Umpire's Public Notes

[BackworldTraveller]

Campaign Number: 1031

This is a Mongoose Traveller V2 (ish) game

The Key Players and Characters are

Player	Character	Stereotype	Status	Address
ateno	Phoenix Bell	Singer	Transient	Majestic Hotel, Koenig
grognardsw	Isaac C Heinlein	Security Consultant	Resident	Unit 6, Glowlight Apartments, Burrows
Ecthelion	Phenrey Vycter	Miner/Scientist	Transient	Ishi Plaza Hotel, Leyland
Odin One Eye	William Loken	ex. Marine NCO	Semi-Resident	Unit 6, Margaret's Apartment Complex, Burrow
Hvalreki	Sir Solomon Tukera	ex. Marine Officer, Corporate Executive	Transient	Riches Hotel, Undertown
The Bindoner	Ushishni Ziryam Nehnyamodh	Darrian, Scientist	Transient	Ishi Plaza Hotel, Leyland
Cybersavant	Darrian, Elzelil Rickert Andras	Astrogator/Roadie	Transient	Majestic Hotel, Koenig
Enoch	Odo Maas	Merchant	Resident	Maas Complex, Undertown
Dongriffiths	Einar Svensson	Sword Worlder, Patrolman	Transient	Ishi Plaza Hotel, Leyland

---

The game is set in the Bowman system (SM1132) in the Spinward Marches sector and will be using official Traveller material as the background where possible.

The opening scene will include the clock striking midnight of the (Imperial) New Year change 1105-365/1106-001 in the Asteroid known as Koenig's Rock.

[BackworldTraveller]

While the universe has been spinning along, some things have happened that have been common factors in the life of the town
1102 to 1105
1105
Brushwar on Squallia ends. Imperial Marine deployment ends.
1104
Imperial Ambassador to the Zhodani Consulate is assassinated. A Fifth Frontier War is narrowly avoided.

1098 to 1101
1101
Brush war on Squallia starts. Imperial Marines deployed as Peacekeepers.
Second uprising of Jonkeer in Deneb Sector. A Jonkeereen is seen at Garrison Starport.
1100
Ciencia Iphegenia, daughter of Emperor Strephon and Empress Iolanthe, is recognized as Grand Princess of the Imperium.
Ling-Standard Products opens Feneteman (Spinward Marches 3104) for mining. Some miners & LSP executives are moved from Bowman.
1099
208th Fleet depart Novoterre
1098
208th Fleet occupy Novoterre in the Usani Subsector.
Norris Aledon becomes Duke of Regina.
Joyeuse Civil War resumes. Major effort by the Patrol to enforce an arms-embargo broken by many organisations
Ling Standard Product's Bifrost Platform suffers catastrophic power failure. 200 aboard killed by Bowman Prime's intense radiation belt because the magnetic field that protected the base had shut down.

1094 to 1097
1097
Duke of Regina's health fails, Norris Aledon resigns his commission in the Imperial Navy to support his father
1095
Operation Clean Sweep on Karin suppresses anti-Navy dissent
1094
Brotherhood of Solace formed

1090 to 1093
1093
The Tukera family brings in large equipment, and begins strip-mining the lanthanum deposits on Lewis (Spinward Marches 3107). Prices on Bowman fall again. Iridium discovered on Pavabid (Spinward Marches 1238). Iridium prices also fall.
Discovery of former Darrian outpost on Bowman Prime/Epsilon (Spinward Marches 1132); Archaeological digs are established.
Anti-LSP revolt on Ucella sees Imperial Army deployed as Neutral Peacekeepers.
1092
Blaine Trulla Tukera inherits Tukera Lines
Phoenix Bell wins the Jesten New Music Award for the song "No Regrets"
1091
Work starts on the Burrow level of Koenig's Rock

1086 to 1089
1088
Ciencia Iphegenia Alkhalikoi.; Grand Princess of the Imperium, daughter of Emperor Strephon and Empress Iolanthe is born.
1087
Isenfang is renamed Margesi (Spinward Marches 1020) and becomes a full member of the Imperium.
1086
A Ling-Standard Products survey team discovers Lanthanum deposits on Feneteman (Spinward Marches 3104). Prices for Lanthanum drop in Bowman.

