The Farpool (77 page)

The Eepkostic are fiercely independent
and protective of their isolation, much like the Ponkti. To enforce
this quarantine, they have engineered an eel-like snake, called
a
k’orpuh,
which is also
raised commercially, for military and medical purposes. The
chemical base of
tekn’een
is
an extract of the
k’orpuh’s
blood.

The Eepkostic are proud of their differences,
both physical and cultural. They feel the distinctions are marks of
superiority. They are especially contemptuous of their distant
cousins the Skortish, seeing in them everything that is corrupt and
decadent. The harsh polar environment makes the Eepkostic more
aware of the struggle for survival—how it heightens and enriches
life—something that most other Seomish have never faced. Thus their
civilization is not so elaborately mannered as others; their life
is cleaner, simpler and more vivid. This makes them ideal
candidates for extra-marine exploration.

The House of Ork’et

The domain of Ork’et is the sea Orkn’tel,
bounded on the west by the lower Serpentine, on the north by the
Orkn’t ridge, on the south by the broad swift Current of Ork’lat
and on the east by the agreed-upon boundary with Sk’ort.

Ork’et is known for its even-tempered,
profit-minded traders and merchants. The fact that Seome’s most
important current, the Ork’lat, neatly bisects Orketish territory,
ensures a commercial advantage that few kels possess. The Ork’lat
flows halfway around the world across the southern hemisphere
before disintegrating in the stormy inter-mountain region known as
the Pulkel. The current gives the Orketish speedy access to all
parts of the world and their
kip’t
pilots (see Glossary) are so skilled at navigating the
treacherous Pulkel that they have secured a monopoly on
transportation of goods there to the irritation of the Ponkti.
Trans-Serpentine commerce is very much an Orketish
business.

Another occupation virtually unique to
Ork’et is the harvesting of the pearl-like
potu
, which is used as a currency throughout
Seome. It follows that finance and banking services, brokerage
services, production organization and related activities are
principal Orketish concerns. The kel is truly a hub for transport
and commerce and its merchants have a reputation, well-deserved,
for persistence and aggressiveness as well as seemingly endless
patience. The Orketish are less enamored of the formal way of
living so admired by the Omtorish. The main distinction between the
two most important and influential kels is that Omtorish are, by
nature, great theorists and the Orketish great doers. The Omtorish
are more concerned with the ideal, the Orketish with the practical.
The people of Ork’et see themselves as the only true practitioners
of
Ke’shoo
and
Ke’lee.
From this flows the
rationale for their impeccable materialism.

Seomish Timekeeping

Time on Seome is defined by the period
it takes for the vast hordes of planktonic
mah’jeet
to complete one pole-to-pole migration
cycle. This basic unit is called the
mah
and is equivalent to about eighteen Terran
months.

The mah is further subdivided into six
parts, one for each of the Five Daughters and one for the Father
Shooki. These subdivisions are called
emtemah
and each is roughly equivalent to about
three Terran months.

The Seomish have no astronomical
concept of a “day” (having no knowledge of a sun or planetary
bodies or motions) but they are aware of variations in light which
penetrates the water. A day-night cycle to them means one cycle of
light, then no light, then light again. The words are
puh’kel
and
puh’tchoot.
The popular explanation for light is
that the surface is full of floating luminescent creatures which
shine their radiance into the depths to create the day and then
sleep to create the night.

The Seomish call each one thousand mah
period a
metamah
, or epoch.
These periods are usually named for the oldest Metah in the world
at that time. The current epoch is 735 mah old and was given the
designation Tekpotu, for the reigning Metah of Ork’et at that
time.

The six emtemah are called, in order:
Shookem, Omtorem, Skortem, Epkosem, Orketem and Ponketem.

The Seomish have two other words which
they use to divide the year into halves. These words refer to the
condition of the water at the time of the mah’jeet migration. They
are
lit’kel
(clear water)
and
mah’kel
(fiery water).
Since mah’jeet can be dangerous, mah’kel is a time to remain in the
cities.

In the Terran-Standard numbering system, the
current Seomish mah would be written as follows: 735.5 Tk, meaning
the fifth emtemah of the seven hundred thirty fifth mah in the
epoch of Tekpotu.

Following is a brief timeline of major events
in contemporary Seomish history.

Highlights of the Current Historical Epoch
of Tekpotu

Mah
Event

22.1 The Peace of Tekpotu…putting an end to
a 30-mah long period of isolation and border disputes between
Omt’or and Ponk’et.

105.6 Extraction, isolation and
synthesis of the memory drug
tekn’een
by Omtorish scientists

357-9 Metah of Sk’ort dies; Eepkostic plot
charged; live k’orpuh released in Kekah--many deaths; Skortish
retaliate by melting ice; truce comes

405.2 Berserk seamother kills pilgrims at
Pillars of Shooki; extermination attempt fails when beast leaves
water (first recorded case in current epoch)

622.1 Discovery of Unknown Relic in Opuhte
of Ponk’el; disputes over custody; theory of ancient, unrecorded
marine civilization

628.4 Ponkti restrict access to Pillars,
leading to confrontation at Serpentine; sporadic clashes

629.6-630.5 Ponk’et agrees to discuss
situation, leading to Shrine Treaty and Agreement of Puh’t

649-651 Pal’penk herds decimated by disease,
traced to new mutation in mah’jeet; Seomish deaths lead to antidote
after Ponkti efforts to exterminate mah’jeet are blocked by
Omt’or

700-705 Potu shortage as a result of
Orketish kip’t accident, spilling toxic wastes into potu beds;
monetary panic ensues and inter-kel trade drops off until stocks
increase

719.1 Death of Hildrah tu, Metah of Omt’or;
succession of Iltereedah luk’t

721.6 Student in
Ketuvishtek
rite encounters seamother carcass
south of Klatko Trench with strange, non-Seomish remains inside
torn belly; theories abound

Glossary

AK’LOOSH: The Ponkti doctrine that predicts
the end of the world by a giant, globe-circling tidal wave.
According to most interpretations, the Ponkti are chosen by Shooki
to survive the catastrophe, by burying themselves underground,
until the danger is passed, after which they will rule the world.
Ak’loosh is the reason usually given as explanation for the
tendency of the Ponkti to isolation.

