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Questions/Question 423

Perhaps an odd question but, do Ruminantia augmented sense any deception in Kelesis? Or are they too distracted by the need to party etc. to notice either way?

The fact that it took this long to reply is a testament to us being ships passing in the night, but also having some disagreements, because it's a bit complicated. This is an answer for both Ruminantia and Arthropoda.

Short answer: no. They do not overtly detect deception or lies by being in Kelesis, and the foremost impression would be that encouragement to have a good time (especially for the Ruminantia). It's very distracting.

Past that, however... Any Arthropoda/Ruminantia who are truly zen, focusing on their surrounds, might detect... the inkling of something. A Ruminantia may feel a split-second need to gore, but one that quickly fades; this is not deception, but for a moment it might be mistaken as that. Similarly, Arthropoda won't be set on edge by their surroundings, if made to feel just a bit wary. But there are all kinds of factors that could cause their unease, right? Such as whatever-the-heck was going on underground?

Now that that's blown over, by and large, these feelings of "is this deceptive?" may be more noticeable to characters who have built-in lie detection. There is no intent to deceive, but the feeling low-key exists all the same. And any time characters, regardless of their Natural Soul, focus too closely on their surroundings, they're generally snapped out of that hyperfocus and coaxed into a state of calm, or drowned out by a greater need to just... enjoy themselves, forget about whatever they were thinking to hard about.

As far as interacting with the people of Kelesis go, however, it feels utterly honest. Conversations with them may run strange, but even if they stumble into an inconsistency, it's with no intent to deceive. When asked things, they are genuine about them. There is no single person who can be spoken to who will set off the deception button.