Introduction
Five days to the Millennium and the Emperor is planning his ascension. Standing upon the balcony and peering down at the plebeian hordes that crowd the streets below. They were preparing his feast no doubt, building the grand throne upon which he would begin his eternal rule. Already he could hear the chanting of the priests as they prepared the way, calling the spirits to attend and the gods to listen. His attendants fussed with his robe, distracting him from his reverie. He narrowed his eye and growled. Chosen zzLena ilya zzRenu so zzCatha watched her mate, Emperor zzRathu, from her chambers. At the ascension she would be freed from her current duty as his brood female and would be assigned to another. She had provided an egg for zzRathu but she knew it would never hatch. Even now it lay smashed rather than buried in sand and the ashes of former Emperors. zzRathu has offended the Bruot too many times with his words and deeds and though they could not deny him one of the Chosen for a mate, they would all ensure that he would never bear an heir. The ascension was a great honour among the Champions but zzLena knew, as did all the Bruot, that it was a privilege for the Sages and Fools - Emperors who had been so great that they were made eternal or so foolhardy that their removal was deemed necessary. She barked at her Mur manservant who looked at her with his dark knowing eyes. He fetched her a cup of Celeta - the liquid still warm from the veins of the Celeta (a small rodent) and she drank deep. He walked out of the room, presumably to get more Celeta, and she relaxed letting the warm liquid drip down her throat. zzRathu watched the Mur enter and smiled his toothy smile. He padded across to his pallet and picked up his ceremonial sash. “It is done” the Mur said. zzRathu strode into the next room and gave a throaty chuckle. zzLena sat, tongue lolling and looked at him with her dead eyes. He ran his hand over her magnificent crest and across her dry raspy tongue. “My egg is safe from your Bruot witches. And my ascension will be on my terms. No flames shall sear this flesh”… The Mur said nothing. His motives in this were unfathomable to the mightly lizard king who stood before him. Unfathomable to all of the lizards.
The Jiboor
Species and Ethnology
The dominant species on Earth is intelligent, bipedal and not a primate. Descended from warm-blooded amphibian reptiles typically with some avian characteristics they have developed a complex social culture that bears considerable resemblance to Imperial Rome. They stand between five and eight feet tall and weigh between 100 and 400 pounds. The larger specimens can appear quite impressive compared to modern humans. They are built for hunting and strong specimens can outrun a horse. Males are leaner and more muscular than females who have a prominent egg-pouch which gives their abdomen a noticable bulge. Females are fertile all the year round though they carry the egg for up to a month before laying. The egg is buried in sand pits and gestates for a further two months before the young Jiboor breaks free and crawls to the surface. Young Jiboor are mobile, carnivorous and intelligent. They take a further two years to grow to full height. The Jiboor are an aggressive and expansionist race with a rapidly growing population and a constant need for more living space. The menial work is carried out by an evolved primate race, a literate and capable race kept as slaves by the reptile overlords. The name for this race, in their own tongue is “Mur”. They also speak the language of their masters though, because it has no written component, Mur is used for documents and literature. The reptiles, who call themselves “Fathers” but who are known, in the language of the Mur by the name “Jiboor” meaning “Masters”, are the patricians and citizens of society. Lower status roles are filled by Jiboor outcasts and Murian slaves. Jiboor are primarily carnivorous. They rear thousands of animals in large pens and slaughter hundreds every day. The meat is hung for up to three weeks in dark buildings until it becomes a little rank and the fibres have been softened and then it is carved up and served raw. To Mur, Jiboor breath is foul and working in the animal pens is a highly undesirable assignment, second only to being a Jiboor groomsman - responsible for the upkeep of a Jiboor noble. This work, consisting of everything from chafing off dead scales to picking rotten meat from the jaws of their master, is also dangerous due to the changeable moods of the nobles. In hard times, Jiboor will also eat humans, Mur and even other Jiboor.
History and the World
In the beginning were the Fathers. They swarmed in the seas, they flew in the skies, crawled and walked upon the earth. They were gods. It was almost an eternal age of glory and power and the light of their society brimmed over and filled the world with knowledge and wisdom. The insects and beasts of the forest would stop and gaze at the splendour just as the scholars of our world would study the stars for portents of the future. But just as the rain came down and the sun would shine, the Fathers did not have control over their world, they merely lived within it and when disaster struck they could but survive. One of their stars, now known as the Arbiter, fell to earth and in its light, all were judged. Those that swarmed in the sea were made as beasts, those that crawled on their belly were given dust to eat and those that flew in the sky were robbed of their speech. Only those who walked upon the earth were judged as worthy. They, the Fathers, rebuilt their society on the teaching of the Arbiter. They took some of the beasts of the forest and brought them into their homes. They taught them tricks at first and tried to make use of them but their minds were too feeble to grasp even the most simple concepts. Another beast breed, a larger plains-dwelling creature, proved more suitable and could be taught tricks as well as put to work in menial tasks. Eventually, with breeding and intensive training they could be taught to speak rather than grunt and whine. It was right and proper that the beasts of the forests be returned to their trees while the plains breed was adopted by the Fathers. Their work would free the Fathers from menial work and permit them to pursue nobler efforts.
