Dar Sai
Encyclopedia
Dar Sai is a fictional planet referenced in author Jack Vance
's fourth "Demon Princes
" novel, The Face
. It is a desert planet orbiting the fictional star Cora, with a single large natural satellite called Mirrasou.
). Dishes include pourrian, chatowsies and ahagaree. Darsh beer has been described as tasting as though a dog has been washed in it. At one hotel a variety of local cuisine, made more palatable to offworlders is served along with a variety of more palatable beverages.
A popular sport is hadaul, a kind of mass wrestling match with few rules, in which the objective is to be the last contestant in a playing field of three concentric rings. A competitor who has been removed from one of the inner rings may not re-enter it; one who has been forced out the outermost is eliminated from play. After the competition is concluded, a loser may challenge the victor to a duel if he is willing to put forward a stake equal to the winner's share of the purse. It is rare for off-worlders (iskish) to compete, and Kirth Gersen
is the first known to have won.
Jack Vance
John Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
's fourth "Demon Princes
Demon Princes
The Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood...
" novel, The Face
The Face (Vance)
The Face is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack Vance, the fourth novel in the "Demon Princes" series. This book was published nearly twelve years after the third.-Plot summary:...
. It is a desert planet orbiting the fictional star Cora, with a single large natural satellite called Mirrasou.
Natives
Dar Sai is home to a race of humans known as Darsh, who take stubborn pride in their ability to endure their planet's inhospitable climate. They reside under enormous communal umbrellas called "shades" in order to escape the planet's murderous heat and glare, which would otherwise prove fatal in short order. When they have to leave the protection of the shades, they carry portable air conditioners. Darsh men are typically brave and tough - a writer asserts that "there are no Darsh cowards" - with plenty of public swagger, a quality called plambosh.Food and drink
The food of Dar Sai is strongly spiced in order to make plain water seem more appealing by contrast; off-worlders generally find the taste and smell of such food revolting. Darsh who leave Dar Sai often face prejudice due to this smell, and their residences are sometimes restricted to certain neighborhoods (a characteristic they share with the Sanduskers, as mentioned in The Killing MachineThe Killing Machine
The Killing Machine is a science fiction novel by American writer Jack Vance, the second in his "Demon Princes" series, in which Kirth Gersen, having brought arch-villain Malagate the Woe to justice, sets his sights on Kokor Hekkus, another of the Demon Princes...
). Dishes include pourrian, chatowsies and ahagaree. Darsh beer has been described as tasting as though a dog has been washed in it. At one hotel a variety of local cuisine, made more palatable to offworlders is served along with a variety of more palatable beverages.
Sex and relationships
Marriages are based on financial interests, not mutual affection. A man will judge a prospective wife on her domestic skills, while a woman will judge the man's earning potential. They often exchange disparaging remarks, and typically do not engage in sexual relations with each other, preferring to seek (often unwilling) sexual partners out on the desert sands at night under the full moon. Any party venturing into this area at that time is considered fair game (including unwary tourists). Older males seek younger females, known as kitchets, in their brief period of attractiveness before they typically grow unattractive moustaches and gain weight. Older females (vulgarly known as khoontzes), in turn, lie in wait, compelling kitchets to act as lures for unwary young males. They are typically well able to overpower these youths, which the men ruefully acknowledge in ribald songs.Entertainment and culture
One of the primary entertainments of adult men is a kind of whip-dance in which a man with a whip puts a troupe of half-naked boys through a series of japes and stunts, typically striking paper targets affixed to the boys' buttocks. In Darsh taverns a form of juke box projecting holographs of these entertainments is available for customers.A popular sport is hadaul, a kind of mass wrestling match with few rules, in which the objective is to be the last contestant in a playing field of three concentric rings. A competitor who has been removed from one of the inner rings may not re-enter it; one who has been forced out the outermost is eliminated from play. After the competition is concluded, a loser may challenge the victor to a duel if he is willing to put forward a stake equal to the winner's share of the purse. It is rare for off-worlders (iskish) to compete, and Kirth Gersen
Kirth Gersen
Kirth Gersen is the protagonist of the five Demon Princes novels by Jack Vance, set approximately 1500 years in the future. When he was a boy, he and his grandfather were the only members of a peaceful and harmless space colony to escape a massacre and slave raid perpetrated by pirates led by five...
is the first known to have won.