Shadows of Sindal Thread (Spoilers)

[PsiTraveller]

I am running Shadows of Sindal and have finished the first section, the players have just left Paal and are headed back to Drinax with a report for the King.

They know there is a biochemical agent that can turn Aslan into 28 Days Later rage monsters, and they honestly do not see a downside. Overall my players all think the Grehai movement does not go far enough. Most of the players ran through the Pirates of Drinax campaign, and the threat of Ihatei crushing all the humans in the Sector played an important role throughout the campaign.

The group is honestly not seeing a downside to an agent that can reduce the Aslan threat, and they have said they don't care how honorable the Aslan are normally, the Aslan are doing a slow invasion of human worlds and this could stop them.

Any other GM's having this reaction to the storyline of the module?

 

[Garran]

Consider what the Aslan did to Drinax, and why they don't usually use such methods, whether as part of ihatei migrations or during outright warfare: it ruins what would otherwise be valuable territory.

As-is, they have to be downright furious with a target, enough to make the statement worth the loss.

Now, if all of those places suddenly become unusable as territory, and this happens as the result of a deliberate program by the humans there...

 

[cunningrat]

and this could stop them.

The only way it will stop the Aslan from expanding into the Trojan Reach is if you deploy it on every single Aslan world, including the ones back in the Hierate. Because otherwise, the various clans *will* launch an investigation into the bioweapon and how it operates. And as soon as they realize that the bioweapon is something engineered (instead of a naturally occurring contagion), there is really only one suspect: the humans.
At which point, the entire weight of the Aslan Hierate and the Yaso'istheya (spelling?) will pour across the borders with blood in their eye and come down on the Trojan Reach like a ton of bricks. They won't even bother conquering: they'll just turn every human planet into glass.
They might stop when they hit the Imperium border, if some Imperial diplomats talk fast enough. Might. Maybe.

(At least that is what would happen in MTU. Honestly, if my players floated this idea even halfway seriously, it would likely kill my desire to ever GM *anything* for that group of players again.)

 

[PsiTraveller]

Their position is that the bioagent, if applied to human worlds, would only have an impact on Aslan if the Aslan were there. Given that under the treaty the Aslan are not supposed to be there there should be no impact.

The issue of course is that the Ihatei ignore the treaty and are setting up sites within the 30 parsec zone. The Imperium is stretched and cannot or will not officially notice these incursions. The Aslan are turning a blind eye and/or actually encouraging the actions of the Ihatei because it prevents clan wars within Aslan borders as Ihatei battle for land. The Ihatei adventure in PoD (adventure #2 I think) had a huge meeting of Ihatei trying to decide what human world to invade. Technically this is an act of war and that is ignored in the adventure.

Now could the bioagent be used as an offensive weapon, absolutely. But they are currently looking at the defensive aspects of the weapon. If the Hierate were told that landing an invasion force of ihatei onto a human world would result in the Aslan being turned mindless the Aslan are going to be upset because they cannot invade anymore? The diplomatic position of "If you invade us you will die."

The players may have been inspired by the red dust bacteria from the old 'V' television show. Turn the human worlds into a poisoned realm against the Ihatei.

 

[AKjeldsen]

Their position is that the bioagent, if applied to human worlds, would only have an impact on Aslan if the Aslan were there. Given that under the treaty the Aslan are not supposed to be there there should be no impact.

The Ihatei are maybe not supposed to be there, but have they considered that most of those planets would have individual “civilian” Aslan inhabitants who are there perfectly legitimately?

 

[PsiTraveller]

Regarding the presence of legal Aslan on a human world. The human worlds could cross that bridge if and when that happens. So far all the worlds mentioned in the adventures are worried about Aslan setting up shop on a world. No mention of legal immigration happening. All mention of Aslan are as a result of Ihatei landing on a planet and claiming territory as theirs.

Let's look at Paal.
3 years ago Ihatei landed in the ruined city, then a few weeks later they brought their kinfolk, women and kids. The Aslan built a fort in the middle of the city, and then proceeded to kick out the humans that had lived there for 200 years. Granted they did it "peacefully", shooting high on the walls of the southern encampment to scare the people out of their homes.

The Remnants to the north of the city face being shot at or grabbed, slapped, roughed up and then shoved loose. Yet the module describes this behavior as that of an 'honorable conqueror' (pg 28). My players saw it simply as an act of invasion and theft of territory. Nothing honorable in that at all.

Suppose the Remnants had money, or the players took an interest in the welfare of the Remants. The players, or hired mercenaries hired for the job could attack the fort. Would the humans be justified in having a ship drop Ortillery shells and pulse laser fire into the Ihatei fort and blowing the entire place into next week? We are talking about killing all 200 Aslan, males, females, kids. Attacking the invaders and killing them all. Or capturing and then what? Imprisoning them? Executing them for invasion?


What about the planetary government and the Starport. They could send the fighters, or hire a ship to attack the fort. Would they be justified? Or would it be an act of genocide, or simply an act of war?

