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Sevolites are descendants of the bioengineered pilots and negotiators created in the early years of space exploration by Self-Evolved limited (see also article on Sevolite Physiology ). The Vrellish are descended from the VR pilots and the Demish from the DM negotiators. In addition, certain of the bioengineers made modifications to their own descendants, who became ancestors to the Lorels. One's standing within sevolite society depends largely upon one's inheritance of the altered genes and gene complexes.. There are eight birth ranks: seven sevolite and one commoner (people lacking measurable sevolite genes). These birth classes are grouped into three CHALLENGE CLASSES (commoners are excluded from challenge). Gelack grammar reflects status.
In a sevolite/commoner pairing, sevolite alleles dominate. Even the blue Demish eye color is a dominant trait. In principle, therefore, a 50% Royalblood could be phenotypically indistinguishable from a Pureblood (except, of course, for breeding purposes)- if it so happened that all their genes were single copies. In practice, there is liable to be some duplication. In addition some sevolite traits will not manifest in the absence of others. This is due to the need for both alleles to be sevolite to express the systemic features known as the Highborn Complex. The Highborn Complex includes regenerative capability and special stress adaptations to high doses of reality skimming. The numerical lower bound for highborns was set to accommodate San Nersal, mekan'st of the Nesak Ava K'isk Nesak. She was, however, exceptional, and the majority of less than 40% Highborns would be at a physical disadvantage in combat with a Royalblood Nonviable pregnancies and births are most common at the highborn/nobleborn boundary where the direction of whole physiological mechanisms must go one way or the other. Quirkish individuals such as San Nersal and later Horth Nersal, who are phenotypically more sevolite than their genotype suggests, also tend to manifest at this boundary. Statistical variance in the partitioning of sevolite and non-sevolite genes, and recombination during germ cell formation can lead to children being more or less sevolite than would be predicted from their parentage, and wrangling among nobleborns often starts when a child turns out to be less sevolite than expected despite genetically confirmed parentage. Despite this, assignment of birth rank goes by genotype, with lifestyle depended on to weed out phenotypical nobleborns trying to function as highborn. Among petty sevolites status is more a matter of bluster. Usually it does not matter a great deal to superior sevolites. An exceptional person who is not quite 18% sevolite can achieve acceptance as a Nobleborn by right of prowess. Correspondingly, a 6% petty lord who wasn't too with it probably would be addressed as Fractional or even wind up no better off than a commoner. AS, LJW 03/12/97 |
Page last updated: 17-Sep-2003 |
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Sevolite Status