Freelance Traveller

The Churg

by Lewis Roberts

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue.

The Churg (the word is both singular and plural) homeworld is on Dobbet/So Skire/1840 Old Expanses (B374999-8 in 1105) on the border between the Imperium and the Solomani Confederation. Dobbet is a tidally locked moon of the planet Kargath. Kargath is the closest planet to the dim M-dwarf primary star. Dobbet has a 14.76hr long local day, while Kargath has a 26.92 hour long local day and the local year is 63.5 standard days. Kargath avoided being tidally locked due to its orbital eccentricity. This does cause large and rapid temperature shifts on both Kargath and Dobbet. The seasons are too short to have deciduous plants that are green for only a portion of the year. Instead, the plants are green year-round and simply slow their grow during the two-week winter.

Even though it is a smaller world than Terra, it has far fewer oceans, giving it a landmass 90% of Terra. This gave the 5 billion inhabitants in Imperial times enough room to live and still grow crops.

Churg are a bipedal race. They have feather-like coverings on their head, upper back, and upper arms. As with most species, some Churg have more or less feathers than others. Also, some Churg will pluck the feathers on their arms or back if they feel that it interferes with armor or other equipment or for asthetics. The feathers are usually various shades of brown with white to grey tips. Churg are not avians, but these feathers were used for insulation in proto-Churg species. Many of the mammalian like species on Dobbet are also partially covered in feathers. The equivalent of avians did not develop on Dobbet; there are a few species of flying mammalian animals.

A Churg will raise or lower the feathers to a certain extent depending on their mood, similar to how a Terran cat puffs up its fur when scared. These feather movements are incorporated into their language as a way of emphasizing certain statements or commands.  It does make purely audio translation of their language hard, because it misses the non-verbal components. Churg using voice only communication have to change their wording to ensure their point gets across.

Churg stand on average 2 meters tall. They are bipedal. The head has four eyes two of which are each side of the head. The larger pair are at the back and are optimized for night vision. As their sun is a M-dwarf and has a red and dim spectrum, their eyes are sensitive to more a broader wavelength range than Vilani or Solomani humaniti, out to two microns. They see farther into the infrared, not far enough to detect thermal emissions, but to collect additional photons.The night eyes only see in black-and-white. The lower pair are smaller and are optimized for daytime. Churg can use both pairs of eyes at the same time, but usually only use both pairs of eyes simultaneously when in a heightened state of alertness such as in combat or when on guard duty. Otherwise, one set of eye lids is shut. They can open the other eye as a way of emphasizing a point. Churg have a beaked mouth with two small nostril slits just above the beak. This resembles a snapping turtle rather than a bird. Their skin is tough and usually a shade of dark greenish brown. They have three fingers and an opposable thumb. Their fingers are larger than human fingers and they find it difficult to use tools or firearms that were not built for Churg (they have a -2 penalty in Classic Traveller, MegaTraveller and Mongoose Traveller, and a +3 for Traveller: The New Era.)

Churg have male and female genders. Without seeing their genitals or when a female is pregnant, it is nearly impossible for outsiders to tell them apart. The females are always fertile and are often pregnant. A female Churg will normally give birth to 10-15 children in her lifetime. Churg mate when they have the urge and they are not normally monogamous; usually a pair will not continue in a relationship after mating. Some pairings do maintain a relationship, but this is more akin to a good friendship than a romantic relationship such as humaniti experiences.

The pregnancy has only a minor impact on the female’s appearance; there is small bump in the lower abdomen. The gestational period is 6 months.  Females are quite capable of performing all their duties while pregnant. Complications during pregnancy and birth are very rare and Churg births usually only take an hour. The mother normally returns to normal activities within a few hours.  The newborns are quite small but are able to crawl within a month and walk within 3 months. They reach maturity around 16 standard years. As Churg do not have teeth, the young are able to eat solid food after birth and they do not nurse. The newborns are given over to a community creche, where the child is raised by the elders of the community. Children do not get to know their parents, instead they bond with the caregivers at the creche to a lesser extent. The creches are a harsh environment. There is a great deal of fighting between the children as they seek dominance over each other. Sometimes there are fatalities from the children’s fighting. The caregivers often use corporal punishment to maintain discipline.

Churg have shorter lifespans than Solomani humans. When coupled with their propensity for violence, their lifespans decrease even more. They do mature earlier than humans and start their careers at age 12. They start to experience the effects of aging at 24 (three terms.) As of the year 1116, no anagathics have been developed for Churg physiology. The major pharmaceutical companies considered it too small of a market to make it worthwhile.

Churg are omnivores, but meat makes up two thirds of their caloric intake. Their ancestors ate carrion as a significant part of their diet and modern Churg cuisine includes some meet that has been well aged before being prepared. They have a considerable immunological resistance against gastro-intestinal diseases and internal parasites. Because of their high resistance against infection, they do not practice personal hygiene as much as humans and other species do. This does mean that Churg can be quite odorous. They have a heavy musk smell that clings to most surfaces around them.