Culture, Music, Art and Poetry
The Jiboor culture is, by modern standards, cruel. They keep slaves, host gladiatorial combats and have other more unsavoury practises. There is no nuclear family structure - the patricians of the Empire are the only males permitted to breed. Even so, they are not permitted free reign by the females - access to brood females is strictly controlled by the Temple. The Jiboor do not have a good ear for music, their voices are tuned to lower notes and their music, from cello-like stringed instruments is low and melancholy sounding to the human ear and their singing sounds more like rasping gasps of intense effort. Their art is focussed on their activities - hunting, war, sport. They do not have art representing bowls of fruit or pleasant countryside scenes. Current fashion also dictates that Mur artists are used rather than the Jiboor artists of the past. Poetry is where the Jiboor excel. Their language permits them to express multiple emotions though subtle variations in the sound, pitch and tense of the words used. It is very difficult for Mur to learn the nuances of the language and there is no-one to teach the language to the Mur.
Religion and Scripture
The Temple is where the Jiboor venerate past Emperors and Chosen. It is organised by the Bruot, a council of brood females who dictate and dispense breeding rights. The Emperors are chosen by the Temple from a member of the Champions (see below) while the Chosen are brood females (not necessarily part of the Bruot) who have been selected as “choice” indeed, mothers of Emperors and Champions. Their religion is primarily oral accompanied by their art in order to help them visualise their ancestors. In recent years they have used Mur scholars to record their history so that it can be made more portable and so that it can travel, with Emperor miniature paintings, to the corners of the Empire. Emperors are to be venerated, something to aspire to while the Chosen are akin to religious pin-ups among the rank and file of an imperial garrison.
Laws and Commandments
The legislative authority, known as the Champions, is an assembly of adult males who have distinguished themselves in one of the Fields of Endeavour, these are: Hunting, Warfare, Sport, Duelling, The Champions make all decisions in society though they are conscious of making sure that their decisions are backed by the Temple. The laws are reviewed by the Temple before being officially announced just to ensure there will be no repercussions. The Laws support the Jiboor in all cases. A Jiboor in conflict with a Mur will always win nomatter how “wrong” the Jiboor may have been. That said, if a Mur can get a Jiboor on his side then the conflict may move to a duel between Jiboor. Jiboor do not duel against Mur - it is simply not acceptable. The Mur may not be citizens but the position of slave does not leave them unprotected by laws. A Jiboor can be publicly reprimanded for breaking a law but not actually punished. Laws cover property, relationships, fighting, appropriate behaviour, slaves, deaths, duels, status and entertainment.
Commandments only apply to the Jiboor. They are rules that Jiboor must follow in order to be seen as good citizens and they are the only situations where Jiboor can be actually punished.
- Obey the Temple - The Temple is the Empire, the Empire is the Temple. Without the Temple there would be a degeneration of culture and a loss of history.
- Defend the Empire - As the Empire expands it comes into contact with cultures that do not follow their doctrines and it requires every Jiboor to come forward and volunteer their life.
- Follow the Laws - A reference to the laws - laws which do not cause punishment for Jiboor who break them. Not intended to trap Jiboor in general but certainly used to find a way to punish individuals who have gone beyond the boundaries of society.
Magic and Divination
The Bruot divine the future by the use of unfertilised eggs which are broken open and the contents examined. All of the future comes from the females, it is written, therefore the future must be in the eggs. As fertilised eggs can only come of official unions, all eggs of females who are not in a sanctioned union are used for divination. The Bruot claim no other magic and the Champions have no need for it.
Naming Jiboor
Jiboor names are complicated affairs. Their language is complex, made harder for humans by different mandible and larynx structures. To generate Jiboor names, pronounce all consonents with a leading “zz” (long) and always end a nound with a pronounced vowel, e.g. taking a name like “Colin” we get “zzColini”, “zzColinu”, “zzColina”, “zzColino” and “zzColine”. Female names end in “e”, “i” and “a” while male names tend to end in “o” and “u”. Lineage names are given by the Bruot to an individual and depending on the prestige the name may become long and complex. Each “father” name is prefixed by “ya”, a “chosen” by so and a Champion by “ilya”. A sample lineage name might be: zzColinu ya zzEamonu so zzLesleyi ilya zzJohnu ya zzMattu. Jiboor do not use their lineage names except when in initial introductions and sometimes not even then - especially not if the audience might have a larger number of “so” and “ilya” components. No sense in embarrassing yourself after all.