1082 to 1085
1084
A Zhodani task forces accidentally sterilises Ganulph (Trojan Reach 1307). The Sword Worlds lose Isenfang (now Margesi, 1020) and Tavonni (1520) to the Imperium
1083
Imperial Navy re-occupy Quar; Jonkeer revolt in Deneb Sector threatens to spread into Glisten Subsector.
Odo Mass enters student politics

1078 to 1081
1081-1084
Fourth Frontier War fought between Imperium and Consulate/Sword Worlds. Bowman visited by warships of both sides - but never at the same time.
Joyeuse Civil War overwhelmed by enmity of the Imperium
1080
Ochecate (Spinward Marches 0837) is colonized by Mewey (Spinward Marches 0838) with Aslan assistance. First Mewey seen at Bowman.
1079
Emperor Strephon Aella Alkhalikoi marries Iolanthe Guuilbataashullibaa, daughter of the senior Duke of Gushemege Sector.
Imperial Celebrations on Koenig's Rock turn into drunken riot for 3 days.
Blaine Trulla-Tukera, hier to the Tukera Line Megacorporation, is born
208th Fleet's Chief Logistics Officer found dead in suspicious circumstances. A Ministry of Justice investigation fails to pin the blame on any specific culprit.
1078
Start of a major civil war on Joyeuse. Several Sword Worlders migrate to Bowman as a result.
LSP attempts to enforce mining claims in Bowman registered at the Garrison claims office after 1077-001 is undercut by a simultaneous pirate and cyber-strike on that office that eliminates the office itself and its records. Faced by Independent Prospector action and workforce non-compliance, LSP backs down after it is excluded from bidding on several Imperial Navy contracts.

1074 to 1077
1077
Claims Office Boycott. The Claims Office on Garrison. Bowman is boycotted by Independent Miners and its rulings after 1077-001 ignored in favour of those registered at the office on Koenig's Rock.

1070 to 1073
1071
Einar Svennsson, Elzelil Rickert Andras, Isaac C. Heinlein and Phenray Vyctor born
Paulo III Dies. Strephon crowned Emperor
Aslan Khakhaiyr Pride expelled from Aslan Hierate and migrate to the Third Imperium

1066 to 1069
1067
Ushishni Ziryam Nehnyamodh Born
Grand Prince Strephon enters the Imparial Naval Academy, Capital.
S.O.R.A.G founded by the Zhodani Consulate

1062 to 1065
1065
IISS Second Survey Published

1063
Odo Maas, Phoenix Bell, Solomon Tukera and William Loken born
Norris Aella Aledon born

[BackworldTraveller]

The Traveller Background has many, many languages. Those that are of relevance to this corner of the empire are:

Galanglic
The everyday speech of the Imperium. It's a horrible mess when compared to current English as it has borrowed from all sorts of other places but its pretty universal.

Sagamaal
The everyday speech of the Sword Worlds. This is a derivative of Icelandic and arrived with the Terran colonists during the Long Night. There is a steady trade between Bowman and the Sword Worlds - not least because of a monument to one of their more famous Admirals is present in the system.

Te Zlodh
The Darrians were transported from Terra about 300,000 years ago and developed several languages. These gradually got subsumed by Te Zlodh which was their main colonial language. Then they blew up their star (an event known as the Maghiz) and it was the only one of their languages left. They have subsequently expanded more cautiously and trade with Bowman regularly - and there are ruins of an old pre-Maghiz settlement in the system that are being dug up by the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service under the watchful eye of the Darrian Universities/Government.

Zdant
The Zhodani are another Terran transplant from 300,000 years ago. They seem to have been genetically engineered for Psionics! They got into space and formed an empire - the edges of which have reached the Imperium (almost). Some of their traders/spies appear at Bowman fairly regularly.

Oynprith
In the Five Sisters is a scarily high-tech world full of Droyne. They have a language (mostly written) called Oynprith. There are Droyne elsewhere throughout the nearby sectors and they ALL have Oynprith as their written language - though they interact rarely. Droyne are a group that appear off their own worlds rarely - and when they do are worthy of note.

