Polar opposites: Tuluk and Allanak

[Intrepid]

Is this coincidence, or was it deliberate that Tuluk's and Allanak's
colours are exact cultural opposites?

Black and white are opposites as we know them.  Red and green
are Egypt's metaphorical opposites.  Ie, green being the delta,
or lowland lower kingdom.  The red being the desert, or sandy
upper kingdom.

Or maybe I have too much time on my hands.

[Xamminy]

Green and red are opposite on the color wheel as well, so they're opposites more than just culturally.

White is the absence of pigment, or presence of all colors of light.  Black is the lack of light.  Again, more than just culturally.

I never noticed that before.

[Agent_137]

it's all in the wavelengths.

[Intrepid]

it's all in the wavelengths.

The choice of colour in a banner/standard/symbol has nothing to
with incidental hue, so it's not just a matter of wavelengths.

[Agent_137]

:roll:

I was making a comment on the nature of color itself. It wasn't really directed at how us silly humans and our silly virtual counter-parts use it to identify with.

[Intrepid]

My mistake then.  But what does that have to do with the colours
of the banners being opposite each other?

[Agent_137]

My mistake then.  But what does that have to do with the colours
of the banners being opposite each other?

It has nothing to do with the cultural reasons, but it has everything to do with the reason why black is opposite of white.

Cultural reaons? Well, Tuluk has that big ass WHITE pyramid.

And Allanak . . well, it's dirty? I don't know why it's black.

[Intrepid]

Interesting.  But how would you attribute the red and green
colours?

[Larrath]

Suk-Krath, and snot.

[Tlaloc]

The red and white of Tuluk are likely from the red of Suk-Krath, and the white of the Ivory Pyramid (and the rest of the Nobles Quarters).

I'm not certain of the signifigance of the Jade Cross, though I do seem to remember reading a document online somewhere, once, long ago, that stated that people thought that green was an unlucky color, as green was atributed to be the color of magick.

I might be making that up, though, as I can't seem to find the document now. So - don't quote me on that, heh. If anyone can do a scavenger hunt, and find that quote, that would be cool, heh.

But...as always, I suggest folks find out IC, if you want the REAL answers.

[Larrath]

The document is the Zalanthan Clothing documents, but the green in question is pale, apparently baby green.

I thought about that explaination, but jade is just darker than baby green.  Guess it just has to be snot, or maybe the berries that are growing by one of the sewer pipes.

[Agent_137]

maybe it was The Highlord Tektolnes's favorite color as a boy.

[Anonymous]

Agreed, I find the Jade Cross quite ridiculous. Why would a city that is located in the reddest part of the world retain a banner of black and green?

Semper Pax,

Glorious

[sacac]

Maybe it is like the iceland, greenland.
Green could be recognized as a fertile color or a growing city, while black can be from the obsidian coin,  since the enitre known world uses allanak coin to barter. As for the cross, the tribes of old before they were conquered by Tek's daddy, the cross could mark the center of trading, "Where roads converge." Or something along those lines.

[Sephiroto]

Obsidian is black.  To my knowledge, Allanak is the leading source of obsidian ore and products, due to their massive number of mines and the slaves in them.  The jade, as mentioned earlier is supposed to stand for fertility.  The cross (not necessarily a latin cross) could stand for "cross-roads" which according to some folklore was the ultimate place to do magick.

Black and Green (Jade Cross).  A city of great wealth, made fertile by powerful magicks.  All hail the Highlord!   Heh. . .

-Seph

[Anonymous]

This is, of course, all speculation?

Semper Pax,

Glorious

[Anonymous]

Forgot to add one comment: The green standing for fertility is possible (given the fact that green would stand for fertility in armageddon), but isn't it somewhat ridiculous.... seeing as the city is located, pretty much, in the most infertile environment imaginable?

Semper Pax,

Glorious

[Agent_137]

This is, of course, all speculation?

Semper Pax,

Glorious

This is speculation based on what we know from the docs.

There's info on colors in the docs.

And as far as to your green comment. . .
have you ever heard of GREENland?

It isn't very green . . .

[Anonymous]

No, I haven't. What is it?

Semper Pax,

Glorious

[Agent_137]

you're kidding right?

http://www.greenland-guide.gl/

It's a huge island in the artic.

Suppossedly, it was named "Greenland" by the vikings to encourage people to move there.

But it's in the artic. And it isn't very green.

[sacac]

Sephiroto.. lol.. Copy me?

Yes, my last post was all speculation.


Yes, the viking named Icelands ICeland because they didn't want visitors, they wanted to preserve it for themselves and make the english not want to attack, because who would attack an icy island? They named Greenland greenland to attract settlers and possible invaders.
All speculation to.

[Angela Christine]

Forgot to add one comment: The green standing for fertility is possible (given the fact that green would stand for fertility in armageddon), but isn't it somewhat ridiculous.... seeing as the city is located, pretty much, in the most infertile environment imaginable?

Possible explanation #1:
Well, the farming fields attatched to the city are the most fertile land for miles around, so in that sense the city is an oasis of green in the desert.  The city may well have been built at the site of an actual oasis, a spring from deep underground providing a massive watersource that could support the city.  Now, of course, that water source is hidden and heavily protected, with the main access point probably being somewhere in the templar's quarter.  You'd need a huge water source to support nearly half a million people in the desert, and it can't all come from the Vivaduans.

Possible explanation #2:
The area around Allanak used to be more fertile.  There are some nearby room descriptions that claim that according to local legend the area used to be support abundant flora and fauna, but now it sucks.  It could be that natural desertification is slowly turning the world to dust, it is supposed to be a dying world.  Or it could be that defilers, like the mighty Tektolnes, have literally sucked all the life out of the land around Allanak.  :shock:  Maybe when the foundations for Allanak were first built the Sea of Eternal dust was just a dry valley, but ol' Tek has been teleporting heaps of ash there for the last thousand years, filling it to the brim with defiler ash.   (Tuluk isn't so bad because Muk hasn't been sorcering for as long, or perhaps he doesn't do as much magick as Tek, so he hasn't degraded his lands nearly as much.  In that case Muk seems weaker because he is more restrained.)

Possible explanation #3:
The green has nothing to do with fertility.  It is jade green, maybe it has something to do with jade?  It could be that the city was sited close to an obsidian mine and a jade mine.  The jade mine was played out within the first couple hundred years and forgotten by the general populace, but by then the colours were set in stone.


Angela Christine

[wizturbo]

Or maybe the immortal that designed the symbol for Allanak thought jade and black were cool.  And thats the only justification for it.

[Intrepid]

Or maybe the immortal that designed the symbol for Allanak thought jade and black were cool. And thats the only justification for it.

Likely, but all banners and standards generally have some sort of
symbolism.  They could still be added, even now, in retrospect.

[My 2 sids]

My vote is still Jade for magic (who's to say all that water is comming from a water source?  I think there is much more magic going on than anyone wants to give credit)  Black for obsidian  and Cross as the cross/center of the known world.