Ramapithecus
Names: Ramapithecusamphicyonsbear-dogsramapithecineramasramapithecinesamphicyonbear-dogramaramapithecine apeslittle apesapes
First appears in Book 1: The Many-Colored Land, chapter 1 (Prologue)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: The Many-Colored Land
- Ch 1The ramapithecus is a small, furred, tool-using, nearly upright hominoid; a mother searches for her missing child by the crater lake.
- Ch 21Amphicyons are primitive bear-dog canids of about three hundred kilos, kept as watchdogs in the outer ward of Castle Gateway.
- Ch 26Trained amphicyons range along the caravan's flanks and attack riders who try to escape; they ate escaped Polynesians' cloaks.
- Ch 26Bear-dogs howl excitedly in the distance as the riders enter the barbican.
- Ch 28Creatures that do mining, agriculture and comfort maintenance for the Tanu; they are psychically fragile and controlled by a simplified gray torc.
- Ch 29Amphicyons act as guard animals herding the caravan, along with five soldiers.
- Ch 30Small ape workers wearing collars and tabards; they escort riders, run errands and do most plantation food processing.
- Ch 31Amphicyons are guard animals controlled by training-conditioning, harder to crack than the chalikos' light autopilot; one yielded to Felice when exhausted.
- Ch 32Ramas are small laborers who sweep, garden, and carry loads in Roniah, and are terrified by Aiken and Raimo's aerial wrestling.
- Ch 33The surviving amphicyons went into a fit after the soldiers died and leaped to their deaths over the lakeside cliff.
- Ch 45A wild rama brought two fruits as a gift, and Claude gave it salmon in exchange; the ramas are described as human ancestors.
- Ch 45Tanu raised ramas in captivity as servants; they live 14-15 years, are monogamous, and use an 'auntie' system for children.
Book 2: The Golden Torc
- Ch 6Early in the Exile, Tanu used pregnant ramas as surrogate mothers for in-vitro zygotes; infants are delivered by caesarian with nearly eighty percent mortality.
Book 3: The Nonborn King
- Ch 24Small, hairy, upright apes with childlike self-awareness; the expedition believes them ancestors of humanity.
- Ch 37Ramas mine trona in the hot salt tunnels under Var-Mesk, working six-hour shifts with vitredur picks.
Book 4: The Adversary
- Ch 2Guardian bear-dogs weighing about 200 kilos each, driven frenzied by the fog and the Firvulag war chant they could hear.
- Ch 9Ramas are peaceloving apes with fragile minds; wearing tores, they flee or sicken from extreme emotional turmoil. Many have fled Tanu cities.
Connections
- enemy ofTanuTanu dominate and use them as servants and hosts
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 1Ramapithecus child finds the torc
A young ramapithecus puts on a golden torc found in a flyer, showing new powers. His mother tears it off and flings it into gorse.
- Book 1 · Ch 31Felice dominates an amphicyon
Felice compels an exhausted bear-dog to pace beside her chaliko, learning it is harder than controlling chalikos, and plans to use the technique at the end of travel days.
- Book 1 · Ch 33The ambush
At dawn, to Basil's signal, amphicyons attack Epone and her chaliko; disguised Richard kills Waldemar.
- Book 1 · Ch 33Bear-dogs destroy the soldiers
Amphicyons attack and slaughter the soldiers; Richard, Basil, Dougal and the ronin kill the survivors, and the last bear-dogs leap off the cliff.
- Book 1 · Ch 45Rama's gift of fruit
A wild rama leaves two fruits near the camp; Claude trades her salmon, and she takes it away to her family.