'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[combatmedic]

Oh, and...
The King Has Two Bodies.

There is Strephon the mortal man, and Strephon the Emperor. One is imperfect, corruptible, flawed, and mortal. The other is the Imperium's Body Politic, it's soul incarnated. The one dies, the other lives on in the next Emperor.


HAIL THE EMPEROR

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Heirs of the Interstellar Wars

The Heirs of the Interstellar Wars is an Imperium-wide social organization open to anyone who can trace their ancestry back in an unbroken line to someone who fought in or contributed significantly to one or more of the Interstellar wars and "helped found the Rule of Man". HIW has chapters on many worlds in the Imperium. It is strongest in the Solomani Rim, but chapters exist on several worlds in the Spinward Marches, among them Lunion, Mora, Regina, Rhylanor, and Trin. HIW's motto is "In Truth Justice, In Justice Freedom". The first world chapter (on Capital) was founded on 194-0004 and the Imperial Society of HIW received an Imperial charter on 314-0037.

Many members of the HIW are ardent Authenticists, usually specializing in the era of their qualifying ancestor.

The Imperial Society of HIW split into two after the Solomani Rim War with the chapters in the Solomani Confederation and the Solomani-occupied part of the Imperium forming the Solomani Confederation Society of HIW. In recent years the two organizations have worked hard to promote peace and harmony betweenthe Imperium and the Confederation, many prominent members being Reconciliationists. Several events have been the target of attacks by pro-Solomani terrorists.

Eligibility

Membership of HIW is open to all who can trace their lineage back to an ancestor who contributed to the establishment of the Rule of Man, regardless of any other consideration. The Imperial Society of HIW is the final arbiter of the acceptability of all applications for membership.

Acceptable ancestors include various related categories of known historical figures, including:

* Signatories of the Terran Confederation Charter;
* Military veterans of any of the Interstellar Wars, including planetary
defense forces, local militias, privateers, and alien soldiers and spacers
who fought alongside Confederation forces;
* Civil servants of Confederation member worlds and allied worlds and
dependencies thereof;
* Free traders operating in the territory of the Siru Zirka at any time
between [2124 AD] and [2195 AD].
* Participants in the struggle against the Plague of Dushkur and similar
outbreaks;
* Prisoners of Siru Zirka authorities accused of partisan activities;
members of Red Cross, Red Cresent, Red Diamond, and Red Chaplet
organizations belonging to Confederation member worlds; doctors and nurses
who aided Confederation forces;
* Others who gave material or patriotic support to the Confederation cause.

Honorary membership may be extended to persons of non-Imperial allegiance who otherwise fulfill the criteria for eligibility.


Tracing Lineage

Except in a few rare cases, genealogical tracing funnels through the handful of worlds that maintained adequate information storage technology hroughout the Long Night and also preserved old records meticulously throughout the entire period. Prominent among them are Terra, Capital, and Vland.


Controversies

Adoptions

The Society rules require bloodline descent. Some records do not distinguish between natural and adopted children. Some chapters accordingly require a possible or plausible genetic code, positive links between ancestors and descendants becoming impossible after a number of generations.


False records

Doubts about the accuracy of certain records have been raised, especially in cases where different records are mutually exclusive. For instance, a remarkable number of people trace their ancestry back to Manuel Albadawi. In rare cases the Society has elected to accept alternate records on the grounds that it's impossible to determine which sets are genuine and which are not.


Charitable activity

HIW chapters support various charitable activities tailored to the needs of their respective worlds. Education is a particularily popular cause, although specifics vary from world to world. Support of arts and culture are likewise opular.


History of the Imperium Essay Contest

Each year, the HIW conducts an Imperium-wide Imperial history essay contest among 14 year old students. A topic is selected for use during the academic year, and essays are judged "for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness." The contest is conducted locally by the HIW chapters, and chapter winners are judged at the duchy, sector, domain, and Imperium level, with chapter winners receiving scolarships to a university on their world, duchy winners to an Imperial university of their duchy, sector winners to one at the sector capital, domain winners at the domain capital, and Imperium winners on Capital.


Notable HIW members

Past members

*
*
*
* [Names not available at the moment]
*
*
*

Living members

*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

References in popular culture

[snip]

[combatmedic]

Wow, that's reaching back really far!


