'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

[jason taylor]

Brevet Titles:

While it's power is in Reaver's Deep, the Principality of Caledonia has trading posts and (negotiated) extraterritorial merchant enclaves in many parts of Known Space. Many of these places try to maintain Caledonian culture in miniature.
According to the laws, when a knighthood or ennoblement is given, it must be confirmed by the house of lords either face to face at Selkirk, or by an appointed deputy of the house of lords. In practice that means that in outposts the majority of the Caledonian aristocracy is unconfirmed. In such places confirmations add to Social Regard.

Hereditary colonel: a defunct title descended from the Blackwatch Marine Division of the Terran Confederation. It requires descent from a colonel of one of the regiments of said division. It is not a title used in formal usage, but claims to a colonelcy are made by several noble houses and are the subject of genial, or not-so-genial dispute.

[jason taylor]

Scottian Presence: Area of Rejapphur once ruled by the Scottian Deep Trading Company, now directly ruled by a crown appointed "viceroy and ambassador".

"Rebellion on Rejapphur": A well known novel written in the Technothriller style about a hypothetical rebellion on Rejapphur by Reginald McIver. It's historical status lies in it's history as a protest novel about the misgovernment on said planet and the possibility of bloodshed. Fortunately it's dire predictions failed. While there was (and is) plenty of violence on that world, a spectacular and atrocious conflict of the kind was preempted. The novel however did cause the Prince to refuse to extend the company charter and to appoint a viceroy (Conor of Douglas) with power to govern the Presence and negotiate with local rulers in the name of the Principality.

Note: while "Scots in Space" was acceptable because well done, and justifiable as an artificial act of nostalgic romanticism as well as an expression of the descent of the settlers, having a Great Mutiny in space, perhaps rather arbitrarily, seemed just to much for me to swallow.

[jason taylor]

Guides Regiments:

These are the Caledonian answer to the Sylean Rangers:

Caledonia to some degree has a Thalassocractic strategy based on wide spaced hegemony rather than territorial dominance. This is in contrast to the Imperium which despite it's official ideology seems to use star fleets like a pre star flight land rather than a naval power at times. For this reason the Guides are often on duty in foreign climes.

They are officially members of the Royal Caledonian Marines to keep the responsibility for more esoteric foreign ventures out of the hands of the Lords who typically of legislators have a Not in My Back Yard attitude toward such things and are happy enough that the army has no part whether or not opposed in principal. Gunboat Diplomacy, proxy warfare, and expeditionary warfare have long been the purview of the naval and the intelligence services including the Marines. In this regard Guides regiments are trained specifically as liasons whether providing cadres for inadequately trained foreign units, conducting foreign exchange officer programs with allied services, or even working with Caledonian home defense and paramilitary units (such as the Fencibles of the Transrift Corporation).

The Guides are older than the Second Constitution and have served in a number of places. They inobstrusively served to bring about the ascendancy of Arbelatra in the hope of taming the chaos of the civil war.

[jason taylor]

Desolation: An ancient star kingdom to ventral of the Spinward Marches it's origins are not clear. It had several waves of settlers. It is notable for it's Leventine cultural imagery which is in keeping with the climate.

It has been called a "desert world". It is hardly that, certainly not Martian-like. It is however widely covered by semi-arid land both steepe and true desert far more than on Terra. That said there is plenty of ocean as well as both freshwater and saltwater inland seas. The main starport is on a freshwater sea named Nova Aral for it's great depth.

It's chief business is intersteller trade as well as harvesting the "Storm spice". This is released in spores that ride in the wind until the rainy seasons. When they bloom Nomads harvest it and sell it in the towns. It can be made into perfumes, incences, or garnishes for food and drink.

The politics is feudal with various chieftains combining in alliances and feuding at will but propping up the central government for interests considered to be held in common. The Constitution is curious. The legislative or advisory counsel or Jirga containing everyone who is of standing on the planet and the monarch (titled "the Khausrau") both claim to have absolute power. As that is contradictory both say that theoretically the other's claim is a usurpation and bring forth esoteric precedent from history. Some might expect this to cause a general civil war but the real effect is to force them to choose between deadlock and compromise. Only on rare occasions is absolutism actually invoked.

