Duane Adams
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MOON MAID - Supplement
FROM THE MOON MAID TRILOGY
BY EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
by Duane Adams 1999 Kalkar
The popular saying of "no learning is better than a little" developed a secret society known as "The Thinkers." The name Kalkar is derived from a corruption of a word meaning "The Thinkers." The Thinkers, or Kalkars, overthrew the Jemadars killing everyone of nobility.
The Kalkars lacked any intellectual powers which resulted in barbarism on Va-nah. They have close set eyes which are watery, fishy, and vary from blue to brown. They have hooked shaped noses. Above their low foreheads is flaxen hair that varies from light blonde to black. They walk with a noticeable stoop, and their large feet gives them an awkward gait. Their clothing is a tunic made of leather which "scarce comes to the knees." On their feet they wear soft leather sandals. They carry knives in a scabbard from a shoulder belt. Their weapons of choice are swords and slender lances. They do bathe but do not care for it.
The Kalkars seem to have only two fears: Zo-al and falling into a crater’s abyss. They believe there is no reincarnation for individuals falling into a Hoos. They are governed by the Twentyfour, whose jurisdiction is extended to Earth during the lunar conquests. The Twentyfour govern all aspects of Kalkar life down to slave ownership. Slaves are branded for identification purposes.
Julian 5th
Orthis convinces the Kalkars that he can help them conquer all of Va-nah. He calls himself Jemadar of Jemadars. Orthis manufactures weapons for them, and they successfully take over cities like Laythe with the use of mortars and hand grenades. After ten years Orthis had totally convinced the Twentyfour, as well as all of the Kalkars, of his plan to attack Earth. It took another fourteen years for the Kalkars, under the direction of Orthis, to build a fleet of ships to actually carry out the mission.In 2050 a Kalkar fleet of one thousand great ships carrying one hundred thousand Kalkars and a thousand Va-gas arrived on Earth. Earth’s pitifully armed troops were no match for Orthis’ electronic rifle. The planet is quickly subdued. Orthis and Julian 5th are killed when Orthis blows up his own ship.
Many of Earth’s political and labor factions throw in with the Kalkars. They use the air ships to transport more Kalkars to Earth at the rate of seven million a year. However, without the intelligence of Orthis, the Kalkars have no idea how to repair their ships as they break down nor do they have any concept how to build new ones. Soon all the air ships were lost or abandoned.
Julian 9th
The Kalkars continue to be unintelligent and oppressive rulers. The infrastructure of the country is in disrepair with no knowledge how to rebuild or repair anything. Executions by firing squad were common at first but with the loss of knowledge of manufacturing arms and ammunition, the executions were no longer carried out by a firing squad. The condemned had their throats cut by an executioner known as the Butcher. Further evidence of the demise of munitions is: once Julian 9th’s life was saved when a Kalkar’s rifle misfired.
Money is not used; instead, the barter system is used in all transactions. They have an arbitrary taxation system which causes undue hardship on the conquered people, who are starving in some of the teivos. The Kalkars don’t seem to realize that with less and less people growing food that there will be less for all. The Kalkars fear that ‘night trading’ will cheat them out of taxes so the punishment for such an offense is ten years in the coal mines.
They are governed by The Twenty Four, a derivation of The Twentyfour. The name comes to stand for power, government, and tyranny. Jemadar Jarth, a Kalkar, is Emperor of the United Teivos of America. He rules from Washington, DC. The Kalkars own all the land and one must receive permission from the Teivos to work a piece of property. When a person dies their land and all of their personal property reverts to the control of the Teivos.
The Twentyfour have outlawed all marriages. The Kalkars will sometimes take Earth females as their "women," who they continually abuse. The abuse of Yank females has become so horrific that many couples often kill their new born baby girls so they will not have to go through the terrors that the Kalkars meet out to them. They do adhere to the law that if a person (Kalkar or Yank) asks a female to be his woman, she has thirty days to pick a mate of her own choosing or be bound to that individual. Religion has also been banned. The Kalkar police force is known as the Kash Guard.
