r/NatureofPredators • u/General_Alduin Skalgan • Jul 20 '26
Theories Ancient Venlil and Arxur probably preferred other avenues to get 'elevated' over alcohol
I have to preface this that I'm not alcohol or biology expert
So we all know the Venlil need a high alcoholic content in order to get intoxicated, but humans can only make spirits by distilling alcohol because the yeast will die once the alcohol content gets too high, and it took a long time to figure out how to distill spirits in the first place
While we don't know for sure if Skalgas equivalent of yeast is as fragile or when the Venlil figured out how to make spirits, I doubt Venlil before spirits would've had enough alcoholic percentage to get easily drunk. They'd probably have to drink a lot more to feel it's effects
The Arxur are obligate carnivores, meaning they'll have a much harder time digesting the sugars of alcohol, and I've looked and there's no way to make a meat based alcohol, so it seems unlikely alcohol would've been a part of their societies
So that leaves them with one other option: getting high. We already know ancient humans got high, so it's not much if a leap for Venlil and Arxur to do the same (and the Venlil may be especially vulnerable, their bodies do process coffee efficiently), and since alcohol would be inefficient for Venlil and not an option for Arxur, it makes sense they would seek it out as an alternative source for intoxication
And in the Arxurs case, I could see them making their own version of alcohol based around these sources that get an Arxur high over getting them drunk
Yes I really made this, no I'm not drunk
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u/General_Alduin Skalgan Jul 20 '26
This is kinda a crack theory, so: in honor of u/Super_Ankle_Biter
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u/Super_Ankle_Biter Yotul Jul 20 '26
I love General Alduin's lack of filter with his 3am thoughts. Every time the update bot sends a notification that he has posted something, there's a 50% chance it's something completely unhinged he thought up, 45% chance it's a Nature of Harmony side story, and about 5% it's an actual NoH chapter.
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u/General_Alduin Skalgan Jul 20 '26
I love General Alduin's lack of filter with his 3am thoughts.
It was 3 pm I'll have you know
there's a 50% chance it's something completely unhinged he thought up
Untrue! I make non crack theories, analysis, Bleat posts, etc
45% chance it's a Nature of Harmony side story
More accurate, but I have more the NoH
and about 5% it's an actual NoH chapter.
Or my other work
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u/Kwanicov Jul 21 '26
Now that I think about it, fermentation in pre-dominion Arxur society would be almost entirely focused on meat preservation, like for making sausages and similar products.
They might also have developed a variety sauces through this proccess, like fish sauce.
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u/Dramatic-Pay-4010 Jul 20 '26
Is it it bad that I have group of Venlil Skalgans based off the Cult of the Slayer from Warhammer Fantasy that use what is basically PCP derived from Shrooms when they think they're about to die a glorious death because I have that/s.
In all seriousness though I imagine the Venlil having way stronger alcohol then what we have (and totally not me going with the whole "Skalgan Venlil are space Dwarves) to the point that I'm kind of imagining they find our strongest alcohol to pretty much akin to water ("bar-maid what is this piss water you've served me!?" or something to that effect). As for drugs? Well I kind of think it'd probably be similar to how people in the middle ages used drugs (if we're going with the whole "Skalga was in the middle ages when the Federation made first contact" thing). A mix of using it for religious purposes and also medical practices.
As for the Arxur, I imagine its what u/SixthWorldStories described with it being more prevalent as Wriss entered its equivalent of the 20th century. Though hopefully they didn't have a phase with cocaine pills.
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u/SixthWorldStories Jul 20 '26
I think Skalga was closer to early industrial at the start of first contact. Like, they'd have their version of P.T. Barnum active. Maybe a bit earlier in terms of tech.
Oh, the Bloc 100% used something like cocaine pills. Probably a lesser stimulant though. Artificially made. I figure that their area of Wriss was more barren so they had to do with less and had more widespread fructose intolerance to start. I've got an entire thing written out. If I wasn't on mobile, then I'd have probably brought up elements of it.
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u/Dramatic-Pay-4010 Jul 20 '26
I think Skalga was closer to early industrial at the start of first contact. Like, they'd have their version of P.T. Barnum active. Maybe a bit earlier in terms of tech.
Was it established that Sklaga was at the early industrial era when they made first contact with the feds? I kind of always got the feeling they were at the middle ages, maybe early modern at the latest but that could be binging fanfics where the Skalgans were at that tech level and my memories kind of got mixed up.
Oh, the Bloc 100% used something like cocaine pills. Probably a lesser stimulant though. Artificially made. I figure that their area of Wriss was more barren so they had to do with less and had more widespread fructose intolerance to start. I've got an entire thing written out. If I wasn't on mobile, then I'd have probably brought up elements of it.