Then again, there are people alive today who take great pride in the ability to claim a line of descent from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Wow, that's reaching back really far!

It is, but I truly believe that electronic storage provides a quantum leap in the ability to conserve data. Whether humanity will avail themselves of it is another question. But the potential does exist. Not so much in the longevity of any particular storage unit (which I understand is comparatively low for electronic storage), but in the ease of copying the content of an old unit to a new one.

Though I do expect individual units to improve in longevity too. There's a project that has experimented with using glass disks for long-term storage and they claim that the disks can last at least 50,000 years.

There's always the risk of someone making a political decision not to bother to conserve old data, of course. Or sheer accident destroying a copy of an archive. If that archive isn't backed up, the data is lost. But we know that Vland has at least one institution whose purpose is to conserve all knowledge it can get its hands on, and I don't see why the same shouldn't apply to a number of other worlds.


Hans

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Didn't you once write something about how you see the 3I as a successor state to the TC by way of the Rule of Man?

Well, sort of. What I think is that it has a considerable amount of cultural heritage from the Terran Confederation by way of the Rule of Man and the Sylean Federation.

The conceit that the HIW espouses is that Hiroshi established the Rule of Man to preserve the ideals of the Terran Confederation because the TC leaders had shown they couldn't do it. The format he chose (autocracy) was forced on him by the nature of interstellar governance.


Hans

[jason taylor]

Scoresuits:

A type of armor worn for martial sports. They have some of the characteristics of battlesuits but tend to lack(or play down) many features associated with strictly military usage such as advanced sensory and stealth capability, mechanical enhancements to the wearers strength, and gravs. The most important purposes are to protect the wearer and to record the opponent's blows. Their score feature is adaptable to multitudes of styles and traditions of martial sports.

A good scoresuit can receive a full blow from any handweapon without being penetrated. While rare it is known for point-recording programing to be damaged and some traditions consider being able to land a blow hard enough to cause a system crash to be an automatic victory.

Scoresuits of various types are found all through known space.

[Hans Rancke-Madsen]

Credo Sachem


Credo Sachems are members of wealthy Noncredan families characterized by a highly discreet and inconspicuous life style. Based in and around Credo, they form an integral part of the historic core of the Noncredan establishment. They are associated with the distinctive Credo Sachem accent, and with the University of Regina.


Characteristics

The term Sachem originally referred to a tribal chief from the North American continent on Old Terra. On Regina it came to apply to the whole upper crust of Credan society that were extremely influential in the development and leadership of arts, culture, science, politics, trade, and academia. The term was certainly applied partly in jest to characterize the often condescending and pretentious manners of the Credo elite to outsiders. The nature of the Sachems is summarized in the doggerel "Credo Toast" by University of Regina alumnus Jordi Isaiah Matthews:

"And this is good old Credo,
The home of the Crown and the Sword,
Where the Iudas see only Menetrys,
And the Menetrys see only the Lord."

Credo's "Sachem elite" developed a semi-aristocratic value system by the 180s. Cultivated, urbane, and dignified, a Credo Sachem was the very essence of enlightened aristocracy. The ideal Sachem was not only wealthy, but displayed suitable personal virtues and character traits. The term was coined in 161 by Roland Watson Sr. The Sachem was expected to cultivate the arts, support charities such as hospitals and colleges, and assume the role of community leader. Although the ideal called on him to transcend commonplace business values, in practice many found the thrill of economic success quite attractive. The Sachems warned each other against "avarice" and insisted upon "personal responsibility". Scandal and divorce were unacceptable. The total system was buttressed by the strong extended family ties present in Credo society. Young people attended the same prep schools and colleges and married within the group. Family not only served as an economic asset, but also as a means of moral restraint. Most belong to the New Catholic faith and later the Church of Regina, although some were Assemblists or Practicants. Politically they tended towards moderate Conservatism. They were marked by their manners and distinctive elocution, the Credo Sachem accent, version of the Reginan Anglic accent.

Sachem families

Originally, the rich homesteaders who left Credo to establish ownership of huge tracts of land were excluded from the Credo high society, being regarded as crude and uncultured, as evidenced by their turning their backs on the refined life in the capital. As infrastructure improved and trips to Credo became a matter of hours, the elite from the rest of the continent came to participate in Credan social life almost as much as those living in Credo itself, and eventually grew to belong equally to the Sachems.

