View source for Batirine

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| taxon = Zabulastra
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'''Batirines''' (pronounced {{IPA|/&#x02C8;b&aelig;t&#x1D7B;ri&#x02D0;n/}}) are [[scaft|artificial creature]]s made of pure [[dreamstuff]] as servants and agents of the [[onirarch]]s of [[Dadauar]].  Batirines are not mindless [[automaton|automata]]; while some are more [[intelligence|intelligent]] than others, they are all [[agency|self-willed]] and capable of acting on their own initiative.  For the most part, however, batirines are loyal and reliable servitors, though it does occasionally happen that one may go [[rogue batirine|rogue]] and betray its master.

==Etymology==
The [[word]] "batirine" comes from the [[Lilmi]] [[word]] ''bathirinya'' ({{IPA0|[&#x1D50;b&aelig;&#x0288;i&#x02C8;&#x0279;i&#x0272;&#x031F;a]}}) meaning "[[ghost]]" or "[[devil]]".  This term certainly was not initially used by the onirarchs themselves, but by their subjects, and it reflects the dread with which these [[life form|creatures]] were initially (and to some degree still are) regarded.

The [[inventor]]s of the batirines originally called their creations ''gesinde'' ({{IPA0|/g&#x0259;&#x02C8;z&#x026a;nd&#x0259;/}}), singular "gesind" ({{IPA0|/g&#x0259;&#x02C8;z&#x026a;nd/}}), after an [[Old Drithidian]] word for [[servant]]&mdash;a [[cognate]] of the [[English]] word "[[Wiktionary:gesith|gesith]]", a [[history|historical]] term for a companion of an [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] [[king]].  Perhaps mindful of the [[pejorative]] origins of the word "batirine", some onirarchs still prefer this word instead, and try to encourage its revival.  Others have more recently drawn upon the name given by [[etorist]]s to the [[etorical taxonomy|taxonomic]] [[order (taxonomy)|order]] of batirines, "Zabulastra", to [[neologism|coin the word]] "zabulaster" ({{IPA0|/&#x02C8;z&aelig;bju&#x02D0;l&aelig;st&#x025A;/}}) that they hope will supplant "batirine".  However, the [[connotation]]s of this word are little more positive, though the onirarchs promoting it may not be aware of the fact; inspired by the [[etymology]] of "batirine", the name "Zabulastra" means very roughly "artificial devils" (from the [[Latin]] ''[[Wiktionary:zabulus|zabulus]]'', an alternate [[spelling]] of the more common ''[[Wiktionary:diabolus#Latin|diabolus]]'', meaning devil, and the [[neuter]] [[plural]] of the [[suffix]] ''[[Wiktionary:-aster#Latin|-aster]]'', to signify an imperfect semblance).  In any case, neither "gesind" nor "zabulaster" has widely caught on, and "batirine" remains by far the most commonly used term for these beings.

==Creation==
Batirines are produced through a complicated and time-consuming process in which, however, the direct involvement of the onirarchs or other [[dream wizard]]s is necessary only during the first stages.  Unlike in that of most [[Onirylon|scafts made of dreamstuff]], in the manufacture of batirines the infusion of [[life]] happens in the early part of the procedure.  The creation of a batirine begins with the weaving of an [[illusion]] of the batirine that will ultimately be made.  The illusion must be [[realmspace|three-dimensional]] and complete in every detail, including its interior structure.  This phase of the process, called [[patterning]], is the most difficult and exacting, though it takes up only a fraction of the time.

Once the patterning is complete and tested, the illusion is brought to life, though not usually to [[consciousness]], a step called [[inspiration]].  Once that is complete, the illusion is gradually overlaid with dreamstuff, until this material permeates every part of the original illusion.  This part of the process is called the [[setting]].  If the batirine has any special [[power (celemology)|power]]s that must be separately [[conferment|conferred]], the next step is the [[invirtuation]], in which these powers are granted, by similar means to the [[investment]] of a [[talisman]].  After the invirtuation, or directly after the inspiration if invirtuation is unnecessary, the final step is the [[quickening]], when the finished batirine is awakened to full consciousness.

Generally, once the inspiration is complete and the setting has begun, the direct involvement of a [[mage]] is no longer necessary; once started, the setting will continue on its own, though it may take several [[week]]s to conclude.  After the setting is complete, a mage's intervention is necessary again for the invirtuation and the quickening, but these are much faster procedures.  Some of the onirarchies have found ways to automate even these steps, and have constructed [[batirine mill]]s that are capable of churning out batirines without any direct effort from the onirarchs, though the mills do require occasional maintenance&mdash;and can be tempting targets of [[sabotage against the onirarchs|sabotage]] by [[resistance to the onirarchs|rebel forces]].