The present Khusrau is a descendant of the Bradshaw dynasty founded by James Bradshaw. James Bradshaw the notorious warlord and mercenary broker after the establishment of Arbellatra, landed at Nova Aral and enacted a coup. After negotiations with the Jirga it was agreed that James would marry the sister of the previous Khusrau the former of which was unwed of yet and the later of which was medically unfit to sire an heir. It was agreed further that the child of this union would be designated heir and that the old Khusrau would go into exile but be amply provided for. Despite the humiliation there was little resistance as few were willing to support a succession war and the previous Khusrau preferred comfort to power in any event.

James Bradshaw converted his mercenary forces into the Crown Fleet of Desolation, and formalized it into a regular force. He also created the White Diamond Line (After the royal crown jewels "The Eye's of Helen" a pair of diamonds considered to have the beauty of the famous runaway princess of Troy). This was the royal merchant fleet of the planet specializing in the carrying of fashionable luxury products including those produced on Desolation. These he bought at ample price from merchants which is one reason his conquest was accepted so readily. One of his eccentricities was the New Palace. It was a labyrinthine monstrousity decorated with precious artwork of all kinds and surrounded by gardens and fountains. As James was a reader of ancient terran literature he gave it the name of "Arakis Palace".

Desolation is a center of trade in the sector. It is usually neutral in international conflict but that does not make it peaceful. As well as the constant tribal feuding it is known as a route for smugglers using local merchants to facilitate transport. It is also known for being an espionage battleground between larger multiworld polities. This is normally tolerated as long as it is not directed against the Kingdom and as long as violence done along the way is not to obnoxious.

This would be an adventure friendly world, for a Casablanca like experience or simply for free traders looking for a credit.

[jason taylor]

Police Bola:

This a device using two shocksticks connected by a cord or chain meant for pursuit and grappling. It can be thrown, used to thrust or strike with one end like a classic nightstick, used to strike like a flail with a full swing (this method is used to often by the untrained), and of course used as an electrical attack. It has a wide variety of types. From the time of the Ziru Sirka of course it was typical to make shocksticks that can double as impact weapons for constabulary use but it is not clear when this fashion of using two tied together came.

Some police shocksticks made nowadays are serviceable as rescue tools with such bells and whistles as window breakers, seatbelt cutters, and flashlights or probing devices of various kinds. Modern technology can make such a complicated device sturdy enough to handle subdueing a suspect. However many cops particularly on mid level tech worlds, often prefer to have the hand weapon and the rescue tool kept as separate devices to avoid complications.

Despite the name it is not only used by police. It is in fact often carried by stevedores and spacers on leave for self-defense or offense if that be his taste and many models are made emphasizing concealment.

Note: I thought of this device independently and never heard of the Orcutt Police Nunchaku. Go figure.

[jason taylor]

Edir-sirka:

While to outsiders the Vilani seem ethnically homogenized that is an accident of history. After their forcible settlement on Vland by the Ancients the human abductees were watched while they developed civilizations. When what we now call the Vilani were developed as one of said civilizations jumpstarted in technology by the Ancients for their own dubiously well intended purposes. With this advantage the Vilani conquered and assimilated all of Vland, claiming to be the rightful rulers. Most other ethnic groups were forgotten or live on only as secret societies. The Edir-Sirka survived by accepting the liegeship of the Vilani Ruler. Their engineering tradition was widely valued and they are found through Known Space.

The Edir-sirka were a series of city states along the coast ranges of one of the continents of Vland. They were known for skill at water travel and boatbuilding but it is their skill at mining that got attention. In this regard Terrans often compare them to Cornishmen who are also known both for seafaring and mining.

While geneticly Vilani they have developed some ethnic distinctions including skill at hearing and echolocation. Many devices known among Vilani including the Vilani Spacer's Staff (a hot stick with a hook on either end, used for getting in delicate corners and often enough in brawls) were invented by them and some are still in use today at least in modified form.

