Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

That's not bad

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Wikibook:

This is a form of literature made possible by new informational technology. There are several examples of them, some of which reach the level of national symbols. What they all share in common is being a nested story with one central theme sprouting outward into branches in a format similar to what one thousand and one nights achieves on paper. With the technique of linking narrative elements together it can reach an unbelievable degree of elaboration and in most cases no one person has read all of it. They are usually the product of such organizations as entertainment guilds rather than individuals and in many cases are continually added to as said guild judges the worthiness of a story.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Arklord: A gradation of master merchant found in many merchant's guilds. The curious word is borrowed from the term "shiplord" (used in ancient Bruges for owner) and "ark" (a anachronistic word for box and hence container). Arklord is used in preference to Shiplord in reference to the fact that many planetary merchants and DFD specialists use aerial or overland media as well as or even in preference to space or even water transport. The grade above is often Taipan.

Taipan is an extremely high status in merchant's guilds and on some planets is considered in precedence equal to nobility or even royalty. On other worlds high nobles will have honor rank as Taipans. This of course depends on the esteem in which the professsion of merchanter is held. On at least one planet venturers (import exporters and transporters) take precedence over local retailers and a Taipan who is not filling an honorary position must have considerable investment in those facets. The term Taipan is derived from an ancient Asian address through the convoluted path of a noted novel, and a primitive electronic game that pioneered the Terran computer industry.

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Ship's Poet:

This is a position occasionally found on some ships. It is essentially a type of advertisement. In some cultures consumers especially of specialty products enjoy a colorful story attached to their purchase, even if it is mostly fiction. This tendency is marked among Aslan, with their love of fine crafts and traders dealing with them quite often employ a ship's poet in some places. A secondary role is to provide entertainment for passengers and for dockside visitors to a Kintledge (General cargo used to round off the hold) bazaar. Entertaining the crew is a regular tertiary duty. Generally except on large passenger lines as such personal will be on call for other duties; many are comms officers or assistant comms officers which is a duty that leaves leisure in jump space. It is generally held that the profession was in fact invented by Aslan and several of it's traditions are Aslani in origin.

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Trade Stamp. This is a practice dating back to before the Imperium but modified several times the latest being in the Interstellar Standardization Treaties sponsored by Empress Arbellatra which negotiated practices for crossborder transport. It is a slab on every average sized and above shipping container used in intersteller commerce for placing tracking information. It contains a copy of the log and manifest of each shipper as well as a signature by the deliverer, recipient, and customs official respectively. It is not as some say an effective antismuggling tool (smugglers usually rendezvous with an interplanetary vessel in the less explored parts of a system anyway). It is however good for tracking lost and stolen items, as well as providing intelligence. The data from these is stored at starports and available on request to the public unless information declared secret by the government or by private request; and often used as material for such things as almanacs and rutters.

Mavens: Known by various names all of which evoke the implication of obscure specialization particularly at getting odd jobs done, these are personal "corporate samurai" of officials and nobles. They can be of various kinds such as a political fixer, an intelligence specialist or crime investigator, a cyberoperative, a solicitor or barrister. They serve under similar terms to Huscarls, indeed some actually are considered Huscarls, as many nobles prefer some sort of secret seryice or detective type force to well-trained bouncers, and it is not unknown for mavens to need martial arts skills.

Traelight Forbund: This is a Sword Worlder sorority based on the techniques of hearthtending. It maintains a magazine, both online and paper, publishes several books on the subject and organizes interstellar tournaments. While only women are admitted as full members, only the most secret of meetings are barred to males and men who take an interest in the subject or have loved ones who do often read the publications or appear at meetings by invite. Though mostly Sword Worlds there is no political barrier and members are allowed from other worlds even ones which the Sword Worlds are often at war with (Sword Worlder's consider it honorable to appreciate a worthy opponent). Traelight discusses such factors as wood types, soil, and climate, scent, and appearance. Interestingly a separate periodical is maintained for flame sculptures. While the Forbund is willing to amicably admit Darrian's despite their "strangeness" it is generally held that any technology above the chemical match takes away from the art. Indeed some insist on only using flint and steel in a fire made for artistic purpose, though using conveniences like an electric furnace for heating and cooking is acceptable. In any case the Forbund compromises by considering flame sculptures a separate discipline to Sword World, fireart albeit deserving publications specific to it in the same society.

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Household Vote: a method of voting in some Sword World states where you vote by household rather than individuals. Each individual with the franchise in the electorate counts as a "household" and gets one vote. Heads of families vote the votes of all members including spouses and children up to two generations. Note the fact of a family head gaining an extra vote for membership in the family does not nullify that individuals vote. For instance a couple with three adult children will have one vote for each child, the wife (assuming female franchise which is not always the case in the Sword Worlds) and the husband and the family head will cast five votes.

As the family head is usually the father or grandfather the effect is to reinforce patriarchal rule. That is only a secondary effect. The real purpose is to reinforce gerontocratic rule. As Sword Worlders set great store by tradition, organizing the electoral system to reinforce that is often considered an advantage in Sword World states that account themselves as republics.

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Caledonian Travellers: Nomadic, Semi-nomadic, and Diasporan peoples are found throughout Known Space. Modern technology makes a nomadic life compatible with civilized amenities such as access to recorded information and entertainment. This combined with the freedom of movement, and tribalistic kinship, as well as the lack of easily-preyed-upon, fixed location property such as farmland make the nomadic life appealing. Almost always space nomads are traders and artisans like the Roma on Terra, rather then the better remembered pastoralists and hunter-gatherers (although carrying livestock in suspension is common, as is restocking provisions by stopping at an unsettled planet to forage). Sometimes the borderline between a trader going on a long voyage and true nomadism is gray for there are often family or similar ties aboard free traders.

The Caledonian variety are termed Travellers. They spend much of their time wandering, subsisting on such things as trade, salvage, prospecting and all sorts of odd jobs. In keeping with the typical romanticism of British especially Scottish history, the term is given for the similarity to the wandering artisans of yore. They are an ancient people; legend says they were fleet followers in the Interstellar Wars, and adopted an informal alliance with the Blackwatch Marine Division. In any case throughout Caledonian history including the Long Night, Caledonian Travellers kept commerce going, often by "relay routes" which transferred goods from as far away as the other side of what is now the Imperium, sometimes in partnership with similar groups to themselves from far away. They were some of the first Caledonians in many sectors.

Typically they voyage in Komar class Free Traders or similar vessels. Richer clans tend to have a Taorl class Aslan designed ship as clan flagship or even as the only ship in a clanfleet; they generally call this the Hermes Variant although arguably there are not really enough unique modifications to justify terming it a true Variant. In either case they have a modified clan structure based on their needs. Each crew of a ship is usually accounted a sept (though members of a sept are often loaned to each other) and the captain is alternately termed chieftain. A clan flagship contains the actual clan chief who may have as many as twenty or more septs under him as they often band together for protection. They do not travel continuously. Often a clan will spend years parked in orbit while members not needed to tend to the ships will rent facilities downside. At these times they will build and buy new ships, repair old ones, decide policy, and conduct community necessities such as matchmaking or recruitment of new members. As well they forage or cultivate crops or livestock seasonally to resupply provisions and trade goods. They will also sell labor to dirtsiders for they are invariably skillful in such tasks that are associated with ship operation some of which like Engineer and Electronics Operation are in demand everywhere. Nomenclature tends to be related to their way of life: ship or class names (McKomar) , names of famous voyagers (I.E. McBrendan), Astronomical points, space phenomena, or ports of call.

Travellers tend to pay fealty to the Prince of Caledonia. In return for intelligence on activities far away the Prince offers such necessities as a source of advanced equipment (including self defense weaponry) and more important, military protection, political representation, and legal assistance from Caledonian Embassies and Consulates. This will sometimes drive policy: for instance a treaty with a faraway power might include provisions for support of the clans in the area. Every clan in a sector elects a "Laird-speaker of the Travellers" who has an automatic seat in the House of Lords, should he be on-planet in the Principality, and the precedence of a noble graded according to the trade volume in his area, and the personal respect he enjoys. The Laird-speaker's duties were first intended to be a diplomat or lobbyist and he represented the Traveller's both to the Crown and to foreign governments. Later his position evolved to something like a Cossack Ataman, for during times of war (in which time dependents and their caretakers are put off on a friendly world and the ships serve in raiding and assymetric warfare) his authority becomes absolute and he personally leads on campaign.

It is to be noted that not all Caledonian merchants are part of Traveller Clans. It is a statement of culture as well as occupation. It is known however for Travellers to accept a franchise or subsidiary type of arrangement with large shipping cartels preferably Caledonian ones. Examples of this relationship are to be found in the Spinward Marches and along the Great Reft in which Travellers and the Transrift Corporation have regular contact with one another.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Spacer "Universities":

Despite the prestarflight legend of the down and out starship manned by poverty stricken crew, spacers even of tramp vessels are at the forefront of interstellar culture. Aside from the obvious point that a real tramp is a big investment and will be well cared, for the ability of modern computers to process information has led to a custom of using starships to fuel the intersteller inteligentsia. Curiously this started in Ancient Terra where the last sailing vessels would recruit based on advertising an "experience" that might be useful to put on an application. Megacorporations do not usually take part in this as much because of the large number of personal to administer. Smaller vessels, who have a more intimate crew and who visit out-of-the-way ports more often take more effort in such things.

The classic version of this is to recruit supernumerary crew. These can be gotten by a notable captain at low wages for often a patron at home will pay the wages themselves. Sometimes indeed the ship can actually make a profit when dirtsiders pay for a position for relations. The real payment the newbie gets is being taught in a trade as well as anything he learns in the studying along the way. Famously the Scouts have a variation on this and many still say their program is the best given that they have access to material from all over the Imperium. Private ships often use this idea though. Extra crew can at worst serve for maintaining the ship or loading and unloading when a stevedore crew is less convenient. A rough and ready security service is also available. However as the job is generally thought of in terms of apprenticeship it is common to assign them as assistants to an officer. This can cause problems but if they have gone through training before hand it is less awkward. In the meantime there is leisure time during jump periods, enough for a spacer to educate himself, and enough access to proper material.

A variation of this comes from interaction with dirtside. There is a lively trade in information in such forms as e-books and lecture recordings. Out of the way worlds often have no other source of knowledge and will pay for this as they pay for medicine, rare technology, mail, news, and the like.

A smaller part of this is the carrying of passengers. Scholars traveling from one research facility to another usually go by passenger vessels or dedicated courier vessels. However they often buy a ticket in a smaller vessels. Correspondents, Sociologists and Artists have been known to go on small vessels to get a feel for the lifestyle.

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Gustav Ericson Farkost Bedref:

Gustav Ericson Shipping Enterprises in Tizon is a centuries own firm. It is predominately owned by an alliance of established families who own supervoting rights in the company articles. It is predominately a shipbuilding company rather than a carrying one and it's ships are known in and outside the Sword Worlds. Named after the Aland Islands merchant prince at the end of the sailing days on ancient Tera "Gustav's" is known for a series classes of long distance general-purpose freighters collectively nicknamed "Gustav's" like the corporation. Typical Gustav's are medium sized one or two jump vessels. They often carry an array of missiles and missile defenses large for merchants for they are meant to deter pirates by the sheer size of the salvos they can throw especially when arrayed in convoy. With this in mind Tizonians have been able to go on long voyages through uncivilized space or have sold ships to others with a mind for that. Not by coincidence this has gotten them government subsidies as when the "shipfyrd" (what the Imperium calls Ships Taken Up From Trade) is called by Tizon, Gustav ships are often pressed as transports or supply vessels.

