Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Wurlana:

The language of the Wurlana (nomadic Luriani) unique to their ethnicity and different even from that of other Lurriani. Like many trade-nomads they were at one time traditionally multilingual due to the common desire to have one language for business and another undecypherable by outsiders. This need has long fallen by the wayside with the ability to text in modern computers making any further form of encryption superfluous. Nontheless Wurlana as well as Ganglic and other languages is taught to Wurlana children for the sake of tradition.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Masked Balls

Because of the strict rules of status and decorum in many parts of the Imperium, Masked Balls and Carnival-like festivals are highly popular. The social anonymity is highly seductive. Many acts of espionage and intrigue use these balls as a cover. Many people looking to disappear do so at these festivals.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Sabotage feuds:

Because of the uneasy balance between the state and the clans feuding remains a possibility but seldom rises to lethal level. However sabotage both cyber and solid space is a real possibility. Technically perps are punished as individuals. However any chief that lets one of his own go to the gallows for him risks being deposed, thus making it unlikely that he will order a hit. Likewise no clan wants to depend solely on mercenaries for its defense and offense. A substitute is the use of sabotage. If directed at a rival clan's business facilities the penalty will usually be in money, which of course is fungible and therefore any raider unfortunate enough to be caught by the constabulary is remitted by his own clan.

The feuds consist of repeated raids back and forth. The police are usually thought of as a third party; while complaining to the police directly is considered bad form, luring a rival into a position where he can be arrested is a grand coup.

This rather refined sort of feuding does not apply with outsiders especially those that are likely to pose a real threat(such as pirates and bandits and their supporters). In such cases deadly force is often used according to the rule of "Hot Trod" whereby any given clan can claim self-defense if the response is within a maximum time after the attack, subject to review.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Victors stål Fureteg:

Like as not I have something of the kind elsewhere as I have thought of it a long time ago. But I don't want the boredom of searching, so...

Founded by Njal Bjornson of the planet Tizon Victors stål is known for making quality cutlery. Founded in an acknowledged homage, each product still retains the heraldric Helvetian Cross logo of it's original namesake, modified by a reverse-v shaped background of an intersecting crossbow and halberd. It is like the earlier version most famous for it's multitools but also makes large survival knives and it's own version of the Sword Worlder Seax favored for uses where a machete would be used in the Imperium. Aside from it's knives it produces a large number of other survival equipment as well as ordinary cooking cutlery and indeed any purpose for which one might need a sharp blade. It has a strong reputation outside the Sword Worlds and a long standing contract with Chandlers LIC, but it's products might be found in any outfitting shop.

Njal in his youth spent many years in the Confederation Patrol and learned to appreciate good tools both for shipboard repair, and dirtside bushcraft. On his death he left an endowment to bereaved dependents of patrol personal. Victors stål is of course a popular source of equipment for the Patrol, and many a Patrol spacer keeps one of this company's knifes in his locker.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Note, I mentioned Wise Otters before somewhere in the past, but I wanted to do a little development of them.

Wise Otters:

A rare minor race found on a small number of partially aquatic worlds. They have a behavior and appearance that has been compared(loosely) to Terran sea otters, though being about the size of a Terran cat. Like the above these they have a natural pouch for carrying but having more dexterous forepaws(if not as much as the human hand)they are capable of using a greater number of sophisticated tools both of their own manufacture and of sophants they interact with; Victors stål has made a line of Ottertools for this purpose, often with an emphasis on hooks for opening shellfish or folding tools, and prongs for picking up sea life. Like humans they are omnivorous but they have a decided emphasis on aquatic animals, and some settlements cultivate chiefly for the manufacture of such tools as bait, lines, and nets.

Wise Otters live near shore. They normally live in clannish societies based on kinship and favor trading. They have most of the concepts that are recognizable in sophants including religion, philosophy, politics, hierarchy, property and trade including money, aesthetics, agriculture, and warfare. Unlike humans they apply their native genius less to toolmaking and more to ecology and have a highly developed array of disciplines regarding tending the life in the shallow waters they live in. Some humans idealize this trait but they are as apt to use it to exploit their environment as for aesthetic purpose. They however make a point of exploiting their environment efficiently and replacing what they take, as well as increasing the local productiveness. They are seldom as ambitious as humans to say the least, and internal quarrels take the form of disputes over prestige, mates, territory, property, and so on, or simply the suppression of the occasional criminal or insane that does not fit the normal pattern of such motives. The causes of quarrels would in fact be familiar to humans; it is the frequency, or rather lack thereof that is different. Wise Otters do not initiate high intensity warfare(though they may take part if a military campaign ends up in their neighborhood, or they may hire on as members of another race's military) nor do they indulge in constant war. Rather they engage in skirmishing between clans until one clan has had enough and the issue is settled by agreement. While they seldom are actual citizens of a polity controlled by another race, they often form alliances. It is common for instance for them to make an alliance with a fishing community. They might also serve specialized roles for large port cities; they have been known to be recruited for maritime rescue teams for instance.

Like Terran otters they have a playful streak however to much cannot be made of this. They have their own aesthetic ideals. They enjoy music and poetry and have their own traditions in this regard. They also have elaborate aquatic dances. Storytelling they have a great fondness for and can appreciate some tales from other races. They do not really understand the Human and Aslan propensity for tales of experiences that would be extremely unpleasant in real life and have few counterparts to epic, adventure, or horror, or similar genre. They do enjoy contests of wits or physical prowess as long as they do not involve to much hardship, and thus enjoy stories of hunting or fishing, or sports, or even indoor games. They also enjoy tales of romance and friendship and many a human romantic comedy has gone down well. Simple humor is well known among them and a skilled comedian can gain great fame.

Their small size has made for problems with the propensity of even friendly humans to keep carnivorous animals as pets or working beasts. A common procedure is to put a security fence to keep errant beasts out of otter territory. It is also known to give special training to local animals or to put surgical implants in them or genetic surgery.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Flying Mounts


Bioengineered animals meant to be ridden though the skies are poular. Most are fragile in both physical and mental health. If a better base stock for genetic engineers to work with, those who find these animals and bring in the best foundation stock, would be richly rewarded. Of course such large flying animals would be a vast pain to catch and transport alive and in good health.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Sounds like good racing stock.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Golden Appaloosa:

A breed used used on Joyeusse rivaling the famed
Sword World miniphant as a local symbol. Descended from crossbreeding between the North American Appaloosa horse and the Central Asian Akhal-Teke (known for the golden sheen of it's skin)* it is used in for ranching and other work when mechanization is not available or not preferable as well as in equestrian atheletics. Known for it's endurance capacity and it's tell-tale leopard spots descended from it's ancestry it is a national symbol of the the planet.

