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The Easy Guide to the Modern Nomad


Preface

Hello, Forum. It has come to the attention of our faction that there are intense misunderstandings and even disagreements when it comes to Nomad story, Roleplay, and even what non-Nomad characters would know. Being totally and completely dedicated to not making people sad, we (and by "we" I mean "I") decided that it would be a great idea to introduce a crash course or "For Dummies" type writing that could be easily linked to when doing such activities as: Arguing with story devs, arguing with people outside the faction, arguing with each other, etc.

This post will include common points of contention, explanation of our past, explanation of our present, and explanation of some current events.

Ancient History

In the beginning, no one really cares. Way after the beginning, though, there was a race called the Daam K'Vosh. One apostrophe, no more. Do not fight me on this. They are very mysterious, and did weird deity-substitute alien race things, like disappearing to nowhere for unknown reasons, leaving behind a genetically engineered race of biological machines capable of incredible technological feats, and having a hard-to-read name. The genetically engineered race, named Slomon K'Hara by someone or something, possibly themselves, is what you know as the Nomads. These caretakers were built from a single "progenitor cell", which had abilities like a telepathic hive mind, and becoming literally anything it needs to based on environment despite having a genetic code. Before their disappearance, the Daam K'Vosh put the sample-size race they made into family-size cryo-stasis containers, then spread pieces of their technology here and there for the society they built to grow to be just like them, or maybe even better than them.

Not-so-Ancient History

For what can only be described as "a long time", the Nomads chilled there. (get it? Cryo? Chilled?) There is at least one location with actual Nomad cryo containers, that is those four things outside the Shrine in Unknown. Rumors on the Shrine allude to this. Another location might be on the surface of the planet in Omicron Major, where the Rheinland expeditionary fleets were first infested, but this claim is disputed by official sources. It is also important to note that Nomads had no preset capability for combat. Until human arrival, Nomads had no weaponry or hostility, and had to evolve these to adapt to the human incursion. After the infestation, the Freelancer campaign we know and love happened, with the hypergate being opened and the hivemind being torn to pieces by it, causing a telepathic backlash that killed a lot of Nomads, drove nearly all of them insane, and was generally a pretty uncool move by humanity. This also fried the energy grid of the Dyson Sphere, making it inoperable for any use.

Not-Ancient History

After that, the Nomads were in a pretty sad state. The least damaged Nomads were Nomads that were far away from the Dyson Sphere, doing other things. Examples of this in the base game were those two unfinished systems, which both had Nomads. It's a common assumption that these systems would have had Nomad-cleanup missions should the game have been worked on more. But it wasn't, so all we have is assumptions that we make the most of. The remaining Nomads, especially ones that were far away, made an emergency mind, reestablishing the connection, and bringing together all of the insane Nomads, curing them, and giving general cognitive behavioral therapy for post-traumatic-stress-disorder to an entire race. They made an emergency landing on Xernia, and by emergency landing I mean they burrowed into it and basically ate all the heat because they feed on energy (more on that later)¹, then they took two of the artifacts remaining in their possession, and used them in Iota, generating Nebulas for them to live in.

Not History

After surviving, the Nomads began the process of rebuilding. Their emergency hivemind was upgraded to regular hivemind, they grew/built (2 more 2 later)² a new city (more on that later: Tokyo Drift)³, curbstomped Planet Toledo, and began expanding their forces exponentially. They also reclaimed the territory around the Dyson Sphere, made Azurite reactors, and began evolving to fight humans. That about covers it up until things you can find out in-game, and are basically happening right now.

How Does the Mindshare Work?

In short, Nomads are a combination of three things: Themselves (The Individual), being part of their superior in the caste system (The Extension), and being the Mindshare as a whole. It works kinda like the Holy Trinity. The individual, the extension, and the Mindshare are not the same, but they are all the Nomad.

One of the important bits is the caste system. Think of it like Zerg from Starcraft. The Overmind controls the Cerebrates, who control the Hives and Overlords, who control the individual units. The difference is that as Nomads get older and stronger, they move up the ranks.


How do I Roleplay that Wall of Text?

The easy version is this: You are a big brain ant, and you do what's good for the colony. This includes attacking your enemies, finding out things for your colony so that the bigger brains in the colony can think on them, and generally helping out. The harder version will be in the detail below, and has a lot to do with the details above.


Do's and Dont's

It's important to have some basic guidelines, something that you can have open while you're ingame, so here it is:

Do remember that individuality is restricted. Nomads are mentally incapable of deviating too far from the hivemind, so, whether indie or official, you're an extension of the greater mind.

Don't make infestation RP. Infestation is a complicated process best left to the Wild, or older members of the official faction. Trying to do it without knowledge and experience generally ends in it being pretty cringe, going nowhere, and being something that will haunt your memory two months down the road.