The last class commissioned (with typical Swordie gallows humor) is the Mordor class Hazmat freighters. This is a projected series of ships built to haul radioactive material. For this purpose a number of security measures were added on including redundant and heavily reinforced compartments.

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Duke of Selkirk:

This title is held by the Sovereign Prince of the Caledonians and is senior to all other titles except that of the prince. While the Sovereign Prince has the rights of a nonvoting presidency in the Lords most often he or she attends under the title of Duke of Selkirk (who DOES have a vote, curiously but it is usually reserved for stalemates). Which title he will use depends on the matters under discussion at a given session.

The Fief connected to the Duchy of Selkirk is unlike other Crown Territories, reserved to the Prince. Other Crown Lands are often dispersed as life estates to kin, or favorites, or as political bribes. The Tanist for instance regularly holds at least one Duchy until he takes the crown. Several crown estates are managed by a steward rather than parceled out.

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Transrift Security Service: This is the armed element of Transrift Corporation (AKA "Jardines"). It has a curious structure. It includes the Transrift Escort Fleet: these are small vessels about the size of a patrol cruiser that accompany convoys. It also includes the grandiosely named Transrift Light Marines. Some units of these are actually fully qualified for military duty while others are simply warehouse security. The TLM is formidable enough to be of some use during a riot or political turmoil in which Transrift personal and passengers are threatened and both the TEF and TLM have gotten some experience during the rough trade wars in which "Jardines" became the market leader on parts of the Great Rift Route. Finally there is the Transrift Secret Service which conducts intelligence and covert operations. All these usually swear feudal fealty to the chairman of the board who conveniently is usually Prince of the Caledonians, a favored Derbsman/Derbswoman or Noble, or the Aslan Fleet Dispatcher for that sector of the route. This is a convenient means similar to that used by several megacorporations to keep hired muscle under control. Equally a deliberately constructed myth of the romance of "Jardines" is built up for similar purpose. It is a formula several times used to win the esprit de corps of personal and it works here.

Another element is the Transrift Star Fencibles. This includes any volunteers among personal and passengers at need for military and other emergency services. As the Transrift still sells transport and assistance for Ihaiti as one of it's main services that naturally means males of a would-be colonial expedition who are naturally a formidable lot and have an even more formidable legend. The TSF also includes the weapons department of large armed merchant ships which in convoy can generate fire that while not something to deter a large fleet would give pause to corsairs.

Other elements include Crown detachment. These originally included Royal Caledonian Naval and Marine personal but now also includes personal from other interested governments. These come and go and sometimes are an awkward fit being sent to provide for their own interests rather than that of Jardines. Also rather bizarrely but conveniently, condottieri hired along the way are included as "crown detatchments".

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Convoy Commodore:

This is a curious example of word drift. On Ancient Terra in the fleets of classical Anglic powers Commodore meant the lowest level of flag officers but sometimes had a bit of ambiguity: at one time it was used to prevent rank inflation and corresponding expense paying Admirals appropriately.

During the Long Night it became a Merchant Rank. With state protection chancy at best (and some states providing more protection than desired), merchants would form large convoys and hope to deter corsairs by numbers. When that took place a Convoy Commodore was chosen: originally the title was given to a naval officer who came out of retirement to do the job of ensuring formation discipline and he was under the Escort commander. At that time the Convoy Commodore became a legal autocrat; he ruled the convoy much as a captain ruled his ship. The Commodore could be chosen in a number of ways, typically by voting by the owners and/or captains and could only be deposed by death, impeachment or resignation. On long voyages he could command for years at a time.

This tradition is still maintained in wilder parts at the frontiers of the Imperium. Because of this many states who still use commodore in the naval form qualify it. The Royal Caledonian Navy for instance, at various times had the ranks "Commodore-brevet" (for a captain-of-the-line commanding a flotilla, especially one senior enough to merit a flag captain), and "Crown Commodore" (Junior Grade Rear Admiral) neither of which are official now. However the generic "Commodore" usually means "Convoy Commodore" and several corporations as well as Caledonian Travellers use it in it's ancient function.

The Aslan equivalent is Aikoho Siylakht. An Aslan might refer to a human commodore as this even if he knows Anglic.

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Commonwealth of the Peoples of Aceri:

I have earlier wrote an essay on the nation of Stephenshold now I am writing one about the nation it's liege (the Archducca of Acer) came from.

The Aceri have a similar society to Caledonians especially Travelers in the sense that they are a trading people and prefer a decentralized society of kin-groups and guilds for much the same reason as a lot of peoples. These maintain their power by providing a morale focus for laborers as well as such things as education, political representation, care for dependents and even matchmaking. They also have parallel ideological concerns to Caledonians. The two groups were once indeed in close contact have remained in contact with each other via trade though the mainstreams of the two cultures have migrated in opposite directions through the chance of history. Like many cultures they developed in part from a nostalgic impulse to resurrect a romanticized past. In this case the colony of New Venice and hence to a romanticed Italy of city states, traders, feuds, artists, and condottieri. This nostalgia was only partly fulfilled of course and there were many other cultural sourses. In any case New Venice is extinct by now but refugees have migrated further usually by the strategy of purchasing unclaimed land in return for mounting high guard against Vargr corsairs. Their descendants adopted the name Nevites plus peculiar customs such as using Italian terms for political and social arrangements.

This particular nation began the same way. It began on the world now known as Athena/Hecate for it's strange "fog" (not the same as normal fog which are simply low altitude clouds): Athena for grayness or alternately Hecate for shadowiness. A corsair fleet dropped by a previous society and "generously" requested that the local ruler choose who among his subjects would be turned over to them as slaves. As it turned out that wasn't the brightest of ideas as the ruler ingeniously gave them a cargo hold of secret service agents with orders to find out as much as they could especially about potential allies against the corsairs; and escape and return. Unfortunately only one returned. This one had escaped from his captors and been found and befriended by a Albergho of Nevites who were interested in the tale of a populous people looking for trade, technological assistance, and a military ally. When this one agent returned with an emissary of Nevites he was as a reward, adopted into the ruler's family thus starting what is now known as The House Truant (referring to the fact of being founded by an escaped slave) which reigns now under the title of Archducca.

As time went by external and internal problems drew the consensus that a written constitution was needed. When negotiated it included an unusual quadricameral system. The Senate represents the clans or "Alberghi" and the nobility while the Tribunes represent the Councilum Civis (every voting citizen). The first is in charge of foreign policy while the second is in charge of domestic policy. The tribunes also have a veto over the Senate by having control over the Muster and the Arsenalotti (which oversees state infrastructure including munitions) as well as the traditional control over taxes. The Senate controls the budgeting of monies already taxed as well as the regular military, the foreign chancery, etc. The leader able to garner the most support in the various houses is humorously called the "brute" and chooses the Chancellors.

The third and fourth houses are the Council of Cities and the Council of Valdoges. The Cities have a collective veto over bills in the two main houses. The Valdoges represent the rural population but have a more important job which is to act as "guardians of guardians". They investigate and preside over cases involving matters that have a strong probability of trial manipulation, such as government corruption, organized crime, and espionage, sedition and treason (sedition is defined as levying private war against the law* and the second as aiding a foreign enemy in time of war).

In the meantime the Archducca is a constitutional monarch. He may be male or female unlike the Doges of cities who are usually female. Like lower nobility, he has no NECESSARY executive, judicial or legislative function and he certainly cannot deal high justice by his words. His main duties are to act as head of state and like other nobles to dispense largesse (for which he is given a subsidy and a regular audit as to effectiveness). The Constitution was rounded off with a list of fairly conventional guarantees, however uniquely a database is officially included with this to discuss in depth which precedents shall be used to interpret. In this it is different from the Caledonians who trust to the Common Law for such rather than to specific Constitutional guarantee.

The name of the Commonwealth of the Peoples of Aceri is curious. The word Aceri comes from the final ratification which took place on Maple Island a former landhold of the Archducca known for it's grove's of Terran Maples. It was signed and confirmed with three libations, one of maple flavored coffee (symbolizing masculine honor), one of Corvina (simulating feminine honor) and one of Maple Mead (simulating the Ship of State as it is used regularly to celebrate the launching of ships). The coffee was from the finest product of Motmos while the Corvina was genuine: both were purchased far in advance by the Archducca's Chamberlain and the Corvina was shipped all the way from it's original vinyards on Terra. The Oath of Acer is taken regularly by both new citizens (including minors reaching majority) and new Alberghi with the same libations (obviously with less expensive drink usually) though only new Alberghi need go to the original site. The use of Peoples instead of the more commonly used "People corporate" in the document is a recognition that most politicians misuse the term People (which implies they have unanimous support). Peoples plural, however, an archaic for "ethnicities" can be used for among other things, the state, the nation as a whole, any subgroup within, or even individual citizens who are for this purpose considered Corporation Soles. Commonwealth as a term is held to be litteral; the state is specifically charged with assisting in protecting the interests held in common by those who take the Oath of Acer and thus acknowlege those interests.

Aceri are very much a trading people. Their most noted native products are software and their highly valued crafted jewelry which sometimes price above those coming from a mine. Guarded by a powerful fleet their merchants travel far and wide. The Aceri still maintain their distant relations with Caledonia which desires their alliance for the protection of citizens outside the reach of their own resources.

The art products of Aceri are a source of pride in them. They are known for their great illuminated books which can be the work of years. Their proudest product is the Silvertongue Saga which is a nested story using the wikibook format to trace the dynasty of the heroic bard nicknamed Silvertongue and his wife Falmalire the sea-elven princess (in reality she was a girl of unknown parentage and the descendants of both are unknown and most of their life is fictionalized); onto this theme numerous substories, poems, and songs of various lengths are put to fill what is in effect a library. The work is an ongoing product of the Bardic Guild and the highest honor of a creator is to be "grafted" into the Silvertongue Saga. Silvertongue Saga is itself a graft; other settlements outside Athena/Hecate have their own portions of what is called the Talettree going back an indefinite period of time.

Another cultural peculiarity is obsession with the allegorical significance of material things, especially food and drink, which is so important that oaths are confirmed with toasts. An example is the significance of mead which is used for christening ships as well as Departure Feast (the beginning of the trading year) because of the fact that mead comes from a trading animal that lives in cities and defends it's home fiercely: the mead comes from real Terran bumblebees which are to be found on Athena/Hecate. Likewise Maple symbolizes hope because the most expensive product is tapped from trees decades old and is therefore something no planter will see in his lifetime.**

The emblem of Acer, used on flags, badges, and so forth, is a Navy blue field with a leafless Maple (taken from an ancient Vermont state quarter contributed by a Doge who was a great Numismatist) in the center surrounded by lighthouses for each city and stars representing each Albergho.

*Thus taking a letter of Marque or a mercenary ticket, pursuing a "hot trod" (a criminal within a week or so of flight outside the purview of conventional law enforcement) or attacking a wolves head are legal, engaging in vendetta against a fellow Aceri Albergho or levying armed rebelion against the Commonwealth are not.

**Technology by this time has allowed for earlier taping but the custom is to have a reserve meant for heirs and a younger trees for maintaining the first stages of an orchard.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Imperial Persim:

Every Emperor who sat on the Imperial throne had a PerSim made of him to be used for public relations purposes. Naturally this image was carefully sanitized but not to far from reality. The favorite and most widely used Persims are those of Cleon I and Arbatralla the Great, both of whom are dead long enough to attract admiration by the ahistorical.