Vilani
The Vilani Empire was built by another group of humans that had been transplanted about 300,000 years ago. This was taken over/destroyed by marauding Vargr and Terran Humans. The language remains in the areas of that old empire. There is little of it this far into the Spinward Marches as they never ruled here.

Gvegh
The Vargr were genetically engineered (the Vargr say Perfected) from Terran dogs 300,000 years ago and spread into space a couple of thousand years ago - bringing down the Vilani Empire as they did so. Those that have arrived in this region come from the Gvegh culture.

Trokh
The Aslan are an independently evolved race that have visual similarities to Terran Lions (hence the name), but aren't really Lions at all. The Terrans found the Aslan in the Dark Nebula. This prevented their expansion in that direction and so each has been expanding, in parallel to fill the gaps. Some Aslan have reached here.

Other Langauges
There are many other languages, but Bowman is an unlikely place to find them for lack of local speakers. Nearby examples include:-

• Garoo: A Human settlement from before the long night who speak language derived from a mix of Terran roots. The Garoo and Darians are long-time adversaries.
• French: Another Terran colony from the Long Night period.
• Mewey: An actual Alien language from Mewey.
• Si*Aar'p: Another Alien language, this time from Si*Aar'p in the Foreven sector.

Other forms of communication
The Droyne and Zhodani use obvious forms of telepathy. This makes the imperium very wary of representatives from both given the Imperium's love of secrets.
Many cultures (including all of the above) use body-languages. One major culture (the Hivers from the far side of the imperium) primarily use a body-language supplemented by chromatophore signalling.

[BackworldTraveller]

-1776	Official start of the Imperial Long Night
-1511	Solomani Refugees arrive in Darrian Subsector
-990	Darrians settle Bowman Prime's Moon, Epsilon.
-924	Darrians blow up their star, Tanis, in the "Maghiz".
-926	Darrians settlement on Bowman Prime/Epsilon runs out of supplies.
-900	EM pulse from the "Maghiz" passes Bowman.
-399	Solomani settlement at Gram
-292	Zhodani contact the Sword Worlds
-265	Zhodani contact the Darrians
-140	Sword Worlders (Sacnoth Dominate) survey Bowman.
-133	Sword Worlders (Sacnoth Dominate) make massive mineral strike at Caliburn - Bowman interest lost.
-102	Start of the collapse of the Sacnoth Dominate.
73	Imperium contacts the various scattered Sword Worlds.
142-161	Imperial explorer Ignaz Ruffleran explores Five Sisters and names five worlds after his daughters (Jone, Mirriam, Karin, Ucella and Penelope).
143	Imperium contacts the Darrians.
353	IISS 1st Survey maps Bowman. A few hundred transient miners (managed by the Hekla Resource Company, Excalibur) are noted as being present with no permanent population.
Circa 400	Imperial settlements start to appear on Sword Worlds Borders.
420	IISS 1st Survey published.
555	County of Caladbolg joins the Imperium
584-623	First and Second Frontier War and Imperial Civil War. Sword Worlds (Second Sacnoth Dominate) claim the system in 604. Darrians stockpile stores in Bowman prime's leading trojans. Sword Worlds do the same elsewhere. Several raids and skirmishes only.
609	Glisten Subsector recognised by the Imperium
610	District 267 created under the Duchy of Glisten
628	Battle of Bowman between Admiral Koenig (Imperial) and Admiral Dennisov (Second Dominate Ally/Rebel). Imperial Victory.
630	Imperial Naval Squadron (Detached from Lunion Fleet) based in Bowman at Garrison.
698	Fall of the Second Dominate.
706	IN Base Bowman transferred to IISS as Garrison Scout Base.
801	Droyne worlds discovered and temporarily interdicted.
810	District 268 recognised as an extra-Imperial region of interest by Imperial Court under Duchy of Glisten. Droyne Worlds of Candory and Andor formally interdicted. District 267 becomes Five Sisters Subsector and Duchy of Iderati formed for supervise interdiction of Droyne Worlds of Candory and Andor.
853	LSP starts operations in Bowman.
979-986	Third Frontier War.
1031	Gavin Dies, Paulo III become Imperial Emperor.
1062-Now	See Recent History

[BackworldTraveller]

Summary
Those budding archaeologists in the party will know some things about early history

Before the year 0 (Imperial) the Imperium doesn't really do History any more. It's all Archaeology. Other cultures all have different dates for the cross-over. Darrians are limited by the Maghiz, Sword Worlds by the arrival of their settlements.