Controversy extends as to how it arrived. Some say embryos were carried with the first immigrant voyages, and others that Hertugs imported horseflesh from Terra to bolster their image long after settlement was assured .


*The Nez Perce actually do have a project of importing Akhal-Tekes to breed to their Appaloosa stock.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

That one of the uses. The Imperials also talk about "The Sport of Kings."

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Imperial Education Ministry

This ministry, in alliance with the Ministry of Culture, works to create a unified galactic culture. They don't bother trying to set the educational standards for everyone. A unified working class culture would only benefit Ine Givar. The IEM works to build and sustain a unified educational curriculum for the Nobility and the other elites of the Imperium. Such a curriculum creates a common language for the leaders of society. The IEM also works to make sure that the nobility get a somewhat better and more adaptable education. So that nobles simply seem smarter and more worthy.

The IEM also works to limit educational opportunities for those seen as a threat to the 3I. Also, certain ideas are keep out of circulation or in circulation according to their usefulness. The idea that "It's a proven fact democracy can't work on a galactic scale." is in point of fact unproved. However, keeping everybody of importance believing that it is a proven fact that democracy can't work keeps Ine Givar a fringe movement and keeps the masses willing to make sacrifices to sustain a system that marginalizes them. The Imperial Educational Ministry wants everybody to learn the lessons that suit their station in life. And especially those that keep them in that station.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

To be honest it is hard for me to see how there can be democracy on that level. Indeed I really can't see how it is possible above the level of a town meeting. Having a hybrid is a different manner. But the general rule is oligarchy with a greater or lesser degree of public consent or at least indifference. In any case the Imperium seems to me to be a functional constitutional monarchy by virtue of the fact that the Emperor has only a mortal's attention span. At least that is the way I put it IMTU.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The 3I lives by certain myths. If you remove the myth of galactic democracy being impossible, then democracy ceases to be a fringe belief. Whether or not democracy could work on that scale, the Imperium fears the chaos hope might bring.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

There really needs to be an Ine Givar sourcebook for Traveller. They're the rebels most likely to be sympathetic enough to be played as heroic NPCs or PCs. The Third Imperium has to be worried about them in much the same way early 19th century Britain was about the USA.

The only champions of galactic democracy need their sourcebook!

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

In reading about the Vilani, I noticed that they were often described in terms that reminded me of 18th century descriptions of China. Not detail for detail, but they very much seem to fit within a Western fantasy about a superior other that maintains an enviable social control in a rational manner. A very common Enlightenment fantasy, look at Gulliver's Brobdingnag for an example that's easy to find.

Realizing how much Traveller is Brits in Space and how the British Raj influences the setting in it's view of aliens, it occued to me that taking Chinese cultural features and using them in the 3I fits perfectly well.

The Third Imperium needs to maintain the myth that Democracy is impossible. China has a long tradition of maintaining the same Fantasy. Chinese culture, with its refined elegance and long duration would be highly attractive in the Imperium.

Besides, the people of China would have been among those most likely to immigrate to the Vilani worlds during the Rule of Man and both most likely to retain their own culture and most likely to get along with the Vilani and understand where they are coming from.

Chinese cultural forms should be commonplace all over the Third Imperium. Just imagine what a British Raj of China would be like and snag those cultural forms.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I noticed the Chinese resemblance too. You can make the interaction rather like James Clavel.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I haven't read any of his Chinese novels, and Shogun I read back in the 1970's as a school assignment. So you'll need to refine your point for me.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I haven't either but the point is that they are about interaction between occidental and oriental cultures.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Victors stål: Saga Series


A popular multitool on many world's of the Spinward Marches both for it's versatility and it's aesthetic's. Slightly larger(though differing in functions) then the Huntsman model that Victors stål has reconstructed from the pre-starflight spiritual ancestor by the same name, the Saga has a wide variety of tools. In the top half are a large knife, a wood saw, a metal saw, a scissors, a combo hook-flathead screwdriver and a combo can opener-phillip's screwdriver. On the bottom are a wrist-com sized computer an integral power bank, a solar charger panel, and an interface module for the computer. On the end is, as is typical, a fastener, either a ring or a carabiner or in one variant a wire spool. Secondary tools on the bottom include a sparker and sonic probe, both surprisingly efficient for their size despite not being the same as similar devices in dedicated format. The scale also has an interface panel to see such primitive apps, as time, local weather, whatever. However there is no holographic system. Rather it links into a datacloth or other electronic device. Most models are usually sold with a multicompartment sheath that includes an interface cord and a foldable datacloth the size of a page of an old fashioned codex book. Many are grateful for the sheath which is also handy as a small ad-hoc wallet or sporran for odds and ends. It also has wireless capability though the many users prefer using a linked device for communications or linking to the datanet. In this format the knife can be used in the format of a mouse. In keeping with the theme, each knife has at least one of the Ancient Scandinavian sagas downloaded into the database. Similarly on the scale is an image of the saga that is the theme.

The Ragnarok edition is the most common. In a bit of typical Sword Worlds black humor, it is the one with the classic Victors stål red scales (signifying blood of course). Other editions include the Burnt Njal edition, the Vinlander edition, the Hrolf Krakki edition, and of course the Volsunga edition and many more. The inevitable Gramsmen is the only one not referencing either a mythological or early Medieval setting in it's primary tale, but rather the original founding of the Sword Worlds. It also includes the several others including the two Eddas (Which are also in the Hundingsbane, and the Heimskringla knives). Naturally it has a starscape picture on the scale just as the Volsunga shows a picture of piled gold on the scale with Fafnir on one side and Sigurd on another. A few knifes were dedicated to tales written by Swordworlders, such as the Saga of Margret Craftwise about the reputed carver of the Lewis Chessmen.