Julian 20th, the Red Hawk
The Kalkars, by now, are a half-caste race--some almost full-blooded Yank. They vary from six to eight feet in height. Many sport black whiskers and mustaches. They use armor consisting of iron helmets and chest coverings. They wear white shirts, cotton breeches, and long woolen red cloaks. The cloaks have collars that vary in color and design which designates the rank of the Kalkar wearing it.
Kalkar women marry by the age of fifteen and are scorned by age twenty if they are childless. By the of age thirty they will be killed unless they are good workers. In any case, they are killed at age fifty as their usefulness to the State is over.
The remaining Kalkars have been pushed to the extreme western edge of the continent at this time. They number in the millions and are as vicious and cruel as ever. They are ruled by an Or-tis, a pure Yank, who is a direct descendant of Lt. Com. Orthis. There is no mention of the Twenty Four or of any Teivos at this point in time.
Laythe
City of Va-nah; the U-ga city of Nah-ee-lah, the Moon Maid, ruled by her father Sagroth. Its location is hidden to protect the U-gas from the Kalkars. It is built on the outside of a cone shaped mountain which is one mile high--an old volcano whose top has blown off. The crater site is on a broad plateau surrounded by mountains taller than the Himalayans. The base of the mountain is six miles in diameter. The city is built in layers up the side. The Kalkars build their cities similar, but the U-ga’s cities are more elaborate in architecture and carvings. The city terraces up the side of the mountain so that there are many levels. The terraces are broad, well cultivated, and is where they breed Va-gas. The terraces also contain many pools and waterfalls which contain public baths, much like ancient Roman baths. The baths are continuously fed by icy mountain waters. It is here the U-gas socialize and participate in swimming and diving -- their national sport.
Ko-toh’s dwelling spreads out for a quarter of a mile along a terrace. It is two stories high with numerous towers and minarets. The facade is elaborate and has beautifully carved decorations of the lives of Ko-toh’s ancestors.
Sagroth’s palace completely encompasses the summit of the crater. The terrace below contains statues of all the rulers of Laythe. It has three paths with three staircases that lead up to the palace itself. The palace has a huge gate of stone at it’s entrance who’s carvings look like lacework from a distance. The gate is protected by fifty Imperial Guards who have a circle of imperial design over their left breast. Sagroth’s Throne Room has a dais at the far end with three thrones upon it. The center throne is for the Jemadar and the other two are for the Jemadav and the Nonovar.
U-ga
The dominant human race of Va-nah, the lunar inner world. They are mountain dwellers who measure time by the periods of light or dark coming through the Hoos. (See ula in the glossary for a detailed explanation of time periods.) The U-gas in the city of Laythe are ruled by Sagroth, the father of Nah-ee-lah, the moon maid. Gentlemen of this race carry, as their custom, a short lance or javelin, a dagger, and a sword. Many U-ga hunters carry a coil of rope around their bodies underneath their clothing. The rope is used for emergencies such as to gain entrance to tunnels below the crater’s edge. Many U-gas are also quite adept in the use of wings and gas bags for flying. Their national sport is swimming and diving. The U-gas are attended to by servants who are descendants of their old faithful servitors. The U-gas also fear Zo-al.
Red Hawk’s People
They are a desert people numbering one hundred clans. Their skin is bronzed, and they are beardless. They wear painted insignias of their clan on the foreheads, cheeks, and breast. The signs are painted in colors which include orche, blue, white, and scarlet. They eat well on beef, mutton, venison, bear, fish, potatoes, beans, corn, figs, dried grapes, and dried plums. They wear buck deer breeches wide about the hips and are skin tight above the knees. Their boots are soft and tied at the calf of the leg. They wear sleeveless vests which are decorated with stone or metal--some in definite designs. A symbol of the clan hangs from the headband of the chiefs and warriors.The warriors are armed with a light lance, about eight feet in length; a knife; a straight two edged sword; a short bow found under the right stirrup; and a quiver with arrows at the saddlebow. Oval shields which cover from the neck to the kidneys are carried on their backs . The shields are decorated with a picture of the clan sign and have parts of that symbol decorating it’s edges. They use hounds to protect their herds of pigs, cattle, sheep and horses.
