'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Now that you mention it quite possibly. I wanted a geographic location to mimic the Babylon and Jerusalem editions.

You could go with an area on Terra with a large Jewish population. Isreal, the U.S., France and Canada have large populations today, and likely for centuries to come. The U.K., Russia nd Argentina have good sized populations too. Even with the formation of the Terran Confederation and blurring of the tradtional nation-state, I can't see serious religious matters not taking place outside of the Isreal area, at least for the pre-Rule era. "Second Jerusalem Talmud" could be an option.

A colony world with a Jewish population early in IW period, Nusku and Prometheus come to mind since they are very early colonies, but any one of a hundred worlds are just as likely.

I would agree that this issue would have to be handled 'early' in the Traveller timeline, but I would put a real resolution late in the IW era, and maybe even sometime into the Rule of Man. The issues would have to come up, for one thing, then various religious authorities would have to make rulings, and counter-rulings, and when enough of a body of work has been amassed. This could easily take centuries.

Or soemthing along the lines of 'the Stellar Talmud". Ko-khav means star (googled hebrew dictionaries), so maybe Ko-khav Talmud, but that is very likely bad grammar. Per wikipedia Talmud de-Eretz Yisrael means the Talmud of the Land of Isreal, the proper naem for the Jerusalem Talmud. So maybe something like Talmud de-Ko-khav, or Talmud de-Sha-ma-yeem (Talmud of the Sky) would be more proper.

Great idea, btw.

[combatmedic]

I'd say 'Nusku Talmud' sounds pretty good.

And yes, I like the idea and the basic naming scheme.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Chief Verminer to the Silver Palace

The Chief Verminer to the Silver Palace is the title of the official resident woozle[*] of the Silver Palace in Credo, the domicile of Regina's four ephors and formerly of the kings of Regina. There has been a resident Silver Palace woozle employed as a vermin-catcher and pet intermittently since the reign of King Isaac, when the king placed his woozle Georges by his side while hearing petitions.

Originally the title was an unofficial one given affectionately by the Regina News Media to the doyen of the palace woozles. With the termination of the Monarchy in 639, the Silver Palace was repurposed as office and museum space and the woozles were removed into private care. This state of affairs continued until 698 when the Palace Supervisor was authorized "to spend 6 crowns per week from petty cash towards the maintenance of an efficient woozle". This stipend was increased from time to time over the centuries until by now the verminer is costing 450 Reginan crowns per annum.

The woozles do not necessarily or indeed usually belong to any of the ephors in residence and it is rare for the Chief Verminer's term of office to coincide with that of an ephor. The woozle with the longest known tenure at the Silver Palace is Cholmondeley, who served for 18 years from 907 to 926 under a total of 79 ephors. Chief Verminers in the past have overlapped, or been phased in - though the position can and has remained vacant for extended periods of time.

The post is currently held by Curly, since 045-1103. The departure of the last incumbent, Samina, was on 017-1101. Samina, who began her tenure on 248-1097, was the first verminer for ten years following the retirement of her predecessor Nigel in 1087.

[*] Woozles are a species native to Regina. They resemble furry snakes with legs and occupy the same ecological niche as Terran cats and Vlandian lishes.

Hans

[Drifter]

Very nice. I love details like this, that make a setting feel like a real place, with real people.

The name 'woozle' on the other hand.. but its no worse than any other random name for an alien species so no harm :)

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by Drifter

Very nice. I love details like this, that make a setting feel like a real place, with real people.

Thank you. I occasionally take an encyclopedia article and transpose it to the Far Future precisely to get some largely irrelevant depth to the setting.

The name 'woozle' on the other hand.. but its no worse than any other random name for an alien species so no harm :)

It's not random. It's a word chosen by an anglophone settler to describe an animal that has some points of similarity to a Terran weasel. He may have known the original story or he may have known of some other animal from some other planet that had a similar appearance and the same name. Or perhaps an even longer string of associations is involved.


Hans

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

For what it's worth, I immediately thought of a weasel.

I'm sure there's plenty of weasels at the Imperial Palace.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

I'm sure there's plenty of weasels at the Imperial Palace.

But probably no woozles.


Hans

[jason taylor]

School of the Spade

Martial arts technique invented by Maj Sir Eneri Mackintosh, instructor for the Imperial Marine Commandos. It is based on the assumption that any real training in hand-to-hand combat should be where they would be most likely to be of practical use; in a short meeting engagement in urban or similar close combat situations. It therefore involves the weaponization of camp shovels, breaching tools, fascine knives, and other similar typical military impedimenta.

The School of the Spade has not gained popularity among the nobility who prefer more refined ways of doing bodily harm to one another. However the obvious good sense of the idea has gained interests among lower ranks of the Imperial Service and outside.

[Whitestreak]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

School of the Spade

Martial arts technique invented by Maj Sir Eneri Mackintosh, instructor for the Imperial Marine Commandos. It is based on the assumption that any real training in hand-to-hand combat should be where they would be most likely to be of practical use; in a short meeting engagement in urban or similar close combat situations. It therefore involves the weaponization of camp shovels, breaching tools, fascine knives, and other similar typical military impedimenta.

The School of the Spade has not gained popularity among the nobility who prefer more refined ways of doing bodily harm to one another. However the obvious good sense of the idea has gained interests among lower ranks of the Imperial Service and outside.

Oooohhh, I like this.

I think I may steal, er, borrow the concept.

I know that at one point in time the Soviet Spetsnaz did, indeed, train with their entrenching tools for close combat.

[jason taylor]

Sax. Sword World style heavy utility knife, comparable to a machete, Imperial issue fascine knife or other such tools. As is common, many variants exist including a hollow hilt containing a tool-kit and a dataholder with handbooks for various environments; also available in stylized hilt and sheath. Other options exist depending on the wishes of the customer and the imagination of the producer. Named after similar tools used by Early Medieval Germanic tribesmen though less elaborate at the time due to lower technology.

Widely used in wilderness areas all over the Sword Worlds, and sold outside as well. In high demand in the district like much of the Sword Worlds iconic high quality survival equipment.