Alsafi - A Sword & Planet Setting

[Steve]

In the star system of Sigma Draconis, located 18.8 light-years from Earth, a single planet orbits in the outer region of the "life zone" for this star, named Alsafi by Terran explorers, after the old name for It. No other planetary bodies or celestial debris exist in this system, as if it was swept clean somehow.

 

The planet has a single small moon, roughly one-third the size of Luna but somewhat closer than Luna is to Earth. It has no oceans, but it does have numerous seas and lakes, the largest of which is roughly the size of the Mediterranean. Countless riverbeds exist that are dry for most of the year, flooding in the spring with torrents of water from the melting poles. This is an arid planet, reminiscent of what John Carter's Barsoom might have looked like thousands of years ago.

 

Like fictional Barsoom, it is also a dying world. Each year, the floodwaters from the poles are a little less, and some of the smallest seas and lakes have already dried, leaving a vast desert of sand and dust across the middle region of the planet.

 

The locals exist in an Iron Age culture no more advanced than the fictional Hyborean Age of Conan. Scientific development has apparently stalled. City-states are the common political structure instead of large nations.

 

More on the people of Alsafi in my next post.

 

Feedback on the setting is welcomed as I post more.

[Steve]

The people of Alsafi are a mammalian, humanoid race that could be classified as near-human, and they share a genetic commonality with humanity that would indicate they came from Earth a long time ago. However, while looking much like humans, their genetic similarity to Terran humans is just outside the range allowing for natural hybridization between the two species.

 

Appearance-wise, they have light olive skin, dark hair that has a distinctive widow's peak, aquiline noses and high cheekbones. Their eyes are violet or golden in the irises and are slitted, catlike, with epicanthic folds that give their eyes an almond shape. The eyes are a bit farther apart than human norms. Exotic but attractive is a common description.

[sinanju]

Why is the planet drying up? If it has earthlike gravity and an earthlike atmosphere, what's different? If the planet is closer in size to Mars then that's a different situation--and the gradual loss of atmosphere (and water vapor) isn't unreasonable.

[Steve]

Alsafi is a bit smaller than Earth, with gravity at 90% of humanity's home. Part of the problem with the water, in addition to low levels of atmospheric loss appears to be that the planet is drifting away from its star very, very slowly. It is a process that has apparently been going on for tens of thousands of years, much like the thinning of the atmosphere. The poles are growing colder, retaining more water every year, and the spring thaws are a little less.

 

The Alsafi do not appear to be native to this world, and there are plants, large beasts and smaller creatures that share this planet with them that also appear to be Terran transplants with modified DNA, but some of the DNA is of non-terrestrial origin. Some Terran scientists have theorized that this planet was intended to be some kind of menagerie that has since been abandoned.

 

Analyzing Alsafi DNA reveals they are humans with a mixture of mainly large cat genes added in, tentatively identified as coming from lions and cheetahs. Other portions of their DNA remains unidentifed as to its source.

[Steve]

The Alsafi are gender-dimorphic, with females somewhat larger and stronger than the males. Standing at an average of 1.78 meters tall and 73 kilograms of mass, Alsafi women have an athletic, lithely muscular appearance. In contrast, males are smaller and lighter built, averaging about 10% less than the women. They are also less numerous.

 

The Alsafi do not share humanity's year-round reproductive cycle. Instead, they are only fertile in the springtime for a period lasting about two months, and multiple births are common, averaging 2.5 children born.

[Steve]

Males and females live somewhat segregated lives. Alsafi women rule the cities, control the trading houses and populate each city-state's standing military forces. Culture-wise, Alsafi women use the "Warrior Culture" template from Star Hero, and they maintain a code of honor, especially those in the military.

 

In contrast, males live cloistered, peaceful lives, almost monastic existences together. They act as the priests and advisors to the women. They are created with the "Contemplative Culture" template from Star Hero.

 

By ancient customs and laws that go back many millennia, males are not to be harmed whenever conflict occurs between city-states. Any city-state or individual violating this and killing a male will bring down the combined wrath of all others.

 

During mating season, ritualistic, non-lethal combat occurs among the women for access to the choicest males. Less martial options exist, such as purchasing access by making offerings at the various temples and monastaries housing the males.

[Steve]

Despite appearances to Terrans, the males of Alsafi are more than mere breeding stock for their women.

 

Due to a different brain structure, male Alsafi possess a greater sensitivity to "theta waves" (a pseudo-scientific attempt to explain that they possess telepathic abilities) and the most capable are able to read the thoughts of others. Against other Alsafi, this ability can be done at range, but against Terran humans this requires physical contact and training. Not every male has telepathy. Most simply have heightened intellectual abilities. Perhaps one male in ten has telepathy.

 

This sensitivity to theta waves is the reason why males make up the priesthood. According to their main religion, their God speaks to the males through this "spiritual sense" they have, and they in turn act as its prophets and priesthood. There are also lesser gods and even "demons" that have their own followings and priesthoods.

[Steve]

The truth about the God of the people of Alsafi is one of the big campaign secrets. It goes back to the origins of life on this world.