They have but one goal in their lives - to drive the Kalkars into the sea. Unlike Julian 9th's people who could see the ruins of civilization like trains and planes, Red Hawk’s people don’t believe the stories the slaves tell of iron horses which pulled tents of iron and of men flying through the air. They believe the world is flat, and that if you sailed far enough into the great sea, you would fall off the edge.
They bow down to the Flag. Their religion is that of the Flag.
History
The history of the moon is surrounded by myths that are millions of years old. The myths state that once they populated the exterior side of the their world. There, they possessed knowledge of the existence of other worlds (planets) and had great ships that navigated the air. Some long forgotten condition forced them to the interior. The fact that they live in the center of a enormous globe is more like a myth to them than reality. Few inhabitants actually believe these stories.
The more recent history of Va-nah is one of a singular race of people. All of Va-nah was populated, and they had ships on all three of its oceans. They also had ships of land (trains) which were electrically driven and connected all of the cities. In addition, great carriers flew through the air from city to city. Communication was by means of electrical energy.
Va-nah was divided into ten great divisions each controlled by a Jemadar. It was basically a communistic state. Then came a popular saying of "no learning is better than a little." From this developed a secret society known as "The Thinkers."
The Thinkers, or Kalkars, overthrew the Jemadars killing everyone of nobility. A few of the noble classes escaped to the mountains founding cities like Laythe. The Kalkars lacked any intellectual powers which resulted in a barbarism where there was no more learning or repairing of anything. The Va-gas, which had been bred like cattle, revolted and formed their own social groups. The U-gas are superior intellectually but are out numbered by the Kalkars by one thousand to one.
Va-gas
The quadruped creatures on Va-nah. They are three toed with no tail or ears and human-like faces, the profile of which is much like the North American Indian. They have a lavender hue skin which is almost purple in some cases. They avoid water and bathe only out of necessity. Their main diet is "flesh" which can be U-ga or Kalkar, but most often is the flesh of the Va-gas themselves, either from their own tribe or from enemy tribes--they are cannibals. Va-gas meat that cannot be used immediately is wrapped and buried as it will stay fresh almost indefinitely. They supplement their diet with fruits, herbs, and nuts. They can survive only on these supplements when no flesh is available; although, they get very testy when deprived of flesh for any length of time.Two tribes are known by name: the No-vans who captured Julian 5th, Orthis, and Nah-ee-lah; and the Lu-thans, a powerful tribe which is defeated by the No-vans.
The Va-gas have clothing over their bodies that ends just above the knees and has a geometric design on the end of each leg. The females' clothing is less ornate and the young go naked. The males are fierce warriors with harnesses and breaching straps crossing each side which ends at a collar. A circular ornament covers where the straps cross. From the right side hangs a knife in a sheath, and from the left is a short spear that is carried in a boot. The spear is about six feet in length with a crescent shaped hook-arm backwards on one side and a short sharp point at right angles opposite of the crescent on the other side. They are very adroit with spears and will throw them backwards using the hook-arm to pin an enemy to the ground.
The males are fierce warriors weighing from 250 to 300 pounds. They raise up on their hind legs to fight and use weapons in both fore-paws. They can run at great speeds even with weapons in both fore-paws. They have been seen "...clearing spaces of one hundred feet in a single bound..." They follow the orders of a chief, who is the strongest and most brutal of the group, but he must also be intelligent enough to find food for the tribe and protect them from enemies and storms.
When the tribe gets to be large and successful, they also tend to become indifferent about security, making them vulnerable to attack from other tribes.
The females are smaller than the male. They have udders with four to six teats; having litters up to six. The females make up 5/6 of the adult population because the males are constantly being killed in battles. The females are prized as breeders so they are never eaten as food. The three main causes of death in females are: 1. killed by other tribes in a battle; 2. jealously; and 3. child birth. The gestation period varies greatly upon the climate of the time as well as the availability of flesh as food.
