We last left our adventurers watching what appeared to be a triceratops herd being watched over by dinosaur riding herders. So, I'll see if we can get some back story, and also translate it out into Traveller terms so that I can use this in a Traveller game at some point. It would be a TL-0, perhaps a TL-1 society (stone age, early bronze age).
The Nazon, as they call themselves. roam the badlands. They have small herds of what look to be either triceratops or chasmosaurus. These herbivores, named ritkoa, roam the badlands and eat the scrub grasses. Their society is primarily based around the herd: they have domesticated them well enough to be able to ride them and use them as pack animals. They live in temporary camps they call bruacs. A central large tent, made of cured hide and impervious to the rare drenching rains named hidols as well as the blistering sun above. Smaller family units, traditionally 1 male and 1 female but other combinations do exist, circle around the vorro, the central tent where foods are prepared for the whole tribe, and shared amongst all the people. The vorro is where tribal business takes place, and strangers are greeted.
Generally, there are one to three herders, or jhosteels, that keep an eye on the herd. They ride their rerkis, a bipedal carnivorous dinosaur that appear to be actually several species. The rerkis are trained from the moment they hatch, and form a bond with their riders. They will fight to the death to protect their riders. There almost seems to be a symbiotic link between rider and rerkis but it is really just exceptional training and very subtle signals between rider and rerkis. The jhosteel are more than just herders: they are also the guardians of the tribe as well as the herd. The jhosteel tend the herds for days at a time, though they do switch off at irregular times so that there is usually at least one person who is relatively fresh. While most Nazon ride rerkis, some prefer the ailah. These "death birds" are faster and have a better endurance, but not as strong as the rerkis.
They carry stone weapons. The bhomgook is a spear-like weapon used for both stabbing and like a whip on the tough hides of the ritkoa. They carry obsidian knives that are as sharp as a scalpel. They do fight in an organized capacity. This stems from their herding techniques: it takes more than one jhosteel to turn a stampeding herd. In fact, against larger carnivores, they will often incite a stampede. It is not difficult to start, but much more difficult to stop. And few single beasts can stand up to tons of stampeding ritkoa between the sheer weight and their horns.
The ritkoa are also venerated. A single one will feed the tribe for weeks, along with the other foods they forage for. Older bulls will often have their horns carved in a faint scrimshaw-like pattern. This pattern is distinct per tribe, or falnah. When that bull dies, it is burned rather than eaten. The skuki may take days and is their only holy activity. No tribe will attack while a skuki is taking place, and will often actually send gifts. The horns is removed and is placed outside the vorro as a kind of archway. Older tribes may have a veritable entrance hall made of ancient horns.
Different falnah treat strangers differently. There are several inter-tribal rivalries as well as alliances. As a tribe ranges from a few dozen to almost a hundred members. there needs to be some cross-breeding to keep the Nazon a healthy species. There is a bi-annual ghoko where the tribes forebear any rivalry and meet. These meetings are to allow members of one falnah to move to another, as well as trading ritkoa to improve their herds. Husbands and wives need to be approved by both families, and marriage can happen at an early age. How they meet non-Nazon also varies from falnah to falnah. Some are welcoming (and often seen as potential breeding stock if they appear to be the same species [e.g., humans. While this works for Apex, in Traveller how they would react to aliens such as Aslan or Vargr would best be determined by a raw reaction roll]).
Their language, Nazon-eh, is fairly simple. There is barely a past tense: most verbs are all present tense. Even for events happening in the future, it is the present tense but modified. Something like: The meeting is occurring three suns before us. Or for the past, similarly: The meeting is occurring three suns behind us.
Apex game notes
Traveller game notes
- Starport - any, probably E or D though seems most likely
- Size - 4-8. Smaller may be better for lighter gravity, but not sure how that handles as for large creatures, you really need a heavier oxygen mix (well, from what I remember from some documentary explaining why the dinosaurs got so large)
- Atmosphere: 6-8. Standard would work, dense (with a higher oxygen content?) may be better, The standard tainted would also work, and could be something as simple as heavy pollen. And it may only tainted in some areas - perhaps high or low elevations only? And hey, the Traveller Wiki has some nice icons for the atmosphere entry!
- Hydrographics: pretty much anything other than 0 or A, but probably lower is better. I did posit badlands for the tribes.
- Population: probably low, 3-6 for the natives (1000 - 9,999,999).
- Government: 0. 5 or 7. See the wiki (again, nice icons - I need to visit that site more often!) for descriptions
- Law Level: probably 0, maybe one. The Nazon can't do anything to restrict things. Whether or not the local port decides to stop anything is up the world you plop this on.
Play notes
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