A similar idea is used in several states. Tizon for instance, though now a republic, gives official approval of the Persim of Swein the Great as being a convenient symbol without the baggage from a live monarch.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Alvarian: Sword Worlders have defictionalized many of the elements of a skald from ancient Terra who is held in reverence by them. This particular Skald was fond of the study of language and his most famous was the language of his heroic elves*.

The Sword Worlders developed this further until they have the language Alvarian. It is actually a language family as there are several modes all drawn from the works of this Terran Skald. This is mainly an artistic language used to write poetry in and stands alongside Anglo-saxon and Old Icelandic as a poetic language in prestige. It is to be distinguished from Sagamaal with the lesser use of hard consonants except in the case of Khazad which language was invented almost wholly by Sword Worlders as the original author said little about it.

Alvarian is used by several people's in the Marches as well as the Sword Worlder's. It is especially noted as a source of children's names.

*Alvar in Sword World legend refers either to heroic awe inspiring beings of this model or tricksters and nature spirits haunting several cultures.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I wonder how the Sword worlders would see Farmer Giles of Ham or The Roverandom?

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They love the idea of a sensible farmer outwitting a dragon and becoming a Hertug.

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They should. ;-)

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Model Railway Convention of Vland:

One of the favorite Terran recreations adopted by Vilani was Model Railways. Despite having never had similar technologies in their history-by the time they were in fact capable of it they had branched into other paths-the hobby appealed to their philosophy of order. It first became popular in the conquest of Nusku and spread outwards. In fact model railroading has had more of an impact on the Imperium than actual railroading which was largely rendered obsolete by grav transport, although to be sure there are a number of systems which still avail themselves of railroads either because of their low technical capacity or as a tourist attraction.

Any sophant with an interest in the hobby who has proven their skill with layouts may enter though a disproportionate number of Bwaps have taken an interest. Most layouts are in fact team projects. Winning layouts are videotaped and the dataholders sold at auction in hobby clubs throughout known space while the layouts themselves are stored at the Imperial Museum of Vland. Dataholders and original layouts are protected by Imperial Copyright and it is illegal to make a duplicate without permission. Claiming a duplicate as an original is liable to a charge of fraud as with any artwork.

Despite that it is possible to legally get duplicates as hobby clubs often provide funds by selling the right to copy a dataholder of a layout found at the Museum. Copies of winning layouts are often used as gifts or bribes by High Nobles while lower ranking ones, though still expensive are might be found in the hands of a reasonably rich citizen.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Clan McSheila:

Sheila McEdwards: Was a daughter of a lady-in-waiting in the Princely Court of Caledonia (it is customary for retainers to use either the surname of the employer, in this case the royal family or the surname of the family they are born into and there are rules about which is used where). At a young age she showed ambitions toward naval service and enlisted on a Midshipwoman's commission. She distinguished herself and received a knighthood. Then she transferred to the merchant service, for several years ending up as a ship's captain.

When the Prince offered a boon for services she asked for land on McBrendon which was, by treaty, the new extraterritorial colony on Stephenshold as well as permission to found a clan. She set out, founded a clan and after several years of service to gain landholding rights, distributed holdings among "lacklanders" from Caledonia under the liegeship of Earl McBrendon. She remained active in shipping and her clan boasts several merchant ships convertible into privateers as well as productive agricultural territories.

McSheila is a mixed Human/Aslan clan and the Ko of the Aslan portion is accounted a septchief and holds the chief as liege (in Caledonian usage "sept" can mean either a client clan or a subdivision of a clan that is equal in status with other septs). It's present holdings are mainly along the coastlands and toward the edge of the taiga with a grassland region reserved to the Aslan sept. The present chief is Gordon McSheila but he is often gone on campaign as a professional military officer. His wife Erin McSheila handles most of the economic and political affairs directly or indirectly, as well as matters of family concern such as matchmaking. The McSheilas form a battalion of the 3rd Stephenshold Highland Infantry.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Target Vessels:

The sophistication of modern simulators has reached the point where they dominate naval training. That said, most navies have not discarded live-fire training. It can be a valuable propaganda tool to demonstrate naval efficiency and it can test weapons and ship construction in a way no simulator can. It can even provide a useful secondary check on crew.

Target vessels are disposable vessels made for this purpose. They are fitted with auto or remote pilot and less than lethal weapons (it is desirable that the crew feels like it is hit, not that they die). They are often old vessels but some are purpose built. But in any case less expense is invested in them because they are meant to be destroyed. Indeed some navies consider this a more honorable end than a scrapyard.

It is a common tradition, especially with purpose-built target vessels to name them after historical or mythical villains. The IMS Adolf Hitler has been blown up more times than can be counted. The Royal Caledonian Navy has commissioned several times the Duke of Cumberland, and traditionally saves the RCN Guy Fawkes for the Fifth of November and reserves the right to destroy it for distinguished officers. Sword Worlders top the list with the SWC Sauron. But they are also fond of the SWC Josef Stalin as a memory of their sentimental regard for the Finnish armed forces of Ancient Terra. SWC and BWA navies also often commission a "Molotov" regularly, and the captain who destroys it is in a rather dinosaurish bit of Sword Worlder black humor, traditionally toasted with a "Molotov Cocktail" (always a flaming whiskey cocktail based on a traditional recipe). In this case as in others a target vessel can be a subject of traditional affection. There are however occasions where a living person will get such an infamy as a shaming right. On one occasion after Captain The Earl of Darkwood was convicted of cowardice; his dress sword was publicly broken and it was decreed by Imperial Authority that an IMS Darkwood would be destroyed in the next maneuvers.

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Rumnhamnupp Gungnir:

Otherwise known as "Visby" after the Hanseatic City this is Gungnir's Highport. It is an international city with extraterritorial quarters under control of several governments including the biggest planetary governments, most of the Sword Worlds and the Imperial Quarter. The last is a diplomatically delicate concession with complex agreements regarding extradition, hot pursuit rights, and the city's status in wartime. The International Quarter is ruled by the SWC itself, an exception to the "hands off rule" necessitated by the nature of the city.

The city is semi-demilitarized. Interested parties are allowed to keep military police on hand for constabulary work and the Confederation Patrol has regular overflights. There is however no line forces based directly on it and naval forces that call are unconnected to Visby. Police and Emergency Services aside from those provided by interested nations include the Watch, recruited from Gungnir and trained by the Confederation Patrol.

The neutrality of the city is guaranteed. The one time it was under occupation during the Fifth Frontier War is the exception that proves the rule. Imperial forces their made no attempt to do more than administer the city under local law despite the fact that it was suggested that it be used as headquarters for further operations in the system. At the peace it was returned under the same status as before.

Government is by the Council of Alders and the Council of Ombudsmen. Each interested party can appoint an Alderman and the Ministry of Trade a Chief Alderman. Despite the name the city articles specify that female Aldermen are permitted and several have been appointed over the years usually from the Imperial and Tizonian Quarters. The Ombudsmen are chosen by general election and all present at the time of elections including visiting spacers are allowed a vote.

Visby is known for it's entertainment from elegant hotels and restaurants to disreputable haunts of vice. It is also known for organized crime and international espionage, which as always overlap one another. It has been the site of intense diplomatic deal making. It's chief business however is-business, and factories from numerous shipping lines are based there as well as the infrastructure to deal with them.

This port can be treated like a variation of Deep Space Nine or Babylon Five. Any number of themes can be used for a plot from politics and espionage, to crimefighting, to simple trading. Or it can be an Inn You All Meet At. There are numerous possibilities.

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Faeries and Ancient Aliens

Among certain fringe groups the ancient Terran folkloric beings the Europeans called faeries (other cultures had similar beings with different names) are an obsession. Many groups of folkloric beings on non Solimani worlds are claimed as faeries. The Faeries are claimed as an ancient precursor species that caused thousands of anomalous phenomena across the known galaxy.

In mainline Traveller "Grandfather " is often the real explanation. However, pulling in true believers in the faeries could cloud the issue nicely. And maybe Titania and Oberon are to blame in your game. ;-)

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Actually I usually just used Ancients as "Yet another thing some folks believe and others think are fun." I use Fair Folk too with a few updates.

I suppose yeah, faeries could easily form things like UFO clubs. They did in the nineteenth century (and not just for Irish Peasants). And of course Ancients are also appropriate for the same thing.

And what if they really exist...

We are not alone. Well yes we have Aslan, Vargr, Hivers, Centaurs, but I mean we are really, really not alone? What, that was a jump anomaly. Yeah, that's what they want you to think. I know the Imperium is hiding something.

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Isle of the Slayers:

Bullfighting is a popular sport on Stephenshold. Those tourists who make objections are told that it is (like pigsticking) for promoting an ideal of ethical carnivorousness as the prey is allowed a more dignified end than the knacker and the predator must look upon the killing of his meat. The matador is armed with the traditional cape. A local variation is that rather than a traditional sword often a Dewclaw or Ayloi (depending on whether the matador is Human or Aslan). Every part of the slain bull is exploited as that is locally considered part of ethical hunting. Tradititionally the Matador eats the "oysters" himself or herself as symbolic act of conquest though this might be forgone for worthy bulls. He also has a right to dispose of the cuts of meat as he will and to keep the horns as a trophy. Leatherwork is made into decoration displayed in the Bullfighting Museum of Stephenshold, or into sheaths for fine swords.

In Stephenshold as on most pastoral planets sophantslaying beasts are normally slaughtered. This is not the case for successful bulls as giving a fair chance of escape is also part of the ideal. They are usually put to pasture on the Isle of the Slayers. There they are regularly fed and at times bred with choice cows in the hope to produce a good bloodline. In practice, though most matadors are well trained enough that dying in the arena is a low probability there are several Isles of the Slayers each small enough to isolate the bulls and prevent it being a danger to sophants and large enough to allow plenty of room. The bull is usually left to roam free but occasionally a stunt matador will duel a slayer.

Bullfighting is just one of the many animal related sports popular on Stephenshold. Pigsticking, horse racing, falconry, and other traditional sports are known, as well as hunting with hounds, or Persian Cheetahs. Also known is Polo and there are numerous Polo teams on the planet.

Hint: this is inspired because I am reading Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon. I made up the Isles because I rather thought it unfair though of course quite sensible to learn that winning bulls are slaughtered.

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Linage Dynasties:

These are civilizations considered to have sufficient distinction to be adopted as ancestors to the Emperor. The term "dynasty" is a misnomer, though many were traditionally monarchic those that had a republican or oligarchical tradition are considered corporate monarchies. In any case they come in three tiers:

The first is simply the First and Second Imperium.

The second is more complex. On Terra there are the Restored Roman, Persian, and Chinese Empires. None of these have a pariochial Emperor as these states are considered of such dignity that the claim is equiv to claiming the Irridium Throne. The rightful Emperor of all these is simply the Emperor. However his authority is represented by a Viceroy-and-Baron who in effect holds these realms in fief. There are similar realms on other worlds, the best known of which is Restored Sarn.

The Third is where there is the most contention as historical enthusiasts compete. If it is represented by a contemporary state, nationalist sentiment is added to academic. A disproportionate number of these states are on Terra because of the wide spread of the traditions of the Solimani Diaspora.

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Intersteller Journal of Trade:

Sponsored by the Hortelez et Cie, this is a clearing house of economic information. It provides market analysis all through charted space.

One of it's more obscure services is tracking the paths of containers to their end user. Subscribers can pay a fee for the location of containers that have been shipped. In turn handlers are paid fees for reporting them to the IJT office. This service is often contracted by someone who wishes to locate middlemen for the purpose of cutting out as many as possible. Obviously with the immense trade volume finding them is a lottery. But finding just a portion is useful intelligence. Similarly and if known, the history of transiting shipments will be reported on request unless those shipments are confidential.