The children mature very quickly and are nursed for a short time. Once their molars appear they become meat eaters. About 2/3rds of the children born are male. The males quickly adopt vicious games and play activities. This training is necessary to become a ruthless fighter because a wounded warrior will have his throat cut immediately and become food for the tribe. They don’t even wait until the battle is over to dispose of their fellow creatures.
Their language (indeed, seems to be the only language on Va-nah) is described as a song, almost operatic. Their language is sung to a five-note scale (A; B; C; D; and E), each pitch carrying a different meaning to the word or syllable intoned. Using the word gu-e-ho (an unidentified word) as an example: ‘Gu’ sung in A means something different than sung in E; ‘Gu’ sung in A followed by ‘e’ sung in G means something different other than ‘Gu’ sung in D followed by ‘e’ sung in A. Thus, there are 27 possible meanings to a three syllable word depending how it is sung and in what order. No words are longer than three syllables with most of them being two syllables in length.
Living on their own in the lowlands they are fierce and nomadic tribes. They live in rectangular huts. The huts’ high peaked roofs are shingled with broad round leaves. There is but a single opening into the hut covered by a hanging. The interior walls are decorated with weapons, skulls of enemies, and bones.
They seem to have little, if any, religious beliefs. One common belief in Va-nah is in Zo-al. Zo-al is mythological. He is considered to be a "great beast" who lives in the depths of the lunar craters and when angry; "Makes the air run away ..." (wind); "... water to fall where there is no water..." (rain); "... great noise..." (thunder); and "... light that devours..." (great balls of fire that travel across the land destroying everything in its path). A storm could last for days with lower areas like gullies and valleys completely filling with flood waters. Zo-al is a deification of lunar electrical storms. All inhabitants of Va-nah are terrified by Zo-al.
In captivity, the U-ga and the Kalkars breed the Va-gas as sleek, fat, content, stupid, and unimaginative livestock .
Va-nah
The inner moon; Va-nah is lit by a soft defused light which comes from the radium content of the soil and rocks, and from the sunlight coming through the Hoos. The interior has no horizon line as if you are in the bottom of a great bowl (much like that of Pellucidar). No shadows are cast on the ground, and there is no night time. Because the plant life is in all stages of development from seedling to withering, it is impossible to tell a particular season or time a day.
The middle areas are at a constant eighty degrees Fahrenheit with a few degrees difference from summer to winter; however, there is a great temperature difference between the mountain areas and the valleys. The mountains, with five mile drops, are covered with verdure and are snow and ice capped. The clouds are fleecy, but there are frequent wind storms due to the unequal crater openings and an unequal absorption of heat from the sun. These storms are quite violent and cause fear amongst the inhabitants who personify the storm with the name Zo-al. Centrifugal force and gravity keep the atmosphere’s visibility to about fifty miles.
Va-nah contains strange forests with strange trees, some of which carry fruit of different sizes, forms and colors. The smaller plant life is in pale hues of lavenders, violets, pinks, and yellows. The grasses are pink which turn flesh color at maturity. Flowers are complex forms and are of pale and delicate shades. Low shrubs bear fruit which are berry like and are of an unknown nutritional value.
There are three oceans of undetermined size. The water from streams and rivers is fit for human consumption.
There is a singular race of people who have two basic groups of peoples: the U-gas and the Kalkars. The Va-gas are considered to be animals by the people of Va-nah; however, they are capable of speech and form social groups on their own. Three other life forms identified are reptilian in nature: the tor-ho, the rympth, and the flying toads.
There are many tunnels through the craters which lead to cities. They are located below the rims of the craters which makes access to them hazardous. The tunnels are spherical in shape being formed by bubbles in the lava. They generally lead upward. They are well ventilated with the walls and ceilings lit by radium in the rocks.
One of the tunnels which leads to the Kalkar City No. 337 cul-de-sacs in a circular chamber. The chamber contains a rostrum with a desk and a chair which is carved with unearthly beasts and reptiles. Furthermore, it is filled with chairs in a rows and has a center aisle. The purpose of this chamber is unknown.