Jiboor Characters
Jiboor are stronger and faster than both humans and Mur. They are also more resilient to damage and even the weakest of them would still be a dangerous opponent. Jiboor are not as intuitive as humans or Mur but they do have a a good grasp of logical functions. Jiboor are also easily led especially by other Jiboor and they find subtlety and subterfuge to be a skill they require honing. They are confident and courageous, willing and possibly capable for almost any task.
The Mur
Species and Ethnology
The Mur are a plains-dwelling folk descended from primates and superficially similar to modern humans. They commonly stand five to six feet in height and weigh about 200 pounds. Both males and females are thick set and hairy - hair on the cheeks and chest common on both sexes. Males are certainly hairier and muscular, females have rounded hips and flat chests. Mur feet are large and flat, their eyesight is very keen as befitting a breed that has adopted the grassy plains as their home. Their hair is dark and plaited with twigs and clay beads which are their only concessions to decoration. They wear no clothes unless clothed by the Jiboor though some will have a belt worn over one shoulder upon which they attach their belongings. Mur reproduction is very rapid with a mere 7 month gestation and females are fertile all the year round. They give birth to live young who are almost helpless but who have a very strong grab reflex. Mur females will either carry their young in one arm or wear a shoulder belt that the infant can grab onto. Within two months the young Mur is capable of movement. Mur are omnivorous. They will eat anything that they can though they have preferences for fleshy vegetables and well-cooked meat. They are excellent foragers and can usually find water in a desert and food on the bare plains.
History and the World
In the ancient times, monsters walked the earth. The “An Kim” remade the world in fire. All of the old order was swept away but some of the ancient monsters changed their shape and mimicked the Mur. In their disguise they were able to hide from the flames of An Kim and when it passed from the world they attacked the Mur with their cruel claws and teeth. The Mur now wait for deliverance and the return of the An Kim.
Culture, Music, Art and Poetry
Mur culture is based around the family. All of their actions are considered according to the consequences to the family. The family is made up of all of the relations of the strongest male and lineage is afforded through his line (despite the likelihood that his “offspring” may not be his own). The leader must decide whether the actions of any individual were in the interests of the family in times of conflict. The Mur do not have musical instruments but they will beat sticks together to make noise and they do sing, some keeping time with clicking sounds. Clapping hands is taken as an attempt to get attention rather than to thank a performer. Mur art is very abstract. Though they can draw rather well, their own cultural art seems to consist solely of swirling patterns and knotted designs. They will grudgingly explain their art as how they see the forces that surround them. Mur do not have poetry per se rather they will chant short verses similar to “limericks” which cause hilarity and usually lampoon another or solemn “haiku”
Religion and Scripture
Mur religion centers around the “An Kim” or “Uncle Spirit”. The Uncle spirit is worshipped daily by the families and revered as the one who taught speech, art, use of fire and who made the world the way it is today. There is some similarity between the alleged “An Kim” and the Arbiter legend of the Jiboor.
Laws and Commandments
Among their own society there are no laws other than personal or group strength. A Mur must have the backing of his family especially when encountering Mur from other families. Families can demand compensation from another if they believe they have been wronged and if refused the leaders of both families must then fight. Commonly the “fight” never comes to blows as, after a suitable show of aggression and dominance, one side will win and the other will back down. Less commonly the leader will offer the offender to the wronged family as a substitute for payment - this is not done often as it usually results in the death of the offender and is taken by the family to be indicative of a weak leader who would rather send problems away than solve them.
Magic and Divination
The Mur have no magic or divination. They have a collection of sayings for situations depending on the environment such as “Red sky in the morning…” or “flocks of birds, winter comes”. Not so much divination as folk wisdom.
Naming Mur
Mur names have developed from their syllabilic tongue. Mur have multiple syllable names strung together. The first syllable is the “pet name” the Mur may have grown up with, the name they are known in their community. As they grow older they mey gain extra syllables depending on their life events; a short list of syllables is listed below. Among friends the name is shortened down to a single syllable and all Mur use single syllable names when dealing with Jiboor - not because of respect or friendliness but purely out of a desire not to be whipped should their masters have difficulty with the name. All Mur consonants are hard and all syllables short.. Examples: Les-ley, Les to her friends; Col-in, Col to his friends; Joh-in, Jo to his friends; Pa-ul, Pa to his friends. Sample syllables: ley - sleepy, in - polite, ul - learned
Mur Characters
Mur are good characters. They are smarter, more intiuitive and more quick witted than their Jiboor masters and more stubborn as well. They have an inquisitive mind like the forest dwelling humans but a much greater capacity for learning and application of knowledge. A Mur presented with a mirror will groom himself, a human presented with a mirror will often become enraged.
