New Lost ICON Materials - The Rigelians
(Originally posted by John Snead on RPG.net, excerpts from the unpublished manuscaript from The Sky-Pirates of Orion.
Rigel V
Environment
Rigel V is a warm temperate world with a moderately dense atmosphere and somewhat heavy gravity (1.2 Gs). The planet consists of five large and three small continents separated by relatively narrow seas. At the temperate and equatorial latitudes the world is quite warm and possesses sizable expanses of desert and jungle. However, the two large polar continents are both mountainous and quite cold. Possessing an axial tilt somewhat less than Earth?s, season are quite mild on Rigel V. While the temperate regions enjoy an almost perpetual spring, the tropics are almost always in the heat of summer, and the weather near the poles ranges from very cool autumn to bitterly cold winter. On Rigel V latitude effectively determines season.
Rigel V is a lush and verdant world. The temperate regions of Rigel V are covered by thick forests of brilliant blue fern-trees, and the equatorial tree-vine jungles are nearly impenetrable. Tree-vines are single plants which cover up to several hundred square kilometers. Their tall slender stalks grow up to 25 meters tall and are connected by vine-like extensions. Tree-vine jungles abound with numerous species of animal life, but few other plants, other than parasitic plants living on the tree-vine itself. These jungles are extremely dense and difficult to explore. Although they have been scanned with sensors, several of the densest jungles which have yet to be penetrated by any humanoid. Currently a number of daring explorers from various species, including Andorians, humans, and even Klingons are attempting to be the first to journey to the heart of the densest tree-vine jungle.
History
This warm verdant planet is the homeworld of the Kaylar. Until 2,000 years ago, Rigel V was a primitive planet where bronze-age Kaylar warred with each other, and various Orion empires and merchant families traded with the more powerful Kaylar tribes for slaves, agricultural products and valuable minerals. This world was never settled by the Orions. The hostile Kaylar made settlement difficult, and their willingness to trade gems, ores, grain, tropical plant resins, and slaves for steel weapons and similar easily produced goods made Rigel V an ideal site for Orion exploitation. Approximately 2,000 years ago, this entire situation changed.
2,000 years ago the great majority of Vulcans greeted Surak?s philosophy of peace and logic with open arms. However, two groups resisted incorporation into Surak?s new way of life. One group consisted of highly militaristic and expansionist technocrats who fled Vulcan in slower-than-light sleeper ships which eventually landed on Romulus. These Vulcans became the ancestors of the Romulans. The other groups was a loose affiliation of highly traditional theocrats and their devoted followers. These theocrats ruled seven small city-states located on the plains of Gol. This region was one of the most rigidly traditional portions of Vulcan, and its rulers were unwilling to give up their power and their petty feuds and embrace the peaceful life that Surak offered. Lacking the technical expertise possessed by the ancestors of the Romulans, the city-states of Gol did possess great expertise in both psychic powers and the ancient Vulcan psionic technologies.
As the remainder of Vulcan began to convert to Surak?s message, the theocrats of Gol formed an uneasy temporary alliance to find a new home. Groups of skilled psychic seers mind-melded into powerful psionic gestalts and scanned the heavens for a new home. At the same time priests trained in secret ancient techniques worked to create a powerful Gran-rath (see The Way of Kolinahr page 66) capable of opening an enormous psychic gateway to a distant world. Hoping to eventually return and conquer all of Vulcan after they had built up their population and military might, the seven theocrats and almost 100,000 of their followers walked through this vast gateway and onto the plains of Rigel V.
Using their arsenal of Rods of Kel (see The Way of Kolinahr page 67) and numerous other advanced psionic and non-psionic weapons, the new colonists rapidly drove out the primitive Kaylar from the world?s warm equatorial regions. Within 60 years most of the Kaylar had been driven into the polar regions of the world. Leaving the polar continents to the Kaylar, the Vulcans continued their expansion across the planet. Eager for more labor, the colonists also began using Kla?tok slave collars (see The Way of Kolinahr page 67) to mentally enslave many thousands of Kaylar to help build cities, work farms, and perform other menial tasks.