The best of these are quite collectable while average priced models are suitable for daily work and are often found in a Swordies toolkit. While even the average price can be hefty considering some of the advanced miniaturization required, they are sturdy and can last for years and a craftsman who respects his tools can often find a Saga attractive. Moreover aside from the fact that a true Swordie is expected to know what to do with a knife Victors stål maintains a chain of repair stores as one of it's "hooks" as well as, like typical Swordie producers, handing out well-written user manuels. Several of these knives have already become part of a "legacy" being willed to a Swordie Patriarch's heir.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Another app to have would be one for celestial navigation, hopefully with datafiles for the planet you crashed on. And an antenna to plug in for the planets GPS system, if present.

One of my own IMTU ideas is that if a planet has any significant habitation at all, there will be a basic set of communication, weather, and navigation satellites.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Those aren't bad ideas. The antenna would probably be either integral to the main interface module or plugged into it. As the main interface module is where any communications plug goes it stands to reason that that would be where to place something of the kind.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I take that pretty much for granted, assuming they are reasonably technologically advanced or in contact with someone who is and are not constrained by troublesome or otherwise unusual circumstances (Vargr dropping by every year sort of qualifies as troublesome for instance).

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Shouldn't any world with a star port will have at least a few weather / GPS satellites in orbit, provided by the Empire?

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I would assume so, deployed by the same space craft that dropped the Starport cutter module and bulldozed the field.

One flourish I'd add is that at least one would be would actually be substantially larger than it needs to be, and geostationary above the starport or some other notable location. So that it is visible to Mark I eyeball, so that locals can use it to determine longitude and latitude.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

This would only be useful on worlds where visible light routinely reaches the surface; it wouldn't be much use on a planet with perpetual clouds. The one such world we know about, Venus, isn't habitable anyway, but it seems likely that some habitable worlds would have either perpetual cloud cover or such great light pollution that the sky isn't meaningfully visible.

Assuming that a sky is visible, such an artificial star would be easier to use if it were conspicuously different from natural stars. One way would be a distinctive color. For example, green stars do not exist; stars with their peak color in the green part of the spectrum look white because they have a lot of redder and bluer colors in their spectrum too.

They would also benefit from a station keeping drive that isn't dependent on reaction mass; presumably a Traveller thruster with a few millinewtons of thrust would presumably be within the power budget of a solar panel.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

A large reflective balloon tethered to the satellite would seem like an easy solution to that problem.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Could they have a multipack that would have a beacon, weather scanner, and ortillery in it(the last probably should not be advertised but once in a while The Natives Might Get Restless)? Some sort of general purpose that is set above a typical Class 1-Class 2 port?

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

In Dune the Atreides were kept from deploying sats because the Guild had artificially pumped the price to harass them or keep them from seeing something or something like that. Politics could get involved in infrastructure budgets in similar ways.

Another possibility is that the Natives have some taboo that would be broken by putting up sats. That is also a possibility if you wish their to be difficulties along that line for some reason.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Imperial Ministry of State Corps of Footmen and Pages:

This was inspired by watching Five Fingers (1952). It was a loose remake of the Cicero case and made me wonder in retrospect why there were not enough qualified domestics in the whole British Empire to staff such a critical post-even allowing for the drain caused by conscription. Why in other words did they hire an Albanian?

So I assumed that the Imperium would be unlikely to take that risk. The CFP are picked from a number of criteria. This includes such things as Appearance, Savoire-Faire and Skills in an appropriate number of obscure things that would give a good appearance to the Imperium. A formidable geneology is also useful or just being Somebody's Nephew. But the main criteria is being able to stand the vetting process.

Some members of the CFP are given basic counterintelligence training, and others just learn it by doing. In fact having a valet who can spot a foreign agent is considered a useful thing for Imperial Diplomats.

CFP members often go on to a full time career in the Foreign Service or branch out into other areas. Another common option is to specialize in the ceremonial aspect of Imperial Government.

Adventures in the CFP are likely to be of the espionage or intrigue sort. Others can be thought of. For a Free Trader based game, a CFP agent can be negotiating with the PCs to supply an embassy with victuals, or transport an expensive art object, or whatever.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Kynes put the Fremen up to bribing the Spacing Guild with spice to keep hidden the patches of green and other signs of Arrakis' ecology recovering as well as the movements of the sandworms and the Fremen themselves.

In Traveller, The Imperial Navy exists to prevent anyone other than the Emperor and the Moot from having power over space travel and inter-world trade.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Which does not prevent local fluctuations of such kind from taking place. In any given polity the actual performance will look sloppy compared to it's stated reason for being.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

If by local fluctuations you mean a war, sure. If you mean there's a system or a sector that made a peaceful truce with the Imperials such that the Navy doesn't patrol their space, that doesn't mean the IN lacks the *power* to do so, more like it lacks an excuse.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Highland Kudebeck:

A variant of Kudebeck Gazelle distinct from the famous Victorian breed with an affinity for hill regions. These are usually raised by transhumance. Indeed on at least one world it is common practice to maintain ranches in the shape of strips of land up and down the slope. Often settlements will be subsidized and protected as clients in return for seeding the pastures as ordered. Like other variations of Kudy, the type of diet affects the color of ivory so how a pasture is to be seeded is within the rancher's purview and usually he buys his own seed. In between cultivated pastures they subsist on natural grass.

Highland Kudys are known for their intelligence and their distinct life-cycle. The growth of horns is staggered so that at least some young rams and wethers will have their horns in a saber-like shape fit to be used as weapons at any given time. In the trade they are called, "guardrams" and they stand at the point, flank, and rear guards of a herd to watch for predators. The elder or "queen" Ewe stands in the center with this year's mate. In this stage they are strangely cooperative with dogs and herders. Later the male horn grows to a curled shape. This is the horn used to fight for mates. During mating season the herd is segregated. Some of the herd has been wethered; some ranchers consider a vasectomy more humane then straightforward gelding though of course that is a more complicated procedure and difficult to use en masse. They are however branded according to a hierarchy. Prime ivory is the favored product and the rams and ewes producing that are separated and branded appropriately. Lower grade ivory, milk, fur, and sometimes meat are gotten from the lesser herd. Some ranchers ruthlessly wether their stock to breed ivory producers but it is more common to allow the lower class to breed as well and only wether the least favored. During breeding season the males are traditionally allowed to fight for the attention of ewes, though watched carefully to ensure against serious injury. It is customary on the slopes to use this time as a time of feasting as well as watching and wagering on the fights. Often fights are taped and the video or holographic images sold in town. Envoys are often sent between ranches and settlements and breeding time is also used as a time to negotiate politics and commerce as well as arrange weddings among humans or any other sophant who is herding them and many note the irony. When the horns are shed they are collected. The horns of the most successful ram are a sign of virility in many cultures and used in marriage rituals, according to one tradition hollowed and used as a pitcher. After the breeding season he will accompany the Queen Ewe for the rest of the year.