==Structure and appearance==
Though batirines may look like solid and seamless blocks of dreamstuff, they are not as consemblable as they appear.  Their internal structures are not as complex as that of a similarly sized [[biology|biological]] [[organism]], but certainly much more so than that of an [[animated statue]].  Most batirines are covered in a hard [[integument (batirine)|integument]] with a slick, marmoreal texture, its thickness varying by the type of batirine.  In most cases, this external layer is indeed of a piece and jointless, moving and flexing not by [[mechanism|mechanical]] means but by [[magic]]al [[transfigurement]].  Within this outer investment, however, most of the internal dreamstuff is still [[solid]], but slightly lighter and more brittle, and honeycombed with channels and cavities.  This interior substrate is called the [[pumex]].

The cavities in the pumex hold various [[organ]]s that contribute to the batirine's functionality.  Not all types of batirines have exactly the same complement of organs, but there are some specific organs that are found in most types.  The [[processor (batirine)|processor]] is the seat of the batirine's consciousness and thought processes, somewhat analogous to an organism's [[brain]].  The [[condenser (batirine)|condenser]]&mdash;of which large batirines may have more than one&mdash;collects ambient [[dream energy]] and makes it available for the batirine's use.  The [[actuator (batirine)|actuator]] is responsible for the transfigurement of the batirine's integument.  Moving through the smaller channels in the pumex are filiform fibers called [[scolecion|scolecia]].  These carry dream energy between the organs, and are often likened to the [[blood]] of an [[animal]].  They are directed by small organs throughout the body called [[governor (batirine)|governor]]s.

Often the appearance of the batirine's integument is left unaltered from raw dreamstuff, giving the batirine a shimmering, [[opalescence|opalescent]] appearance.  Some onirarchs, however, prefer to alter their batirines' [[hue]]s and [[luster]]s, giving them a uniform [[color]] or pattern or placing [[symbol]]s or insignia upon them to show their allegiance.  Another fairly common practice is to add frills, [[horn]]s, and other [[appendage]]s that serve no purpose except the [[aesthetics|aesthetic]], and perhaps to make the batirine more imposing.

==Abilities==
There are no especial [[power (celemology)|power]]s or abilities common to all batirines, save perhaps their durability.  The integuments of most batirines are about as [[hardness|hard]] as [[granite]], and about as difficult to damage.  Furthermore, as abiotic beings, they are of course insusceptible to [[disease]]s, [[poison]]s, and [[parasite]]s that could inflict biotic [[organism]]s.

However, many kinds of batirines are given additional powers.  Common powers of batirines include [[augabole]], [[no&ouml;doche]], [[invisibility]], and [[dispection]].  While established varieties of batirines have associated suites of powers they are usually given, there is no requirement that all batirines of a given type conform with this standard, and it's common for individual batirines to have powers different from or additional to the usual complement.

===Weaknesses===
While batirines may not be vulnerable to many of the maladies that can beset [[human]]s and other biological organisms, there are other disorders to which they are subject.  Among the [[vitium|vitia]] that can affect batirines are [[quickworm]], in which the scolecia seem to gain independent [[life]]; [[hyperallage]], in which the actuator becomes uncontrolled and the batirine's shape continually changes unpredictably; [[ectexis]], in which the outer layer of the batirine's integument [[liquefaction|liquefies]]; and [[apostenosis]], in which the channels of the pumex narrow, making it difficult for the scolecia to move through it.

The fact that batirines are made of dreamstuff means that they are pregnable to [[spell]]s and [[paracarminical magic]]s that act upon the material.  The ''[[dreamstuff detection]]'' spell can help casters identify batirines disguised as human; the ''[[forceful dissolution]]'' and ''[[dreamstuff distortion]]'' spells can damage their forms.  The ''[[batirine disruption]]'' spell was designed specifically as a [[weapon]] to use against batirines, and is capable of destroying them completely.

==Varieties==
There is no limit to the forms that batirines can take, and there are many types of batirine that are unique to a particular [[sovereign state|nation]], or even to the household of a particular onirarch.  Even without counting the one-of-a-kind batirines that may be created for some special purpose or on some megrim, there are [[hundred]]s of different types of batirine, and the [[number]] may run into the [[thousand]]s.  Still, below is a list of some of the most common and widespread varieties.

