Nonmen and Vampires

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Ciogli

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« on: October 11, 2016, 03:11:38 am »
It struck me as I was watching The Strain, the similarities between between the lore of Vampires and what we know of the Nonmen. In both they are an ancient race that surpass humans in all aspects, there immortal culture is a source of both awe and fear for humans. They are both more physically capable and more beautiful than man.

Immortal races that are so old that only rumour and legend surround them, they are both envied And feared by mortals.  The Nonmen are pale skinned men who live in underground cities away from the punishing hands of the sun, while Vampires are allergic to the touch of the sun. For men the stories of the Nonmen are at the very root of mannish history, they were the very reason that men came to Earwa . But for Vampires there legends haunt almost every culture around the globe, they can be seen between the cracks of almost every epic tradition.

They both sustain themselves on the suffering of lesser beings, for Vampires it is the lifeblood of mortals themselves, for them to live there victims must die. It is the ultimate in a predator and prey relationship. For the Nonmen the relationship between themselves and there victims is much more complex.  There very immortality has rendered them insane, the very act of violence against there victims is what allows them attain some measure of there ancient selves. It is only in predatory violence that the strongest live for a short time until the Dolour once again takes them.

For the Nonmen there subterranean mansions are haunted refugees, the ancient home of there race where they can be safe from the grasping hands of the sun. But the horrors of the past render them haunted places even for the greatest among them. The tragic weight of there illustrious past is carved into the very flesh of there home, not only can they not escape it, but it is a constant reminder of who they truly week. For Vampires home is a drive from the deadly embrace of the sun, they to dig deep into the flesh of the earth where they rest in darkness. But for them they must literally rest in the soil of there homeland, a coffin filled with there past so that they remain strong, literally carrying the past with them.

For both there physical perfection both attracts and repels, for Vampires beauty acts as honey to attract there prey, perfection that does not fade with time. For the Nonmen beauty is integral to there being, it is not a snare as much as it is a ruler with which they display there superiority over mortal men. A lasting youth which has cost them all which they most loved in there mortal life and which forever casts them in the mold of there greatest glory.

For both the compass of there lives spans the breadth of human history, living ledgers of all that has been lost to the fog of history. In both that memory has become a weary burden, in one that burden has inspired bitterness and in the other it has caused madness.

The only thing the Nonmen lack are fangs and the ability to sustain numbers, for them each loss is irreplaceable. As Sarcellus said " age is power in this world".
The world holds no terrors for me, I stand naked as the falling sword, I am the Terror.

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« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2016, 12:46:09 pm »
Ciogli, I'm sorry no one has responded to this but I thought I'd let you know I really like this comparison. I think Bakker might say it's simply a random analogue that works but it is quite neat, nevertheless :).
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Ciogli

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« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2016, 05:46:36 am »
No problem, this place only gets traffic on the TGO forum it seems like. Maybe people are still digesting the book and they will come back to play later.
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Garet Jax

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« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2016, 03:58:28 pm »

They both sustain themselves on the suffering of lesser beings, for Vampires it is the lifeblood of mortals themselves, for them to live there victims must die. It is the ultimate in a predator and prey relationship. For the Nonmen the relationship between themselves and there victims is much more complex.  There very immortality has rendered them insane, the very act of violence against there victims is what allows them attain some measure of there ancient selves. It is only in predatory violence that the strongest live for a short time until the Dolour once again takes them.


I really enjoyed this comparison as well, Ciogli.  Just a quick riff and/or addition to the above quoted portion from your post;  The Nonmen also sustained their livelihood on the lifeblood of mortals, but not in the "physically drinking their blood" manner.  How long has it been since the Nonmen did anything for their "economy"?  Hadn't the Emwama historically performed all of those tasks for them?  Basically sacrificing their lifeblood in a different way to sustain the Nonmen.

Ciogli

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« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2016, 07:40:00 pm »
Probably since the First Apocalypse, they traded with the Norsiria, that was the last time when most of their number were sane.
The world holds no terrors for me, I stand naked as the falling sword, I am the Terror.

Garet Jax

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« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2016, 08:23:36 pm »
Probably since the First Apocalypse, they traded with the Norsiria, that was the last time when most of their number were sane.
I meant more along the lines of the actual Emwama, who dwelt in Earwa before the breaking of the gates and the resulting flood of Haloroi accosting the Nonmen, that were enslaved long before the first Apocalypse.  Going by those folks, the Nonmen have been sustaining themselves on the lifeblood of the Emwama, or their victims, for quite some time? 

Ciogli

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« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2016, 12:45:13 am »
The Emwama were something else, I had the image of them as native Americans in my head. I never would have guessed them to be enslaved Hobbits, enslaved so thoroughly that they literally have been bred like dogs to be perfect slaves. So much so that they are nearly a separate species from humans, it is like those ant species that farm cattydidds. Nil' Giccas himself started the harvesting of Emwama fat to laddle over himself, they exist only to consumed at the whims of their masters who they consider godlike.
The world holds no terrors for me, I stand naked as the falling sword, I am the Terror.

JRControl

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« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2016, 12:01:52 pm »
I saw a similarity in how Peter Watts described the mental model of Blindsightverse vampires and those of Nonmen. Several other similar characteristics as well.
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« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2016, 12:34:38 pm »
I saw a similarity in how Peter Watts described the mental model of Blindsightverse vampires and those of Nonmen. Several other similar characteristics as well.

Which I think alludes to the "trans-human" aspect of Nonmen.
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« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2016, 08:34:01 pm »
I want to see a Watts vampire get their hands on the Gnosis.
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