Research thread, Give me legends

Nor is betrayal.

Wait, aren't there reports that it actually showed up during the war and ate a Reaper? Like an actual Salarian science recording?

...I just met a guy on the extranet who said that back on Solregit during the Reaper assault his unit was pinned down by marauders and husks and just when they were on their last belts of ammo suddenly somebody sniped all the marauders through the head and without the marauders to direct the fight they easily cleaned up the husks, mostly by bashing their heads in with the butts of their guns.

Anyway the kicker is that this guy swore up and down that the mysterious shooter was the Ardua County Sniper which I happen to know is bullshit because the historical Ardua County Sniper is Vindi and she spent the Reaper War on the Citadel. But you think I could prove it to this guy?

No way. This guy was absolutely insistent the Ardua County Sniper is a dude, because of that dumb verse in the song where the Sniper sleeps with the Hierarchy General's daughter, and that "he" was on Solregit during the War.

Alright, here's one from the racer culture back on Palaven.

Once a year there's this challenge called the Rusted Crest Descent, a low-altitude run down this mountain range. It's a time trial-you start at the top, go down to the bottom, best time wins. I could count all the rules for what you're supposed to show up in on both hands, and they're called "Shifters" because they're all built to change direction really quick.

They've been trying for years to get a run down below seven minutes. Now that's seven minutes without cheating and going above the minimum altitude on the last stretch, this back-and-forth slalom thing. By this time you've been diving and diving and you're going as fast as you ever will, and it's the most dangerous section of the course-and that's where the legend comes in, see.

This is the tale of the Black Racer.

The last guy who tried to break the magic seven was a Cipritine native, Cramm Rhizus. He had everything, the best car, best team, best everything. He'd practiced for years and had his technique down cold. He takes the run and he's shattering the split times, he's breaking speed records and then comes that last section. He skims so close his racer is wearing a cloud of dust like a cape.

Then everything went wrong in the final section.

He dips low, strikes an outcropping and bounces several times across the rock. Helmet smashed, racer totaled, dead on arrival. A tragedy for the ages.

Then guys started racing on it again the next time they organize the Descent and on practice runs the pilots say there's this...shadow, a black thing running with them. They look over to see who it is by the final stretch and there's this turian in a gold helmet looking back at 'em before disappearing. Next thing they know they're near-missing rocks, there's mechanical failure or they call off the pace. Like clockwork.

They all swear it's Rhizus, coming out of the dust, trying to get those seven minutes back. Or maybe it's everyone who died in the Descent's long history. Wouldn't explain why they all see the same black Shifter with the same guy in a gold-visored helmet. All I know is nobody's beaten seven minutes yet, and some say the Black Racer is why.

Maybe it's a title. Vindi may have been the original, but she did so well that she became legend... and thus it's a mantle that someone picks up when the downtrodden need the help.

Also, I didn't know we had someone of such infamy living on the Citadel. Remind me to come down by your range at some point.

Or maybe Vindi did sleep with the Hierarchy general's daughter. >:3

Nothing wrong with that. She wasn't that bad looking.

For the record, I did not sleep with the Hierarchy general's daughter. That incident happened, what, thirteen years ago? I was eleven years old. Think about it.

I like to present myself as something other than a hillbilly with a hunting rifle, however if you come down here, Secretariat, you will have to accept that my people like their mythmaking. You'd think I sniped a Reaper right in its red little eye-beam.

...For the record, I did not kill an actual Reaper.

Out of curiousity, Secretariat, do you know any stories involving a holy weapon, a Sorceror rifle, from around the Ardua region?

Wow, you were young. Too young to have the record you have.



I've heard a few stories. Nothing really verifiable as 11 years ago, I wasn't exactly on Solgerit. I'd already gone off to boot.


Edit: It occurs to me that you may have meant during the war. I haven't been able to reach any of my friends yet, but I've heard some rumors at best of someone using a Sorceror, sniping husks. Possibly multiple someones.