Due to the relatively short orbital period of the planet, the Churg take more frequent sleep breaks than humans, but they are shorter in duration. Usually, a Churg will sleep 4 to 5 hours of each 14-hour day.

Psychology

Churg are in a constant state of competition for dominance over the group. Churg who meet each other for the first time often engage in some kind of physical confrontation. If one Churg is obviously stronger or more imposing, the weaker Churg may willingly submit to the other. If it is not obvious which is stronger, then they will engage in some kind of physical confrontation.

Churg usually greet each other by placing their hands on each other’s shoulders and pushing. This is a non-violent way of determining dominance between two Churg. If one Churg feels that it is losing, but does not wish to submit, it will sometime escalate to a fist fight or even biting the other Churg. Eventually one Churg will either submit or be knocked unconscious. It is rare but not unheard of that these fights escalate to armed combat with hand weapons and even rarer that guns are utilized. In general, Churg favor hand-to-hand combat over ranged combat. In a group of Churg, the non-dominant Churg will establish a pecking order through the same manner.

Churg submission is not permanent. If the dominant Churg shows persistent weakness, other Churg will challenge it. Churg do not challenge wounded or ill Churg, (as leaders would quickly get worn out by struggles and fall) but are willing to challenge crippled Churg. If a Churg is dying of an illness, she will usually give up her role to avoid being challenged repeatedly. Elderly Churg who realize that they are no longer able to assert dominance will move to a creche to help take care of the younglings. No one challenges the creche keepers. The creche keepers do not battle for dominance amongst themselves; they are old enough to finally be able to cooperate and have peace for their remaining years. They use their energy and wisdom to dominate the young Churg in their care.

This constant competition between Churg is a major weakness of their species. Instead of cooperating to solve mutual problems, they spend a significant amount of time and effort trying to achieve dominance.

In order to not be constantly fighting to maintain their dominance, many Churg leaders seek to impress other Churg with relics demonstrating their prowess. In past times, Churg would wear skins of animals that they had slain, or trophies they had taken from fallen enemies. They still do that to a certain extent. In modern militaries, Churg will wear medals and other insignia that demonstrate their battle prowess or victories. Having numerous well-worn weapons on their body is another way Churg demonstrate their prowess and intimidate other Churg. Churg can also do this by having numerous guards or underlings.

Depending on how exposed they are to non-Churg, Churg will carry out this same behavior with aliens that they meet. Churg who are used to aliens will pull back on some of this, but it does depend on the perceived dominance of the other species. For instance, Churg meeting Imperial marine officers will not try to dominate them, as they have learned that they will eventually lose. Churg may attempt to dominate members of other minor races that they encounter especially ones that are physically smaller.

In game terms, a domination struggle is based on ability scores. For most Traveller rules, Churg add their strength and social standing. If using TNE rules, use the sum of their strength and charisma. Each Churg rolls 2d6 and adds the two relevant stats values.  Whichever character rolls higher wins the competition. The referee may assign either Churg bonus for having an impressive history, large number of followers, wearing weapons etc. Each bonus would be worth 1-3 points to be added to the roll. If a Churg loses the domination contest, they can choose to make a roll to throw off the domination (CT: 9+) (MT: difficult determination) (TNE: average willpower-but if they don’t have willpower it is an unskilled check and becomes harder) (Mongoose Traveller: a difficult task roll using the average of endurance & intelligence.) If the roll is successful, the Churg needs to either escalate the situation by going to unarmed or armed melee or concede. The winner of the combat will be the dominating Churg.

For example, Druck the Young encounters Warlord Gok and tries to dominate her. The Warlord is legendary for winning multiple battles against superior foes (+3) in addition, she has thousands of warriors at her beck and call (+3) and today she is wearing a simple sword that looks well worn (+1). Druck is a neophyte and gains no bonuses. He rolls a 6 with the addition of his 8 strength and 5 social standing, he has a 19. The warlord rolls a 3 adds her 7 bonus points, her strength of 9 and her social standing of 9 and has a 27. Druck realizes the error of his ways and looks to the warlord for guidance.

When Churg encounter obstacles, their first instinct is to react with violence. For instance, if a guard tells another Churg that they cannot enter a room, they may react by trying to physically dominate the guard, or by attacking the guard. For this reason, Churg guards tend to be quite large and imposing and operate in groups.