There were few settlements or homeworlds in the immediate region before the long night

• Ator - Ancients (Extinct) - Darrian Subsector
• Kardin - Ancients (Extinct) - Darrian Subsector
• Trane - Ancients (Extinct) - Glisten Subsector
• Andor - Droyne, Ancients (Extinct) - Five Sisters Subsector
• Candory - Droyne, Ancients (Extinct) - Five Sisters Subsector
• Vapchy - Droyne, Ancients (Extinct) - Urnian Subsector
• Darrian - Ancient Geneered Humans, Ancients (Extinct) - Darrian Subsector
• Mewey - Stone-Age Indigenes, doing rather well - Five Sisters Subsector
• Otarri - Stone-Age Indigenes, doing rather badly due to climate shift - District 268
• Crawni - Stone-Age Indigenes requiring a low oxygen environment - Glisten Subsector
• Si*Aar'p - Ferral Indigenes from a relapsed higher-tech culture - Urnian Subsector

With the following migrants arriving at various times before that started or in the long-night early period

• Garoo - Solomani descent with subsequent self-geneering* - Darrian Subsector: -1511
• Darrian Solomani - Solomani descent now indistinguishable from Darrians - Darrian Subsector: -1511
• Vargr - Expanding from Gvurrdon Sector - Various Subsectors
• Zhodani - Expanding from Zhodane - Various Subsectors

*The Garoo claim Ancient aid in the process, but all evidence that could substantiate that this was the case has been removed. The Church of the Chosen Ones define this claim to be a blasphemy.

Ancients
The Ancients were a race that appeared in about -310,000, exploded across space leaving worlds with changed flora and fauna and (in some far aways cases) completely restructured system characteristics. They moved Humans in various varieties across vast distances and changed them genetically - creating (amongst over 100 other types) the Zhodani, Vilani and Darrians. They took Terran Canids and created the Vargr. They re-distributed the Droyne on many worlds.
And then, in about 290,000, they destroyed their civilisation in a 2000 year long war that left a trail of destruction across known space. In some cases, their attacks left lasting effects that stretched to the present day. War machines on Vland didn't power down until less than 10,000 years ago. Lumps of Anti-Matter float in space in the Shionthy Belt (Regina Subsector) destroying the unwary. Technologies designed to do who knows what lie to trap the unwary - and beguile the curious and avaricious.

Post-Ancient Evidence
These is an indication that there was a limited settlements across the region at about -180,000 years What that settlement was, and by whom, is unclear - but there is clear evidence at Dallia that this occurred. There are no surviving populations derived from this settlement wave.
Similarly, there was a bio-forming event on 567-908 sometime about -10,000. There is no sign of any settlement at that time or after. The world remains unstable and unoccupied.

Antiquities Trade
As with any rare, beautiful, proscribed and/or potentially useful item, there is a trade in such things. Sites are looted - sometimes judiciously, sometimes wholesale. Additionally, because of the potential knowledge associated with working Ancient (and other high-tech) items, there is a whole industry dedicated to snaring these things to the advantage of Governments and Corporations - Sometimes clandestinely, sometimes blatantly. (e.g. The Imperium requires that any such item is passed to the IISS for study; The Darrians have a similar process through their Special Arm, etc.)

Religious & Cultural Significance
Not all items are just of material significance. Some have Religious and Cultural significance too. Indeed there are several religions built around the Ancients and the Darrians revere/fear their pre-Maghiz counterparts.

[BackworldTraveller]

From travellermap.com. Links are to the original rendition.

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