After breeding time horns are shed and harvested. However because of the staggered pattern of Highland Kudy life cycle there are always still guardrams available. The prime horns are incorporated into the most precious artwork and craftsmanship. Having a good supply of less expensive ivory is however often profitable, as it is in high demand. One use of it is as spacer's scrimshaw and many spacers will have a supply on hand.

One of the unfortunate eccentricities of Highland Kudys is their fear of vehicles. For that reason mechanized vehicles are primarily used for outer perimeter and high altitude watch, while sophant herders mounted on horses or miniphants and dogs handle the inward work. Command is either at the high watch vehicle or the headquarters tent of the camp.

The outfit of a herder is reminiscent of a cowherder of cinema with mount and lariet as well as accessories including survival gear. Another piece of equipment almost always found is tranq rounds for the animals that are to far to be captured with a thrown device. Some herders actually wear a traditional broad brimmed hat though that is often considered an affectation. A more modern component is communications gear which allows a link to the whole ranch. Some prefer an Aslan fierah with a specialized rig to a lariet or use it as a suppliment. Though highly intelligent and more able to take care of themselves then cattle or sheep, Highland Kudys are apt to stray and must be regularly tracked. Typically a transponder is implanted at birth.

Planets that deal in Highland Kudebeck often consider it a valueable as well as romantic part of their economy. Traditions regarding the industry can go back thousands of years.

It is common for ranchers to cultivate raptors to be sold to falconers as well as various forms of game with a natural favor for insect eating creatures that make for a more abundant pasture. Sometimes game tickets are sold to sportsmen and sportswomen.

Some experiments have been conducted recently with an eye toward crossbreeding with the Victorian strain.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

If your Kudebeck is a gazelle or any other antelope, it has horns -- and horns do not shed; they're there for life. The type of stuff on their heads that sheds are antlers.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Gazelle is a misnomer. In fact according to the Traveller Wiki they are hexapedal. Which goes only so far as it also says that they are only found on Victoria, which is contrary to my purposes, and just one reason to make them a different breed. They look a little like antelope though and also a little like bighorns in the sketch. If you look at Nobles, one of the main points of Kudebecks is that they shed for that allows ivory (actually horn or whatever you call it) to be harvested repeatedly without slaughtering it. If you wish to make a technical difference between horn and antlers that is fine. The original canon did not make such a difference. In any event the horns of a Kudy do not branch like antlers. In the sketch it looked like a bighorn.

One thing Traveller wiki did show was that females have horns that curl and these can only be used for fighting their own kind. So I will edit it to say that there are status fights among females too but those come at a different cycle. So we will say that there is a roughly three years as an adolescent (between the horn's first sprouting and the year as a full sized guardram) and one year after until the first breeding and every two after for males. For females status fights come every four years but at a different time then male status fights. They choose not only which are most desired as mates but who is the queen ewe and nearest accompaniment, who gets precedent for feeding and who gets to be closer to the center of the herd and thus safer from predation.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Aha. I didn't realize that the animal was a creature from Traveller canon. In that case, a misnomer (intended by the author) makes sense.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

It was an interesting creature in some ways but had no characteristics assigned to either it's biology or the ranch culture other then producing ivory. And according to the sketch being hexapodal and having status fights. Making my version a different breed allowed me freedom in that area. It also alowed me to put Kudy ranches on other planets besides Victoria. Of course the wiki does not say why there was no artificial transplant but the coloring of the ivory depends a lot on the feed, and ranchers have esoteric combinations. Presumably something about Victorian Flora effects that breed which may not effect a breed raised on another world.

Come to think of it there will probably be a number of Victorian breeds. Indeed the same would go with any other strain. It would probably be like wine where it is not only classified by region but several variations within, depending of course on the soil and climate.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Nobles claims Kudys are raised on several worlds. Which contradicts Traveller Wiki, but is more likely. In any case saying that A)Victorian Kudys are a specific cluster of breeding types and B)My description also refers to another type is convenient. It allows me dispensation to make a reasonable description to my satisfaction without interfering with others,

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Phayloi

The Phayloi are a humani species from a planet poor in metals and totally without fossil fuels. They lacked viable draft animals as well. As a result, their technology was limited in its development. However, once discovered by the Imperium, the Phayloi discovered they had another card to play, good looks.

By common consent among the peoples of the 3I and the Solimani, and other major and minor human groups, the Phayloi are the most beautiful of all the humani species.

Normal appearance for a Phayloi is Very Handsome or Very Beautiful, and all Phayloi have at least two levels of Charisma and Voice. All Phayloi also tend to smell very nice if healthy and clean. And this is a normal Phayloi. Above average Phayloi are mindblowing.

Phayloi tend to be clever (IQ 11) healthy (HT 12) and graceful (DX 12). Musical and Artistic Talent are common too. Thus the Phayloi tend to do well in certain sectors of Imperial society. Many have become media stars. Others have married into the nobility, the good looks, higher than average IQ, and good health tend to breed true.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Dancing and Dancing Masters

The Nobility of the 3I, like any other nobility, use social occasions to network, display wealth, display power, to destroy enemies, etc... Nobiles therefor learn to dance, and to dance well. As no one style of dancing dominates in the 3I this is physically demanding and a time eater. However, Dùn wǔ, the shield dance, has become popular. Dùn wǔ is a martial arts system derived from both East Asian and Afro-Carribean fighting systems. Thus a highly flexible martial art is combined with a highly flexible system of dance training. A massive time savings and a highly useful way to disguise bodyguards and hired warriors. After all, if dancing masters are martial arts senseis, and your kids have to learn formal dancing for social reasons, then you've got a perfectly valid reason for hiring a deadly warrior or more.

