Deseret -- Rim
All through the Alliance there are those that follow the Shepherds of The Book. The Book is old and came from many Great Teachers of the Past that walked The Earth that Was. These folks have followed a Great Shepherd into the Desert that is The Rim and have been given the Promised Land.
A Firefly World
All through the Alliance there are those that follow the Shepherds of The Book. The Book is old and came from many Great Teachers of the Past that walked The Earth that Was.
On Deseret, the Grand Flock follows the Orange Book (a variation of The Great Book, which has an emphasis on one of the more common chapters and that teacher. The Grand Flock takes its lead from The Great Shepherd and the Council of Elders. The Great Shepherd, who is in New Deseret City is currently one Primus Bosh. He is the third man who has taken that title since the Grand Flock has come to Deseret.
Here every village has a stark white steepled church that everyone attends every Seventh Day. They follow the tenets of The Orange Book, which includes many lifestyle elements that are practical on a outer world. Bound in the "Word of Wisdom" is a health code: requiring abstinence from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, coffee, black tea, and recreational drugs). Members must also obey the law of chastity (the Church's code for modesty and allowable forms of sexuality). In general, members must obey the law of the country in which they live and visit, although there have been notable exceptions. The Church discourages gambling in all forms, including lotteries. Church members are encouraged to live self-sufficiently and avoid unnecessary debt.
The Followers of the Great Shepherd do have some bizzare practices to the outside eye, and even to most who follow The Book. This include, but not limited to plural marriage, a requirement to be self sufficient (has 2 years worth of store), avoidance of any personal debt (both monetarily and socially), and spend time when they are not among the Faithful, doing The Mission - i.e. spreading the faith.
This is not a place to violate the Law. Penalties are draconically harsh if you get caught, and everyone is wary of those "not of The Flock".
Church members, which are 99.99% of the population, who commit what are considered serious violations of the standards of the Church (defined as, without limitation, "attempted murder, rape, sexual abuse, spouse abuse, intentional serious physical injury of others, adultery, fornication, homosexual relations, deliberate abandonment of family responsibilities, robbery, burglary, theft, embezzlement, sale of illegal drugs, fraud, perjury, and false swearing") may be subject to Church disciplinary action, up to and frequently including excommunication and the death penalty. Sometimes that penalty is immediate, sometimes it is slow. Being shunned, keeps them from all "civlized places" on Deseret. Thus it leaves them alone in the wilds of a relatively inhospitable planet.
You could imagine what happens to Outsiders.
Everyone is welcome to attend the public meetings of the Church, whether or not they adhere to the Church's lifestyle code.
There are seven actual cities on Deseret. They seem to be much like a city on Earth that Was's 1880s. Each one has a large and grand white Temple - Cathedral and grand plaza in the near center of town. There are roads that link all those cities but one. The one not linked is on the western continent. It is linked by steam ships over the shallow salt oceans.
The planet is fairly arid on the surface. There is deep water here, accessible by a well. Where there is a well, there is a town or farm. Where there is not, there is salt or sand. The temperatures range from awfully hot to awfully cold each day. There is only rain/ snow in the high elevations.
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? Responses (6)
Well, I guess that is what the Orange Book is. I had to go do some referencing and it seems to have a spiritual cousin in the Orange Catholic Bible from the Dune mythos.
It has a chromal relationship only. The color was adapted by the fans.
So is did you have an idea regarding a charismatic figure or leader of this planet?
How about the history of the planet?
Who is that 0.01% of the population?
Does the alliance recruit from or tax this planet?
What if some valuable mineral was discovered on the planet? Do you think the populace would seek to exploit the wealth or avoid it?
Is charity still one of the virtues upheld by this faith?
The strict and potentially oppressive religious setting has its place in any game that champions the roving adventurer. I just didn't think this setting or its presentation did a lot improve on this Utah in space idea. But assuming you are GM who wants random setting this one gives just enough details to be save you some time, and it is a familiar enough idea to most western fanboys that it doesn't require a lot of explaining. It wouldn't have taken much to push this into a really interesting idea.
What if this use to be a Casino planet but got reformed. So you got a lot of reformed whores and gunmen hanging around the church socials?
What if there are still old prospectors out in the hills who hate this town and church crap and they make up sort of shadow society?
What if one of the old Primus rewrote parts of the bible and then rather deny him and change there way of life they some start worshiping him?
Just noticed this huge entry... so let me reply
Did you have an idea regarding a charismatic figure or leader of this planet?
No. It is up to what the GM needs for this planet. I would think there is a charismatic leader or two among the elder council, but that would just be me.
How about the history of the planet?
Hmmm. Colonists were dropped off. They built it up. Really, that is as much history as most Firefly planets have.
Who is that 0.01% of the population?
Other odds and ends of the Firefly Universe. A few souls who lost their ride home. A few chinese that are trying to make a living. A few others who came here for possible jobs.
Does the alliance recruit from or tax this planet?
Yes.
What if some valuable mineral was discovered on the planet? Do you think the populace would seek to exploit the wealth or avoid it?
They would exploit it. It would make their world as wealthy as Nob or one of the central worlds.
Is charity still one of the virtues upheld by this faith?
I do not see why it wouldn't be.
The strict and potentially oppressive religious setting has its place in any game that champions the roving adventurer. I just didn't think this setting or its presentation did a lot improve on this Utah in space idea. But assuming you are GM who wants random setting this one gives just enough details to be save you some time, and it is a familiar enough idea to most western fanboys that it doesn't require a lot of explaining. It wouldn't have taken much to push this into a really interesting idea.
Fair enough. This is a stub for a reason. It is an organizational point. Most people actually don't know much about Utah, so this is their starting point.
Every GM is going to use this planet for different effects in their game. While it was 'okay' in my campaign, another Serenity GM of my aquaintance turned into a religious fascist society, just short of 'The Will of Landru ( http://www.startrek.com/database_article/landru ). It is what your group is going to be comfortable with.
What if this use to be a Casino planet but got reformed. So you got a lot of reformed whores and gunmen hanging around the church socials?
Never happened in Los Vegas, but it is an intersting idea.
What if there are still old prospectors out in the hills who hate this town and church crap and they make up sort of shadow society?
That is interesting, but the old prospectors would not have enough wealth or population to deal with the town folk.
What if one of the old Primus rewrote parts of the bible and then rather deny him and change there way of life they some start worshiping him?
You have been reading wayyy to much 'Dogs in the Vineyards', but it is possible. Again, that would be a plot the GM would add to the setting, rather than something I would list as 'This is cannon for the world'.
An interesting planet, and one sure to get virtually any player characters into deep trouble on sooner or later. A few plot hooks could round out the setting and details on some of the more notable personalities in town.
I also liek the flexibility of the premise, and how easy it can be for GM's to take the concept and use it in a different setting with minimal adjustment.
Great world - it fits in with the 'canon' worlds quite well - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Firefly_planets_and_moons