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Valtavech:
[History]
[Government]
[Biology/Noology]
"Few discoveries are more irritating than those which expose the pedigree of ideas."
- Lord Acton
The Valtavians are a symbiotic society where biological humans have learned to live in relative harmony with the digital Immortals and Minds who inhabit the metaverse. The human biological form is considered the state of childhood in the greater chain of life, even though this stage can last for hundreds of years. Valtavian mortals are considerably diverse, but they have some common genetic features resulting from centuries of random mutation, deliberate gene tampering, outright re-engineering, and natural (or unnatural) selection. All Valtavians are born with extensive bio-feedback mechanisms that allow them to monitor and consciously control the balance and release of key neurotransmitters in the brain. The ability requires extensive training to master, but allows a Valtavian adult the ability to carefully regulate mood and mind state, much to the astonishment of 'natural' humans. In appearance, the typical or 'average' Valtavian is considerably taller than old earth humans, has a slight bluish tint to their skin, and are in general graceful and very beautiful. That being the baseline, individuals can and do differ greatly through the use of the transform stub, considered the pinnacle of Valtavian gene tampering. The transform stub allows a valtavian some conscious control over the development of their body, the release of hormones, and even the suppression and activation of key gene programs. Minor cosmetic changes, such as skin color, are easily effected within a week, and even more dramatic changes, such as complete sex change, are possible over the course of months. The most drastic alterations to the human form still require prosthetics and surgery, and are quite popular amongst some sub-cultures. The valtavian Minds who have tampered with the human genome also found ways to slow and prevent aging. The average Valtavian grows slightly slower than their ancestors, hitting puberty in the late teens or early twenties, but the plateau of their youth is vastly longer, spreading out over a century. Middle age is reached at around two hundred years, followed by another century of progressive aging.
An elder Valtavian human has the freedom to choose death, and when and how it comes. Many choose rebirth in the form of digital immortality. Upon physical death, a Valtavian's brain is carefully preserved and then scanned down to the microscopic level. The resulting information is encoded into digital form, preserving the personality matrix (or soul) of the individual. From this a computer model is formed, called a mindstate, which is implemented in a complex neurologics array - a powerful thinking computer. The result is a resurrection of the original human mind, preserving one's original memories, personality, and consciousness. The being thus formed is called an Immortal, and the process of dying the little death and being reborn in the metaverse is called vastening. The analogy of being reborn is quite accurate because the Immortal, as old as he may be in human years, is but an infant in the metaverse. The new brain preserves the memories of its original, but its is vastly more powerful, adding new layers of complexity on top of the human circuitry. The newborn Immortal grows into this new circuitry over the years in the same way an infant child's soul grows into a new brain, forming new connections, learning rapidly, and increasing in intelligence by orders of magnitude. Some Immortals vasten again and again over the years in the metaverse, eventually becoming Minds.
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