Do know who's the boss. Smaller Nomads and younger minds will cling to larger and older Nomads because the connection to the mindshare is stronger that way. The only exception to this is ascended minds inhabiting smaller bodies.

Don't spam symbols without a set of personal rules. It makes your speech completely unintelligible, makes people cringe, and generally is frowned upon.

Do join the Discord. We can elaborate on specific things in there, and it will make your life ten times easier.

Don't complain too much about ganks. There are points where enough is enough, and we've been there before when people have taken it too far, but little things like 3v1s are not particularly an issue. Our ships are relatively strong when compared to human counterparts, and most of the time you're expected to win in 2v1s against opponents of equal skill.

Do be antagonistic. In the grand story of Freelancer, Discovery Freelancer included, Nomads are the bad guys. We've provided their justification, every good villain needs one, but they're not kind or benevolent. They're efficient, direct, and intelligent.

Interaction 101

Nomads do, in fact, have a sort of diplomacy or list of possible actions when encountering humans. The specifics of it are a widely debated and sometimes controversial subject, but I'll put the general information here. The list is ordered from most likely to least likely response on encountering a non-Nomad entity.

Hostility: Nomads are primarily hostile. Their literal birthright is being stolen, and they are less than pleased with that. The main Nomad Mindshare is incredibly hostile, and firmly believes in burning humanity to ashes. Every Nomad will reflect this, and the most basic, primary response to finding a human is to kill that human.

Curiosity: The second most common response to finding humans is information gathering. You can't fight a war without knowing stuff about your enemies, and things like emotions, opinions, and human politics are things that can be used against them. The Wild especially use this information while they infiltrate human society to destroy it from the inside.

Artificial Intelligence: Here's a special one: Nomads can't communicate with Artificial Intelligence. Nomad Telepathy works through stimulating organic brain matter, and AIs don't have that. To Nomads, AIs are literally just rocks that move around, and are commonly met with complete indifference. Sometimes, though, they are simply destroyed, in the same way you'd kick a pebble that was constantly floating into you as you're trying to walk down the street. It is possible for Nomads to use intermediaries to communicate, probably Wild, but good luck finding that out in the deep Omicron systems.

Disinterest: Sometimes Nomads have better things to be doing than dealing with humans. If they're on a mission that has nothing to do at all with some human flying by, the human will enjoy the glorious grace of being not worth the Nomad's time. This is pretty rare, since the Nomad goal is mostly to kill humans and reclaim what is supposed to be theirs, but it's not impossible.

Cardamine-flavored Disinterest: The rarest of them all, Nomad's unique interaction with Cardamine users. Due to the nature of Cardamine, which will be included below, Nomads are able to communicate more clearly with Cardamine users, resulting in one of the closest things to neutrality with a Nomad that can exist. While technically possible with all parties and individuals that use Cardamine, this unique neutrality is generally reserved for Outcasts that are not hostile to Nomads, given that the Outcasts have a long history of being right outside the Nomads back door, and vice versa.

Other Important Things

`²`Nomad structures aren't built like human structures. They're made in sort of the same way that bees and wasps make nests. Instead of making a secretion that mixes with particles of wood or stuff, though, they take minerals and spin them into a crystalline structure, almost fully transforming the materials into a separate element. This is a super-strong material whose recipe was left to them by the Daam K'Vosh, and is pretty consistent with regular types of unobtainium found in other sci-fi franchises. While not capable of just generating energy, this material can be formed into everything from living quarters to body generation cavities, to Azurite reactors, to Jump Gates and Trade Lanes.

`⁷`There are entities that have ascended beyond the mindshare in a way, and are not bound to the normal mindshare rules. The most notable one, currently, is Harbinger. Harbinger the Schemer is part of the mindshare, yet has the unique ability to keep secrets from and not be controlled by it. This comes with the cost of not having any control over the mindshare, but Harbinger seems pretty okay with that. They have a goal of making sure the Nomads complete their duty, and are not sidetracked or defeated, and do things in service to that end. All of these ascendant entities are the products of years upon years of roleplay, interaction, and even story.

Nomads are capable of infesting humans through the "Nomad Incubus". The way that works is they get a little larva shaped Nomad into the body, usually orally, and that thing burrows into the human's spine, hijacking it's nervous system and wearing it as a skin suit. They usually use their telepathic abilities to read their host's mind and blend in to human environments. They also have minor telekinetic abilities, though rarely use them. While it's possible for Nomads in standard bodies to infest, the process is usually left to other Nomad Incubi.

Nomads are also capable of infesting technology. This is a weird process, but it can be summed up by saying that a Nomad grows into a piece of technology it grabs, and assimilates it. A good example is the LNS-Tundra, a Liberty Siege Cruiser that was infested. While this allows for the assimilation of a shipboard AI, we're not exactly sure what the consequences of this would be. We still can't communicate with AIs, but with the interfacing of mechanical, electrical, and communications systems, it may be possible that an AI can be converted or imprisoned within the Mindshare, which would at least partially bridge the aforementioned lack of communication with AI.