Thus, Dancing Master, becomes an excellent PC job for warrior types. You mainly build a sensei and add in etiquette, dance, and current affairs (high fashion). Fops will be the deadliest hand to hand warriors.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Spiritualism

Mediums trying to contact the dead for the sake of the living are a commonplace of humaniti cultures. Often these figures are persecuted either because their very existence challenges the power structure, as in Medieval Europe or Traditional China or because society denies they can be anything but a fraud, 20th century USA. In the 3I mediums are assumed to be in cahoots with the Zhodani.

Mediums themselves range from the sincere to ice hearted frauds. Some traditional cultures provide cover and a respectable social position for mediums, but most do what they do under the hostile eye of the authorities. Some worlds have the equivalent of the New Age movement where the medium can be a spiritual advisor. But the anti-psi police are always out in force.

Still, none of this ends belief in an afterlife, nor the will of people to contact the dearly departed. Or for that matter either the will of believers to aid them or the will of grifters to rip them off. And the Zhodani really do use mediums and their hangers-on as cover.

However you slice it, it leads to playable complications.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Compass Rose:

This is the logo of Chandlers, the famous seller of high-end traveller's items. It is a stylized compass rose, a symbology from pre-starflight Terran navigation. The compass is eight pointed, Red on white, with a gold rim. Other symbology is often written in as identifying markers to comply with any accidental trademark complications. On the rim is written in Black, Chandlers of (whatever world). Given Chandler's penchant for using local art work there will be variations of the generic format to allow for difficulty in reproducing it in local media. Insofar as possible this basic format remains. One common variant on compasses or items that contain a compass as a secondary tool is to place it in the center of the Rose logo. This is done on both the Alexandria and the Alexandria Deluxe (see below) handcomps.

The Compass Rose is found on any number of Chandler's products including many a typical spacer's personal chest. It is also found on pendants, model vehicles, cooking equipment for wardrooms and galleys, and musical instruments among other things sold at Chandlers.

Note: The description of the company "Chandlers" is to be found in Freelance Traveller. It is not the same as the generic occupation although of course Chandlering is one aspect of it's business. That is Chandlers is not the only chandler anymore then Made in Oregon sells everything that is made in Oregon.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

"Throwaway":

This is a cheap disposable multipurpose tool. It contains a transceiver, receiver, small database-processor for storing apps, and often a pair of secondary tools like a penknive or windowbreaker or similar device. The most important part is the modular attachment to which can be hooked several types of sensors to sow on the ground, or an explosive packet to make a grenade or small mine. Any number of ingenious variations exist. It can be used as a com but most use some more sophisticated device for that, which can convey a greater amount of information.

It's chief quality is in being disposable. Though it has aspects that can make it worthwhile to keep one, they generally of quickly finished rather then fine craftsmanship. It is in many ways the descendant of the disposable phones seen used by spies and criminals in old Terran urban intrigue dramas but it has more uses. Variants are found in many places and they are so cheap that many cultures have their own style for producing them and their own traditions for their use. The cheapness allows it to be made into an ad-hoc weapon or sensor and the mass production means it can be found in any hand. It is not an elegant tool but part of an everyday collection for soldiers. It can be found in civilian usage too, for various uses.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Micro-heraldry:

A generic term for the popular practice of the rendering of information at a microscopic level. This was done in pre-starflight Terra, and for thousands of years in the Zira Sirka. However modern technology allows it to be done both conveniently and with increasing elaboration. Depending on the culture, it is possible to use skin, clothing, portable items, etc as a medium. The purpose for this varies. One common use is artistic; it is possible to render elaborately baroque displays, including several marks in organized patterns to make a mosaic like structure. Sometimes literature is rendered in microscopic format. This is often done by nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples as an alternative or suppliment to electronic devices especially in areas with insufficient communications infrastructure. Another use is in onomastics; a whole geneology or family history can be placed in the proper area. Trademarks are a common use, for the vast number of worlds makes for embarrassing coincidences especially if a corporation has an official title that also has a generic meaning (I.E. Chandlers of...). Microheraldry allows for elaborate encryption to distinguish. One common usage is in passwords to accounts and websites. This has everyday usage but it is common for travellers to use this means to hide emergency access codes to seek out contacts, money, passports, etc in the case of natural or political disaster.

Use: as chrome. For instance an Aslan warrior has the name of his weapon, his clan, and the glorious deeds of himself or his clan imprinted on the weapon.

As a plot point: The PCs are stranded during a political disaster. One character has access to a hidden stash of supplies that can only be opened with a code imprinted on his skin. However that character has just died, and the encryption mark is fading as rigor sets in.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Alexandria Deluxe:

This is an updated version of Chandler's hit Alexandria Handcomp. It carries all the characteristics of the classic Alexandria more drive space naturally enough. It also has a number of characteristic Chandler's gimmicks. It comes in a clamshell design with the interface and hardware on the bottom half and the screen on the top. As modern screens need little thickness to function, the space left over is given to a series of covered pockets and sheaths in which can be stored accessories some of which come with the product in any event. Other accessories are added to the original but one of the favorites is a modular lug which can firmly hold detachable tools. The shell is sometimes ornately decorated and a number of patterns are available or custom designs and even custom material for the richer customers (some of these require special orders). However it always has the respected Chandler's Compass Rose logo. The very highest quality ones from this perspective are true works of art and cannot really be used except as such but lower end ones are cheap enough to be practically useful and a rugged version is available for those who have dangerous duties. It's software contains some of the basics including the Classics of Terra, Classics of Vland, and Classics of Sylea literary packages found in the previous Alexandria as well as wallpaper displays appropriate to the world it is sold at. It carries a higher capacity than the first version and it can link to a number of devices whether computers proper or secondary electronic components of tools with a different stress in function (such as a scanner, a weapon, or even a pocketknife).

The Alexandria Deluxe project was undertaken when it was realized that the old Alexandria would soon be challenged in demand by devices from competing firms. The advancements they have undertaken look to leave the Alexandria series in it's high class among handcomps for a long time.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Incognito Establishments:

It is not unknown for High Nobles or even Emperors to wish for a little downscale entertainment. Several of them are regulars at clubs, restaurants, or other such establishments.

