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Tribes of Xion / XION
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The Lost Tribes of Xion, descendants of early pioneers scattered to the far corners the galaxy, have only their faith to guide them to The Source. The ten surviving ships are searching still; re-made into a makeshift floating colony, adrift upon the ether. Home to nomads and free spirits.
History
The earliest human explorations into space were fraught with danger, and even those who survived the brutal void did not all find planets suitable for colonisation. As contact with Earth was lost, these early pioneers would have to quickly become self sufficient, providing enough food for the crew whilst maintaining their ships with depleted supplies.
Those Arks able to cultivate crops could sustain themselves for generations, but over time any ship would eventually run out of fuel, relying solely on the solar winds to carry them.
So it was for centuries, before the discovery of jump points.
Of the myriad ships that originally ventured out into the black, only a handful remain today. The Tribes of Xion are amongst those descendants of the early pioneers. Only ten ships remain of the original colony fleet that left earth in the 23rd Century; held together by more than diligent engineering but by a shared philosophy of spirit.
Over time, the remaining Arks were rigged into an artificial archipelago, fused with the salvaged remains of decommissioned Arks and other flotsam. They are now more akin to districts of a city, each retaining a sense of it’s original culture and identity but with the overall milieu of society long since merged into a single united tribe.
The major cultural influences on the Tribes of Xion are Rastafari, Judaism, and Confucian Philosophy; but this earth-born spirituality has also adopted certain alien philosophies, notably from the Xi’An. The Tribes of Xion first made contact with the Xi’An in the Kayfa System, which is largely uninhabitable to humans, but it does reveal a particularly spiritual significance in the form of Kayfa II. The planet has an extraordinarily long day cycle of 100 Earth Years and it is used by Xi’An pilgrims who spend that time in deep meditation.
The Tribes of Xion maintain cordial relations with the Xi’An and continue trading with their neighbours in flagrant disregard to the UEE. As far as anyone from the Tribes is concerned, the UEE is an agent of Babylon. In contrast, there is a widely accepted belief amongst the tribes that the Xi’an might hold the key to discovering The Source. The Xi’An themselves remain deeply elusive and their relations with the human colony are always at arm’s length.
The search for The Source remains the central focus of The Tribes, and so they continue on their earnest nomadic path across the galaxy, sending scouts far and wide, steering clear of those who would impose authority but adhering to their deeply held beliefs.
The symbol of the Tribes of Xion represent the original colony ships leaving Earth (represented by the Kanji character Jiā, or “Home”) to each direction of six dimensional space.
Manifesto
The Tribes of Xion are an autonomous collective, which is a community in which people who are self-determined, self-sovereign, and equal; they get together to make voluntary cooperative changes in their areas and ways of life without relying on or establishing any form of hierarchy or pecking order.
What unites The Tribe is a shared collection of beliefs that transcend their founding cultures. Key to this is the search for The Source. To the Tribes of Xion, The Source is the physical location where everything began; it is not some place that can only be reached in death, like heaven or by achieving spiritual enlightenment, like Nirvana. Ultimately, the discovery of The Source is the sole intention of the whole tribe and the Xion way of life has developed around this core belief.
With this in mind, the most important aspect of the Xion way of life is Jiā. Sometimes described as Jiā Rule, the word has various subtly different meanings depending on context, but it equates to Home and Family. The Tribes of Xion are one big family, it’s what’s kept them going for this long. Jiā can also mean hospitality, and Ru Jiā is the school of thought. At once, it can mean learning, but also mindfulness. Home is where the heart is, and the head rules over the heart; .
The Tribes of Xion don’t believe in dogma, or some external entity. Jiā is within everyone, which is why they commonly refer to themselves as “I and I”, or collectively as “we”.
As extensions of Jiā Rule, The Tribes of Xion hold dear to certain virtues:
Respect -This concept is not limited to humans alone, or to sentient life but to all things. Respect to the all.
Humanity -Aspire to present the best qualities of the species instead of the worst. The term Babylon refers to the worst qualities.
Unity -It was by unification that the original ten tribes survived for this long, so it is by working together that they continue to will thrive.
Equality -Tribal members refer to each other collectively as “Idrin”, which roughly equates to kindred. There are no divides between people.
Loyalty -Tribal members are expected to stick together, simply for survival. Family comes first.
Integrity -A person is only as good as their word.
Wisdom -Knowledge is one thing, knowing what you can do with your knowledge is another. Know how to know.
As The Tribes of Xion view their own bodies as temples, many adopt strict dietary requirements such as a vegan diet, not eating pork, or shellfish, while others are teetotal. There are certain practical reasons to adopt these in space where resources are limited and conditions aboard the archipelago are not the most hygienic, but without an overriding dogma each member of the tribe is free to eat and drink in their own way.
Tribal members do however indulge in the use of certain psychoactive substances, typically grown naturally and harvested from the tribal hydroponic gardens. These are used as a sort of habitual sacrament, as an aid to expand consciousness but are also taken ritually in tribal meetings, known as a Reasoning. The sacrament is passed around all attendees; clockwise in peacetime, and counter clockwise in times of war. At a Reasoning, everyone gets their turn to speak their mind, to the tribe as a whole.
Charter
The Tribes of Xion is solely intended to provide a rich character background for people wanting to play a Drifter archetype in Star Citizen, with the chance to share in a common origin and have a fun roleplaying experience.
The only expectations are that you treat members and other players of Star Citizen with respect; Wheaton’s Law is in effect.
Inspiration:
Titan A.E. – Where the humans have had their planet wiped out by The Drej, the Drifter Colony Bums that Cale refers to band together on ramshackle constructions.
Firefly – Aside from the blend of Anglo-Sino culture, the character Badger (Cockney Geezer in Space)
The Expanse – With a particular focus on the gritty lo-fi life on board Ceres, the struggle for basic resources, and some really cool touches like Belter Patois.
Neuromancer – In particular, Maelcum, the captain of the space tug Marcus Garvey.
Jack Sparrow – He’s not really much of a pirate in real terms, but he is very much the lovable rogue.
Battlestar Galactica – The idea that you need a fleet of ships to sustain a people, with each ship having a unique character based on the culture of the society it originated from.
Rastafari – Rastafarian culture is a multifaceted thing, that goes beyond it’s roots in the religion of The Old Testament, and demonstrates an organic human progression of that particular doctrine, and how it’s ethos has influenced other cultures via language, food music.
The Lost Tribes of Israel – Regardless of the religious context, there’s something of the human experience of being dispossessed that resonates throughout all cultures, but also a sense of camaraderie in the journey to find a home.
Nomadic culture – As long as there has been civilisation, there have always been outsiders. At once, much maligned and vilified, but also exotic and enigmatic. An extended, loose knit familial network bound by shared origins and customs, but with no overarching leadership.