From: m.driussi@genie.geis.com
Subject: (urth) ExultantsComing2Urth
Date: Fri,  1 May 98 19:33:00 GMT

Reply:  Item #5001329 from URTH@LISTS.BEST.COM@INET01#

Seems to me, fwiw, etc. ad naseum, that the exultants are from
offworld, probably from outsystem.  They grow tall because of the
technobloodmagic they practice upon their khaibits (the khaibits stay
at their natural height of around 6 feet tall; the exultants, using
the royal jelly extracted from their khaibits, grow and grow, like
Baldanders [and along the same principles] but within tasteful
limits, lest they turn into undines).  They use a birth zodiac
including the constellation of the Swan, which is more than a little
impossible from our solar system, but incredibly easy from any other
star.  Severian says exultants are ancient; Jonas, who is more than
ancient, looks upon exultants with wonder and says they are quite
new.

Why would exultants leave Urth (if there were any true exultants on
Urth before they came along with Typhon--see Jonas's attitude above)?
Uh, umm, because it is a hellhole backwater toxic waste dump?  Lacking
low tech resources that have all been locked up in dead and buried
supercities, if not flown downstream into the ocean's trenches, in
those cases where they have not been blasted out into space with ships
and offworld colonies.  The main exports are slaves, furs, meat and
trinkets (appendix to CITADEL).  In the solar system sense, it is far
below "third world" status--it is more like equatorial Africa at the
height of the slave trade.  The nice places to live are Verthandi
and Lune.  Typhon moving his capital to Urth (from where ever it was
before) was a symbolic move that probably caused more trouble than it
was worth.

Re: cataclysms.  Well, there was a great deal of extinction, due to
pollution, over use of land, overpopulation, and/or whatever else.
The last animals that survived were the farm animals.  Then when Urth
was reseeded with creatures, they came from alien worlds.  (The alzabo
is a case in point.)

Re: Beunos Aires as Nessus.  Step one: draw your map of the
Commonwealth.  Step two: look at the map given in PLAN[E]T
ENGINEERING.  Repeat as necessary.

=mantis=

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