Naturally such a place causes security concerns. Ideally there will be time to vet. The more troublesome nobles go on a whim, sometimes to quite dangerous places (there is an urban legend floating about that one Emperor was drugged and shipped to a Vargr slave labor camp with his captors none the wiser). Some security professionals are of the opposite opinion, that it is actually easier to guard someone who no one knows is important enough to assassinate.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Recreation Parks

The idea of RPGs and similar gaming environments has been around since before the Solimani reached the Stars. A recent trend in Adventure Gaming is the Recreation Park. An artificial cultural environment generally reconstructing either an historical period (generally romanticized) or a genre of popular fiction. These parks can range from a few city blocks to the size of ancient Solimani nations. There are varying degrees of how seriously people "stay in character" and commit to their "game world." Most Recreation Parks use robots to "perform" the "roles" of menials and many types of animals. Although a "clever servant" or "rebellious slave" or any other menial with a real personality would be played by a person. If the Dragon is witty or you have a sassy talking cat or horse then a person is using telepresence to play the "role."

Many people join adventure clubs and create elaborate personas to play in these parks. There are guided tours and individual adventure packages.

Basically, a larger and more complex take on the Holodeck. Instead of malfunctions assassins, con men, grifters, spies, and others slip into these games to get at targets or marks.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

That has lots of possibilities. You can have "Wayside Inn" storytelling sessions, Casablanca like spy stories. Not just spy sims but real spy stories with all those VIPs crowding together. Free Traders and Merchant Princes can provide supplies. Political factions can have secret summits. Etc.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Exactly. And with everyone in disguise being who they aren't, unmasking the REAL PHONEY is triply hard.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Covert anthropological research would be a major feature of the Third Imperium. Many of the things the Imperium forbids from slavery to psionics are fairly easily hidden. And since many worlds of the Imperium practice things disdained like religious passion and democracy it can become even harder to find certain things. After all, if you know you are seen as inferior trash, you tend to clam up and become uncooperative.

Beyond the actually illegal the Imperium has a real interest in knowing what's going on in its worlds. On one world, conquered by Vargr during the Long Night, humans were serfs on their own world for millennia. The Vargr were famous for the refinement of their culture and their impassioned embrace of the arts. They were also famous for the coldness and cruelty of their caste system and their tendency to go right to the edge of Imperial prohibitions. Their fellow nobles, having more sympathy for nobles than serfs, colluded with the oppression. One serf, a eunuch working in the planetary medical system (all humans with higher than normal intelligence were surgically desexed) managed to get his hands on the distemper virus and shattered the culture. Once the humans eliminated the local Vargr and erased the entire cultural heritage of the local Vargr, they accepted imperial rule but demanded to be left alone. The fallout of this revolution still poisons Imperial Vargr relations and feeds the paranoia of the local nobility.

No one in the imperial bureaucracy wants a repeat of that disaster. Thus covert anthropologists go forth to get the data on a thousand worlds to give the Imperium warning.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Cultural merging:

One of the things many ethnologists noted about the ISW era was cultural merging. Not only was there considerable Terranization among the Vilani there was considerable Vilanicization among the Terrans. This was encouraged by areas of space remaining disputed for years or even generations as well as by trade and intermarriage in truce periods.

Some of the oddities were utilitarian and some aesthetic. The two sides would pick up each other's equipment and customs to taste. The result could see some oddities as a Vilani ship using Terran naval custom with the captain's tolerance (only OUTSIDE of the view of a flag officer or inspector of course) or a Terran sporting Vilani dress. As much of Vilani fashion is attractive and Terrans have spent thousands of years fighting wars, aping each other in this manner is not to be surprising. Useful items like tools could be traded or captured back and forth and some minipolities lived on the border and took whatever side was convenient at the time.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Good call! Any two cultures in contact will exchange ideas. images, memes, and often genes. It would be another area for Anthropologists, especially the ethnographers, to examine closely. Just as a virus might be trivial in one population and devastating in another, so a meme harmless in one culture could bring chaos in another.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Department of Popular Song

I'm stealing this from Chinese History when they had a Ministry of Popular Song. The songs were studied for insights to what was going on among the people. The DoPS would actually cover all of pop culture with a goal both of examining what's going on in the 3I and detecting Memetic warfare before it threatens society.

Often, skilled memetic saboteurs use stolen IDs. Which means the PCs could find they're getting the blame for a random ditty they now nothing about.

They PCs could also be agents of the DoPS hunting down deadly memetic saboteurs throughout the tin pan allies and cheap night clubs of the galaxy!

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Throughout the history of humanni religious tradition are the Faith Healers. Most of these bring short term relief to pain and suffering by psychosomatic means. It can look like magic, but it isn't. Unless it is.

Picture Imperial agents who track down Faith Healers looking to see who is only a phony, who is a possibly dangerous real healer. Sure, some real psis who think they are touched by God's grace (or what ever the locals call it) can be left alone, sometimes. But most hidden psis, whether or not they know they are psis, need to be dealt with.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I wonder if the 3I should copy ancient China and have a Censorate. I just read The Traditional Chinese State in Ming Times (1368-1644) and on Page 50 of that book they describe the function of the Censorate. It seems to me that a similar office, also focused on curbing corruption would both give the setting a distinctive feel and be an interesting Patron for PCs.

The Censorate might send them anywhere in the Imperial realms to hunt down corruption. The lists of foes and distractions would be endless.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

They have the MoJ and the OCC. Those seem to be open to manipulation in that regard depending on the will of the Emperor or subordinate Noble who is doing it.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Shipcats:

A mildly gengineered species of the Terran cat commonly kept aboard starships as pets and vermin control. The chief notable fact about them is the artificially "tweaked" homing instinct that prevents them from wandering on port visits.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Could some Shipcats be uplifted animals able to talk and otherwise be companions? I could see spacers playing checkers, canasta, or Pyramid Chess ( a game from Dune) with their shipmates. I could see someone asking "Is Fluffy a card shark?"

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I never used that model because I had philosophical objections to having Sophants able to create other Sophants except in the normal fashion or some variation thereof (like tubing, artificial fertilization, etc, which basically use the same process and tweak it a bit). Vargr were attributed to the Ancients but that is so far back that their origin was mythic. And Dolphins could just be discovered to have a Sophant variation rather than uplifted. The gengineering I used is mainly to keep them from wandering in port and is a fairly primitive version.

