity but since they cannot reproduce and they are bred for one purpose... really, what identity is there?

Anyway, all this to say, muls tend to be intelligent enough to understand the problems around them.  Some may be more 'cunning' than intelligent but I would say muls have about human intelligence (including the wide possibilities of being dumb as a brick to being mansa.. err mensa-ish).  

Of course, the more intelligent the harder it is to wrestle with the question of identity and to deal with their massive emotions.

[MarshallStaxx]

As a new player, I am slightly confused about Muls.
I have read some documentation about the race, yet don't really understand how to rolepay my characters attitude toawards them.
Should it be fear/pity/loathing/indifferance?
What sort of social standing do they have in Zalanthas?

[talus]

As a new player, I am slightly confused about Muls.
I have read some documentation about the race, yet don't really understand how to rolepay my characters attitude toawards them.
Should it be fear/pity/loathing/indifferance?
What sort of social standing do they have in Zalanthas?

Basically, from what I understand, they're a super-strong hybrid slave race of half-dwarf half humans born and bred for the sole purpose of being used as tools. Being nearly as intelligent if not just as intelligent as the other races (which was what this thread was discussing) , they're all emotional because of their lot in life. From what I've seen, people tend to put themselves at a distance from them and try not to develop relationships with them not only because they are objectified as tools, but because they are scary, having the potential to throw super destructive fits in what is known as a 'mul rage' if upset.

Here is a link to their docs:
http://www.armageddon.org/rp/racial/mul.html

[Marauder Moe]

Taken from http://www.armageddon.org/rp/racial/mulishsearch.html

How Others Perceive Muls

It is important to understand how others view muls before creating one, for this is often what will dictate what tasks they are bred for. Generally, others perceive muls as a cross between an inanimate tool, a slave, a fine gem, and a circus lion. Depending on the mul and the person, one of these stereotypes might predominate.

In terms of the inanimate tool, many people tend not to accept muls as actual people. From this point of view, for a mul to have hopes or wants of its own seems absurd. They are crafted and traded like one would a sword, and that is how they should be treated.

The slave stereotype is an extension of this. The mul is seen by many to be the ultimate slave, perhaps because they are believed not to have their own desires. They are strong, hardy, and bred to take commands.

Muls can also be considered a prized possession due to their high cost and mystique. There have been some muls whose task has simply been to impress the peers of their owner. Generally, this stereotype will interact with other, more mundane tasks which a mul has. For example, a fine mulish gladiator is a great showpiece for their master, just as some piece of jewelry would be.

Finally, the circus lion image describes how dangerous a mul can be. While all of the above stereotypes portray how muls are typically treated, there is always an underlying theme of danger. Muls are well understood to be ferocious and strong. Even if not considered to be real people, the image of an enraged mul, or one who has escaped it's bounds of slavery to become a raider, is one which is common in everyone's mind. Because of this, muls are often treated like a circus lion. Although their beauty or utility are of great value to some people, it is usually understood that they are to be treated with some respect - not respect for their personhood, but respect for the damage they can do.

This explains it nicely, I think.

[Cegar]

Mul's are intelligent.

[Vessol]

I would partly say a Mul would be just as intelligent as a super-strong emo kid. They are highly rebellious, and hate their lives.

[jstorrie]

Well, freed muls are highly rebellious and often miserable. Muls still under conditioning are probably pretty okay with most things.

Mul rage is a symptom of their conditioning being broken more than their physiology.