Fortunately for the Vulcan colonists, the Orion traders were embroiled in bitter internecine warfare for almost a century after their arrival. This warfare had severely curtailed journeys to Rigel V. By the time the Orion traders made contact with the Vulcan colonists, the colonists had a population of more than 350,000 and a thriving civilization well able to meet the Orions on nearly equal terms. Impressed with the colonist?s advanced psionic technology, the Orions worked out a trade agreement with them. The Orions supplied various useful manufactured goods, and the Rigelians supplied Kaylar slaves, as well as various metals and agricultural products.
Unfortunately, as the new civilization began to prosper, the alliance between the theocrats broke down, and within 150 years after their arrival, Rigel V had split into seven feuding states which used warfare, trickery, powerful psionics, and Kaylar battle-slaves in their constant wars for land and power. During the early period of this warfare, the secret of the Gran-rath was lost and all hopes of returning to Vulcan were abandoned. 250 years after the colonists arrival, the granddaughter of one of the original seven theocrats, T?salda the tyrant, organized a vast army and conquered the entirety of Rigel V.
Realizing that their psionic powers and technologies were both their most powerful weapons against each other and also the primary reason they avoided conquest by the greedy Orions, T?salda ordered a widespread program of psionic training combined with breeding experiments designed to create ever more powerful psychics. Taking children from the parents and raising them in crèches run by the most psionically gifted priests, T?salda began a reign of terror and oppression which would long be remembered by the Rigelians.
At this time, the vast majority of Kaylar who did not flee to the most remote portions of the polar continents were enslaved, and all of the hereditary theocrats were stripped of their power. T?salda proclaimed her Golden Empire which ruled Rigel V for more than 350 years. T?salda?s son Salihk even dreamed of conquering the entire Rigel system and ordered his priests to begin work on interplanetary vessels and long range psionic weapons.
Rogue psychics, embittered nobles, and Kaylar rebels, aided by Orion traders who grew fearful of the Golden Empire?s ventures into the Rigel system, eventually overthrew T?salda?s granddaughter and liberated the Rigelians. Distrustful of the thought of any form of unified government, Rigel V fragmented into many dozens of separate principalities each ruled by a single noble house. At this time, most of these principalities granted Kaylar full or limited citizenship, in return for their aid against the Golden Empire. Also, almost all of these principalities outlawed the use of Kla?tok slave collars.
For many centuries Rigel V was a divided and conflict-ridden world. The Rigelian?s previous advanced mechanical and electronic technology had fallen from the advanced state they had brought with them from Vulcan (Level Five) to an early industrial level (Level Four). However, their trains, gas lights, and steam engines were supplemented by powerful psionic devices, as well as hand weapons, air vehicles and similar technologies purchased from the Orions. Unwilling to create another set of rivals for the Rigel system, the Orions were unwilling to sell space vehicles or related technologies to the Rigelians, but were more than happy to profit from their incessant plots, treachery, and warfare.
This Age of Many Kingdoms lasted for the next 1,000 years. Each kingdom was enmeshed in a vast web of alliances and feuds. The Orion traders who visited Rigel V frequently used the sales of weapons and similar strategic technologies to help keep the conflicts between various kingdoms going. However, increased contact with the rest of the Rigel system, combined with advancing technology allowed the Rigelians to make concerted forays into space almost 600 years ago. The Rigelians soon became pirates and traders, asteroid miners, and explorers and within 100 years had fully joined the interplanetary and interstellar commerce of the sector. Initially the Rigelians purchased warp drives from the Orions, but by 1850 they had learned to create their own warp drives and various kingdoms set out on widespread expeditions of exploration, trade, and colonization. After an abortive attack on Rigel V by Vegan raiders in 1951, the Rigelian nobles were forced to band together. They formed
the Council of Gol to administer extra-planetary affairs and other problems which affect the majority of the Rigelian people.
