(Actually, just a brief outline so we can start play. I'll flesh out what is needed after I finish the map.) M. Keaton > --What is your societies name? "A question which, even in the asking betrays your youth and ignorance," the priest said with a kindly smile which did not reach his eyes. "What is in a name? Throughout time we have been called many things and worn many masks, discarding each when it no longer served our cause. Ah, but you've no patience for a history lesson. If it suits you, know us by the name of the martyrs of our order, St. Malay and St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Not dramatic enough? I suppose you could use the old name: The Poor Fellow Soldiers of the Temple of Solomon but, then, to do that would be to acknowledge that we are more and older than you can comfortably concieve. Call us, then, what we are now, a remnant of a failing vision . . .Yes, that will do: The Remnant." The old priest's eyes were like ice staring blindly forward. The scholar sent to interview the monk shivered then made a few, quick notes. > --Summarize your society in a few lines. This will be used on a society > cover page. 'A secretive monastic order surviving by providing guidance and information to those governments which will meet their price. It has been rumored that they may be a surviving remnant of an older society." > > Geography "Where, dear boy? Why here, of course. Here and there, we've cloisters on any world which will have us and a few that woun't but do not know of us yet." Recorders note: most Remnant monestaries are located on the edges of highly populated sections of human space, close enough to influence their affairs but removed enough to maintain some degree of security. It may be noted that the order is highly coordinated yet maintains no visible center of orginization, leading many to presume that they do, indeed, posess a system as yet unrevealed. > > --How much does your society interact with others? (I.e.) How close are > you to other players? "We are not close to them. We are of them." > --How big is your society? Does it contain a habitable or marginally > habitable planet? Does it cover multiple systems? If so, how spread > out is it? You needn't give a population figure, just an estimate of > large, tiny, etc. The priest did not reply, but sat, simply staring forward with his blind eyes as if he had not heard the question. > --Is your society particularly rich or poor in any resources? "It is no secret that we trade in information and influence. Under our tutalage, a people may be guided to great prosperity if that is their desire and, for this, we have been richly rewarded. St. Bernard himself was a banker and we have varied little from his leanings." > History > --What did your society do during the rise of the Hegemony? "We prospered. The materialism of the Hegemony drove many to seek the fufillment of the spirit and our numbers rose. It was not truely noticable; what is one more empire in the course of history?" > --What did they do during the Century of Fire? The old priest tilted his head to one side and look vaugely perplexed. "And there shall come a great and cleansing fire for it was made covenant that man should never again be destroyed by water but only and henceforth by a fire, washing across the main and upon the deep," the priest shook his head in amusement before continuing. "I suppose you could say we collected payment due . . . Come now, what could we do, a handful of harmless monks. We made our way as best we could and ministered to the fallen." > Culture > --Societies often display a degree of schizophrenia regarding goals. > What are a few major divisions? "Indeed, heresy has been a constant thorn against which we must remain ever vigilant. Even within the midst of our true followers, there are many questions unresolved. What seperates man from beast? Is it right to remake man in a new image, be it by gene or by wrench? What if there are races other than mankind and what,then, is the fate of this 'alien' soul? "As difficult as these questions are, the heresies have been worse. Though not of our order, still, we feel responsible for their actions. Worlds have been purged in the name of righteousness because the head of a local order has slipped into madness and declared a taint of humanity no longer human. Oh, but the greatest of our shame was the Petants. Their battle cry was 'eat the rich'; their goal, to purify the spirit of man through forced privation." The priest sighed and rocked back in his chair, languishing in silence for several minutes before continuing. "I would not presume to judge the righteousness of their decision but the heretic's methods are not ours. Direct voilence is tactically unsound, we learned that eons ago. No, the order should never have blood on its own hands." > --Does your society have any areas (technological developments or > skills) where it's better or worse then the average of Human space? "Who is to say what is better or worse than another? Yet, I do understand the intent of your question. We have knowledges lost to others. We think with clarity that others do not. Our memories and records go back further than the library's of other worlds. Our advice is sound and we are known for our wisdom. Those whom we serve prosper as they will. I believe you would term these things as better. As for worse, well, look about, we are but poor monks, unable to help those who would not come to us." > > --Is there any special emphasis towards or away from the military? "As I have said, the order will have no blood on its hands. Our knowldege of military theory and history, however, is as extensive." > --Do they have any special relation with Psionics? Mass hatred, > promoted in the gene pool, etc. "Indeed, this has been a concern of the order and the source of many heresies. On the one hand, who are we to cast aside a tool which has been placed within our hand? Yet, it is a wrongness to invade the mind and privacy of another. Thus we have focused our energies on those applications which do not, directly, involve the will of another and all ranking members of the order have been trained extensively to defend themselves and keep the secrets of the order against all persecution." The priest leaned forward and added, "Actually, I could pull your brain out of your nose, rebuild it into a different person, put it back, and send you off to assassinate your ruler but why would I want to? I am but a simple monk. You will not make note of these things in your machine and you will forget we have spoken of this." The scholar did not make note of these things and did not remember. > > --Are there any setup effecting aspects of your society I haven't asked > about? OGK: Yes. There is a system not on the common map which is the home of the order (Oh, big suprise) and monestaries of the order will be primarily restrained to occupying areas which they have been invited into so if any player expressly does not want the order to be present in their system, I will respect that. In addition, if any player (or NPS) wishes, the monks of the order will also act as official advisors. ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