There are more castes.

The first few, Nymph, Neonate, and Elder are actually subdivisions of the Keeper caste, but since the Keeper caste is so large, it's subdivisions are equivalent to regular divisions. The role of a Nymph is simply to grow up, but the others are multi-functional. Whether combat, construction, information gathering, or scouting, the Keepers make up the main bulk of the fleet. Most Nomads that you see around, especially in the Omicrons, fall into this caste.

The Infiltrator caste encompasses all of the Nomad Incubi, and is also pretty large. The various groups of Wild, from Das Wilde in Rheinland, to Division 9 in Liberty, to Aoi Iseijin in Kusari, all fall into this caste.

The Dreamer caste is the oldest caste, and the center for Nomad innovation. Their primary purpose is to think and create. Almost every evolution to the Nomads was proposed by a Dreamer. They are also the ones who actually do the whole respawn process, both remembering and regenerating the fallen Nomad.

The Wanderer caste is the all-seeing eye and long-reaching arm of the Mindshare. They're commonly spread far and wide in Sirius, gathering information for Advisors and Dreamers, enabling the mindshare to better react to the actions of their enemies. The Wanderers are also responsible for nearly all Nomad sightings outside of the Omicrons, and they commonly work with Infiltrators when doing their jobs. Through their rank in the hierarchy, they also drag Keepers along with them to do larger operations from time to time.

The Advisors are a separate caste from the Keepers, and used to be simply in charge of taking care of the mindshare, cataloguing information, and maintaining communication. In recent times, however, the Advisor caste has become more direct, and with their natural affinity with telepathy from taking care of the mindshare, has become greatly invested in the Keeper caste and with combat actions.

The Hierarchy of the castes is thus: Keeper, Infiltrator, Wanderer, Advisor, Dreamer. However, Wanderers, Advisors, and Dreamers can often fluidly change castes, rendering their place in the hierarchy just as fluid. Returning Wanderers may become Dreamers to think on and create things based on what they've seen. Dreamers may become Advisors in order to oversee the implementation of their ideas. Advisors may become Dreamers to contemplate fixes for problems in the Mindshare structure or resource management. Infiltrators are not capable of changing castes, due to their physical form and purpose for existing, but Keepers that grow strong enough will become one of the upper three castes.

Discord

Join our Discord server by clicking this link. We currently have a "Nomad help" channel, where we help with Nomad things. It's pretty cool.

Credit Where Credit is Due

A huge thank you to , , and the original creators of the Nomad Lore document, which can be found here.



Please direct all feedback to the K'hara Feedback Thread. Any Feedback to The_Godslayer or grammar corrections can be directed here.
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Appendix I


Important Names in K'Hara

Hello, Forum. It's me again. There's been a lot of questions of "who exactly the hell is this?", and while I love answering them one by one to increase the amount of people I personally annoy/offend, it's starting to get redundant. Therefore and thusly, this post is being made to answer some of the most common questions about characters.

This will contain the most prominent figures, groups, and so on as of January 2020 or so.

Nergal the Ancient

This character, on the current advisor council, is one of the oldest Nomad minds. Played by , Nergal has been present at almost every important event in Nomad history, and acts as the wise old guiding hand for the Advisors, making sure that they never stray too far from the old ways, and never forget what and who they once were. Even though they're not really used anymore, Nergal remembers the blueprints of the MK1 Nomad designs, and still prefers to manifest as an old Marduk. The position as the Historian is very important to the mindshare, and having Nergal in the Advisor council maintains the traditions of the Nomads.

Minerva the Bloodletter

The most based of the Advisors, Minerva, played by , is the best at killing. Minerva's combat experience has permeated the minidshare at this point, as with Minerva's experiences of simply sitting out in the open and daring challengers to come do battle, and any Nomad with a moderate connection to the mindshare has had these experiences added to theirs. Quick reactions, combat maneuvers, and sensations of bloodlust are all thanks to Minerva. After all that, Minerva also provides the most direct link between the Advisor council and the Keeper caste. Keepers are expected to have strong combat skill due to Minerva's oversight, lending an indispensable asset to the Nomads.

Sh'ozak the Survivor

Sh'ozak, played by is the youngest advisor, having been reborn only a few years ago. After the Great Collapse (end of Freelancer Campaign), Sh'ozak was mentally distressed and essentially trapped within the edge nebula. During this, Sh'ozak fought off many kill squads, usually Order, and developed a strong sense of strategy despite it's insanity. Eventually, Sh'ozak was found and it's consciousness cleaned, but the sense of strategy remained, and as Sh'ozak regained his place in the mindshare, those strategies lead it down the path of becoming an Advisor. Strategic action, fleet maneuvers, and many of the changes in Nomad reactions are due to Sh'ozak.

