Questions about the TA universe

[Cyrus]

After playing through quite a few campaigns I've seen lots of little hints about the Templars, Narvidians and Star Traders. But I'm wondering about some of the basic "facts" of the game world:

1. What are the basic tenets of the Templar religion?
   
   
2. Are there female Templars? Are the Templars wives waiting at home? Do they clone new Templars?
   
   
3. The best weapons seem to be ancient. How did the Templars lose the ability to make those superior weapons? Did the Narvidians design and make the weapons before the war with them?
   
   
4. Do Templars hate all technology, or only computers/AI? It seems strange that they can build and operate starships but not improve on some ancient weapons and armor. They pursue all ST Captain that deal with Narvidian artifacts, yet at every turn they study them in the field.
   
   
5. What does FDF stand for? I'm guessing Fleet Defence Force?
   
   
6. How do xenos move through space? Most campaigns show them as infesting Star Trader ships (hiding in cargo?) But Roavin says they arrived in a great fleet. Is it known whether they are guided by something else or work with human cultists or are intelligent enough to organize a fleet?
   
   
7. Does a Templar have to physically move the Leviathan's arms and legs or is his movement translated to servos that do the actual movement? I'm thinking the former, since a Templar's strength and quickness make a difference, but how would a Templar be able to lift something on a high-gravity world unless the Leviathan did the actual lifting?

[Deleted]

We hammered out that the templar's hands and feet sit inside the vambraces and shins of the leviathan suits. Somewhat like the power loader from Aliens. The rest I'd like to know too.

[contributor]

Cyrus, there is a lot more background to the TA universe in Star Traders. I'm actually currently mulling over the idea of starting a new thread over there that would try and collect all the backstory elements that are known.

Basically though TA takes place in what's known as The Quadrant. A corner of space occupied by what's know as the Star Traders, a group a refugees who fled the Galactic Core due to some great conflict going on there. There are six factions of Star Traders divided between Syndicates (De Valtos, Cadar, Rychart) and Houses (Thulun, Javat, Steel Song) and then there are the Templars who are somehow responsible for the enforcement of Shalun law. Shalun was a prophet of the the Zendu order (If I'm not mistaken) and I think maybe he was a major leader in the original exodus. I think I also remember reading somewhere that the Zendu/Templar are genetically unique races distinct, though derived from, humans.

The Narvidians were originally created by humans to ferry people out of the Galactic Core on what's known as Hive ships. At some points the Narvidians began fighting (amongst themselves I believe). I think that might actually be part of the conflict that drove humans out of the GC. Apparently Narvidians have since began evolving and replicating on there own.

So the reason the best weapons are older is that the Quadrant has lost a lot of the technology that existed in the GC and is in some ways a victim of it, which is why the Templars are keen to keep that old technology out of the hands of the wrong people.

The aliens are seemingly residents of the Quadrant. The Star Traders found them there, though none of them seem willing or able to negotiate with humans. There is only animosity between them. In ST the aliens do have their own ships and it's not entirely clear if the ships are manufactured by the aliens or are some sort of living super-organism themselves. There also seems to be distinct races of aliens some of them originating on distinct planets like the Terrox. You can see a complete list of Alien, Narvidian and Hulk ships here startradersrpg.proboards.com/thread/2750/list-aliens-who

I've tried to post what I'm relatively sure of. Others may know better and be able to correct any errors I have made.

[Deleted]

Thank you Lurker. I need this stuff for my webcomic, so anyone else has anythng to add- might as well be here.

I was lead to believe the Narvidians were the original cause of the exodus. I read Rabidbite's work* theres probanly an influence there and I don't know where canon stops and poet's license begins.

What I can add thats from the game is that there was a seventh faction that wandered off. That may be those genetically unique people you were referring to Lurk.

Templars are always referring to 'The Fleet' and no central command headquarters. Im willing to bet they exist entirely In space, with resource harvesting, manufacturing, and agricultural Infrastructure Included with the fleet. They have their own set of ship classes so they might have a "Mothership" (Homeworld) type mobile shipyard. The Templar's search for ancient equipment and its inherent superiority leads to the conclusion that there was a technological dark age. Probably during the exodus where confusion from mass evacuation, and loss from conflict resulted in the loss of research and records and specialized manufacturing processes.

