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Old 07-03-2021, 10:42 AM   #681
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It's interesting information.
Thank's. If you want to make a contribution go to it.
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Old 07-17-2021, 12:21 PM   #682
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Orion Hotel. The original famed Orion Hotel served merchant and naval spacers, their dependents, as well as local dignitaries on Nusku in the beginning of the Terran Empire. It served a fusion of the best of the meals and beverages brought from the traditional spaceports of Old Terra as well as the local version of Vilani cooking. The lobby was based on a space exploration theme and contained a wallpaper of the latest discoveries. Music played traditional Terran and Vilani favorites and in general the hotel was known for a melding of cultures.

The present Orion Hotel is a reconstruction. It is based in Glisten and serves a variety of customers including scouts, merchants, and belters.
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Old 08-21-2021, 11:57 AM   #683
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Title Exchange.

On exchanging of emissaries the Imperium and foreign powers sometimes grant honorary titles equiv to Imperial Rank Nobility.

For instance a Sword Words Consul at an Imperial Subsector Capitol bears the title of Rank Count, and Similarly the Imperial Ambassador's to Sacnoth and Gram have the titles of Jarl.
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Old 08-21-2021, 08:48 PM   #684
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Lunion's Bottles.

In an expression of his interest in the patronage of traditional agriculture, the former Duke of Lunion, on his Ascension served at the feast a large number of genuine Valais Arvines astounding those guests who knew and embarrassing those who did not. Not only was this a rare vintage in itself, it had been freighted all the way from what had once been Switzerland on Terra. It was not only intended to make a spectacular show but to provide paternalistic largesse to those engaged in the production of such products.

During the feast the head of the waitstaff paid careful attention to who was sitting in what seat. He marked the bottle they had poured their drink out of unbeknownst to the Duke. Then he begged the Duke for permission to keep the bottles. Which he was granted.

After this the head of the waitstaff sold the bottles to a retailer of rare items for a lump sum and used the proceeds to resign and partner with said retailer. The bottles were resold for a fortune and while the ownership of some is known not all of them have been tracked.

Bottles of the wine from Lunion's Ascension Feast are a prized collectible. Depending on the status of the drinker they could be ten thousand to hundreds of thousands of credits.

P.S. This is an elaboration of an actual reference at the beginning of the volume Far Trader.
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Old 09-06-2021, 01:56 PM   #685
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Affiliated Tramps:

While the "lone-wolf" free-trader is a stereotype, many find it useful to form alliances with others. These will typically have some common feature as a connection. Classic models are kinship or membership in an ethnicity, registration at the same starport, guild membership, etc. Obscure worlds might have all the shipping operating from their port in such an alliance but equally typical are those that have numerous such. A distinguishing marker is that they are generically referred to as "circles" rather than lines to show that they continue to specialize in speculative cargo and wayward contracts which cannot be the business of a scheduled line.

Typically they will have such infrastructure as credit associations, shared warespace and planet based factors, and trustees for the administration of such. They will often also have their own livery and rent a section of the city as their own. Sometimes they will meet regularly to discuss common policy though this may only be dividing up trading space to make sure no member competes for the same market.

Some circles of tramps have evolved into major corporations or similar groupings. Perhaps the most famous circle of affiliated tramps at the present time is what is now the Oberlindes Corporation in the Spinward Marches. The Principality of Caledonia is also known for this custom: the modernization of the Celtic clan system that is fashionable there is easily adapted into making trade circles.
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Old 09-06-2021, 02:32 PM   #686
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Spacer's Fairs:

On many Starports it is the custom for regular gatherings to take place. They will be places where goods from large numbers of places can be counted on to be traded and it will be a time of intense bargaining. They typically take place at times that have significance on the local calendar. Typical will be the end of the agricultural cycle on worlds where that is an important economic feature. On some worlds, weather is prohibitive to travel at times of the year (this mainly is relevant to planetary trade of course but traditions can be applied to offworld trade), there is a regular arrival of a trade convoy, a radiation storm at a given time, etc. Or just a cultural event. Any excuse can be made to put a fair at one time of the year rather than the other and the most important point is to get traders to come in.