Each Edir-Sirka outpost looks up to the High King (Terran translation), a ceremonial official who in turn pays fealty to the Emperor of whichever of the three imperiums who rule. The government of an outpost or city-state is held by an elected Captain-General (they tend to use the actual Ganglic word for that ) who has the authority of chief executive and justiciar with advice from a council.

[jason taylor]

General Stores:

These are small trading posts buying and selling a variety of goods rather than specializing. They can be as large as a large franchise such as the spacer oriented "Chandlers", or a small mom-and-pop. Some are actually the businesses of gentry and some of rich commoners. What they have in common is that they maintain a large number of goods and services.

Aside from being a connection to the commodities web many have secondary businesses in banking, hospitality and so on. Some even own mini-factories and are minor manufacturers. Like Inns and Taverns (who have no clear line of distinction with general stores in any event), they are social, political, and sometimes religious centers as well as economic.

A "General" in a city will likely be a variant of a shopping center or bazaar. One in rural territory-or on a planet with only a Class 1 Starport, will be a cozy little venue. All will be made to serve the demands of the area. It is not unknown for a general to have a theme. Chandlers for instance has goods which will be popular in most places such as electronics and EDC but the goods are disproportionately geared toward the transport industry and the decor emphasizes a romantic picture of said occupations. However a general must have a reasonable minimum of goods of general appeal.

[jason taylor]

Imperial Stamp:

A common feature in any Imperial Starport, it is a stamp of an Imperial Sunburst surrounded by the phrase "In the name of the Emperor, given in year X in Subsector Y" in concentric languages of Ganglic, Vilani, and Sylean plus a microscopic and randomly generated cipher in between the spaces confirming date and subsector.

The placing of an Imperial Stamp on a contract confirms that weights, measures, and currencies will be Imperial standard unless otherwise specified and that all parties to a contract are acknowledging that they can be held prosecutable for fraud "or some such lesser crime..." under Imperial law in the event of failure to perform the contract.

Stampbooks can be purchased by licensed notaries and in more important contracts are sometimes witnessed directly by the legal department of the SPA.

Most stamps are minted by Subsector Dukes rather than directly by the Emperor; declaring it an Imperial stamp simply means his authority is on it.

Aside from normal trade stamps there are commemorative stamps issued for special events or honored personages. Patent, Copyright, and trademark stamps can follow the same usage.

It must be noted that not all contracts or even the majority carry Imperial Stamps. Imperial policy is against unnecessary weakening of planetary governments and so most contracts are guaranteed locally. Imperial Stamps are primarily used for contracts that have interstellar ramifications.

[Astromancer]

Star Squiggles!

According to who you ask Star Squiggles is either a dangerous urban legend or an insidious Zhodanni (sic) plot. The game Star Squiggles is supposed to be hidden in other games. If you find the hidden back doors in their other games you can play Star Squiggles . The hidden game is supposed to be amazing fun and it causes latent PSI to awaken psionically! Other people say the game isn't real, it a psyops to root out those interested Psi Powers. Still others say it's a double bluff, either by the Empire or the Zhodanni. Many people say the story of Star Squiggles itself is dangerous.

Note: Several designers have made their own version of Star Squiggles which complicates things no end.

[jason taylor]

Agum Amikar:

Traditional Vilani cloak or cape. The classic model is trapazoidal like Terran capes which has caused some Terrans to claim that wearers resemble a legendary ghostly incarnation of an Eastern European warlord. The classic is fairly simple with differences in rank varying only by style. However the variance has allowed numerous varieties to emerge. Some have attached sleeves and hoods, some are worn more like a belted plaid than a traditional cape. They also have various uses some being large enough to use as hammocks. One curious variety is three layered with an inside of wire mesh with plastic or metal scales hung on it. This variety is for defense. Many are surprised at such a precise culture as Vilani having a dueling culture. In fact Vilani dueling practices went back through thousands of years of precedent and were often considered a way to minimize violence and disorder.

One use that has been and still is made of Agums is as a heraldric symbol. Star Nations, Guilds, families, religions, societies, military units all often have large ones (where Terrans would use a standard) and/or small (where Terrans would use a uniform). One motif is to display on review national insignia on a Terran style uniform, unit insignia on a Agum, and personal insignia on crossbelts.