FALDOR/DISTRICT 268

ER 3

Law Level 3

Tech Level 2

Resource Level 2

Non-Aligned

Terrain: Well-inhabited, Backwater

Faldor is a backwater world that sees little or no traffic due to its lack of industry and thick soupy atmosphere that requires a filter mask to breathe properly. The planet itself is smallish and has a low gravity.

The most you will find on this world in your Ship's Library(tm) is a surface map of the planet and a reference to The Tapperheten Incident of 1109, when a Sword Worlder cruiser was shot down in the system. Conspiracy theorists have used this incident to indulge in wild speculation about secret Sword World bases throughout District 268.

Until recently, Faldor was classified as an Amber Zone because Imperial anthropologists were studying the planet with a view to seeing how populations that have degenerated to barbarism might renew their civilisation once more. In this case it seems to have followed much the same development pattern as Terra did. Things have changed now since Imperial traders have been allowed in, but uptake of the new technology has been minimal because of the total distrust of outsiders that the natives have.

Faldor has a population of around 7,000,000 people divided among the various nations that govern the planet. There is no single planetary government and the different nations are often at war with each other. Manufacturing technology is analogous to the late medieval period on Terra, and native technology has only recently developed firearms. These are extremely unreliable and prone to blowing up in the user's face.

Most of the planet is dry land as the water seems to be receding and the polar ice-caps are growing. This is thought to be a result of the planet heading for a new ice age. As a result of the reduction in standing water and the falling temperatures, much of the planet is becoming drier and deserts are forming. This means that the best agricultural land is that which is close to the few remaining rivers, and most civilisations have linear territories that follow the lines of those rivers. In a few small cases, the states are founded beside and around lakes, and therefore have taken on a shape that resembles these lakes.

Each of the civilisations on Faldor is separated from others by areas of wilderness that are dominated by the thick ferny vegetation that is the closest analogue to a tree on this planet. These plants grow to a height of around 6m at most and tend to dominate areas once they take hold. Wild animals of many types inhabit these areas and travel between places can be particularly hazardous if one does not follow the well-beaten path.

Population

The majority of the population on Faldor are of human descent, but there is an indigenous native race that inhabits the most inaccessible parts of the planet, the Otarri.

The Otarri

The Otarri are known by the humans as “fishmen” because of their resemblance to Terran fish, particularly the Piranha, and also because they are amphibians that require a certain amount of time each day in the water to prevent themselves drying out. The development of the Otarri suggests that the planet once had a much higher hydrographic percentage than it does now. Imperial anthropologists have suggested that climate change is slowly destroying the Otarri, and will ultimately result in their extinction. It is not known exactly how many survive, but their numbers are thought to be in the low thousands, divided between half a dozen tribes. Their technological development is estimated to be at TL 0, although no one has actually studied them from within their communities; apparently they consider human flesh to be a delicacy, and this has precluded close examination of their culture and society.

Otarri warriors, when encountered, are usually armed with spears, clubs, wicker shields and their own very sharp teeth. They do not appear to have metal artefacts.

Otarri warriors prefer to attack from ambush and they are very good at camouflage. Also, once blood has been spilt they often fall into a battle frenzy that can see them turn on the wounded and slain in the middle of a fight, even on their own. Thus, cannibalism does not seem to be a taboo, unlike with many other races.

Society

As stated above, Faldor consists of a number of states congregated alongside rivers or around lakes. The populations of the largest of these states number in the hundreds of thousands while the smallest consist only of tens of thousands. Almost all of these states follow a feudal structure with a militarised overclass controlling the rest of the populace (the peasants). The peasants work the land for their overlords and provide them with food and supplies. In return their overlords are pledged to protect the peasants.

There is a well-defined difference in the minds of the populace between civilised, settled areas and the wilderness that surrounds them. Anyone who comes to a civilised area from the wilderness is treated with suspicion if they do not come from that civilised area. Peasants will not speak to outsiders at all, and all negotiations will be with the local overlord, although it can be difficult working out to whom one should speak when no one but that person will speak to you.

The Military

Armies on Faldor are similar to their Terran medieval counterparts, although there are no suitable riding or draft animals, which means that the nobility tend to ride in carts pulled by servants or slaves. Once at the battlefield, the nobility dismount and take their place in the battle lines with their retinues. The majority of weapons employed are one- or two-handed cutting weapons, supplemented by archers and javelin men. Metallic armour is worn by those few that can afford it and some armies have small cadres of very expensive hand-gunners, who fire the primitive cannon that this world has developed.

Command and control in battle is usually by means of flags from the general’s cart or by the use of loud musical instruments. These pre-arranged signals are useful but control of an army in battle is cumbersome and the general will often have to dive into the fray and lead from the front to ensure that the troops do exactly as he says.

Occasionally wars are decided by single combat and great respect is accorded to those warriors that have won such combats for their lives are usually short but glorious. Such a warrior will want for nothing while they live because they are seen as a physical embodiment of the civilisation itself and everyone will want them to be in the best possible shape, because that way the civilisation will be in the best possible shape.

Adventuring on Faldor

A number of adventures are possible on Faldor. These could include simple trading missions; attempts to establish contact with the natives; exploration of the wilderness to see if there is anything worth claiming there; recovering treasure from the wreck of the Tapperheten; recce missions to identify and destroy Sword Worlds bases (if any really exist); attempts to contact and save the Otarri; and crash landing on the planet and trying to get back to the starport.

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