; [[Caretaker batirine|Caretaker]] : As the name implies, caretaker batirines are designed to look after people or places and tend to their needs.
; [[Dread batirine|Dread]] : Dread batirines are specialized in instilling [[fear]], and are used when onirarchs think terror is the best tool for a task.
; [[Enforcer batirine|Enforcer]] : These stocky, roughly [[cylinder|cylindrical]] batirines serve as the primary agents of [[law enforcement]] in many [[onirarchy|onirarchies]].
; [[Eye batirine|Eye]] : The small, [[wing]]ed eye batirines act as [[espionage on Dadauar|spies]] and monitors for the onirarchs.
; [[Fabricator batirine|Fabricator]] : Fabricators produce [[talisman]]s and other goods for the onirarchs, sometimes including other batirines.
; [[Gargoyle batirine|Gargoyle]] : Gargoyle batirines both watch for trouble and dive in to handle it if they see it.
; [[Guardian batirine|Guardian]] : Resembling larger, stouter versions of enforcers, guardian batirines generally guard specific objects or locations.
; [[Healer batirine|Healer]] : These [[cone|conical]], [[tentacle]]d batirines tend to the [[illness|ill]] and the [[injury|injured]] (that is, the ill and the injured among the onirarchs and their agents).
; [[Jailor batirine|Jailor]] : Living [[prison]]s, jailor batirines hold captives inside their own bodies [[devinction|devinctively]].
; [[Master batirine|Master]] : Though their primary duty is to co&ouml;rdinate the actions of other batirines, master batirines are fairly formidable on their own.
; [[Menial batirine|Menial]] : Menial batirines serve as domestic servants in onirarchs' households, though they may have potent combat abilities they can bring to bear if called upon to defend their masters.
; [[Pleasure batirine|Pleasure]] : The only common batirine to have a fully [[human]] form, the pleasure batirine can fulfill its nominal duty in various ways.
; [[Possessor batirine|Possessor]] : Small and innocuous on their own, possessor batirines can [[lepsis|take over the bodies]] of humans and other [[life form|living creatures]].
; [[Sea batirine|Sea]] : Not as common as the xastrine batirines that crawl over the [[pelagic reef]]s, the graceful sea batirines flit over the surface of the [[water]] on the onirarchs' business, often carrying human or batirine passengers on their broad backs.
; [[Seeker batirine|Seeker]] : [[Transfigurement|Protean]] and [[transcoloration|chameleonic]], seeker batirines are sent by the onirarchs to infiltrate [[resistance to the onirarchs|rebel]] headquarters and other important but inaccessible locations.
; [[Tabulator batirine|Tabulator]] : Frequently (but not always) immobile, the tabulator batirine primarily serves to perform complex [[calculation|calculations]] and [[simulation]]s that would be too involved for a human mind to easily handle.
; [[Tower batirine|Tower]] : The size of a [[building]], a tower batirine is an immobile but powerful sentry with [[magic]]al [[power (celemology)|power]]s to enforce the onirarchs' will.
; [[Warden batirine|Warden]] : The warden batirine controls the building or [[vehicle]] it's built into, effectively making it into a [[living structure]].
; [[Xastrine batirine|Xastrine]] : Named after the [[spider]]like [[xastre]]s they resemble, xastrine batirines are the onirarchs' primary aquatic agents.

==History==
The first batirines were apparently created in the [[year (Dadauar)|year]] 351 in what is now [[Xhenda]], but was then claimed by [[Drithidiach]].  Most of the original batirines were similar to today's enforcers, though some other kinds were created.  A woman named [[Ja-Rai Ajja]] is usually named as the principal architect of the batirine, but it's unclear to what extent she was personally responsible for their design and to what extent she merely took credit for the work of subordinates and less figuresome colleagues.  In any case, whether or not the development of the batirine was really all her doing, she managed to parley the deed and her increased eminence into considerable [[politics|political]] puissance.  While Ja-Rai never officially held a high office in the [[government]] of Drithidiach, she exercised an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes influence, and by the end of her life may have actually had more say over the [[sovereign state|nation]]'s governance than the [[High Magistrate]] who nominally ruled it.

Undoubtedly the use of batirines would have spread beyond Drithidiach in time in any case, but there were three factors that accelerated the process.  First, not content with her power in Drithidiach, Ja-Rai shared her creations with other onirarchies as well, in exchange for favors and influence there.  Some Drithidian officials saw this as a betrayal, but Ja-Rai had too firmly entrenched herself in the power structure by then to fear any reprisals.  Second, a [[K'eng]]an [[dream mage|mage]] named [[Tsuai Hieh]] [[reverse engineering|reverse-engineered]] a captured batirine and figured out how to emulate Ja-Rai's procedure for creating them.  Finally, the rise of the [[Drithidian Empire]] exposed other lands to batirines that were previously unfamiliar with them.  In any case, by about the year 800, nearly every extant onirarchy had numerous batirines in its service.

==See also==
* [[List of batirines]]
[[Category: Creatures created by the onirarchs of Dadauar]][[Category:Holonirans]]