The World
The Empire of the Jiboor covers a huge area of the known world but they are always expanding out into new territories. The empire does come into contact with other Jiboor societies. Some of them are Empire enclaves that have lost contact over the years and accept the rule of the empire without question. Others are independent towns and villages who treat the newcomers with some interest - usually suspicious of aggressive expansionists. What usually happens is something of a compromise. The Empire loans the town a small troop of Imperial Hoplites and an Imperial Advocate with a small band of Mur bondsmen. The Hoplites mill around for several weeks before moving on, dealing with any problems that occur while the Advocate stays on and teaches the yokels about Imperial society, the Temple, the importance of tradition and law. The Mur, after building a suitable residence for the Advocate and a small barracks for the Hoplites, are put to work in community improvement projects such as building irrigation channels, digging wells, constructing bridges. The Mur are treated therefore as a community resource to be used as labour. There are other “nations” of Jiboor out there who have come into conflict with the Empire and do war with them, permitting the Empire to pursue one of their favoured Field of Endeavour. The Empire currently has one such enemy but has not encountered any serious opposition on other borders. This enemy, a male-dominated theocracy, is potentially as powerful as the Empire. They have troops known to the Empire as Myrmidons who blindly follow the dictates of their great gods as handed down by the Theocracy. There has been no negotiation between the Empire and the Theocracy as they do not have a common language and all Advocates thus presented have been slaughtered without pause. The Hoplites have been marching through Theocracy lands putting all to the sword. The only thing of note in the reports is that Theocracy lands do not seem to have the same number of Mur that Imperial lands have. The Mur who accompany the Hoplites also seem to cause fear in the inhabitants of the Theocracy, something inexplicable to the Hoplites who have taken advantage of it by using Mur as runners to run ahead into villages and cause havoc. Mur societies are not part of the Empire. The Empire treats them as they treat any resource, much like forests and animal herds. Mur settlements are attacked, razed to the ground and the inhabitants enslaved by the Empire. Resistance means death and as a result the Mur take the whole experience rather philosophically.
Bestiary
In addition to the Jiboor and the Mur we have a cornucopia of flora and fauna. The animals and plants are slightly different to those on modern earth (a higher proportion of primitive plants survived the Arbiter). Without centuries of selective breeding this world does not have the same horses, livestock, dogs and cats. The common beast of burden resembles a cross between a horse and a cow - standing eight feet at the front shoulder and six feet at the rear shoulder. Jiboor do not use them as riding animals preferring to use a cart or walk. The beasts are stronger than a shire horse but slower. Other creatures such as mammoths and sabre-tooth cats roam the earth as appropriate… Of course there are humans. Modern humans, with the competition of the Mur and the Jiboor, never managed to dominate and most never left the trees. They are intelligent and tool-using but certainly not the focus of the game. They do not build houses like the mur but live in tree-shacks… They don’t speak the same language as the Mur, show no interest in teaching other folk their tongue and fight among themselves continually. They are viewed by the Mur as being an unfortunate backward cousin.
Playing the Game
Players are assumed to take the role of Mur, free or slaves, in the realm of the Empire. They are generated as normal humans. They tend to be specialised in one area - their chosen occupation within the confines of the Empire. Player-controlled Mur will have more than this as it is assumed they are part of the Mur intelligentsia. Perhaps they are high-status Mur within the Empire (not high status compared to Jiboor but high enough) or maybe members of a Mur resistance group. A good adventure group might be one of two Mur (as leaders of a group of bondsmen), a Jiboor Advocate and a couple of Jiboor Hoplites travelling the rim of the Empire.
Adventures:
The scene at the start is a high level game. The Emperor is planning to take over the world. The Mur have several revolutionary cells implanted through the Empire - some of them in the throne room itself. Whose side they are on depends on the players. The players are common Mur living on the plains in their family group. They are attacked by a Jiboor raiding party looking for more Mur slaves. They are probably captured and brought to an imperial town for training. During training they are recruited for the Mur resistance… A cohort of Theocracy Myrmidons has invaded the Empire (hey, that’s 500 eight-foot tall carnivorous dinosaur warriors…show some respect) and is working its way through the outlying villages and towns of the Empire. The cohort has met a lot of resistance along the way (the glorious efforts of the Imperial Hoplites) and their rag-tag bunch of survivors has now arrived at the town or village of the player characters. Time to open a can of whup-ass… The players aren’t Mur at all but a group of dimensional travellers (though they may not even realise that..) who have arrived on this world expecting to find cities and humans in them as opposed to dinosaurs and a primitive empire.