Example: theres a war here on earth that results in lots of lost data. Through nukes, EMP, ect. The manufacturing centers and all data on how to produce industrial and commercial CNC machines are lost. The machines that are left become priceless, and the techs who service and operate become a commodity. Replacement parts must be improvised, and eventually they break down. In the meantime, all technology that is dependent on these 3D printers also dies. No new moletronic components- modern computers and devices electronic components are mainly printed in place automatically because theyre microscopic now. Instantly electronics takes a 50 year dump and we're back to toaster oven sized calculators and thru-hole transistors. Dollars to pesos thats what happened during the Exodus.

[Cyrus]

Thanks dayan and contributor, that's a some nice info.

I bet that when the tickets to the exodus fleet were handed out all the faction politicians and CEOs made sure they and their families had some and they forgot to bring scientists and engineers (apart from a few low-wage maintenance workers). Boom, instant dark age! Now the Quadrant is full of feuding politicians and anything-goes star traders. Not to mention religious fanatics that practically worship their guns and armor.

[contributor]

dayan, you got me poking around the forum for bits of history. Which is NOT what I need to be doing right now. I found this though which was posted by Cory:

The Templars are one of the more prominent militant followers of the Zendu Creed, which traces it's history to the Galactic Core and the Hardoss Order of Mal Direx Prime.

The Zendu bloodlines were carefully guarded (controlled?) by the monks of Hardoss due to the special properties they enable in those who carry them.

A properly trained Zendu practitioner can encode skills, knowledge and memories into his or her genetic codes which can be unlocked by a trained offspring, even ten or twenty generations later.

Following the Great War, the Zendu masters were divided between Machinists and Humanists. The Templar orders primarily took sides with the Humanists and during the diaspora abandoned the ravaged Galactic Core as the guardians of the Star Trader's World-Hive fleet.

Read more: startradersrpg.proboards.com/search/results?where_board_subboard=18%2C11%2C17%2C10%2C8%2C19%2C9&what_at_least_one=History&who_only_made_by=0&display_as=0#ixzz2dMhTvTIY

I also very interestingly (at least for other Star Traders players) found this from Cory:
My favorite Faction is Thulun because of the ST RPG history they have, a close second is Javat.

I have a bottomless pit of hatred for all Cadar.

Read more: startradersrpg.proboards.com/search/results?display_as=0&page=2&what_at_least_one=History&where_board_subboard=18%2C11%2C17%2C10%2C8%2C19%2C9&who_only_made_by=0#ixzz2dMjnIJ00

[contributor]

And a little bit more from Cory:

The Templars are a separate group from the Star Traders and the Factions.

This setting focused on the diaspora of the Star Traders and their escorts, the Templar Militant.

The Star Trader Factions abandoned the home worlds and departed the war-ravaged galactic core over 200 years ago under the guidance of the prophet Shalun.

The Templar Militant, a splinter group of the Zendu Order, followed Shalun the prophet in the diaspora.

The Star Traders cling very tightly to their original cultures, legal systems and identities.

The Templars, and the teachings of Shalun are under attack socially and culturally.

After a century of travel, after leaving behind the ruined planets of the core, the upper class of the Star Traders grow weary.

They chafed under the strict rules of the prophet and the ways of the Templar and slowed the travel of the great ships, eventually stopping altogether, settling in the area of space known as the quadrant.

Just over 50 years before the start of the Star Traders RPG story, the bulk of the Templar fleet moved away from Faction controlled space to engage in a defensive patrol.

Read more: startradersrpg.proboards.com/search/results?where_board_subboard=18%2C11%2C17%2C10%2C8%2C19%2C9&what_at_least_one=Zendu&who_only_made_by=0&display_as=0#ixzz2dMnxiXqW

[contributor]

Getting into the trivial here, also from Cory:

The unit of betting in most Stellik games is 1 Mark, which is what I was referring to. Stellik, or Imperial Stellik, is a card game in Star Traders RPG pen and paper game, which is played by the NPC and PC.

So now I'm talking about Stellik, which is a card game played with the Common Tarot deck of cards. Common Tarot is one of the decks of truth-seeing cards used by the Zendu Haridosse and Templar Inquisitors.