Aside from trading in goods there will be all sorts of events. It is a typical time for matchmaking among Freetraders and interstellar nomads as there are often few other times to see those outside their ship who are not dirtsiders. For similar reasons pets are often bred, and exchanged at this time; as all starship pets are out of need implanted, and many gengineered to remain close to the homeship they are likely to have few opportunities to mate. Other events include recreation, such as singing, dancing, storytelling, athletics and so on.

Spacers Fairs are typically attended by tramps and out-and-out nomads like The Forlorn. Scheduled Lines might arrive by coincidence but it is rare as they have a definite priority to keeping a dependable rate and less to scrape up goods. One group that does often attend is the IISS. Keeping track of shipping not least shipping from outside the Imperium is a prime source of intelligence.

A Spacer's Fair can be the source of all kinds of adventure seeds. Goods and people will be passing through, any of which can be the focus of a plot.
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Old 09-07-2021, 04:34 PM   #687
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Default Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

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Spacer's Fairs:

On many Starports it is the custom for regular gatherings to take place. They will be places where goods from large numbers of places can be counted on to be traded and it will be a time of intense bargaining. They typically take place at times that have significance on the local calendar. Typical will be the end of the agricultural cycle on worlds where that is an important economic feature. On some worlds, weather is prohibitive to travel at times of the year, there is a regular arrival of a trade convoy, a radiation storm at a given time, etc. Or just a cultural event. Any excuse can be made to put a fair at one time of the year rather than the other and the most important point is to get traders to come in.

Aside from trading in goods there will be all sorts of events. It is a typical time for matchmaking among Freetraders and interstellar nomads as there are often few other times to see those outside their ship who are not dirtsiders. For similar reasons pets are often bred, and exchanged at this time; as all starship pets are out of need implanted, and many gengineered to remain close to the homeship they are likely to have few opportunities to mate. Other events include recreation, such as singing, dancing, storytelling, athletics and so on.

Spacers Fairs are typically attended by tramps and out-and-out nomads like The Forlorn. Scheduled Lines might arrive by coincidence but it is rare as they have a definite priority to keeping a dependable rate and less to scrape up goods. One group that does often attend is the IISS. Keeping track of shipping not least shipping from outside the Imperium is a prime source of intelligence.

A Spacer's Fair can be the source of all kinds of adventure seeds. Goods and people will be passing through, any of which can be the focus of a plot.
Fun idea. I think I will use it during one of the PCs landfalls.
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Old 09-07-2021, 07:09 PM   #688
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Fun idea. I think I will use it during one of the PCs landfalls.
Thank you.
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Old 09-10-2021, 10:07 AM   #689
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Gestural Dance Poetry:

Among the people I center on there is an ancient tradition of poetry by gestural dances. According to stories the language used is an elaboration of hunting signs by native hunter-gatherers and has a similar niche to infantry signals. Using it at home or in camp created the luxury of making it into a more stylized art form as did contact with urban dwellers, and eventually spacefarers. In point of fact some dances purport to be actual "after action reports" of hunts or war expeditions long ago and were used for the mundane purpose of training (in the militia they still are as they are by the descendants of said native peoples). Others are full scale epics or mythical/allegorical representations of any aspect of life.

The native forms of dance are still used for this. But the gestural poetry traditions can be attached to many styles including some imported from Ancient Terra. As often a system of gestures is effectively another language there is usually a reader card provided to members of the audience. A chanter also accompanies the dance. Various musical instruments are used, some of them universal among Humaniti (like the drum) and some highly specialized (like the lyre or the bagpipe).
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Old 09-24-2021, 12:34 PM   #690
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The Empress Marava-class Far Trader is in truth named not after the Flag Empress, but rather after the wife of Cleon I, whom the former was also named from.
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