There's still a few Sorcerors around, that doesn't surprise me. No, I was actually looking for earlier. I got this rifle when I was eight. It had been in a cache. It had belonged to my mother's father who died before I was born. It's painted as a holy weapon but the paint's worn so the symbols are unreadable and the story's lost. Apparently whatever happened, he wouldn't tell my mother the tale behind it, which makes me wonder what it took to shut up a Sundowner from telling a holy weapon's story.

...Yes. I was far too young. Considering nobody gives a holy weapon to a brand new soldier, ancestral or no.

I could ask my parents... they might know. Well, assuming I can even get in contact with them. They might be reluctant to talk about it as well, if they do know. They don't like talking about the period of their life prior to when they.... Actually, this is probably a discussion best had face to face.

I'll head down to your range when I'm not busy investigating a case, maybe we can talk then.

That should be...interesting.

Let me know when you're coming over.

The weapons thing reminded me.

There was this legend of a king of legend that united a country (ancient england), had the help of a wizard, fought off invaders, had a go at his sister, then perished in a climactic battle with his own incestuous son. He showed his worth by pulling a sword out of a rock (wonder who got it IN, that'd be a thing to see) or by receiving it from some soppy girl at a lake (or a watery tart, according to some). His best and most loyal knight gave him a pair of brow ornaments with the Queen. There is also in the tale a part about the search for the Holy Grail (religious sacred thing that was supposed to grant miracles).

The tale is interesting because there are more sources from different time periods that show how the tale and the inventions associated with it evolved, and more elements were tacked on to the original tale.

It's thought to have started with the struggle of the last remnants of a falling empire against the tide of barbarism then sweeping the western world, so ole king Arthur likely was some strong warlord or general. This would put it some 1600-1700 years ago.

In human history, when legends are retold, there is usually an attempt at moralization or glorification of old virtues according to what is considered "good" at the time. Tales often gain new meanings that were unintended, and sometimes even opposite what the original tried to say.

This usually happens when there are no clear records. We have far clearer notions of events happening 2200 years ago, in a literate age, than of a stretch of centuries from 1600 to 1100 years ago. Those older, established facts did not get turned into legend. The fuzzy ones are fair game.

Do you experience this in other cultures?

Something similar, yes. Asari lifetimes are about half the length of time listed there, but it usually only takes about 75% of an asari lifetime for something to start to become legend.

So, hey, quick question: Are you going to give credit to all the nutjobs who are giving you these legends (and, by extension, doing your job for you, you lazy ass), or are they going to go under the title "thanks to my devoted fans?"

Also, a related question: Are you just too dumb to use galaxysearch or another search engine? It's amazing what happens when you go to GS and type in TURIAN LEGENDS, QUARIAN LEGENDS, ASARI LEGENDS, etc. I mean, having read your book, I can understand why you haven't figured that out yet, but I figured your agent would've shown you how by this point, if only to make it easier on you so you can focus on stringing random words together into some amorphous mass of a novel.

Oh, by the way.

Bravo, Terrorbyte. You nearly had me angry. Then I remembered who the post was by.

As for the legends, assuming I use ones described in this thread, I will credit the ones who mentioned them to me. There's also something more personal about getting a legend from someone who has heard it as opposed to simply reading it placed onto text. And before you mention that this too is text, it's not the same thing.

I do a lot of research for my books. This includes what's easily found on the extranet using a search engine. But perhaps someone who simply has enough money to force people to watch his programming wouldn't care about that.

The irony is so thick you could choke on it.

I'm sorry, I can't hear your insipid holier-than-thou comebacks over this MASSIVE STACK OF CASH

OH MY GOODNESS IS THAT ALL THE CASH

IT IS

WHAT'S THAT, WE'RE GIVING YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS A CHANCE TO BE ON THE AIR LIKE THEIR WILDEST HOPES AND DREAMS ALWAYS WANTED

WE AAAAARE

Hold on, lemme call you back when we here at the DDS are done being FUCKING AWESOME.

It may be a while. Don't wait up.

Look at the little kickball stack all his money into giant penises. It's adorable.

Thank you ever so much for making my point for me, Terrorbyte.