These are the issues my players are raising. They have pointed out that the genetic need for land by the males born after the firstborn is at odds with the Peace of Ftahalr. The borders are already closer than 30 parsecs. The Ihatei adventure pointed out that the Aslan are looking for an excuse to run roughshod over the Trojan Reach. The players don't see the honor in the Aslan. They are looking at the threat of extinction of the humans if the Aslan keep pushing Coreward and Trailing across the Sector.

 

[Condottiere]

You genetically modify the biosphere of a planet to be completely hostile to Aslans.

Unless they want to move around between completely insulated shelters in vacuum suits:

 

[AKjeldsen]

No mention of legal immigration happening. All mention of Aslan are as a result of Ihatei landing on a planet and claiming territory as theirs.

It’s not a closed border, though. There’s a lot of trade going in and out of the Hierate, and that means there’s also people moving back and forth, and some of those people are going to be Aslans who have decide to settle down. (Just like we know there are humans living in the Hierate.) Trade representatives, brokers, exiles, starship crews, plus all sorts of people providing them with services. I would assume most worlds in the Borderlands has at least a small (non-Ihatei) Aslan community living there.

Using this bio weapon is all well and good when you think about it in the bloodless abstract, but what about if it means turning that friendly owner of an Aslan-style restaurant in Paal Downport into a mindless monster?

 

[Garran]

It should be noted that the Aslan traders moving through the area would include at least a few who are citizens of the Imperium. Congratulations, you've just committed an(other) atrocity in their eyes, too.

Not that it will matter much, because at that point an enraged Hierate is likely to be glassing every planet where this turns up, along with any that are implicated in its production/deployment. (Ironically, this would help to create a more solid border between them and the Imperium, what with all of the dead worlds in the way...)


One of the cardinal rules for dealing with the Hierate is that you never give the clans a reason to unite against you.

 

[Condottiere]

If the Aslan are operating under the concept of expand or die, it might be better to pop that pimple before it metastasizes.

 

[PsiTraveller]

Thanks for pointing that out Condottierre. I think that is the position of my players. (It is for 3 of the players I have spoken with, I have not gone over the position with the other 2). The Aslan expansionism is a direct threat and they are ignoring the treaty, and nobody seems to be willing to call them out on it.

I find the line in Shadows of Sindal, page 50 interesting. 8000 humans already live on Thebus, but it is mostly a dead world. Some ihatei have made a home there, and are bringing in machinery to set up production of goods.

"In some ways this is not a threat to other interests –
Thebus is more or less a dead world and has never
been recolonised apart from the small enclave at the
downport. A growing Aslan presence on another part of
the planet is not an immediate concern. However, at
some point the parent clan of the ihatei will recognise
ownership of the planet, making it Hierate space.
This will make life rather difficult for the orbital port’s
operators and shipping that uses it."

So maybe the best course of action is to bomb every Ihatei camp flat then. Aslan do not recognize human claims to a world. The 8000 people and the Starport existing in the system are ignored because the Ihatei brought in an industrial base. Thebus is 7 parsecs from Imperial space and the module just casually mentions the Hierate may annex it. At some point the Imperium is going to be sending some pretty big tonnage ships along the Florian route and say "No."

Maybe the bioagent is going too far and the players should stick to Ortillery.

 

[Condottiere]

How the Aslan would react, generally or specifically, is basically the dungeon master's call.

If you feel that the players should understand the consequences of any hostile actions, they may want to get someone who's majored in Aslan Studies.

Or just figure out how much proportional force is required to get them to give up and leave.

 

[paltrysum]

Their position is that the bioagent, if applied to human worlds, would only have an impact on Aslan if the Aslan were there. Given that under the treaty the Aslan are not supposed to be there there should be no impact.

Many of the Aslan in the Trojan Reach do not believe the treaty — the Peace of Ftahalr — applies to them. Keep in mind that the treaty was made by a select few Aslan clans — hundreds of parsecs away in the old Hierate — who purported to speak for all the clans when in fact, the Aslan are one of the most fractious species in Charted Space.

Furthermore, it is a very humanocentric thing to say that “We put a flag here 200 years ago so we own it forever.” The Aslan believe that you only deserve to have a landhold if you can protect it. It’s not their fault if the humans do such a poor job of protecting land that they claim is theirs.

As for their reaction to using the bio weapon, keep in mind that a mere 12 years later, during the Rebellion, the Aslan blow deep into the Spinward Marches after the assassination of the Yeroyarlwiwo ambassador on Capital. It stands to reason that they are a dangerous race to mess with.

 

[cunningrat]

As written, open warfare between the Aslan and the Reach (and/or the Imperium) is inevitable. It is not a question of "if", but "when". It occurs to me, however, that there may be ways to kick the can down the road that don't involve bioweapons or ortillery.