Population
Rigel V is inhabited by slightly over 1 billion Vulcanoid Rigelians and approximately 300 million Kaylar. Due to both innate ability and selective breeding done more than a thousand years ago, the vulcanoids possess significant telepathic abilities. While some Rigelians make a special study of psionic arts and develop numerous powerful abilities, all Rigelians receive basic psionic training. All Rigelians learn to send and receive thoughts, shield their thoughts, and perform a basic mind meld. Anyone who shows significant aptitude in psionics is usually destined for a position of wealth and power in this culture.
Psionic Etiquette
Like most other cultures where telepathy and similar abilities are common, the Rigelians have an elaborate system of custom and etiquette which govern the use of telepathic powers. All Rigelians are expected to have some ability to protect their minds from being read. Attempting to read someone?s thoughts without permission is considered exceedingly rude. However, anyone who cannot protect their thoughts from causal intrusion is considered to be nearly helpless, and a few uncouth Rigelians consider that such minds almost ask to be read. However, mind melds and similar forms of deep and intimate mental contact are reserved only for an individual?s honor bonds, family and close friends. No deep emotional tie or bond of honor is considered complete if the individuals involved have not mind melded.
In many ways, Rigelian culture is based upon deceit and seeking personal advantage. However, betrayal of family, close friends, or anyone with whom you have sworn a bond of honor is unacceptable. In such cases, the act of mind melding signifies that there will be total trust and honesty between the parties involved.
Everyone on Rigel V knows that no one?s word can truly be completely trusted unless you have mind melded with them. However, since a person is only expected to mind-meld with those who they possess close ties to. Asking someone to demonstrate their good faith by mind melding is only acceptable when both parties will be in some form of close long-term relationship. Casual contacts and all similar negotiations are much less formal and finding a loophole in a contract or achieving advantage by adhering only to the ?letter of the law? are both perfectly acceptable practices.
Psionic Technology
On Rigel V psionic technologies lost on Vulcan for thousands of years are in common use. Today, both Rods of Kel and Swords of Sajik (see Way of Kolinahr pp. 67-69) are regularly manufactured, and the secret of manufacturing Kla?tok slave collars is still known, although the manufacture and use of them is now illegal. However, even on Rigel, both Gran-rath and Stones of Gol (see The Way of Kolinahr, pp. 66-68) remain mysteries, and none have known how to create either of these powerful items for more than a thousand years. However, Plek-rath mirrors, Ska-plak memory globes and other similar items are in common use here (see The Way of Kolinahr pp. 64-66). While most Rigelians refuse to sell such items to foreigners or instruct outsiders in their use, these psionic technologies play an important part in the daily life of the Rigelian people. The use of psionics and psionic technology is a point of pride among the Rigelian people, and is held as one of the more important reasons that their world managed to remain free and independent.
Government
For the past 400 years, Rigel V has been a loosely unified world. Each of the 212 Rigelian kingdoms sends a representative to the sacred Council of Gol. These representatives discuss various issues, vote on important matters, and set policy for the world as a whole. Within the past century the influence of the Federation has encouraged all of the many states to cease enslaving the Kaylar. The status of the Kaylar still varies from state to state, in a few states they are equals to the Rigelians, in most they are second class citizens who work as servants and other menial labor. However, all Kaylar are now free.
Rigel V also contains large Kaylar autonomous regions near both poles. In land far too cold for the Rigelians to comfortably inhabit, wild Kaylar live in their traditional fashion. Here, the Kaylar are free to live in their traditional fashion, hunting the great snow gronths and in the somewhat warmer regions farming blanak root and tsil pods. The Kaylar live in tribes of between 50 and 500 individuals. Feuding and raiding are common pass-times of these tribes and neighboring tribes usually fluctuate between loose alliances and minor warfare. Kaylar who desire the benefits of civilization are free to leave these regions and seek employment among the Rigelian dominated warmer regions. However, ?wild? Kaylar who choose to live among the Rigelians can usually only find work as semi-skilled laborers, ceremonial bodyguards, or if they receive the correct training, as mercenaries.
