Why are the Matis so interested in plants?

[scarazi]

Silly question I know

Since the start of the game, we`ve been told that the Matis are keen to genetically engineer the Atys plant life, and have strived to do so, often with disasterous effects. But why bother?

Are the many aggressive plant forms the result of failed experiments?

What successes have the Matis acheived over the years through their manipulation? Is it an attempt to learn more about the Rhizome of the planet? Growth of weeds and 'shrooms ?, or is it linked to the 'never got past design stages original game design' of casting buffs/spells by growing plants in front of you?

The matis worship and live in the trees, carve into them and use them to decorate their town entrances, but have they actually been able to sucessfully genetically modify them? and how has it helped them?

The only thing that I can think of is sap crystals, which isnt technically tree related as the recharges are conjured by homins using magic and not extracted from the nearest tree. Is there anything else?

[katriell]

Well, their fauna engineering successfully created the yubos...

Supposedly their weapons are grown, but obviously that's not the case in-game. Probably such methods and their products are reserved for a higher level of society than our characters are part of.

Other than that, I can't remember their floral escapades off the top of my head.

/summon Acridiel

[acridiel]

Well, I´d call genetically altering a living Tree to literally house people, complete with beds and a small closet quite a success.
In addition to the fluorescent plants lighting the streets at night and the (my guess here)glowing algae to light rooms.

The lore tells us that they´ve tamed the majestic gardens somewhat t their liking and even have "engineered" the yubo to its current state.

The high quality weapons are supposed to live and show this by leaking poison.
(which by the way finally needs some true effect, what´s it good for without?
All HQ weapons do need an effect besides the particles for that matter. Fitting to the particles of course )

But, true, I´d expect lots more of these signs of success around.
Early concepts showed Yrkanis city with a canopy. Why isn´t that InGame?
I´d love to see it, rather than these "broken off" looking tree stumps standing around.
Ok, one could of course argue that 60 years, since their first seeds were laid, these trees didn´t have enough time to develop a full canopy, but come on?

And a true "wall of plants" around the city, not this silly small fence, that doesn´t even keep the yubos of the streets. How´s it supposed to keep invaders out, much less Kitin?

Anyway, arguing about these kind of backgrounds doesn´t really bring us anywhere.
You might just as well ask why, for example The Elves in LotR were immortal and peaceful, or why the Hobbits liked good food.

Its fiction
It´s not realy supposed to make perfect sense or be absolutely logical and impervious to scrutiny.
Its FUN!

That´s part of playing a game that involves imagination, y´know

CU
Acridiel

P.S.:
I think it all comes down to the following.
Why are the Fyros so hyped about fire? - Because they life in a highly volatile place and its the richest resource at their disposal.
Why are the Trykers so immersed in Water, hydraulics and pneumatics ? - Because the live in a place full of water and its the richest resource at their disposal.
Why are the Zoraï buzzing with interest about electricity? - Because they did find loads of Amber and discovered it can generate energy, the figured out how to use it and its the richest resource at their disposal.
Why are the Matis all coiled up in plants? - They live in forests and and its the richest resource at their disposal.

[raven58]

Hey scarazi this is not a silly question and im sure if we have a lore master that plays this game you may well get the answer you are looking for! Maybe R/P might have an insight into the question or even someone from the current owners of the game !....Some games are rich and have depth in lore while othrs have just enough of a story line in order for you to play the game R/P wise,although you donot need much lore to play a game and have fun!..but it helps if you are into the lore of a game.
The more meat to a story line (Lore) the better for me anyways, but then you have others who donot give a stuff about lore and just play the game as it stands (i used to be like that ) now i do tend to read the lore of any game i play now and gives me a much better clue as to whats going on and why....as for the question well these are after all discussion/information forums!

[cushing]

As far as I remember, not only Matis houses and Matis weapons are alive, but even the armor. I doubt it stretches to the underwear - althought that might be ... exciting. *coughs*

The question why the Matis have such an affinity to nature cannot be answered without detailed knowledge of the evolution of homins - which we do not have. We can, however, by looking at the lore, get an impression of the Matis character, which should not be limited by listening to the ramblings of other nation's chroniclers, nor by reduction to military history. After all, the Majestic Gardens was designed to their liking, as Acri said already, and is an example of their striving not only for perfection, but for beauty. They want to create a harmonic whole - part of it is harmony in every sense of the word, including a truly symbiotic (instead of parasitic) exchange with nature. I do agree, for sure, that the "broken trees" do probably not fit in that ideal. On the other hand, they are still alive, and they support the Matis with all their needs, while the Matis keep them alive and healthy, despite the trees just being stumps. That is one of the aspects which fascinates me - which connects them to and separates them from the Kami at the same time. The Matis also never had the intention to make their homes strongholds (which, I'd say, is the reason they don't have a "wall of plants" around their cities, which just fit comfortably into the scenery). They once wanted to grew a root wall around their country, though, a plan which had to be abolished when the treaty of the four nations was signed.

Just my two dappers.

[acridiel]

They once wanted to grew a root wall around their country, though, a plan which had to be abolished when the treaty of the four nations was signed.

Just my two dappers.

*cough* And because certain spiritual entities had something against it
While the Matis seem to strive for a symbiosis with nature with them as the "rulers" of it all, the Kami understandably have a negative opinion of that.
They are the "rulers" of nature, and who´d want this position usurped?

CU
Acridiel

[cushing]

*cough* And because certain spiritual entities had something against it
While the Matis seem to strive for a symbiosis with nature with them as the "rulers" of it all, the Kami understandably have a negative opinion of that.
They are the "rulers" of nature, and who´d want this position usurped?

CU
Acridiel

Yes, indeed, but I wonder what kind of agreement could have led to the shelving of Bravichi's idea. The Kami could hardly interfere directly without stirring up resistance by the Karavan for threatening their most faithful followers. That definitely is one point of the past which needs more enlightenment ...

[katriell]

As far as I remember, not only Matis houses and Matis weapons are alive, but even the armor. I doubt it stretches to the underwear - althought that might be ... exciting. *coughs*

That's how the flower petals that comprise the underwear stay fresh.

[seawe]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cushing
As far as I remember, not only Matis houses and Matis weapons are alive, but even the armor. I doubt it stretches to the underwear - althought that might be ... exciting. *coughs*[/QOUTE]
That's how the flower petals that comprise the underwear stay fresh.

lol

Pretty much everything Matis is plant made, clothes, houses, underwear, some weapons, if anyone remebers there were flower-boosts too that the matis developed, and maybe we'll eventually be able to grow them. Other than items in game atm though its mostly lore.

[scarazi]

many thanks for you replies and sharing of knowledge/experience. Acridiel, maybee I should have put this in the RP section, and agree:

Its fiction
It´s not realy supposed to make perfect sense or be absolutely logical and impervious to scrutiny. Its FUN!

I find the Matisians the most interesting of all the races, the other three (like you detailed) live off their surroundings, whilst the matisian idealogy strives for perfection that includes genetic engineering and malipulation of their homes,clothes and even their habitat (in comparrison Fyros seem stuck in the stone age worshipping fire). Trykers probably argued for 400 hundred years before deciding to errect a couple of windmills and Zoari probably only bothered with electricity because they were fed up of the Fyros knocking on their door saying "I like fire" everytime they lit a candle

*ducks flaming axe*