[*] Subtly work with the Aslan to ensure the Tlaiowaha, the Ikhtealyo, the New Horizons faction of the Ahroay'if, and other "trade over invasion" clans gain more power within the Ya'soistheya. There are many ways to do this: favorable trade concessions from the resurgent Kingdom of Drinax, fomenting strife between the more aggressive clans, etc.

[*] Possibly (if it can be done) work to increase the influence of the Tlaukhu in the Reach. The Tlaukhu mostly respect the Peace of Fthair, and may prove a moderating influence on the Ya'soistheya.

[*] Assist the Ya'soistheya in their ongoing conflict with the Glorious Empire: this will both bleed the ihatei and give them somewhere to expand that's not in the Reach. (Optionally, also assist the Glorious empire in their conflict with the Ya'soistheya so as to make it last longer -- "let's you and him fight". That might blow up in your face, though.)

[*] Go talk to the Darrians in the Spinward Marches. If I remember correctly, the Aslan who have integrated into Darrian society have sublimated their drive for land into something else. Either they or the Darrians may have some helpful ideas.

But, y'know... players tend not to think in those terms.

 

[Avestite]

If you're a bunch of Travellers going to commit acts of mass casualty terrorism, make sure you fit someone else up for it. If you launch the Sindalian Bioweapon at an Aslan world, use a captured ship with markings from the Glorious Empire or run a heist to swipe a Florian Corvette...

 

[Condottiere]

The MONSTER That Devours Russia

Modern Russia has a lot of problems on their hands, you can probably name them all. But there's one big problem that is really, REALLY different from all other. Heracleum sosnowskyi, Sosnowsky's hogweed, or as we call it, Борщевик Сосновского. This plant was brought to Russia from Caucasus by Soviet scientists and was used as silage for many years. How did an ordinary agricultural weed transform into a nationwide hazard? Let's find out.

00:00 - Introduction
03:13 - Toxic Cow Food
06:41 - How Hogweed Took over Russia
10:26 - Why is it so important?

Sosnowsky’s hogweed is a large flowering plant native to the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and North-East Turkey. H. sosnowskyi is a monocarpic biennial or perennial plant that grows up to 3 m tall. The whole plant contains photosensitizing furanocoumarins that can burn and/or blister human skin (after contact with plant sap and subsequent UV irradiation). The plant’s large size, high fecundity, early germination and vigorous growth makes H. sosnowskyi a very successful invader that can out-compete local flora, cause river bank erosion and is toxic to humans. H. sosnowskyi had been cultivated for biomass and silage production in the former USSR in the second half of the twentieth century. From the 1990s there were reports of the plant escaping from cultivation and conquering all of the surrounding land. The plague could not be contained. While some regional governments now try to spray problem zones with pesticides, Moscow hasn't paid the problem any attention or sought to understand its scope. If Russia does not find an effective weapon against Borscevik in the coming years, all of its agriculturally usable territory be destroyed by the onslaught of this alien invader.

Hey there. Somehow you found my video and decided to watch it. So let me introduce myself. I'm Sergei and I'm from Russia. My channel is about my native country. I want to tell English-speaking viewers about the real Russia, about its past and present. Unfortunately, you can find a lot of propaganda about Russia on the Internet, both from the Russian media and from the Western ones. I want to tell you about Russia, as it really is, the country in which I was born, grew up, and lived all my life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5NxuEoXHn8


Aslan are severely allergic to soybeans.

 

[PsiTraveller]

Adding a biological agent like a plant or animal to an ecosystem can be a devastating event to a country. Australia and rabbits, grasshopper plagues of the Dustbowl. African Army worms. Algal blooms could alter a worlds atmosphere (for good or ill).

Using a biological device could be nastier than a biochemical agent. At least the biochemical breaks down over time. A plant or animal keeps on producing offspring.

On the more useful tech side, sending in an edible weed type plant to prep a continent for colonization makes good sense. Drop seeds over a large area and in a few years large swathes of the countryside will have a food supply just waiting to be harvested or grazed.

 

[Condottiere]

Cats Causing Extinctions

Of all the invasive species europeans let loose in Australia none have had the same devastation on our small mammals as the feral cat.

In this video we talk about cats in Australia, just how bad they are and what you can do to help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb52PCyfHCM


1. Don't feed stray Aslan.

2. Keep them indoors.

 

[PsiTraveller]

You forgot about getting them spayed or neutered, and after all the times Bob Barker said that.


actually, a bioagent that causes sterility. Tuf Voyaging had that at the end of the book. That would be a good thing to spray on an Aslan planet.

 

[Avestite]

You forgot about getting them spayed or neutered, and after all the times Bob Barker said that.


actually, a bioagent that causes sterility. Tuf Voyaging had that at the end of the book. That would be a good thing to spray on an Aslan planet.

For a bioweapon that would take the Aslan a while to even notice that they'd been attacked... have it lower the ratio of male to female births still further. You won't get many Ihatei in future generations if only one in ten Aslan children are male.