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Tracer program:

This is a program commonly used to trace traffic. It has various versions. A common one used by merchants projects shipping traffic into the future. Minor adjustment can tell the expected location of ships at a given time. They such simulations are a normal part of the equipment of a ship or shore factory. They also have naval applications and can be programed to trace different locations of assets. They come with several settings including a default real time setting and various means of zooming, and increasing or decreasing the programing. A major head office will have a more sophisticated version. Most however are mass produced.

All sorts of uses can be used for that. They can be used to gain intelligence on a rival line by the simple means of buying a schedule and "plugging it in". They are also used by skip tracers, and even by cadets training at a merchant academy. One of the more surprising uses is as a hobby, for they are regular equipment of shipping enthusiasts.

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Littlemoot:

A common social organization in the Sword Worlds, this is essentially the town meeting. By stereotype it governs a village or city ward but it can be used for such things as guild lodges, local chapters of political machines, nomad bands, and even for organized crime. In the Sword Worlds it is traditionally presided over by a Thane or his deputy but sometimes an alderman or similarly titled figure either presides or shares power with a Thane.

Both the system has been borrowed in parts of the Imperium and states around and has because of the network of trade routes been found multiple sectors away.

Littlemoots often choose a representative in a higher governing body. In some cases they are virtual and others strictly in "solid space" (face-to-face).

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Lampyridae:

An episodic series about a Free Trader on the lawless frontier between the Terran Confederation and the Ziru Sirka during the last phase of the Interstellar Wars. It features a ship named Lampryidae, after the bioluminescent Terran insect of that name.

The main characters includes a veteran captain, and a second mate both of which had military experience in a separatist rebellion. The second mate is married to the helmsman/navigator. Other characters include the perky young engineer, a Terran doctor and his sister who are in hiding after he rescued her from detention for a secret facility with an eye to producing psionic assassins. Then too there is a courtesan and a chaplain in ironic proximity. Equally ironic there are hints that the chaplain might be a veteran of Terran secret service. A final character is the weapons officer who is agreed to be not the best of influences for the young.

Adventures run the gamut from normal trade, to smuggling, to privateering and piracy. The focus however is on character interaction.

Lampyridae has become a cultural phenomenon and has been adopted as a theme by Free Traders across known space. Modern technology has made possible the submission of episodes fashioned after this series and some Free Traders as a hobby have made episodes by computer. There is no longer an Imperial Copyright but it is common for Merchant's and Spacer's guilds and similar organizations to secure a planetary copyright to make sure approved episodes are sold. Usually guilds buy amateur episodes and resell them to other spacers or sell contractors the right to do so.

References to the series are well known in Spacer slang and a knowledge of them is supposedly one of the signs of being a brother spacer. Not by chance it is an easy way to fake being such for the benefit of other nonspacers.

Lampyridae is based upon a drama series with a similar name produced in Pre-Starflight Terra at the beginning of technologically assisted drama when it was more difficult to produce electronically and live actors were still a necessity rather than an artistic choice. The original is considered a cultural treasure on many worlds and often maintains a permanent copyright. The Imperium is of two minds about that because of subversive elements, but suppressing it would be more trouble than is worth.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Nicely done, Jason.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Thank. I guess you got it.

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Transplant Cuisines:

When Sophants took to the stars they took the foods from home with them. Often of course they would not take locally leaving the option of adapting growing them artificially (by such means as terraforming, hydroponics, or gengineering), or exporting them from the planet of origin. The last option is often so prohibitive that it is something that only the rich and powerful can afford.

Food as always is a cultural symbol and is taken seriously. For instance Maple has taken in a lot of places. Naturally it is impractical to depend on a product which will not profit for decades. So syrup is divided into modified, natural, and Terran (among other more technical divisions), the later of which has the best price and comes from ancient orchards in what used to be New England and Canada. Natural comes from trees who were planted without genetic engineering and sometimes the details of their pedigrees are as closely examined as that of racing animals. Modified is quite common, common enough to make into affordable liquor which the natural format is less often because of the loss of material in the process.

Some of the records of preparation methods are retained in detail so the cooking methods are little different. Some styles though require ingredients with a specialized ecology (like Revived New England, and Revived New Orleans styles). This often needs a Terraforming project though the above two styles are popular enough that Terraformers will incorporate it, in fact making a contract to modify plans will often cut the expense.

Aslan have brought their favorite herd and game animals from their homeworld and products of these are often tasty to humaniti as well. Sylean cooking has high honor, and is an ancient tradition among them. Caledonians are less esteemed because the tradition they base some of their cultural dishes is underestimated. Some things were transplanted almost whole from Ancient Terra however.

Transplant dishes are well known part of the Known Universe and any people with a populous diaspora is likely to have brought contributions.

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Labyrinth:

This is a tome about strategy from the peculiar perspective of a moderately powerful crime boss. The writer is unidentified of course but he claims to have been counselor to the ruler of a syndicate that specialized in the laundering of the spoils from Corsairs. Equally unidentified is the name of his master although he is identified as being Vargr in descent.

The book uses the vehicle of an allegorical Starport symbolically named Labyrinth during the time of the Imperial Civil Wars. Here it traces the various powers in the town legal and less so. It gives in the course technical descriptions for spycraft, clandestine contracts (including the negotiation of paid assassination), and day to day techniques for smuggling. As well as the techniques of law enforcement groups. It also tells of high-level relations between factions. Finally it deals with urban warfare from the perspective of a time when the author's master had, so he said, formed a resistance group out of civic patriotism when a pretender to the Imperial throne had invaded the city.

Labyrinth is a classic of strategy and is said to be required study in training by the SPA inspectorate.

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Fictive Kinship:

Aside from the basic relationships of genetics and marriage many peoples have officially recognized forms of relationships. Like all relations among sophants all contain parts emotionalism and ritual and are often romanticized. But most have a practical aspect. Many of these relationships can and often do overlap.

Blood Siblings: This is a declared non-sexual alliance between two or more previously unrelated parties. It usually involves an oath marked by such rituals as the famous Terran "mixing of blood", the drinking of shared libations, exchange of sacred objects etc. It is commonly found among those of precarious lifestyles who desire an ally. Thus they will include agreements to care for dependents in the event of disaster, exchange of passwords to bank accounts, deposit boxes, or websites. Among those who commonly surf the datanet it often includes a duty to inform the contacts of the other in the event of death or incapacity.

Tentmates, bunkmates, kitmates, etc: This is simply those who happen to have quarters in the same facility in naval or military forces, or in the merchant or scout services. The services exchanged can include sharing storage space and disposing of effects in the event of death (traditionally by auction or by sharing out among the remainder of the group). In some military organizations, "Tent" and "kit" are used in preference to "Squad" and "Fireteam, section, file, etc" respectively.

Guilds, Fellowship, Club, etc. This has been called blood siblinghood on a large scale and often shares some of it's rituals. However such organizations are institutional. Some do no more than provide recreational facilities, but others provide, political lobbying, advertising, education and other such services. These groups are prominent in the Principality of Caledonia.

Patronage: An alliance between a more powerful and a less powerful personage.

Fostering: This is often a provisional means of looking after orphans. But it is often a kind of apprenticeship, as well as a means of sealing a political favors

Adoption: the distinction between this and fosterage can be dubious. Among the Aceri (see above) the distinction is a change in the lineage. Previous parents are always remembered and stored in dataholders unless they are unknown or sentenced to Damnatio Memoriae (part of the penalty for those guilty of sexual assault). Adoption is often used for pragmatic reasons, such as a convenient compromise between democracy and aristocracy by "plugging in" an elected heir to a lineage. This can be taken so far as to add fictive years when convenient (for instance an elected clan heir is granted enough years to make him "older" than other children of a previous Capo Albergho (chief).

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Land Bonds:

A form of Bill of Exchange issued in several nations. Before contact with Aslan these existed but were like any other similar document containing a right to claim commodities, stock options, etc.

They grew in popularity with the influx of Aslan and several states use them for such tasks as paying warriors. It is common for an Aslan to put these in a safety deposit box awaiting the end of a tour of duty and provisions are made by "armsmens guild" type organizations for such.

Some bonds are a claim on an actual landhold while others are on an abstract number of acres, the former naturally being more valued. Bonds issued different states are valued according to how conscientious they are in paying such promises, which in any case is by Aslan standards a very important part of the collective honor of a polity whether Human or Aslan. Indeed one reason why Aslan have been so loyal to the Darrien Confederation despite it's cultural strangeness from their point of view is their scrupulous honor of payment to soldiers.

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Mead:

The stereotype of beer being the only manly drink in the Sword Worlds is well known. However there is a popular subculture of Mead. It is inevitable as after all it IS good enough for such a luminary as Odin. Though there are popular imports best reputed native meads are from Durendil where much effort is put into the cultivation of Terran bees. The esoterica of the profession has been the subject of many a periodical on that world.

Throughout the Sword Worlds whatever their political affiliation it is possible to find drinking establishments that specialize in mead as well as those who maintain stocks as an addition to a predominately beery stock.

Inns and Pubs:

In the Sword Worlds local establishments are important in social life. They can be political centers in more democratic polities, and serve other purposes in those that are less so. Common themes are drawn from Germanic tradition.

One custom exists which while not unique to the Sword Worlds is genuinely fascinating. Engaging in the hospitality trade is considered an honorable occupation. There is a certain snobbery about this. Palatial hotels are appropriate for the second sons of Hertugs and prominent Jarls. Pubs are run by local gentry. No member of the ruling class will let himself be caught maintaining a starport dive. Some will patronize a spacer's boarding house as opposed to managing it and write it of as philanthropy.

Managers of such establishments tend to have a faux-feudal relationship with their staff. This attitude between employers and employees is not rare in many occupations in the Sword Worlds but it is especially the case with hospitality establishment. Such skilled workers as mixologists, storytellers, and singers can pledge a feudal oath even to common born managers, as do bouncers who account themselves as and are treated as, a type of man at arms.

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Hint this was inspired by a scene in the thriller Blood and Treasure in which the characters use a similar (Chinese not Vilani of course) device to access a triad bank:

Vilani signet wand:

This is a wand several inches in length and usually about two inches in diameter. It contains two seals similar to a Terran signet but typically it is meant to be read electronically rather than with a wax impression (though some are made to function in that method).

Typically each seal has a geometric design made in a complex format. Each seal is quartered and a wand has a seal on each end, making for a minimum of 8 possibilities. As electronic locks can read superimpositions, there are far more combinations allowed simply buy placing the quarter seals in prescribed order. Often treaties and contracts are finalized by superimposing the seal of one party on that of another in a given order.

The shaft is often made of valuable material and displays heraldry as well as sacralized artifacts such as a dataholder containing the laws of a given demesne. In the past such devices were subject to sumptuary laws and only nobles could possess them. In the Third Imperium it is permitted to copyright individual signet wands but not signet wands in general.

A variation with which it is often confused is a writing wand. These contain the eight most common Vilani characters. They are detachable so that the holder can replace them with the blocks for other characters.

Signet wands are often used as regalia by a noble house, or similar officeholder. Lending them is a sign of trust; it is effectively declaring a person to be a lawful agent.

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The Authorized Legal Archive of the Principality of Caledonia:

This is a library and museum in Selkirk on the Principality of Caledonia

From outside, it is an austere hall of white marble surrounded by parkland with groves of stately oaks-cleared in places to give a clear view for visitors who wish for an outdoor holographic picture. On the front gate there is a ten-foot tall traditional statue of a blindfolded Justitia with scales and sword.