That said, those that have the taste for such can make uplifted kitties and write interesting stories about them. And if you or anyone else want to adapt that concept, I did not copyright it and have no intention of doing so.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I allowed that once... turned the game comedic. Yes, I allowed a shipcat PC. Was hilarious. I wasn't going for hilarity, tho'.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Bath Houses

The institution of the "Bath House" has been reinvented many times over and in the 3I where almost all apartments have bathing facilities these institutions function as spas and male-only spaces. As the equivalents of beauty spas and similar female-only spaces, these are sites of pampering, gossip, and similar things. Just as "girl-talk" dominates the Beauty Spas, so equally "boy-talk" dominates the Bath House.

Both the Beauty Spas and Bath Houses have the reputations of being places of assignation and other scandalous doings. Although most such places are only about hair care, skin care, and entertainments designed for single-sex venues.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

State owned shares in megacorporations:

The size of megacorporations means that they generate enough funds to provide a reasonable source of revenue for a small state. Member states and even some outside the Imperium often invest spare funds in them. The Imperial government approves of the practice as it is yet another tie of dependency in it's vassals. It is of mixed approval outside for some theoretical political commentators say that essentially moves the "power of the purse" offworld, but others note that at least taxes are less.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Mail:

While the IISS allows private mail to be sent on it's couriers, Imperial government mail is it's primary use. Many prefer to send by a private packet service or a government service of their particular world.

One common feature for cultures that have a large interstellar economy is to have an office in port (sometimes connected to a consulate or a guildhall) for spacers to drop homebound mail. It is usually a service unaffordable to, say, Enos. But Glisten or Tizon or similar ports which have a lot of home-registered traffic in space at any time are among those that have such a network. It is of course impossible for spacers to receive mail while on the move but as the home port is sedentary at least loved ones can receive. Large scheduled lines can anticipate a ship's location, but certainly tramps cannot.

There are various customs for preserving privacy in such letters even when written aboard ship. One is simply to send by keyboard rather than video.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

TeleComics

Yes that's a steal from Mind Robber one of the best 2nd Doctor episodes.

Basically there's a company called TeleComics! They sell a service that simply sells a vast database, updated monthly, of Comics. These are of all types and in multiple languages. Complete runs of ancient comics are in the package as are the latest comics and comic strips from around the Imperium and even from some nearby Pocket Empires.

This does two things the empire approves of. First it creates another thread unifying the culture of the 3I. Secondly, certain people trying to sneakily influence the population of the 3I have to do it in public where they can be watched. Knowing your enemy is useful.

Something that the Imperium genuinely doesn't get is the simple fact that these comics are art. Just because art is sneered at and dismissed doesn't mean it is worthless or can't spread values and ideas. Just because figures like Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Superman, are dismissed as cheap jokes doesn't mean their ideals (flawed and messy as they often were) don't have a resonance. Thousands of little guys from Stubby Green to Charlie Brown to Millie the Toiler to Ella Cinders standing their ground, however absurdly, resonates as well. Champions of the oppressed from Mary Jane and Sniffles to Brenda Starr to The Eternaut to Doctor Who teach values too.

Someone might be surprised.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Persian Cheetahs, nearly extinct this subspecies of cheetah was revived and reintroduced. It is maintained feral at hunting parks, as well as being kept domesticated by nobles and new-rich with a taste for hunting.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Pigsticking: Hunting by horseback with lances. This widely spread entertainment is popular among the ruling classes. Not all pigstickers use wild boar, though the more proper consider that the most traditional. Many worlds import wild pig for their game parks. On some worlds there are scheduled events and teams and traditional rivalry often between the "new money" team, and the "old money".

Though it was originally a Solomani sport, it has been widely taken up by Aslan, being very adaptable to their preferred climate.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Micro-accounts:

This is a common defensive measure in banks and other institutions keeping abstract currency. The money (or stocks, or bonds, or whatever) are deposited in an account among a multitude maintained by the same user. They are then transferred according to an algorithmic system to make what is effectively a fluid transposition cypher. Upon the entry of a pass key (or more than one) the user can stop the process, transfer the balance into a single account and make a withdrawl. The pass key can be a password, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, a literal mechanical key, or any other of the normal means used for such things down through the ages in any combination. Sometimes, especially in high profile accounts it is required to have a face to face appointment with the manager.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Jason Taylor brings up something truly interesting. Changes in Banking Culture.

Different worlds will deal with money and interest by different rules. Example: Islam forbids charging interest, Christianity used to do so. Religious rules on interest and other aspects of finance could be a interesting problem to work around.

Related but different, not all legal systems have similar values. In Monaco the legal system follows an Inquisitorial System and follows, or until recently followed, standards of justice that openly weren't interested in standards of truth, but instead sought social harmony. "Social Harmony" was generally, but not always, defined as pleasing powerful and socially prominent families. Whether any of this was fair or just to outsiders was not a consideration.

Cultural variations in banking law, business law, and criminal law, is part of why most spacers stay in the star port.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

One of the main problems will be banking without real time communication.

The last Blood and Treasure talked of "Hawala" which is a system of private banking and moneychanging. Someone makes a deposit with one moneychanger. He in turn will send what is effectively a letter of credit to a given city to be opened on a passport. Hawaladars maintain books with each other from distances away and balance by paying debts with other debts so that all the customer sees is the cash but the hawaladar sees the account book.

I wonder if some colorful thing like that could be arranged.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

I do not know if we already have this, but nevertheless:

Emperors Birthday

A public holiday, celebrated on many worlds, esp. on colony planets in the outer sectors on, well, the Emperors birthday (under Strephon, on 202).

The people celebrate not the Imperium, but the Emperor himself as a symbol for "the common cause" and as a protector from outer threats.

Usually, it is a rather "family-friendly" affair. Mostly, there are fairs and open-air concerts. Many schools have sports competitions, museums organize special exhibitions about the emperor and the history of the Imperium. Highlight of the day is often a parade of the local colonial forces, supported by Imperial Units, if they are present on the world. If one is lucky, there is a fly-by of fighters or SDB.
In the evening - or what passes as evening on the world -, the days ends with banquets or a ball for the local dignitaries. The Imperial Noble and the Imperial Legate of the world are usually the guests of honour.

Needless to say, not everybody celebrates the day. On Solomani Worlds, celebrating this day is viewed as high treason. And the Ine Givar have more than once tried to spoil the party.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Imperial Orthographic Congress

Basically, every twenty years the Empire issues new standards of spelling for all Official Imperial documents and schools. This keeps the spelling of Gallan, Sylean, and other languages vital to the Third Imperium both standardized and phonetic.

