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Old 10-12-2022, 07:19 AM   #727
jason taylor
 
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

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.
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Last edited by jason taylor; 10-28-2022 at 01:57 PM.
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