Ashura the Infiltrator

Played by , Ashura is the Advisor's direct link to the Infiltrator caste. Manipulation, misdirection, and many of the Infiltrator schemes are the direct result of Ashura. There's not much information on the history of Ashura, but their presence is pivotal for coordinating the actions of the Infiltrators in collaboration with the other castes.

Husas the Defender

Husas, played by is the newest Advisor in the council. Husas, whose name means "dawn" in Proto-Indo-Iranian, was chosen as an Advisor for their impeccable talent in defense, shown many times in the core Nomad systems. Armed with tactics, ideas, and preparations that have higher dimensionalities than humans can comprehend, Husas is the impenetrable wall that holds back every enemy of the Mindshare.

Hammurabi the Creator

Played by , Hammurabi is perhaps one of the most influential advisors, despite their relatively quiet nature when compared to the others. Not only does Hammurabi provide a direct link between the Advisor and Dreamer castes, enabling fast and accurate experiments and evolutions, Hammurabi is directly responsible for the MK2 Nomad ships. These ships, leagues superior to the MK1 counterparts, became the standard for the entire Nomad race, earning Hammurabi the highest respect in the Dreamer caste, and even though Hammurabi seldom speaks, every thought that they do make known is taken with utmost consideration.


LNS-Tundra

The Tundra, created by , was a Liberty Siege Cruiser captured shortly after the re-establishing of the mindshare. One of the first large scale non-station hybridization projects, the Tundra was filled with a Nomad who then grew into the ship, replacing the internal systems and gaining a wide understanding of some human weaponry for the Nomads. The Ishtar Artillery Guns are loosely based on the knowledge gained from the Tundra's forward gun. Firmly belonging to the Infiltrator caste despite not having or every having had a human body, the LNS-Tundra is a rare, yet terrifying sight to behold.


Harbinger the Schemer

Harbinger, played by , is another ancient Nomad. Harbinger was part of a Pre-War council, and gained such an age and strength as to ascend beyond both the Mindshare and corporeal form. Appearing as a bright cloud of unknown vapor, Harbinger often guides the Nomads in times of struggle, presenting elaborate plans to let them escape from tough times. Being beyond the Mindshare, Harbinger cannot be controlled by the Mindshare unless he wants to be, and at the same time cannot control the Mindshare outside of indirect influence.

Vatan

A relic of an older age of experiments, played by , the Vatan is a hybridization project undertaken by the Nomads and a small sect of Royalist Forces within Gallia. Built as a Gallic Battlecruiser, it acts as a mindnode despite being mostly mechanical, and is uniquely capable of maintaining a mindshare connection with Nomads around it.

Ki'Shar

An ongoing hybridization project played by , Ki'Shar is the most complete Hybrid project since the Tundra. Formerly the Charente and it's captain Lauren La'Row of the Infiltrator Caste. The Charente experienced a unique fix to wear and tear. By inserting a free-forming Nomad seed into the ship, it grew replacement parts. This continued to such a point where there was significantly more nomad than metal inside, so an experimental bridge between human mind and nomad flesh was created so that one mind could control the entire ship. The experiment was a success, La'Row bonded with the nomad flesh and Ki'Shar was created, the first Infiltrator to change caste to Keepers.

The Nomad Vagrants

And now for the big one. Led by , The Nomad Vagrants are the remnants of the Nomads that were sucked through the Supergate at the end of the Freelancer campaign. While out and about, they changed their body structure to allow for teleportation, and eventually they found their way back. Just as the Nomads made an emergency mindshare after the collapse, so did the Nomad Vagrants. Both groups are independent of each other, and make very different decisions as time went on. Recently, the Nomad Vagrants have experienced estrangement from the Nomads due to their much more progressive views. The Nomad Vagrants gained ties to both the Auxesia and the Gammu A.I., which was incredibly unnatural to the Nomads, those being sworn enemies and intelligent rocks, respectively. After tolerating this for quite some time, the Nomads experienced the last straw when Nomad Vagrants refused to assist Nomads when fighting Auxesia. This lead to the Exile of the Nomad Vagrants, and despite the efforts of Harbinger, they have not been forgiven of their transgressions. For more info on this, ask the Vagrants.

Das Wilde

Das Wilde is merely the Rheinland name for the Infiltrator caste. Remnants of the infected Rheinlanders from the vanilla campaign are called Das Wilde, remnants of Tekagi's forces are called Aoi Iseijen, remnants of the infected Libertonians are called Division 9 (or 18, depending on certain circomstances), and the very miniscule group of infected Bretonians are called Brotherhood of the Universal Bond.



Please direct all feedback to the K'hara Feedback Thread. Any Feedback to The_Godslayer or grammar corrections can be directed here.