Many of the Sachem families traced their ancestry back to the original founders of Credo while others entered Noncredan aristocratic society during the Golden Age with their profits from commerce and trade or by marrying into established Sachem families like the Valentines and the Walkers.

The period after the Civil War saw a high turnover among the high society families; few of the original families survive today. But the families that replaced them still speak with the accent and are still referred to as Sachems.

A few families are listed here.

Ashley family

* Kerwin Ashley, Firstcomer, part owner of the _Mark_
** Lucky Ashley, explorer and prolific namer of geographical features


Foster family

* Susan Foster, Firstcomer, part owner of the _John_, bought Titus Walker's share too
* Mala Foster, 6th Mayor of Credo, suppressed the Knights Regnant


Gordon family

* Jaye Gordon, Firstcomer, part owner of the _Mark_
** Ezekiel Gordon, 8th Mayor of Credo - established the Pomona Cove Exile Settlement.
** Gabriel Gordon, explorer and surveyor.


Harris family
* Susannah Harris, Firstcomer, part owner of the _Luke_
** Philemon Harris, 5th Mayor of Credo
*** Potiphara Harris, 15th Mayor of Credo - reconciled the Pious and the Irreverent


Iuda family

* Tabitha Iuda, Firstcomer, part owner of the _Luke_
** Debora Iuda, 7th Mayor of Credo (152-168)
*** Raybon Iuda, 1st Marquis of Regina
**** Michah Iuda, 1st count of Regina
***** Charles Iuda, Co-founder of the Gordon's Bay Company
****** Niven Iuda, Xth and last Count of Regina (died 622)


Menetry family

* Veron Choald Menetry (19–100), Firstcomer, part owner of the Luke and 1st
Mayor of Credo
** Dravon Menetry (43-121), Firstcomer, First CEO of Luke Consortium.
***Jekolja Menetry (79–170), granddaughter of Veron and 2nd Mayor of Credo.
**** Rachel Menetry (119-200), 10th Mayor of Credo (180-185)
**** Tirza Menetry (128-207), 12th Mayor of Credo (196-200)
***** Joshuine Menetry (171-251), 17th Mayor of Credo (224-236)
****** Isaac Menetry (226-310), 1st King of Regina
******* Haladan Menetry (593-639), 7th and last King of Regina

The main branch of the Menetrys fled Regina in the aftermath of the Civil War when Crown Prince Malcom was assassinated in 639 before he could be crowned king, but several collatteral branches are still extant today.


Rumson family

* Ireland Rumson, Firstcomer, part owner of the _Luke_


Turner family

* Edgar Turner, Firstcomer, part owner of the _Mark_, founder of the Turner Seminary
* Absalom Turner, first and only grandmaster of the Knights Regnant


Walker family

* Titus Walker, Firstcomer, eponymous founder of Walker County
** Baronet Howard Baxter Walker - "The Richest Man on Regina"


Grant family
Tailor family
Conroy family
Sumner family
Gibson family
Prince family
Sweet family
Shaw family
Valentine family

[combatmedic]

Boston Brahmins!
Nice.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Oh, and...
The King Has Two Bodies.

There is Strephon the mortal man, and Strephon the Emperor. One is imperfect, corruptible, flawed, and mortal. The other is the Imperium's Body Politic, it's soul incarnated. The one dies, the other lives on in the next Emperor.


HAIL THE EMPEROR

Look for the book Arthurian Propaganda (I'll have to check for the author's name there may be more than one book of that title). The author's thesis is that Mallory was shaping the tragic fate of Arthur in terms of his failure to keep his seperate roles (his two bodies) properly seperate. That, by failing to understand the nature of kingship, Arthur destroys his own kingdom in spite of his virtue and heroism.

It should be an interesting read for you.

[jason taylor]

Chamber of Ten Thousand Worlds.

A room in the Imperial palace with a rounded ceiling. Covered with black marble and having a stylized display of all the worlds in the Imperium. Each system is represented by a semi precious stone implanted with a database for the anthropology of that world according to recent reports.

Also in the room there are display cases containing samples of cultural products of a given world. The worlds to be featured are regularly changed, and the choice of a world to be displayed is theoretically made at random. Cynics have noted that the Emperor has on occasion intervened with this choice to emphasize his favoring or shunning of a given world.