Inside there are shelves with towers of old fashioned books of all kinds, sometimes in gothic script, sometimes even illuminated-in cases using such materials as shell gold, malachite, ochre, and crushed lapis. In one case a commentator with a dark sense of humor used red ochre to introduce an essay on capital crimes.

The primary subject is the Anglic tradition of Common Law. There are however works on the laws of several civilizations going back thousands of years before starflight on Terra. Naturally Terran and Vilani law is stressed but traditions of many other cultures have representation as well as works on related subjects such as political philosophy. It is common too, to exchange with similar institutions in other polities.


It is the normal right of any citizen of the principality to visit the archives and make copies. Paper books are artistic works and important matters of cultural heritage and cannot be removed from the archives. However every work is available in digital as well as paper format as well as many not represented in the book library. This is a necessity for as well as being a cultural statement the Authorized Library is an active tool for ongoing cases in the Principality. Every world has a branch in which attorney's can search for material relevant to their case. It also has a memory file to keep out those presently serving on a jury lest they compromise themselves-one pragmatic exception to the right to visit the archives.

The right to choose the Board of Curators belongs to the House of Lords. They are chosen based on notable achievements in legal scholarship and are an honorary position. The actual administration of the archives is in the hands of the Leabhar Neich-Gleidh which is itself a well respected position. The Curators do have some power, over the choice of books to be included in the selection.

The ALA is one of the most venerable institutions of it's kind in Known Space, and other polities often copy details from it.

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Avbryt Staat:

Often translated "divorce of the state". A legal practice in the Sword Worlds, the word means is the temporary forfeiture of state protection for defaulters of required services to the state such as conscription or taxes. It practice it means that proving default on the victims part is a de facto reduced or dismissed charge. How this is applied varies with jurisdictions; in many cases it is only lawful in civil courts. It is sometimes confused with Kjede og Galge or with Nithing (both of which are also confused with each other), but almost never applied to such an extreme though some jurisdictions reserve the theoretical right to do so. Usually Avbryt Staat can be removed by the payment of back taxes with interest and the defaulter restored to full protection.

The law is known in several places and may not have even originated in the Sword Worlds. It is widely accepted there however. Partly because it suits the Sword Worlder's grim idea of justice. Partly too because in the volatile politics of the Sword Worlds the claims of legitimacy are often doubted. But at the least no one doubt's even a usurper's right to refrain from exercising power if it has no treaty obligation to do so (which presumably is the case when the obligations of vassalage to the government are not met), and no one doubts the simple rule that people who cannot stand the heat should stay in the kitchen as the still used ancient Terran saying has it.

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Aoshi Aisai:

Swift Spirited Dewclaw:

A type of throwing knife used by some Aslan. It is weighted in a manner so as to cause it to tumble more easily. It was once used in warfare as well as hunting small game, the later of which usage is more common today.

It has all kinds of usages. Some version's can be launched from a Fierah fitted with an ammunition cradle similar to those on human slings.

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Fierahs:

It is a habit among Aslan to have a metaphoric or even literally animistic attitude toward weapons. This of course is known among humans and remembered from literature though less relevant in times of mass production.

One archaic Aslan weapon that has become a cultural meme is the Fierah. Some humans think this simply means a sling but the Fierah is multifunctional.

Modern ones are made kernmantle fashion with several lengths of cordage (or one relooped several times) inside an envelope. It is sometimes slit at intervals to allow the fastening of accessories and has an opening in the middle where the internal cordage is formed into a web used as a projectile cradle (often reinforced by a detachable pouch and/or a metal rim to allow the cradle to also be used as a blunt instrument). Humans who have been in contact with Aslan have invented a bewildering number of accessories, notably electric shock devices.

Like many archaic weapons it has a minor part in a modern battlefield. It mainly exists by the same method as others; being light and being adaptable as impedimenta. Depending on size and shape it is capable of being canibalized for cordage or used whole as a rifle sling or pouch holder. Other ingenious uses exist. It can deliver grenades, sensors and the like but not as efficiently as the grenade launcher. It's main reason for existing is simply that it is not much trouble.

It is also used in the hunt and in dueling. There are two main types of duels. One is a simple endurance contest where the contestants will flog each other until one yields or is declared defeated by an umpire. A more stylish one uses a fencing cloak to parry with.

Another use is in street fighting. Aslan and some humans take it into startowns as a less-than-lethal weapon in case of being accosted. Law enforcers often pay them no heed, some indeed think them purely ornamental.

Fierahs come in two basic forms. "Expendables" and "Keepers" in Anglic. The first are disposable and can be used for such things as an attack that requires releasing the weapon (in the manner of a bola or a Swiss arrow). The more expensive Keepers are seldom used in a way that might cause them to be lost. These can be prized possessions. The most valued are still made from the hide and sinews of Hraye Dragons. While these beasts are bred off world the Hraye Council of Clans prohibits the export for breeding of the most valued stock though lesser kinds may be and have been the foundation of breeds on other worlds some of whom are legends in their own right though not as valued. They are hunted or herded but some of the most valued of all run wild and game laws are strict to preserve an economic resource. The hide will take a number of dyes and it is common to decorate it with geometric art and caligraphy.

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Read the book Strange and Secret People which is on how the Victorians understood the fairies and how they reacted to that understanding.

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Are there any cannon small humaniti or humanoids that might leverage their small size to being repair/maintenance specialists on spacecraft? They could be a nomadic culture within a culture. Think of the Roma or the Irish Travelers.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Try the Humaniti page on the Traveller wiki?

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There are several nomadic cultures one or two specializing in being circuit riding engineers. That is a good idea though.

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Duncan's cat:

This is a breed of ship cat kept widly aboard the ships of Caledonian Travellers and their contacts. Their poplularity has spread throughout nomad peoples and free traders.

They were a project of the breeder Duncan MacGables and are usually marbled in appearance with varying colored eyes, with an abnormal number of blues (hence the name Lapis and Sapphire are commonly used for cat names). They have a genetically enhanced territorial instinct which causes them to stay near the home ship. This prevents straying but can cause psychological trauma when transfers are made. This is not pressing enough to prevent reproduction but is enough that facts about it are in medical databases.

They have sharp enough scent to communicate with it as well as with sight and sound. This allows them to hunt in prides while at the same time casting a dragnet around the ship. They are thus more deadly hunters than most ship's cats. The are however cats and can breed with Terran housecats, indeed those that get on planet sometimes do without owners consent which is why even more care is taken of females than males if the owners care about purity (not all do and of course crosses are cheaper).

There is an immense body of folklore about Duncan's Cats. Each member of a pride is given an individual name and a ship name; those with the longest pedigrees of course are not taken on voyages but sit in contentment at retired ships turned into museums or inns. Stories about cats and their adventures about. It is often thought that they or at least some are incarnations of deceased clan members keeping watch over their descendants
They are usually allowed to roam free on the ship unless business interferes, and they have enough of a survival instinct to take care of themselves. It is considered a point of honor to always reward a kill because by keeping vermin under control cats are part of the crew.

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Toir Albannaich Roger (the games of Prince Roger).

This is the official Caledonian Epic Cycle. Backdated to the founding of the Second Constitution it purports to be set during the first Clan Games in the reign of Roger V. Like other nation's official epics, especially the "Matter of Acer" (which itself is justly famed in Caledonia) it uses the handy vehicle of drawing a picture of characters gathering in a comfortable setting to tell tales, a tradition going back farther than the Terran author, Chaucer but given incredible possibilities by modern electronics. In this case it is of tales told both by amateurs and professional poets told either in the Court of Roger or in the pubs and eating houses of Selkirk, or on the dataweb in between events of the games.

The stories include several long epics in poetry and prose including, as is not uncommon, stories of migration and the founding of Caledonia as well as short stories beyond count. Much of it is from the Scottish traditions including tales of wee folk, sacred fountains, selkies and all the rest. It also includes clan feuds, thievery, duels and honor contests as well as political and military stories. Many of the tales date back to traditions from Ancient Terra. Naturally it includes the official sagas of different clans but it is cross-connected with those of other peoples, sometimes on the other side of Known Space which is possible because of the Principality's wide trade and diplomatic contacts. Caledonian Aslan and transiting Ihatei have notably contribute several tales from Ancient Aslan lore. Naturally it also has lavish descriptions of such appropriate things as feasting and heroic athletic feats, and of course gambling stories connected with the games (the games have numerous gambling stories). One curious aspect is that it contains realistic descriptions of the techniques of several relevant crafts including. This includes not exclusively, such varied things as Astrogation, Tactics, Shiphandling, Fieldcraft, Survival, Distilling, Mixology, Culinary Art (culinery art is less emphasized because beverage making has more prestige in Caledonian culture), and some ancient crafts like swordsmanship (still relevant as the sword is preferred in the Caledonian Code Duello), archery, etc.

The collection uses the formula of a Wikibook to make it easier to navigate. It is possible thus to shift easily to a related tale or to a related work (including dry instructional works on such things that are mentioned). An interesting feature is the branching stories. For instance if a legendary hero from Terra is mentioned as possessing a sword, the history of that sword from it's forging is given simply by touching the highlighted portion. Likewise if an Aslan owns a Fierah, a highlight will give a hunting story about the acquiring of the material, a description of the weaving of the skins and tendons of the slain animal, a travel story bringing the Fierah to market, the number of fights it was used in, etc. Or a whole story can be read in a rotating perspective with several threads each with a differing character as protagonist. The effect is that no one has read the whole series.

The Tor Albannich Roger is compiled from a number of works by The Prince's Ancient and Honorable Shanachie Academy. It has been revised several times and several new stories have been added.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

"Jitters"

This is an ancient custom of Solomani origin claimed to have gone been as far back as the pre starflight exploration of the Sol system. The resemblance to the word to an ancient slang term for nervousness is not accidental. The custom takes place when there is cause for nervousness.

During such times, such as an entry or exit into jump, a fuel scoop, a difficult landing, an anticipated engagement with a hostile vessel or what not refreshments are served. Usually beverages and small appetizers which can be consumed at a tray beside a workstation. Alcohol is seldom served until after such intense work is completed for obvious reasons, though not uncommonly it is available after an intense operation is completed.

The purpose of jitters is entirely practical, to sustain morale and prevent the ebbing of concentration. For this reason it is practically universal among spacers and there are various rituals surrounding it.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Sword Worlds Incense Industry:

The Sword Worlds are not particularly known for their scents and most of those worn on the person by fashionable swordies are imports. However there is a surplus production of burnable scents some of whom are among the highest valued in known space. These tend to grow on farms and orchards. Traditionally in such places tending and harvesting the crop is a masculine job while extracting and refining scent is feminine.

The scents are sprayed onto ceremonial fires and often brushed with a paintbrush like tool. They are sometimes combined into scent "cocktails". Some varieties are burned in a cookfire to carry aroma to foods or hot beverages.

Any merchant wandering in the Sword Worlds can have this as an option for purchase.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Imperatrice Acero:

The chiefs and nobles of the Commonwealth of the People's of Aceri (whether on Athena/Hecate or on Stephenshold) do not pledge ultimate earthly Fealty to the Archducca even though he or she is head of state. Rather they pledge to what is said to be the genus loci of what is said to be the oldest Maple on the planet usually given the personality of Shana Karunagur (a minor heroine of the Dakhaseri who was supposedly a legal teacher in life she was adopted among the Solomani tale tellers especially those who liked crime fiction, and given that cognomen). It was planted in Caledonia where the Maples are often cultivated, having been originally drawn from a stock in Nova Scotia. Taken as a sapling by a Caledonian traveler on a years long voyage from his homeland it was replanted locally and was the foundation of a private orchard of the then Archducca and donated to the Commonwealth. It is affectionately known as Mother Maple and only taped on special occasions and syrup from it is beyond price. When the Commonwealth was signed, in the local manner it was "crowned" in the the ancient Terran Italian for "Empress Maple." This is not held to be true animism but allegory. It is common in many star nations to use an allegorical figure for the focus of allegiance to disguise the human frailties of living monarchs; Caledonians use King Arthur and many Sword Worlds use various Nordic heroes. In all cases most educated people know it as a legal convenience.