The Common Tarot is essentially a teaching aid for children regarding the Laws of Shalun. Nearly every child in the quadrant is taught at least some Shalun Law from the Common Tarot. The Zendu and Inquisitors use it's subtle psychological influence to perform some truth-seeing rights and other, more secret processes are rumored to exist.

For most, it is a deck of pretty cards with pictures on them. Many games are played with them, but the oldest of all is called Imperial Stellik. This is a very complex game, originally played in betting parlors of the high courts. Some still play the full game, however, one part of the game (essentially, the very end of third betting phase) is played by spacers and grav'rs alike, which is simply called Stellik.

Read more: startradersrpg.proboards.com/thread/75/mask-shame-2#ixzz2dMpO2WwC

[contributor]

And one more very interesting tidbit from Cory. It makes me wonder if TA has not strayed from the original idea. Maybe what you're buying in TA is not new armor but upgrades that are added to your armor. Does this explain anything about Templar reproduction?:

Templars form the core strength of Shalun Lawn. They are the enforcers, the guardians and the stewards.

Trained from a young age to live, fight and die in a single suit of Leviathan Armor, the Templar are the most fearsome fighting force in the Quadrant.

During the Times of Strife (ST RPG 1's setting) the main Templar force has been missing for 57 years.

Read more: startradersrpg.proboards.com/search/results?display_as=0&page=2&what_at_least_one=Shalun&where_board_subboard=18%2C11%2C17%2C10%2C8%2C19%2C9&who_at_least_one=200%2C1#ixzz2dMtbdDWQ

[Deleted]

Wow Lurker you live up to you name. Lots to consider- but it only makes my original story ideas that much stronger.

I dont want think Cory meant the Templar live their whole lives in their armor. But it is their standard work clothes, as it were.

[contributor]

dayan, I just realized that proboards finally got a decent search feature so I'm just finding out a lot of this stuff now for myself.

[Cyrus]

contributor thanks for the treasure trove of lore! You've answered a lot of my questions.

Shalun being a (human or Zendu) prophet and leading the exodus explains a good deal, especially why "Shalun Law" is so strict. It's a martial law that was established to keep the fleet together, not some spiritual teaching by an invisible deity. I had been wondering how a Templar order ended up with strict laws on Narvidian artifacts and smuggling.

I also mistook the Templars hostility towards ancient and Narvidian tech for Luddite technophobia. It seems they're hoarding it for themselves and studying it, there are many occurrences of that in the Narvidian Dawn Campaign. They destroy working tech (they can't control) but then study the remains. I wonder if Shalun Law forbids development of new weaponry.

[Deleted]

Its likely Shalun Law is based heavily on prior space-based, and by extension Earth Admiralty Law. I was thinking it was akin to Dune's Butlerian Jihad against thinking machines.I suppose that is still a major part of it, and probably why the Machinist faction of the Zendu split from the Zendu order.

Its not said specifically but I'm making an educated guess that the machinists disappeared after the split 200 years ago and disappeared because they felt what the Humanists (and by extension the Templar)were stagnating humankind technologically by hampering their attempts at rediscovering their lost technology.

When the bulk of humanity poked the Templar and said screw it we're settling down, the Templar pulled back- mainly content to be completely spaceborne and mobile defenders-looking for Machinist, Narvidian, and other unhealthful influences to save humanity from in spite of itself. Its fairly heavy handed but completely understandable when you take a militarized pseudoreligious sect(by the reverence they hold for the Law and the Stellik deck angle) and charge them with protecting humanity against itself by isolating the technologies used to screw things up back in the core.

That make sense?

[Cyrus]

Heh, I'd noticed some parallels to Dune too. There's pilots using Spice, the war against AI/thinking machines, the great Houses and trade organizations struggling for power, an order of mystics that are on a millennia long breeding program to create superhumans, and a prophet too!

It seems to be mixed with that other game that shall not be named, which has seen a geat fall in technology after war destroyed the homeworld and has genetically engineered space marine brotherhoods with powered armors and very heavy handed tactics for controlling the civilian population when confronted with traitorous cultists.

[fallen]

dayan - if you have an outline of your web comic plot, we'd love to review it to help it stick to the canon as much as possible.

Cory and I will provide more clarification to this thread over the weekend hopefully.