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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 0:29:27 GMT -5
This topic is a child of the Redworlders article directory.FAMILY MATTERSDespite their long cooperation with the Pioneer Network and Space Loonies, the redworlders have remained a doggedly-insular people. Their worldviews strike yet another odd parallel with humanity; xenophobia runs rampant in their culture and history has repeatedly painted them as stubborn conservatives. Even with much of their history missing, old practices and traditions remain commonplace. It is only by way of necessity that they have opened up to other races - and, even then, mostly with mankind. It must be noted that many redworlder communities have unique outlooks and perspectives. Many divorce themselves entirely from their heritage, many have assimilated into human cultures, and some have even fallen into primitive barbarism. They are the most common non-humans in the Space Loonies and many have fully accepted the Looney perspective on life. Many are devout cultists, some twisted into monstrous amalgamations of grey meat, and a chosen few are so deeply valued by the Cult that they rank among the Living Truths. No matter their history - or lack thereof - the redworlders are as varied and versatile as the species they match the most. SECTIONS- Species Relations- Community Culture & Behavior- Religion- Terrestrial Survival & Conflict
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 0:29:39 GMT -5
SPECIES RELATIONS
The curious similarity between mankind and the redworlders has held them in a curious proximity. Of all other species on and over Set, only the Zaschia have ever held more respect and integration than humanity. In cooperative communities, intermingling between redworlders and humans is common, normal, and without difficulty. The Space Loonies are the strongest example; redworlders often work closely and comfortably with humans at all levels of service. The sheer behavioral compatibility between the two has helped close relationships stand the test of time.
In contrast, humanity has often been the redworlders' chief rival. Similar demands, yet incompatible resources have routinely placed a lens over the division of territory between redworlders and humans. As a result of Set's immense human majority, redworlders have frequently been marginalized to the less desirable corners of human society. Today, many are often chased out regardless, and many more are bitter as a result. In already-divided communities, the two species' history of tension has served to reinforce the rift.
The unionites have long harbored a deep grudge against the redworlders for their attempts to stamp out their own history. Many see them as traitors, revisionists, and bandits. Most go to great lengths to avoid redworlders, to such an extent that Unity Station's significant redworlder population is often ignored outright. On the few occasions unionites are forced to interact with them, it is rarely a pleasant affair. Most redworlders have only a passing understanding of the rift between the two species. Few are interested in working to close it.
Similarly, the sorassan hold a dim view of the redworlders. Many see them in much the same light, as no better than callous opportunists and humans of a different color, with all the same prejudice and baggage. Some sorassan communities make no distinction between redworlders and paleworlders. The redworlders' stance on the sorassan has remained largely the same for centuries. Most treat them with apathetic annoyance, particularly spacers who might be dependent on vulnerable electronics for their daily affairs.
The split between ground and orbit is as much cultural as it is physiological. As with many others, redworlders in space are better educated, better disciplined, and more willing to cooperate than their peers on the ground. Redworlders on Set are suspicious, isolated, and rarely band together with any but their own kind. Even towns on the verge of collapse may refuse outside assistance for no reason other than species. Superstition is common and routinely serves to emphasize xenophobia. For a redworlder from Set's surface, those in orbit may as well be another race entirely.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 0:29:50 GMT -5
COMMUNITY CULTURE & BEHAVIOR
Whether terrestrial or otherwise, family and community loyalty are the core elements behind most redworlders' perspectives. One's duty to their kin is paramount above all others. The needs of their home are far above their own. To be cast out or forced out is one of the greatest personal failures an individual can endure. What inclusivity the redworlders lack is doubly replaced by unity, a trait that has persisted since their first arrival at Set. Their decisive ability to cooperate purely for the common good has long been the driving force behind their success.
Similarly, loners and vagabonds are poorly regarded by most redworlders. Drifters and wanderers are viewed with suspicion and fear, to such an extent that many terrestrial communities refuse to deal with lone travellers. Radicals, upstarts, and dissenters of all walks are often met with disdain. This does not, however, extend to how a community is structured; redworlder nomads are common, ranging from wandering fleets in orbit to massed caravans on the planet below. Banditry and other predatory lifestyles, on the other hand, are decidedly rare. Even retaliation during open conflict is often limited.
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Post by Insano-Man on Sept 19, 2018 0:30:09 GMT -5
RELIGION
The redworlders have long been particularly susceptible to the influence of the Cult of Meat. It is presumed that this stems from their historical role in bringing the Cult to Set, but there is little in the way of evidence to support this relationship. The vast majority of redworlders abhor the Cult, including many on the ground. Many claim a deep, ancestral shame in acknowledging their past involvement. Even those that do not still detest the Cult for its viscous history. Despite this, at least a tenth of the Cult's membership is made up of redworlders, decidedly more than any other species apart from humanity. Likewise, many redworlder towns owe the Cult some level of allegiance, either by way of family ties or services rendered by cultists.
Further still, the Cult values redworlders as sacred. Many respect them for their central place in the Cult's history. Many more are affected by the sheer prevalence of redworlders in their ranks. Their blood is valued as sacred, their gaze regarded as holy, and the actions of many redworlders have served as divinations to many sects. In a great deal of convents, the slaying of a redworlder is a heinous crime - even in self-defense. Rituals often make special exceptions for them - or require their blood or presence. Sacrifices rarely involve still-living redworlders.
Beyond the Cult, religion among the redworlders is scarce. They brought with them few practices and fewer still survived their attempts to stamp out their past. As a result, the Cult of Meat - much to most's chagrin - is their dominant religion, claiming a substantial plurality of pious redworlders. Behind it is Xash'Samatid Pazram, a spiritual school of thought centered on the samatid, or "heart of the home", and community cooperation. In distant third place is Dakir Maziram, a non-deistic religion emphasizing the sanctity of life - or, at least, redworlder life - and the sacred role of family unity.
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Post by Insano-Man on Jan 17, 2019 20:34:09 GMT -5
TERRESTRIAL SURVIVAL & CONFLICT
Redworlders on Set's surface are placed in the difficult situation of being unable to utilize most of its agricultural resources. While spacers are often fed from dynamic food sources, terrestrial redworlders are often forced to displace Set's native biosphere to make room for their own. Towns and communities must rely on specifically-tailored produce, livestock, or even imported water. Some may even be forced to destroy local plant and animal life to avoid cross-contamination of food sources. For redworlders settling a new frontier, the experience is akin to terraforming an alien world.
In the same way, many human and sorassan settlements receive redworlders as invaders. The arrival of redworlder settlers heralds a biochemical shift in the local biosphere, one that could threaten to displace its local inhabitants. As redworlders seed and foster their own compatible life, all others suffer in equal measure. Even more problematic is the visual similarity of many redworlder-specific plants to human equivalents. Some are even reputed to taste the same, all while providing no nutritional value - or even acting as poisons. To allow redworlders to settle a region can be just as destructive as the gestation of a meatscape.
Consequently, few towns are ready to stand idly by when redworlders appear in the region. Most Looney bunkers maintain kill-on-sight orders against redworlders attempting to settle nearby. Open conflict is common, and often serves to create major buffer zones between areas of human and redworlder settlements. In contrast, cultural differences serve to restrain redworlder proaction. Human settlers are often ignored by all but the most threatened of villages. As a result, redworlder biospheres are primarily monolithic in scale, and towns are often clustered together around them in small alliances.
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