Mother Maple is said to be the guardian of ordered liberty analogous to the Boston Liberty Elm on Ancient Terra. For that reason an image of a leaf from Mother Maple is embossed on the Book of the Law (the Commonwealth Constitution). This is often a source of amusement in political cartoons; Mother Maple is often shown looking at politicians disapprovingly with the appearance of a sharp tongued schoolmarm.

Aslan on Stephenshold are happy enough to adjust to this idea which fits their feudal dispositions with a little imagination. To translate however into their political culture, they prefer to regard Mother Maple as "legally male".

Conveniently for the tidy-minded Mother Maple actually does produce female blooms.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I find myself thinking of the woman in one of Kipling's stories who was married to a fig tree.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I don't remember that. The idea came from the Boston Liberty Elm. That and that I think Maple trees are cool. And of course that "Acer" roles off the tongue well and is convenient for sci-fi place naming. Fig trees by the way were a favored "totem" among German Americans and can be seen etched on fireplaces as representations of prosperity.

Also I have sometimes played with the idea that a mythical persona might do a good job as constitutional monarch leaving the human monarch (if any) as an official regent. Some tribes do something similar as well as fossilized memories of those tribes (like MacDonalds, or MacLeods or the "Children" of Israel). It personalizes the Constitution without the embarrassment that a living king might have an affair with an American Divorcee or be to buddy-buddy with Nazis or other unfortunate things. The idea was that pledging allegiance to Mother Maple is an allegorical way to pledge allegiance to the law. Another example is St. Mark: for Venice. Mother Maple has some attributes of a patron saint rather than a monarch.

I should have said ultimate earthly fealty because I am picturing Italian style patronage webs influencing politics but that the Archducca is not sovereign but regent of the mythical Imperatrice. I edited thus.

By the way there is a local legend that ancestors sometimes come to guard their children or favored clients in the form of a domestic animal, or in this case a tree. This is simply an elaboration of that but needed some work including looking for Vilani sounding names (and using the fiction that the proper format was corrupted by cultural transmutation as I doubtless got the Vilani naming format wrong).

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Space Industry:

A tendency going back to the Ziru Sirku. As a planet becomes more mature and wealthy, and gains the wealth to support automatized and/or hazardous environment facilities it becomes common to place "less aesthetic" things on moons, outer planets, or even artificial outposts. This is an area where there are War Sats (robotic military outposts), comsats (datanet stations), navsats and beacons (comsats devoted to traffic), outports and prospecting camps. But there might also be intensive industry, mass mining, prison cities, etc. In such a situation the planet is returned to whatever the inhabitants consider aesthetic which might mean large wilderness areas, retro seeming architecture, or conversely, hyper-tech architecture with an ideal of beauty and/or comfort for the inhabitants rather than utilitarianism. In such a system the primary world is for living on and the outworlds for supporting it.

Adventure Seeds:

1. A free trader adventure within a system.

2. A ghost system contains a ruined labyrinthine structure rumored to contain the precious metal reserve of an extinct state and to have deadly security features (this is a dungeon crawl).

3. A tension between the inhabitants of the primary planet and the outworld. A good inspiration is Star Trek,"The Cloud Minders."

4. And related to 3. A classic cyberpunk in an ignored area of an industrial city under a dome. Ruled by a corporation, the government, the mafia, or Fill In Faceless Foe. In this ghetto area gangs clash over the leavings much like gulls or crows crowding around a restaurant. The PCs are high tech, mercs, bounty hunters, vigelantes, freedom-fighters, etc.

5. Whatever

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Interactive Drama:

This is an artistic media that came into fashion in the twentieth century (New Gregorian Calendar). In fact it has two sources. One is mass media including an oft-mocked show where a number of histrionic amateur actors in skimpy clothing are stranded on a desert island where they spend their time betraying one another. A more serious inspiration for interactive drama comes from a folkloric media popular among adolescents which involved meeting in the house of one and having adventures with the help of a computer or pen and ink. Modern interactive drama takes it's inspiration more from the later fortunately, and in technologically updated format it still exists.

However with the aid of technology it is now possible not only to simulate the adventure more gracefully but to do so in front of spectators either in real time or by recording. Because of this some PCs and gamemasters have become celebrities especially if they have an arousing and aesthetically pleasing physical appearance (an element of theater that has not changed), or some other striking attribute. Modern technology as well allows the simulation of not only the appearance but the gait of a given actor/actress.

Many governments are concerned with the possibility of citizens becoming addicted to this activity to the neglect of needful work (a curiously common fear through the ages). Communications firms meanwhile are concerned with maximizing profits. The usual compromise is to charge subscriptions; for instance a periodical might charge one price for the whole, one price for professional shows (usually subscribed to separately) and one to submit an amateur production or watch those of others. It is usually, of course, permissible for amateurs to gather privately on screen as a simple recreational activity, much as in some places gaming halls need licenses but private card playing does not.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Austin Tappen Wright's Islandia has a variant on that. A thousand years or so ago the then king of Islandia disappeared during a war. But they didn't have confirmation of his death, so someone stepped in as regent/acting king. And then somebody else succeeded them. And now, much, much later, Islandia has what amounts to a constitutional monarchy, where the original king is still considered to be missing rather than dead . . .

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

They will have to designate an heir to Mother Maple eventually. Maple trees live 100-400 years.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Not necessarily. They can preserve the dead tree in a museum.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Imperial Office of Holidays

This is an interesting little cluster of anthropologists and economists has the job of analyzing and "improving" holidays. Holidays are powerful ideas. The 3I wants to see which ideas are being promoted.

The Office was started when an Imperial anthropologist noticed that the ancient American holiday of July Fourth was celebrated on large numbers of worlds settled from the USA. Most of these worlds also celebrated Lincoln and Washington's birthdays. The anthropologist showed the holidays helped keep the ideals of democracy and a deep hostility towards the Nobility. She recommended gently but firmly discouraging these holidays and replacing them with holidays that promoted the values of the 3I. She also suggested that making sure the new holidays were profitable to the planets economic elites would aide in the replacement of unwanted holidays.

For PCs, the Office of Holidays is a patron that pays you to go to parties and festivals. You could be sent to understand what makes Holiday A so much fun, in order to export it. Meanwhile, learning anything about Holiday B that could be used to kill it.

The heightened emotionalism of holidays and festivals make for drama. Drama that can hook in the PCs.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Largesse: It is naturally assumed in many cultures that nobility will devote themselves to largesse. In some cases this is institutionalized: for instance among Aceri there is a state subsidy specifically for this purpose (with regular audits and payment into the noble's privy purse as a reward for successful projects). This is considered to some degree a substitute for welfare as it is often used for projects that gain public approval like poor relief and education and it is believed this dispenses with heavy bureaucracy and allows private initiative.

On Caledonia it is common to cultivate trees of Terran origin. The maples of Caledonia are famous and the syrup and other products are widely exported as are transplant saplings. Cedar is often grown too for their scent as they are in the Sword Worlds (the famously gendered Swordies consider sylvan scents masculine and floral feminine). Though Caledonian Cedar often has the cachet of expensive imports among Swordies. Siviculture is indeed considered a noble form of agriculture as it often requires many years and an orchard that takes decades before being productive is a loss rate many businessfolk cannot afford but nobles with a heritable fund can. Furthermore doing long term projects is widely considered a very fitting economic and social niche for a segment of society whose chief selling point (and unfortunately on many planets, ONLY selling point), is simply providing long lineages.

Often too, whole miniature ecologies are cultivated. The chief export of Stephenshold besides soldiers are pastoral and agricultural but especially pastoral products. Aside from mass moneymakers like beef, Stephenshold exports fine horseflesh, hunting hounds, raptors for sport and Persian Chetahs. As with siviculture in a lot of cases the point is the same: nobles have the time to maintain ecological networks (thus planetology is a noble occupation). This is similar to the Sword Worlds. While a yeoman is most a man if he is a small farmer, a Jarl will idealy have a whole private ecology of his own.

Historic buildings are widely favored. Inns and other hospitality establishments are often noble occupations in many places and the older and more revered the establishment, the more likely it is to be maintained by a noble. Artistic projects are common with patronage given to favored artists. Among the Aceri it is the peculiar custom to endow funds for artistic or intellectual contests of various kinds. The peculiarity is that there is an entry fee for just providing proof that someone has done a reasonable amount of work. The idea is that to often art becomes to much a zero-sum game from the fact that demand actually goes to a small number of artists, but making it possible for mediocre artists to get along just by trying will reinforce the tradition.

Largesse is a highly regarded activity of aristocrats in the Imperium and beyond. It is good for propaganda of course and just plain good anyway, and puts the privileges of the class to socially beneficial uses. While most aristocracies idealize military service, and some idealize trade while others despise it, no one has objections to largesse. Even aristocracies that maintain brutal and anachronistic systems like tax farming or serfdom, are likely to have largesse as a brighter side.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Restricted games.

This is a custom of exploiting athletic events for revenue production. Tournaments will be restricted to restricted attendees often the entourage of a given state's cultural atache.

The purpose of this is to allow the games to be taped and released to the public in a controlled manner. Auctioning the right of broadcast provides revenue and incidentally provides gaming halls a soft incentive to abide by licensing requirements.

Adventures can involve sneaking into games to get an illegal recording, being hijacked on the courier carrying the recording, government intrigue around a tournament, underworld intrigue around a tournament (insert joke about similarity), etc.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Artemis Hall:

When the first Lunar Base on the South Pole of Luna was built, it was first a lone outpost. This evolved into Aldrin City. When artificial environment technology was satisfactory and transport regular enough to make luxuries available, Artemis Hall was built. This was a simple Cafe, Bar, and Diner. It's fare was attractive and became better recommended as time went on. It was also know for such gimmicks as a low-grav gymnasium.

As the owner grew prosperous he built Artemis Palace, a first class hotel. Later after the conquest of Nusku, Artemis Tower was built exploiting not only the friendly environment but the possibilities of grav archetecture.

Unfortunately the overhead outgrew the demand and the original owners were bankrupted. The chain was then purchased by a Terran public/private corporation to provide liberty for merchant and naval officers.

The original Artemis Hall, Artemis Palace, and Artemis Tower are still there, kept as cultural treasures. All three have had reproductions elsewhere in known space. Under Imperial Law a cultural landmark is trademarked and reproductions have to be licensed. As the original owner is not available to claim the official owner is the Emperor and as with other similar historic sites permission can be requested of the appropriate local noble.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Dataforest:

A term invented by the Nuskan social philosopher Dr. Enli Johnson during the Interstellar Wars era. It comes of the realization that the advent of modern computers made it no longer possible to separate packages of data as conveniently as when they were bound by the constraints of such mediums as paper. For instance any new literary production could have not only internal links but links with material outside it's supposed borders and they were mechanically indistinguishable. Enli used the analogy of an ecology, or of a family based society where the border between one family and another is arbitrary and imposed by custom as everyone is technically related. He distinguished from the concept of cyberspace (whatever name it went under on a given world), by accepting all media as part of the data forest not just electronic, and all genres, not distinguishing between fiction and nonfiction or the different genres of each in this regard. However Enli also created the useful concept of a "datagrove", which is material said to share the same characteristics such as sharing an author or publisher. The datagrove system is a matter of convenience as there are different ways to classify; for instance author X may declare two clusters of works that happen to be linked as one datagrove or two (and sometimes patent law specifies that, giving the author control over filing). Another common usage is the works of an author as published on one planet or another, or different publishers of the same author.

