Solarian Culture
In sharp contrast with the skimmers, who tend to live on the outer edge of their parent star system on cold interstellar bodies, the solarians tend to live right at the heart of their parent star system, in one of the hottest bodies in the known universe (depending on the nature of the star, of course). However, despite this, solarians are often no easier to get to owing to the immense gravity well that surrounds a stars, and the sheer size of the star means that there's a lot of personal living space, so solarians are often times just as insular as skimmers are.
Where Solarians LiveSolarians live in the corona of their parent star. There are, in general, several different types of "solarian," but when one mentions "solarian," they're usually referencing the type of individual who lives in the star's corona. The other two types are the vulcanoids, who lives in asteroids that are inside the Roche limit of the parent star (providing they exist), and the sifters, who often live on the surface of mercurian and ferrous worlds. Both vulcanoids and sifters tend to have very hardscrabble existences, but they aren't as unified as solarians are, since no matter what the star, if there's a solarian culture, it will be very similar to the solarian culture that exists elsewhere.
Solarians can live inside of the corona of their parent start despite that being the hottest region of the star - 1 to 2 million degrees Kelvin - owing to physics and how heat operates. It's also for this reason that they can't actually penetrate the chromosphere or photosphere of their parent star despite it being much cooler at only 6,000 K. It's akin to sticking one's hand in an oven; the heat is palpable, but the hand won't burn until it touches something inside of the oven. This is because air is a good insulator; similarly, space is an even better insulator, and using a combination of the insulative properties of the vacuum with magnetic fields to redirect plasma discharges, solarian habitats are capable of surviving and thriving in the corona - and that's to say nothing of the odd clades that emerge as a result of this environment, which in addition to being very divergent also tend to be very alien in appearance. |
Solarian Cultural TraditionsAs noted, Solarian culture tends to be influenced by cetacean norms and mores, which results in an odd sort of cultural environment that can sometimes make humans feel uncomfortable and can sometimes come across as very alien and divergent from the human norm. Many post-biological whales and dolphins call this culture their own, and they use specially tailored bioshells to "sail" the corona, navigating and tacking using a sort of magnetic field or deploying in built plasma sails. Among these cultural norms:
|
Who Solarians Are
Solarians call the corona of their parent star home, and so that takes a certain degree of psychological fortitude to handle. They combine all the problems faced by spacers with the problems faced by skimmers and get none of the benefits, along with the added worry of even more radiation, since they're so close to their parent star. While not everyone who lives in a habitat that occupies a circumpolar orbit around their parent star is a solarian, most solarians do occupy. What distinguishes solarians from a scientific outpost is, as with skimmers, the outlook; scientific outposts tend not to see the sun as home, while solarians absolutely see their some as home and many of them spend time in the wilds of the star. A fair number of solarians are digitals or AGIs; the exotic demands of the environment results in incredibly weird shells, both cyber and bio, that nobody can be born into, although there are a number of androids as well. The culture tends to also be strongly enforced by cetacean cultural norms rather than human cultural norms, which leads to a freewheeling environment that is at once different from but similar to the other environments.
Solarians tend to roughly divide between those who live on habitats and those who live in the wilds of the parent star's corona, with the former being strongly influenced by the human or "human" norms, customs, and mores of where they live, while the later are what most people think of when they think of "solarian." However, there is often extensive overlap between the two; for instance, the human culture may have looser mores regarding polyamory or incest, reflecting the mores of their dolphin and cetacean neighbors. Interestingly, it rarely works in reverse. Similarly, dolphin eating habits sometimes transition as well, meaning that sea food is extremely common among solarian diets.
Solarians tend to roughly divide between those who live on habitats and those who live in the wilds of the parent star's corona, with the former being strongly influenced by the human or "human" norms, customs, and mores of where they live, while the later are what most people think of when they think of "solarian." However, there is often extensive overlap between the two; for instance, the human culture may have looser mores regarding polyamory or incest, reflecting the mores of their dolphin and cetacean neighbors. Interestingly, it rarely works in reverse. Similarly, dolphin eating habits sometimes transition as well, meaning that sea food is extremely common among solarian diets.
Skimmer Culture Template . . . 20 points
Advantages and Perks
|
Two of Cybernetics (Protected Sense) [5], G-Experience (Any) [5], Improved G-Tolerance (0.03G) [5], Radiation Tolerance 2 [5], or 5-point talent [5] ● 25 points from among points from among the previous or from among ST +1 to +2 [10/level], DX +1 [20], IQ+1 [20], Per+1 to +4 [5/level], Will +1 to +4 [5/level], HP +1 to +4 [2/level], Basic Move +1 [5], Basic Speed +0.25 [5/level], Absolute Direction [5], Biografts (Any) [Varies], Common Sense [10], Cybernetics (Any) [Varies], Doodads [1/level], Driver's Reflex 1 [5/level], Fearlessness [2/level], Gizmos [5/level], High Manual Dexterity 1-2 [5/level], Master Builder 1 [5], Plant Empathy [5], Rapid Healing [5], Resistant (Single Colony World Hazard) [5], Single-Minded [5], or 10 points in any talent [10] ● Any three of the following Perks: Compact Frame, Dabbler (any eight skills), Efficient (Skill), Focused (Task), Hyperspecialization (Skill), One-Task Wonder, Sealegs, or Teamwork (Skill).
|
Disadvantages and Quirks
|
-30 points from among Addiction [Varies], Alcoholism [-5*], Bully [-10*], Combat Paralysis [-15*], Delusions (about the way the world works) [-5 to -10], Disciplines of Faith (Ritualism or Mysticism) [-5 to -10], Gullibility [-10*], Incurious [-5*], Insomniac [-10 to -15], Jealousy [-10], Kleptomania [-15*], Lecherousness [-15*], Loner [-5*], Low Empathy [-20], Miserliness [-10*], Odious Cultural Habit (Any) [-5 to -10], Overconfidence [-5*], Pacifism [Varies], Sense of Duty (Organization or Group) [-5], Social Stigma (Uncultured Rube) [-5] or (Minority Group) [-5], Stubbornness [-5], or Workaholic [-5] ● Three of Broadminded, Chauvinistic, Distinctive Speech (Dolphin Staccato), Dreamer, Distractible, Nosy, No Personal Space, Philosophy (Dreamline/Whalesong), Religious (Whalesong Theology), Superstition (Any), Token (Any),
|
Primary Skills
|
Area Knowledge (Star), Computer Operations and Spacer, all (E) IQ [1]-10; Electronics Operation (Sensors) (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Vacc Suit (A) DX [2]-10 ● Three of Electronics Operation (Any), Electronics Repair (Any), Merchant, Mechanic (Any), Navigation (Space), Research, all (A) IQ [2]-10; Chemistry, Economics, Expert Skill (Helioseismology), Geology, Geology (Rocky Worlds), or Metallurgy, all (H) IQ-1 [2]-9; Physics (VH) IQ-2 [2]-8.
|
Secondary and Background Skills
|
Five of Electrician, Electronics Operation (Any), Electronics Repair (Any), Free Fall, Freight Handling, Merchant, or Mechanic (Any), all (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Piloting (Any) or Meteorology (Star), both (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Aerobatics/Acrobatics (H) DX-2 [1]-8; Expert Skill (Helioseismology) or Veterinary, both (H) IQ-2 [1]-8; First Aid (E) IQ [1]-10; or two points in any primary skill.
|
Features
|
Cultural Familiarity (Solarian), Language (Solarian Cetacean, Native or Any, Native), Native Gravity (0 G to 1.0 G)
|