They also work to keep the typefaces of the 3I standardized and readable.

As agents studying the languages of the 3I can show up anywhere, it's a solid cover for other sorts of agents.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Couldn't any lesser noble sneak his own agents into the system for his own purposes? In fact, except on Sylea proper, that may be more of an annoyance to private subjects than the Emperor's agents who can only afford to be interested in the doings of important people.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

You could have fun that way. I see the IOC as one of a range of minor ministerial offices that can be used as cover or excuse. Imperial agents could be officially in one of these minor offices. If the Doctor showed up in the 3I he could use his psychic paper to convince folks he was with the office. Con Artists, spies from beyond the Imperium, and other fun rogues, could use forged documents for the same thing.

Just rent a copy of Danny Kaye"s The Inspector General and steal ideas freely.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Holding Lines:

This is a type of shipping franchise. Each ship is incorporated separately and shares are available public. Sometimes preferred shares are given supervoting rights to prevent a ship from being "legally hijacked". A central firm finances each ship and assigns it's ships to various enterprises, in return holding shares in every ship. The system is usually not used on proper lines as the regimented scheduling would not be born by individual skippers and owners. Instead it provides a league of privately subsidized free traders with a system for keeping them from poaching each other's turf, or alternately exploiting new opportunities.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Widowposts:

A telescopic station built into the houses of shipping families to scan for the return of loved ones. Named after the famed Widows Walks of pre-starflight Terra.

In practice of course, any Starport with sufficient infrastructure has a datanet, as well as beacons, communications as well as ship-to-ship, and ship-to-port gossip, advertisement, announcements, what have you. But Widowposts are often maintained there for tradition's sake.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Nearest Guards: Or colloquially "nearests".

These are bodyguard/servants trained to reside specifically at their employers household and form a last line of defense. They are distinct from Outer Guards who can be expected to do no more than keep unwelcome people away from entering within range of the Household which requires straightforward security skills but less tact. They act as normal nannies or pedagogues for children and valets or ladiesmaids for adults. And often as martial arts trainers to provide the employer means to be their own bodyguard or just to handle themselves in an affair of honor. As servants that is, they keep their employers privy accounts, handle luggage, give advice on social functions and so forth. They also aside from protecting from assassins keep a weather eye out for spies whether from rival houses or journalists. Not to mention approving food supplies and knowing basic first aid well enough if they are the only ones available at a critical situation. Obviously such paladins of servile virtue as the description paints do not come cheap when they come at all but reasonable approximation can be gotten for enough reward. Often the reward comes not just in money but in land, gifts or fictive kinship, things that recognize the fact that a Nearest has to be incorporated into a household's private life. One of the most important things expected is near absolute discretion. A Nearest cannot regard a householder as a proper subject for sexual approach without the Head's formal permission (which is why Nearest's from different races are often preferred; Aslan for human Nobles and vice-versa for instance assuming no known xenosexual inclination). Likewise a Nearest must be able to accompany a subject into acutely embarrassing situations (such as getting them home secretly and safely after a night of carrousing). And of course they must keep silent about the employer's private life. Conversely a Nearest who is obviously alienated enough to resign in protest reflects on the employer who it is presumed must have done something truely dreadful. Commonly there is more than one Nearest and equally they often have their own connections with each other; the stereotyped hereditary retainer does have an approximation in some circles even though the high-training needed preclude actual inherited service.

A Nearest can be made by combining a modification of the servant and bodyguard templates, plus adding Discretion (Household Life) to the CoH. Other traits can be added as desired including Quirk (stoic), Quirk: Unrequited Love, SoD (Employer), and so on. A possible model is Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, though he should perhaps be more personable. Costner's Samurai romanticism is a great quirk for this though.

Possible adventures can go from the dramatic to the comic. Comic adventures can center around accompanying the employer on a night of vice and rescuing them from a drug-addled party before the cops arrive. More serious troubles can come when loyalties are divided; if for instance the Head wishes for information on the doings of one of his dependents.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Bachelor Weddings

In the 19th century American West. Single sex groups, mainly male groups, had semiformal recognition of homoerotic relationships. These were called " Bachelor Weddings." They weren't seen as "Gay" as that concept didn't exist yet. And the idea of Homosexuality didn't show up in Europe until the 1890's ( and doesn't seem to have caught on widely in the USA until almost WW I). Although people knew about men having sex with men and in most areas sent people to jail for it.

Still, although the 3I is sexually egalitarian, single sex groups are part of the setting. People, who would otherwise be strictly heterosexual, might seek same sex relationships in these circumstances. In the highly formal aristocratic culture of the 3I there would be etiquette rules for such things.

Thus your macho spacehero could get stranded for a long time in an all male environment and find himself the target of flirtation from powerful aristocrats who wouldn't take a tactless no kindly. It simply extends the areas were social grace and etiquette are vital tools.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Popular Media

Hierarchical societies always seem to have issues with popular entertainment. Japan constantly put the harshest restrictions on the Kubuki theatre ( the aristocratic Noh drama fared far better). The actors, even when acknowledged as great artists, were treated as whores and often had to earn most of their livings as such. Christian Rome outlawed theatre, but kept gladitorial games. Islam didn't even allow the formation of live theatre traditions outside of Iran and often outlawed music. If a performer became too popular for the comfort of the scholar class in China, they were often exiled to poor districts. Too popular generally meant little more than name recognition.

Even Elizabethan England, known for its theatre, treated actors as beggars under law. And Scotland, which in the same period had its own brilliant theatre, often praised by the English who saw it as the equal of their own, got rid of all the manuscripts and printed little if any of its literature for religious reasons.

So the question would be, how does the 3I suppress popular art and media?

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

IMO, not at all.

The Imperium contains 11,000 worlds, with trillions of inhabitants, and it takes years for a ship (and so, for an idea) to cross the whole 3I. It is simply not a monolithic power or cultural block like Star Wars Empire or feudal Japan.

When some new and disturbing idea raises the eyebrows of a powerful-enough noble (say, a sector duke), the new fad has already run through the local cultures and made room for something new.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

You'd think that but remember the song "Dancing in the Streets" was banned for years in England because the Establishment thought it would cause riots.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Refusing to let it be carried on interstellar routes? Rather than suppress it they can quarantine it, assuming they care to.