The custom has remained in place over the ages in libraries across the stars as it was so obviously useful. It remains a technique to give order as websurfers jump seemlessly from one publication to another.

Another metaphor used by Enli was the "databurg" and using "datahalls" in place of the sylven analogy.

Not coincidently it is common for the net on many worlds to create use an screen image of either a forest or a city as a representation of the navigation of cyberspace. Sometimes both images are used.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Web subscription:

Many worlds charge for the use of the web. Sometimes it is a state imposed tax for the straightforward purpose of gaining revenue. At other times it is similar to a luxury tax, or a tax on narcotics:it is meant to discourage immoderate use of something felt to be ambiguously moral or potentially addictive, or distracting from fruitful labor. Alternatively some governments are constitutionally forbidden to tax the datanet or bound to tax impartially to limit the infringing on free exchange of information. This has caused ideological conflict in many worlds.

Another source of subscription is the servers themselves who often charge ordinary users as well as advertisers, sometimes charging more for given sites. One of the services often paid for is secrecy. There are many ways to do this from elaborate cryptography, to roundabout series of cash transfers to paying in solid currency (some users go to the point of wearing a disguise when they do so; covert operatives are of course stereotyped as doing so but there are plenty of ordinary users who do).

On worlds with an elaborate code of hospitality, guarding a users secrecy is considered a point of honor. This is notably the case on Tizon.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

This reminds me of a forward to a copy of Utopia that I used to have. Thomas Moore wrote that book at about the time when scholarship was bringing to be organically changed by the sheer number of printed books. Ordinary merchants could own libraries as large as monasteries had held in Anglo-Saxon times. The whole business of various authors writing notes about their meetings with Raphael Hytholay (a fictional character) is a game about intertexuality. The same thing you're talking about.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Clan Champions part 2:

In Stephenshold and Athena/Hecate dueling is legal (on Athena/Hecate it is legally limited to non-lethal weapons, usually a shock rod or fierah wielded as whip, but in the more Aslanish Stephenshold no such limit extends and the prevailing style is dewclaw/aloi). In both polities champions are an institution. They possess an analogy to Legal Enforcement Powers.

Designated Clan champions are limited to fighting in Clan quarrels similar to other places. However supporting lesser status, and less well trained clan members is one of the duties of gentry. This could sometimes include entering the lists on a clanfellows behalf especially if there is an anomaly like a dispute between a freeperson (the word commoner is not PC here) and another member of the gentry, or if there is simply a disparity in training.
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Code Duello Caledonia:

Dueling in the Principality of Caledonia is less common than it used to be but still very much exists. The code is fairly traditional. The weapons for gentry are normally either the great claymore (two-handed) or the small claymore (a basket hilted version of the Italian side sword, usually paired with a shield, cloak, parrying rod, and/or dirk in the left hand). For commoners the normal weapon is the quarterstaff or the shillelagh. Fighting between gentry and commoners is permitted-it is considered that doing otherwise would make status an excuse to insult with impunity-but the weapon choice is a compromise and conventions vary. Armor, that is worn rather than carried in the off hand, is forbidden unlike in sporting contests. Caledonian Aslan of course fight in their traditional manner and many humans learn the Ayloi and fight Aslan fashion.

As all Caledonians have honor to lose or gain, the main limiting customs about who may give challenge to whom are common sense ones. Minors cannot fight adults obviously. Some categories of employment are forbidden to fight by the nature of their office such as churchmen or judiciary officials. Active duty military, constabulary and emergency services personal cannot fight someone above or below them in a chain of command and no one can give challenge to an officer of the law in the rightful performance of his duties.

There is usually two seconds and an umpire. They negotiate the terms of the contest beforehand and the umpire enforces them. This process is actually fairly quick, for the location is fairly well known; some settlements even maintain a traditional dueling ground, usually somewhere where a lawman will be a long time coming and have an excuse not to hurry. The umpire is the only one allowed a firearm: pistols are not at all fashionable for dueling in Caledonia, though target shooting is a popular sport.

Legally, dueling has an equivalent status of manslaughter with the escape clause "at the court's discretion". What that means in practice is that generally duelists are likely to be given no more than a nominal punishment. The law is meant not so much to forbid dueling but gamesmanship. If someone does something the court considers beyond the bounds of propriety-like using a deliberate provocation to try to turn it into a respectable form of assassination rather than a means for free citizens to settle their quarrels-the court will usually punish to the fullest extent.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Electronic feudalism:

Because of the tendency toward cybercrime and similar dangers protection webs have evolved on the data net to imitate the ones in solid space. Often they have the same persons: gentry and nobles often maintain cyberwarfare specialists in their retinue and some of these have the status of huscarls. They also often maintain a warrior like CoH. Another provision nobles can afford is specialized hardware and software for the purpose. Discounts on tribute are also often given to nearby neighbors or other lower status people with "friends and family" type connections.

Among Aslan this service naturally extends to clan members and members of allied, vassal, and liege clans. Usually the one in charge is the KO's consort, Dowager, or female sibling, and cyberwarfare specialists are usually female: males usually only learn cyberwarfare as a secondary aspect to such male skills as starship weaponry rather than as a specialty.

Traditionally a user will pay a protector to do such things as create defenses and launch attacks on intruders. This can be paid for in cash but is also often paid for by service. Obvious services include contributing reciprocally to a protector's defense of his clients for instance by cooperating in a DDOS upon a particular offender, or simply by assisting in maintenance. Sometimes the pay will be in service in solid space such as delivering goods to a gentlesophant's home or office.

The result of this system as in solid space is a system of rules to keep cyberwarfare from getting out of hand, analogous to the bloodless rustling contests of pastoral peoples. These are enforced by traditions of compensation and threat of retaliatory sabotage which can turn into a web feud. Again mirroring solid space.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Tree symbolism:

Due to their fondness for invoking Celtic and post-celtic legend Caledonians have a symbolism around trees. Noble families, clans, guilds, and cities have trees as symbols (a custom that has exported to other peoples) and sites for ceremonies. In the days of warlordism, the violent overthrow of a dynasty was emphasized by the cutting down, and burning of a tree an event still memorialized in elections and rugby tournaments where a pole bearing the standard of a rival is first set up than cut down to the accompaniment of much in the matter of whiskey.

Another symbol is the use of the leaves. The first copy of important political, legal or religious document is often written on solid paper made from the leaves of trees from a noted orchard-the greater the status of the trees the greater the status of the document. Likewise any book that is expected to be produced in an artistic fashion (such as a project by the Guild of Illuminators) is likely to have such treatment. Connoisseurs talk of this the way the wine connoisseurs talk of vineyards.

Note: The company Releaf Paper specializes in producing paper from fallen leaves in real life.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Dewclaw Heraldry:

Aslan have differing customs regarding their dewclaws. While some clans consider it a point of pride to go bare clawed, others have various types of decoration. Some paint it red-the associations are obvious. Others have stripes. One popular method is to use micro heraldry. Implants made to fit the claw or the thumb are also popular and a skilled surgeon can make sure the cavity regrows to keep it from interfering with the use of a dewclaw as a weapon or tool (Aslan use dewclaws as ad-hoc screwdrivers for assembling and disassembling small arms, and other such tasks). The implant usually contains something appropriately martial like an Aslan saga or a role of the warrior's ancestors, or the name of an enemy slain in battle. Some Aslan tape sparring sessions and have their best performances placed in a dataholder.

This fashion is of course mainly common among Aslan from hi-tech societies, such as Caledonian, Imperial, or Darrian Aslan.

Another variation is to use the claw as a place to wear decorations on formal occasions. This is common in the Hierate and the Imperial Aslan Guard regularly issues dewclaw rings as regimental honors.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Parole:

According to the Imperial Rules of War a parole is a bond signed by a prisoner or detainee to allow limited freedom. The limits of it vary. An open ended parolee is allowed to return to his home country as long as he does not bear arms against the captor or a specified ally of the captor until ransomed or exchanged. This by the way is a loophole sometimes used to allow the bearing of arms against a cobelligerant of the captor; indeed captors have been known to use this as a silent way to diddle a cobelligerant they disliked or sweeten a proposed future negotiation with an enemy. Stricter paroles can resemble house arrest with the parolee obliged to remain within a certain radius or be interned by a third party such as a neutral nation or the Imperium, or a repatriation bond broker. The more lenient types of parole are usually given to nobles or other well known prisoners who cannot use anonymity to hide.

Civilian enemy nationals caught by the outbreak of hostilities are usually paroled but confined to a radius until exchanged. Diplomats receive a different sort of parole. Usually their embassy or consulate is quarantined but retains extraterratorial rights as long as the parent government exists. This is to allow diplomatic personal to broker their national interest on the other countries soil in wartime, and to open truce negotiations. However the strict quarantine is there to prevent it being an espionage base and diplomats under such circumstances can only communicate with authorized mediators (among which counts such mundane things as suppliers of foodstuffs). Violators of such "diplomatic parole" lose their immunity and can be interned.

Breaking parole counts as perfidy in the Imperial Rules of War and is punishable as such up to and including capital punishment depending on the aggravation or mitigation of the instance. If a Parole breaker is sheltering in an Imperial starport pursuers can sue for extradition, unlike with escaped PWs and other war refugees who are usually given asylum so long as they do not use Imperial territory as a base for active operations. The biggest penalty for parole breaking is often social rather than legal at least for members of the ruling class. A successful parole violator is usually not worth the trouble to pursue in an Imperial court but is likely to be given the same pariah status of any oathbreaker.

Parole negotiation tends to be handled by lawyers and diplomats specializing in such matters, usually the same ones as handle repatriation bonds, ransom and exchange, mercenary contracts, prizes and other lawful plunder, and in general matters having to do with relations between belligerents.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Alabaster Tales:

A series of tales purported to have been told in the "Alabaster Palace" during the Long Night. While some of the details of it were revealed the planet of origin is not. It is said that the palace was once owned by a forgotten monarch and while part was abandoned one wing was converted to the use of passing captains as a hotel. The operating wing is described in detail as are the drinks and food there. Little is said about the rest of the palace except that it is labyrinthine and possibly haunted and little is said about the mysterious planet except that it is inhabited by barbarians and covered with impassible wilderness. The Alabaster Palace was purportedly on a stopping point of trade fleets and it's prestige was so much that the starport it sits on was named after it.

The collection includes Old Spacer's Tales, poetry, jokes, recipes and number of stories set in the Palace itself, usually of the mystery or fantastic sort all told by the familiar vehicle of putting them into the mouths of characters. Different readers naturally have different favorites and some became folkheroes. The drink and food details are realistic enough and they have been copied in many a fashionable establishment. The Palace itself has had theme establishments made on many worlds but though local copyright may apply it is in public domain in Imperial law.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Infinite Cycle: a collection of tales by an unknown group of authors about transdimensional travel and intrigue between rival groups. The original writer wrote as a memoirs under what he claims to be a false identity under what he claims to have been an attempt to avoid being forcibly silenced. Other writers add to that. As with many such collections some claim them to be real and others Old Spacers Tales.