 

An ancient forerunner race of significant technological abilities actually set up Alsafi as a sort of sociological experiment. They terraformed the world and seeded it with life. Then they went away, leaving an AI in charge. That AI is the "God" of Alsafi, buried at the core of the world's moon.

 

For tens of thousands of years, it monitored the world. It was able to transmit and receive on the "theta wave" frequency of Alsafi humanoids, so it has maintained a record of their development, watching through the eyes of its unwitting agents. Every thousand years or so, it would receive a request from its creators on an update, and it would dutifully transmit its data. But it hasn't received such a request in over twenty thousand years.

 

One of its charges was to maintain the technological development of the people of this world in a pre-electricity state, and so it has done. Certain lines of scientific inquiry were ruthlessly suppressed, and now it has become part of their belief structure. Those who disobey are dealt with harshly, usually by the priesthood's version of an inquisition, and, since it can read thoughts, the AI has gotten quite good at finding those who would research into forbidden things and dispatching its agents.

 

The lesser gods and "demons" are semi-uncontrolled elements of the AI that act mostly autonomously. They are able to send and receive thoughts to Alsafi agents, establishing their own cults. They exist as part of the sociological experiment, sometimes working together and sometimes fighting each other.

[tkdguy]

Does Earth have any contact with Alsafi? If so, how does the AI react to Earth visitors with advanced technology?

[Steve]

Does Earth have any contact with Alsafi? If so, how does the AI react to Earth visitors with advanced technology?

There are a few ways I've thought to approach Earth-Alsafi contact.

 

1) Through near-magical means, an Earthman finds himself there, like John Carter or DC's Adam Strange. As a variant, an Earth person finds themselves possessing a native.

 

2) An exploration vessel from Earth crash lands. Perhaps the AI is responsible. When it realizes there are survivors, it sends its agents.

 

3) Terran explorers establish a diplomatic/trading mission planetside in one of the larger city-states.

 

For the first two options, examples of technology would be limited and likely non-reproducible.

 

For option #3, there could be limits on what is allowed outside the walls of the trade mission.

 

I am open to additional ideas, of course.

[Steve]

If I ever run this campaign, option #3 (a Terran tradepost) is my preferred option.

 

Earth has been in contact with Alsafi for several years, and a trading post has been established in one of the larger city-states, over time expanding into creating a "Terran Quarter" of the city. Alsafi is rich in the metals important to star travel: tungsten, palladium, iridium and a few others. Some of the local plants and animals also have amazing medicinal properties. In exchange, Terrans bring things that the Alsafi value: Earth spices, aluminum and refined iron. Anything non-electronic is tradeable, per the agreement worked out with the locals and approved by the priests. Firearms are not unheard of on this world, but the local technology is limited to muskets so trade in more modern firarms also exists. The pride and joy of one of the city-state's generals is her Colt .45 revolver she received as a gift from one ship's captain.

 

Current hyperspace speed runs at one light-year per week, so a round trip to Alsafi and back to Earth takes the better part of a year.

 

The local language is reminiscent of several Earth tongues mashed together. One linguist once quipped that it was like the bastard love-child of Japanese and Aramaic with a smattering of Klingon thrown in for good measure. Numerous dialects exist, but High Alsafi exists planetwide due to the priesthood's efforts.

 

Initial translation was handled by a few of the priests, but several Terrans now know the language out of necessity, since computer devices are forbidden outside the Terran Quarter.

[tkdguy]

Are Terrans and Alsafi interfertile?

 

Since women are the movers and shakers of Alsafi society, how do they handle pregnancies, especially during a military campaign? One way to get around this is to have the Alsafi become egg-layers, like the inhabitants of Barsoom. Or give them a tradition where stuff like war isn't waged when they are fertile.

[Steve]

Are Terrans and Alsafi interfertile?

 

Since women are the movers and shakers of Alsafi society, how do they handle pregnancies, especially during a military campaign? One way to get around this is to have the Alsafi become egg-layers, like the inhabitants of Barsoom. Or give them a tradition where stuff like war isn't waged when they are fertile.

Good questions!

 

The two races are not naturally inter-fertile. Their genetic differences place them just outside the boundaries of natural hybridization. However. it is possible a child could be produced by geneticists and a lab. They are close enough to intermix, just not naturally, so it requires a little help.

 

A few inter-species relationships exist between Alsafi women and Terran men, since men make up 95% of the Terran Quarter's personnel. However, the idea of "dating" doesn't really exist, and the idea of monogamy is a novel concept among the Alsafi. The male Alsafi are not very interested in sex outside the spring mating season, a result of the heightened female pheromones in the air affecting them. It's not really like the Vulcan Ponn Farr, just a surge in their libido and drive to mate at that time of year. The rest of the year, they focus on their intellectual pursuits and are kind of oblivious to sex.

 

Pregnancy is shorter for Alsafi, averaging about 7.5 months in duration. Because of that, wars are something that happens during the dry season that is their planet's equivalent of winter. They don't have snow to contend with, just lower temperatures.

 

Even if a war occurs between city-states in other seasons, an Alsafi woman can fight effectively for the first four to five months of pregnancy. They are also less prone to miscarriages.