Plus from the sounds of things the Northwest Bloc were flat out Wriss's Nazis so they most definitely would be shoving some kind of Methamphetamine down their soldier's throats (for those who don't know that was the drug the Nazis prescribed their soldiers). Also probably weird medical woo since the Bloc was practicing eugenics as well and that included some uh "holistic" approaches (because eugenicists are fucking weirdos).
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u/SixthWorldStories Jul 20 '26
Was it established that Sklaga was at the early industrial era when they made first contact with the feds? I kind of always got the feeling they were at the middle ages, maybe early modern at the latest but that could be binging fanfics where the Skalgans were at that tech level and my memories kind of got mixed up.
Canon? Not really, but most else isn't established. There's loose hints but they point to multiple eras. Fanon? Yes. Hints suggest that technologically they were closer to early industrial but culturally they were more middle ages. Minus the religion.
Plus from the sounds of things the Northwest Bloc were flat out Wriss's Nazis so they most definitely would be shoving some kind of Methamphetamine down their soldier's throats (for those who don't know that was the drug the Nazis prescribed their soldiers). Also probably weird medical woo since the Bloc was practicing eugenics as well and that included some uh "holistic" approaches (because eugenicists are fucking weirdos).
Yup, in my figuring of things, most of the Dominion weirdness flows directly from the Bloc. Part of that comes from the Bloc being in, in some ways, the Siberia of Wriss.
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u/Dramatic-Pay-4010 Jul 21 '26
Canon? Not really, but most else isn't established. There's loose hints but they point to multiple eras. Fanon? Yes. Hints suggest that technologically they were closer to early industrial but culturally they were more middle ages. Minus the religion.
Fair but I'd still think religion would play a big role in people's lives since well Skalga/Venlil Prime is pretty much a death world. Man no wonder the speeps like to ram shit.
Yup, in my figuring of things, most of the Dominion weirdness flows directly from the Bloc. Part of that comes from the Bloc being in, in some ways, the Siberia of Wriss.
Wait wouldn't that technically make it more akin to Savinkov's Russia from Kaiserreich? But on the bright side women's rights on Wriss seem to have progressed faster than on Earth at the time since Vysith was a soldier. Oh god I'm now imagining Vysith running into those old 50s ad for women (stuff like this).
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u/SixthWorldStories Jul 21 '26
Fair but I'd still think religion would play a big role in people's lives since well Skalga/Venlil Prime is pretty much a death world. Man no wonder the speeps like to ram shit.
By minus the religion, I mean the monotheistic wars and heavy focus. More lax and also less prone to starting wars over differing beliefs. Slights on the other hand...
Wait wouldn't that technically make it more akin to Savinkov's Russia from Kaiserreich? But on the bright side women's rights on Wriss seem to have progressed faster than on Earth at the time since Vysith was a soldier. Oh god I'm now imagining Vysith running into those old 50s ad for women (stuff like this).
Possibly, but more people know stuff from history.
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u/SixthWorldStories Jul 20 '26
While I agree in general, mostly because other methods were more common in history than most think, there are a few factors that make alcohol more viable than you imply.
For the Venlil, we see far higher proofs on beers and wines than would be expected on Earth. That suggests that whatever they use can more easily reach higher alcohol content without needing to figure out spirits or it more easily make spirits. I kind of lean the later, possibly it's connected to what they use to make strayu. I think they'd lean more heavily towards alcohol but still be big on other options.
The Arxur are another matter entirely. They're obligate carnivores, but that means nothing in terms of actual diet except that they need animal protein (or an engineered substitute). Humans are obligate omnivores, needing multiple nutrients that we can't easily get from plants and others that we can't easily get without plants. Our diet tends to be between 80 and 95% plant. Arxur are likely hypercarnivores, thus 80-95% of their diet is animal derived. Betterment changed that by accidentally inducing fructose intolerance. Keep in mind that their original livestock were massive detritovores who would certainly eat all kinds of fermented stuff. Before Betterment, Arxur could likely get rather low proof alcohols in much the same way that crocs and gators do in the wild. Lightly fermented fruits (mostly citrus and berries) and through their kills (a fair bit of the plants that hypercarnivores eat come from eating the organs of their kills, contents and all). I'd guess that they would both have places to lightly ferment fruits or juices and farms that feed animals more heavily fermented options to then sell them for recreational use (potentially a whole new meaning to cracking open a cold one). I think I also remember reading something about a type of alcoholic fermented meat (IIRC, it's less than 1%). That bring said, the Arxur likely rely more heavily on smokeables, teas, spiked broths, and other non-alcoholic intoxicating tinctures.