Kurga questions

Discussion on game mastering Fading Suns. May contain spoilers; caution is recommended!
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Nerroth
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Kurga questions

Postby Nerroth » Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:32 pm

Hello.


While the thread about Barbarian space over in another sub-board was mainly about the game aspect of that corner of the Jumpweb, I wanted to ask here about some of the in-universe aspects of the Kurga Caliphate, if I may.


*First off, who (if anyone) actually knows about Bjorn Egon anymore? While it would be understandable for him to be willingly airbrushed out of history on worlds such as Irem and Al Fashir, news of the original discovery (and subsequent indictments of those involved in the original misdeeds) would surely have been news on Second Republic-era Khayyam, if not on more far-flung worlds in human space. Had the original cause of the "Kurga" project been forgotten (deliberately or otherwise) during the Fall, or had the people of worlds like Khayyam simply come to accept the Kurga (and el-Diin) as legitimate in their own right by the end of the Second Republic?

(Although knowledge of Egon might cause trouble for envoys from the Caliphate attempting to talk up El-Diin in the non-aligned Lost Worlds. A rival from the Universal Church would no doubt consider the Ordu'l-Diin to be heretics anyway, it might doubly bite if the matter of where exactly the first "Kurga" beliefs came from was up for debate with the locals... although I suppose I would like it if, when faced with such an accusation, the Caliphal enjoy could ask if the Simurgh Nebula was one of Egon's creations, too.)


*When it comes to the peoples of the Caliphate, it seems there is a distinction between "ethnic" Kurga, and those from other backgrounds who may (or may not) have become members of the Ordu'l-Diin. How much, if any, of a distinction is there between ethnic-Kurga and non-Kurga members of el-Diin in the present era?

To put it another way, does the Caliphate have a distinction between citizens who are ethnic "Kurga" and who are politically "Kurgan"; akin to the rossiye (ethnic Russian) and rossiyane (non-Russian citizens of the Federation) terms in modern Russia?

Indeed, have any of the known Caliphs been non-Kurga in ethnicity; and if not, would a non-Kurga member of the Ordu'l-Diin (who has completed the Hajj) be eligible (or politically acceptable) for future leadership of the Caliphate?

And do the Uighur, Khirghiz and Khaizak terms only apply to "ethnic" Kurga?


*One area I'm not overly sure about is the issue of the Ordu Kafiri. It seems that the kind of segregation (and rules governing their interactions with each other, or with members of the Ordu'l-Diin) are tailored more for areas with overtly "Kurgan" cultural sway, such as Irem. However, on older worlds such as Khayyam, it seems that the local peoples (those who aren't culturally Kurgan, a least) have less truck for that kind of mindset; and, indeed, that the attempts to enforce such guidelines have led to the current standoff between it and the wider Caliphate.

However, in more "normal" times, when Khayyam is more politically reliaable, are its peoples still considered by the Caliphate as part of the Ordu Kafiri, and if so does it only really affect them if they try to go off-world? (Or rather, would the bulk of the population now be part of the Ordu'l-Diin in terms of religious vocation, but perhaps see their faith as less overtly tied to whichever Caliph is on the throne than their fellows in other parts of the Caliphate would?)

I guess I'm wondering if, ultimately, the nature of Khayyam's relationship with the broader Caliphate is somewhat akin to, say, that of medieval Iran with its Arab neighbours once large numbers of ethnic Persians converted to Islam after the conquest. Would the Khayyamites see themselves as the "Shia" to the Caliph's "Sunni"? (While the Caliphate officially considers followers of El-Diin who reject the Caliph's spiritual authority as part of the Ordu Kafiri, it seems that on Khayyam at least, the "Kafirs" have enough political weight to make their voices harder to ignore.)


*Is there art anywhere showing the planetary banners or emblems of the Caliphate worlds? For example, what does the seal of Irem look like, and how different is it from that of Khayyam or Rukh or Al Fashir?


*Indeed, is there any colour art showing the Sahab-i-Simurgh? (And to be clear, is the winged sun emblem of the Caliphate supposed to represent the nebula as viewed from Irem?)


*And one other question for now; are the officers and crew aboard Caliphate naval warships considered to be part of the Ordu Bagatur; or is that term only for use with ground forces? (And if the latter, which Ordu does the Kurgan navy fall under?)

Danos
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Re: Kurga questions

Postby Danos » Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:03 pm

I would say that almost all references to Egon were lost in the data purges. The Reeves may still know about him from his trial and the laws passed to re-educate his brainwashed workers, but I sorta doubt it. I would guess that the Kurgans claim to predate the diaspora, much like the Skey.

Kurgan is not an ethinicity, it is a belief system. Tsuma is almost entirely Zetol in ethinicity, but only a few Zetol on Tsuma have not converted to Kurgan beliefs. Acceptance or rejection depend on language and religion, not skin color. That's how I read it.

Antioch is technically an entire planet of Kafiri, in that they have accepted the Caliphate's political power but rejected the true faith of the Caliphate. I suspect that the mandatory tattoos and clothing are for Kafiri such as Antiochites and Khayyamites who resettle onto the Kurgan core worlds, or for those who live in ghettos on Beliah, Irem, Tsuma, al-Fashir and Rukh. If they tried to make everyone on Antioch get a mandatory tattoo, they will need to bring in troops and totally conquer the planet. And they can't even hold onto Khayyam.

I would guess that Khayyam enjoys a status that kinda defies comparison. Technically Kurgan, but in all ways more liberal and open to dissent. Check out the way the Mongols governed islamic areas they conquered - conversion was not required, all faiths permitted, but only mongols held any political power. Remember not to fall into the trap of thinking that Kurgans are Fading Suns muslims; a large part of the inspiration, name conventions, and society is inspired by Mongol culture. Or look at Kublai Khan's administration, the inspiration for Irem seems to me to come more from China.

The Shia/Sunni split seems to inspire al-Fashir's special status to me, much moreso than anything to do with Khayyam.

Not sure about your art questions. And Caliphate warships would be either Bagatur or Tengri-Ingren. The Kurgans have tribal villages that just happen to be functional warships. Tengri Ingren ships are going to have families that man the gun decks, families that maintain the ship, families that train marines, etc. Totally different from the 'western' model of warfare that most players expect. It's a cool idea.

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Nerroth
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Re: Kurga questions

Postby Nerroth » Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:33 am


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Nerroth
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Re: Kurga questions

Postby Nerroth » Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:44 am



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