ARCTOSS: A four-player game common to Omt’or
in which the participants float at the corners of a square with
three or more open cones in the middle. The object is to toss
weighted balls into the cones in such a way as to amass the most
points. Sometimes played with artificial current generators to stir
things up.

AZHTU: In Seomish mythology, a terrible
serpent granted dominion by Shooki over the Notwater, the Highwater
and the Deepwater, in exchange for peace and tranquility in the
Middlewater. More generally, any form of evil especially in unknown
waters. There are legends of renegade kels roaming the Serpentines
who worship Azhtu.

BEAT: An echo unit of distance.

EM’KEL: A basic subdivision of the kel,
usually based on mutual interest, often enduring for hundreds of
mah. Em’kels are egalitarian, communal groups, in effect, families
since the kel itself is too large to provide much care.

EMTEMAH: A unit of time—one sixth of a mah
(see MAH). About three Terran months.

EM’TOO: The berth space or home chamber of
the em’kel. Usually a domicile not partitioned physically but by
“curtains” of sound and/or scent. Em’kels often share the same
housing pod or space including cooking, cleaning and other
facilities but sleeping, meeting and work areas are always
separate.

FREE-BOND: The act of spiritually
binding any member of the kel to the will of the Metah for a
specified period of time. Basically a contractual relationship
entered into for the purpose of doing something the Metah would
rather not be associated with. Free-bonds can be used for anything
but have come to be employed in espionage and intelligence work in
modern times, thus a certain social stigma results from the public
knowing a person is bound this way. Failure to carry out the
stipulations requires the bound one to take his own life in shame.
The bond is cemented by consuming a vial, called a
pot’l
, of the Metah’s blood. The
incentives are many: loyalty, patriotism, special favors from the
Metah.

GISU: A fruit plant, cultivated for its
potent juice extract and tasty pulp. It can be eaten whole (the
rind is slightly stimulating) but the popular way is to poke a hole
and suck. The taste is tart and lingering.

HOLDPOD: Any synthetic pod, sac or drum used
to hold personal items. Often made of plastic, these vessels are
among the most common of domestic utensils and are also used as
luggage on long trips. The true holdpod is a small, oval egg-shaped
container that opens and closes like a clam shell.

JEE’OT: A form of punishment, practiced by
the kel against an offender as designated by the Metah. Fairly
serious, it is a period of time in which the offender is ignored,
not spoken to and treated as if he didn’t exist. The effect of this
varies but it usually creates frustration at the very least and
forces the recipient to examine his character in some detail.

KEK’OT: The warrior-select that each
generation creates to do battle with Azhtu. A form of ritual
sacrifice.

KEL: Any of the five great
nation-families—Omt’or, Ork’et, Ponk’et, Sk’ort or Eep’kos. Can
also mean life itself, or water, comfort, home or any of several
dozen other similar meanings. The root word “kel” is the most
commonly used component of words in the Seomish language.

KE’LEE: One of the three most important
moral-ethical doctrines in Seomish philosophy. It is usually
defined as sexual productivity or fertility but has acquired the
connotation of appetite and satisfaction in the abstract sense over
the centuries. It is a ritualized form of honor, even a form of
cannibalism that is invested with a great deal more meaning than
merely eating. Simply put, the Seomish believe that when they
consume one of their friends, they take on the best qualities of
that friend. It is considered a high honor to be asked this, a way
of merging personalities so that the friendship will last forever.
There are other motives for Ke’lee involving shame and disgrace but
this kind of love is the main one.

KEL’EM: The gathering of all chosen em’kel
representatives once each mah. Their main task is to advise the
Metah on the state of opinion. In Ork’et, the Kel’em also has the
authority to consider any agreements made between Orketish em'kels
or between Ork’et and other kels and pass judgment. Most kels
restrict the Kel’em to an advisory capacity only. It exists in
Omt’or mainly to ensure that all em’kels have an equal voice before
the Metah and not just the older, more established groups.

KELKE: A citizen, resident, member of the
kel, people in general.

KELKTOO: Normally the most influential
em’kel in any kel. The function differs slightly from kel to kel,
but in most cases, the Kelktoo is a grouping of the most learned
scholars and teachers. In effect, a school or academy of learning,
the Kelktoo is the only em’kel in which mandatory membership is the
rule. This holds for all kelke, for at least a few mah. Some
Kelktoo also hold responsibility for research activities.

KEPIDAH: A genetically engineered crustacean
that extrudes a soft, waxy substance that hardens over time. Used
as a building material, the kepidah is one of many bioforming
agents that can be programmed to create any desired structural
pattern.

KE’SHOO: The second most important
moral-ethical principle. Commonly taken to mean friendship,
fraternity, caring, concern for others, companionship. Ke’shoo is
the glue of the em’kel and great effort is expended on nurturing
and preserving relationships, with all the intensity and enthusiasm
possible. Seomish sit in instant judgment of each other’s attitudes
and emotions (easy enough to do with an echo-location sense that
can penetrate the body and “read” feelings and reactions) and
consider it a duty to know each other in as much detail as they
can. The affection and emotional well-being of a friend, according
to the dictates of his doctrine, transcend all personal concerns,
except where there is obvious conflict with Ke’lee or Shoo’kel.
Resolving these conflicts have occupied Seomish philosophers for
centuries.