Anthony Venier: A famous philosopher, poet, author, and merchant. Born in a free trading family he grew up and spent his whole life in the free trading lifestyle. In dull moments aboard he spent his time writing on a multitude of subjects and became well-known.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

MOOD HAIR

Basically a cross between mood rings and Animae Hair. Highly fashionable in certain strata of Society. Many an ultra chic social gathering is simply closed to those without MOOD HAIR. Just have the PCs stuck with having MOOD HAIR. It could be part of their Livery for serving a high noble. It could be part of a disguise for passing in High Society. It could also be a simple necessity for negotiating contracts with certain nobles.

MOOD HAIR gives the wearer the EASY TO READ disadvantage. Anyone interacting with someone with MOOD HAIR has substantial bonuses to skills like Detect Lies.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Love this.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Equestrian Guild of Stephenshold:

The most prestigious guild for the interests of animal sports and pastimes in the Confederation of Acer. As the name indicates it specializes in racing and any other entertainment involving horses. In the Confederation a guild is not a political institution per se though it has the right to sponsor a political campaign or to lobby as does any individual or corporate body. Rather it is a mutual interest group providing such needs as education, advertising, insurance, benefits for dependants and such perks as ceremony and members only clubs and gift shops.

The Equestrian Guild's prestige is reflected by the fact that Stephenshold having been largely terraformed with an eye to inviting Aslan as military colonists contains much plains-type country fit for the breeding of hooved animals. Horses are regarded by both Humaniti and Aslan citizens as noble animals. Chiefs and Aristocrats of Stephenshold and as well as those of Yeoman and Freefolk status pay contributions for membership for themselves or their kin and an apprenticeship is highly sought after. Given Stephenshold's reason for being, Veterans and their dependents are naturally given discounts. However many of the Guild's horsemen have their career interrupted by service needs. To compensate many Stephensholders have grown up all their lives with beasts and are skillful riders before said interruption. A career in horsemanship is often sought by both Aslan and Humans for the benefit of spare children if land is not available, and sometimes even if it is. The ranking system starts as apprentice, and several ranks of journeymen up to the Council of Archons (in Aceri usage, Archon is a senior guild officer rather than a clan head as in Imperial usage; the later position is Capo Albergho formaly and semiformally whatever culture memory a clan desired to invoke). Naturally enough the Rajah of Stephenshold is Archon Basileus or honorary guildmaster. Specialties occupations are recorded after the rank, for instance Apprentice or Journeyman exercise rider and Journeyman jockey.

The Equestrian Guild is dedicated to the welfare of animals, workers, and owners. It is also dedicated to the welfare of spectators including the maintaining of fair play for handicappers. To that end copious databases are maintained and a periodical published.

Among the sports sponsored by the Guild are classic speed racing, endurance-and-orienteering, and harness racing. There is no official distinction between Human and Aslan participants but naturally the later tend to lean toward heavy mounts or harness racing, while humans by necessity have a monopoly on the lighter classes. The favorite horse breed in the light to medium classes is the Golden Appaloosa descended from a cross between Ancient North American Appoloosas and Asian steepe horses. All events are viewed by drone camera and recorded but the most notable are not publically released before a certain date to allow them to be sold at auction to concessions with a gaming license. These same events do not allow viewers to make recordings with private equipment until release date but the lack of obvious rectitude in this department is a rather fossilized joke on Stephenshold.

Stephenshold's equestrian displays have drawn tourists from far abroad. Stephenshold has also sent both horses and jockeys offworld to compete several subsectors away.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Istoioiaih:

This is a generic term for a meeting or moot. In some contexts it means merely a philosopher's club. But it has political implications. It often refers to the board of a corporation or the elders of a clan. In the later case it is seldom a body equal to the chief executive or head of state as in the human usage because of their inclination toward hierarchy and patriarchy. When an istoiiyarl has such power it is often from living close to human allies. Rather it is better described as a wittanagemot or a privy council.

One variant of this that is more decentralized is an Istoioiaihko. This is a meeting of the chiefs on a single world or in a multi-world polity or their plenipotentaries. This can be for various purposes such as settling disputes (including administering prearranged fights) or setting general policy. When Aslan share a polity with other sophants they often refer to the legislature or royal council or similar body as an "Istoioiah". For instance Caledonian Aslan refore to the House of Lords as the Istoioiahko, and the Deputies and Senate as Isotoiah Fiy and Istoiah Hahea respectively. It is to be noted that educated Aslan know both the names of such bodies in human languages and their political significance. They simply customarily translate them among themselves.

The Istoiaih of highest prestige among all Aslan is of course the Tlauku.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Imperial Gendarme Corps:

These are paramilitary police raised by the Colonial office but seconded at need to the Imperial Army or to planetary forces. They are trained specially in counterinsurgency and peacekeeping duties, disaster relief, the training of provincial forces and the like. They are chiefly meant to be used on newly acquired worlds but also conduct interventions at request of planetary governments, sometimes simply to train local emergency services. Their size has waxed and waned but they are still in demand for the grey line where war, law enforcement and natural disaster cannot be distinguished from one another. Naturally given the nature of their mission they can be highly controversal but they are looked on with high respect by other services. Not always love for they are sometimes used to discipline the military service itself in stressful situations such as urban warfare in which Gendarme troops have not only been used for mopping up but for such chores as guarding captured property and prisoners, and preventing atrocities by less well-trained friendly planetary troops. There is also quite naturally a rivalry between Gendarmes and the organic military police of the Imperial Army and Navy. Gendarmes however differ from MPs in that they are intended to police an entire Area of Operations while MP's police primarily their own services. The Gendarme Corps therefore has a more elaborate organization.

The Gendarmes are organized in Divisions, Seafleets, and Airfleets. They also have cadre units for training and leading friendly colonials. For heavy weapons they are expected to depend on the army, navy, and marines for the most part (a Gendarme's job after all is largely to keep big guns from being fired off in the first place). However they do have light artillery and have been known to rig the construction equipment they do have as ad-hoc artillery platforms.

The template of a Gendarme will be closest to that of a Military Policeman with modifications. Engineer's are also suited as are medics; much of their job is just cleaning the mess in places where people have taken it into their heads to shoot at each other. A Gendarme on duty will potentially have high Legal Enforcement Powers-there will be times to detain first and ask questions later.

The job is intended to be flexible. One can play them as Mounty-like frontier cops, or vicious enforcers. Or somewhere in between.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Goldtower:

A nation-world in the Ventral Salient Sector, and Farventral subsector (note that is NOT in the canon map: it is to GSouth of it) of the Spinward Marches.

Goldtower gets it's name from the pyramid which is the ceremonial capital of the state. It is built of limestone painted to give the illusion of being built of gold.

The society is a mix of Solomani, Vilani, and an offshoot minority of the Luriani nomadic caste. Much of it's structure has a loose resemblance to the classic Vilani model with some alterations.

The High Council which heads the government comprise the "three corners": the millers, the traders and the guardians, which correspond ROUGHLY to the Vilani Bureaux and the "Capstone" (the head of state and ceremonial Grand Judiciar), hence the pyramid metaphor. The senior corner at a national level are the Guardians but that is not the same for the provinces. The social organization is based on "Lees" (a corruption of the Vilani "Li") which are usually lodges of a few hundred with an elected headman and several aides). Each Lee is an economic, social, and political body with an emphasis on the economic aspect and has a primary vassalship to the corner which reflects it's main product. The larger Lees are those who need to have a cohesive organization of a larger number of personal, such as large factories or mines, and regiments in the army, or crews of large merchant or naval vessels. As in ancient Vland Lees are interconnected by arranged apprenticeships though there is a closer connection between the birth family and the family raising the child: in many ways it resembles the Terran institution of godfather.

Tangential to the corners and capstone are the nobility. Nobility are ranked in gentry, nobles, and high nobles. High nobles are the patrons of a coalition of Lees which form an approximation of a business or political enterprise. They inherit by the third child of a lawful primary spouse (polygamy is practiced among much of the nobility but secondary consorts and unacknowledged partners do not count toward this without special dispensation) in Vilani fashion assuming the heir is not disqualified by incompetence or corruption. Each noble family maintains a family fief (which is seldom alienated) as well as it's business enterprise (which can be alienated simply by not reproducing three children). Nobles are from great families waiting in the wings and a noble family can rise to High Noble status several times. Gentry are roughly the same as Imperial Knights and Baronets, holders of rewards for achievement which can be hereditary. Each head of a High noble family is vassal to the corner most reflective of the primary business of his coalition and liege to a collection of Lees on a similar basis though Corners often loan Lees appropriate to need: for instance it is common for a miller or trader coalition to have Guardian Lees as security guards, a miller coalition to have trader Lees to carry goods to market, and so on. At the provincial level there is a repeat of the pyramid imagery but the senior corner reflects the nature of the provinces economy, historic traditions, etc.

Solomani and Luriani minorities though they use the structure of Lees, nobles and pyramids politically, in other aspects tend to apply their own cultural traditions. Solomani tend to culturally dominate the Naval and to some degree the intersteller merchant shipping business (in fealty to the Guardians and Traders respectively) and Luriani the luxury trade (in fealty to the Millers).

Goldtower is noted for it's connection with the Otherside route, a shipping route leading by relays to an unknown source outside of known space. Through this they import high technology goods to sell to the Imperium and the Consulate. Locally they are known for their production of perfume and fine wines as well as textiles.

Their army uses a regimental structure similar to the Imperium with each regiment of several field battalions and a depot battalion. Divisions are administrative structures and composed of four brigades in a nod to Vilani tradition. Each brigade is of nine battalions to allow flexibility. Traditionally they are grouped in tribattalions but in practice battalions are transferred at the commander's will. The most notable part of the army are the gendarme divisions which are trained in small operations, counterinsurgency and disaster relief similar to the missions assigned Imperial Gendarmes and employed where needed in client states in the subsector. The navy consists of Battle Fleet (Capital Ships) and Light Fleet (small ships), each divided into combat fleets and subunits of such. The most colorful part of the defense establishment however is the Legion which apes the aesthetics of the ancient Vilani Legion of the Frontier. However it is not a penal unit and more in the nature of a "foreign legion." It includes, Human, Aslan, and Vargr mercenaries and has considerable distinction in combat.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Escrow Bonds:

With the development of space travel and complicated contracts held many jumps distance the custom of escrow has increased in elaboration many times over. There are similar customs from primitive times in most of the major races and many minor ones but it they never became as fully developed as in modern ones.

In such cases a bond is traditionally left with a third party to a promised amount, sometimes in electronic currency, sometimes in solid curency, rarely in specie. A fee is paid to the third party. The possibilities are endless about when when a forfeiture can be claimed. For instance some bonds gather interest if a ship is overdue leaving an obvious option to simply leave it in the bank and claim it when it would most profit-or would most please the debtholder's malice as the case may be.

Aristocrats in many societies actually pledge hostages for escrow in treaties. This practice is discouraged in the Imperium but not precisely forbidden; however hostages must give oath that they submit of their own free will. The practice is very common among both Aslan and Vargr outside the Imperium however.

Another feature of some bonds is the ability to sell to a party uninvolved in the original contract. When this is done it works in a manner analogous to an Option.

By the way I got this idea rereading the first volume of Vattas War where Ky Vatta bought a rival firm's defaulted contract.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Table of Ranks

This is a simple computer program (simple by the standards of the 3I) that sorts out the relative standing of Nobles in the 3I. Example: Some Dukes that are Dukes on their world but not Imperial Dukes would be seen as minor figures from the boondocks whose standing is somewhere below a knight but above a commoner. However, certain worlds have either more clout or simply greater prestige in the 3I. A non-imperial Duke from a world like that might be the equal of an Imperial Baronet or even a Baron.

The Table of Ranks is an essential tool for merchants and diplomats.