Churg are callous towards death, both their own and that of others. Death is a fact of life. It helps explain their casual use of violence. Churg domination challenges will sometimes result in death. That is part of the process. This is not to say Churg do not care when a comrade dies. Churg suffer grief, but it is usually short lived. Churg will often engage in revenge on the killer if the killer is not in a dominant position. For instance, if a military leader kills a subordinate for disobeying an order, the victim’s comrades will not carry out revenge attacks, but if a comrade was slain in a bar fight, the killer will mostly likely be attacked. Churg’s callousness towards death balances out their high birth rate.

Churg do not fit the honorable warrior stereotype.They do not glorify death and don’t believe that warfare has to follow rules. War is a bloody violent business and Churg are happy to carry it out. Violence is a part of life for the Churg. The constant effort to achieve dominance, often leads to violence and some result in fatalities. The dominance also exerts itself in other ways. Churg have no compulsions against taking something they desire from someone that they believe to be subservient. Some Churg form bandit gangs who steal and pillage from those unable to stop them.

The Churg do not have a tradition of crime and punishment by the state. If a Churg is victimized by another, it is up to the victimized Churg to rectify the problem. If someone steals from another Churg, it is up to the victim to rectify the situation, usually by assaulting or murdering the thief. If a Churg cannot keep her belongings secure, then she does not deserve to have them.

Churg military tactics tend to be straightforward with little subtlety. Frontal assaults are often carried out as it is easily to conceive and easy to carry out, but Churg are happy enough attacking an enemy along their most vulnerable axis if their leader is clever enough to come up with the plan. The Churg callousness about death comes into play with their tactics. Churg in the military will follow orders from dominant Churg. Throughout history, Churg military units have been organized in myriad ways. Some have officers and enlisted, while others operate more as a mob with one leader in charge. Some prohibit the challenging of dominant officers, while others limit it to peace time. One constant is that if an officer or leader loses the faith of their subordinates, they are likely to be removed from duty one way or the other.Many incompetent Churg officers have been found to have shot themselves… in the back, or accidentally dropped a grenade under their bed.

Most Churg warriors have a large hand weapon such as a broad sword, battle axe, or spiked club. as well as a firearm. The specific type of firearm depends on the tech level of the military. Depending on how well trained the Churg are, they may forget to use the firearm and instead resort to the hand weapons. Churg make a task roll to avoid getting swept up in battle frenzy. (CT: 9+) (MT: difficult determination) (TNE: average willpower-but if they don’t have willpower it is an unskilled check and becomes harder). They get a +1 DM for each term served in any military branch. Churg who fail their roll, will endeavor to get as close to an enemy as possible to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Churg in higher tech level armies will utilize vehicles and heavy weapons, but again will utilize them in fairly straightforward ways.  Churg will use whatever armor is available to them. They easily see the utility in armor, and most armor does not require choices once it has been put on.

Sometimes Churg are living on worlds with other species who do expect the law to be followed. In this case, some Churg have learned those laws and restrain themselves from violating the rules. Other Churg fail to restrain themselves and land up in prison or being hunted by law enforcement.

The Churg got much of their tech from Vilani and other species, but that didn’t include Churg specific medicine, so that has lagged several tech levels behind their nominal tech level. The Churg have never prioritized medicine; individual Churg are expected to tough it out and get better.

Churg do not have any widespread religion, instead they have a general philosophy of how the universe is structured. Churg believe that the universe is out to get them (and everyone else, too). Rather than being fatalistic, they believe that individuals must struggle and resist the universe and all the obstacles it throws in front of them. Only by striving can they succeed. Ones who give up or coast on past accomplishments are looked down upon. The ideal Churg is someone that has overcome great adversity.The weak and disabled are not cast out but are encouraged to accept the gift of adversity and struggle even harder to succeed. There are Churg philosophers who teach and encourage others in their struggles. They don’t just provide moral advice; they teach practical skills that Churg can use to improve their lot in life. For example, these can be combat skills or physical education to make them stronger and healthier. These Churg philosophers are greatly respected and are rarely challenged by another Churg.

Precontact Dobbet, the Churg spoke multiple languages, but since then one main language dominates the planet. The other languages are mostly dead, with only a few minor areas still speaking them. The Churg language is full of short guttural words. As they do not usually know their family members, they do not use family names. Often, they use single name and a descriptor, but descriptors are granted by comrades or followers. Some examples are Cruk the Brave, Gru the Builder, Glok of the Ice, Klon Razortounge, Jok Longmouth. Some use human names as a way of currying favor. Most Churg can speak heavily accented Galangic and their native language. 

History

The Churg were first contacted by the Vilani near the end of the First Imperium. The Churg were at TL-3. They were a heavily populated planet splintered into hundreds of small nations that were constantly at war with each other. Due to the large population, the Vilani held off on an invasion and instead they provided high tech arms to several nations and let them conquer the other Churg. After this, they were able to sign a treaty with the dominant nations on the world to bring them into the Imperium.

The First Imperium recruited millions of the Churg to serve in the Shigniid Dia Ugkin (Legion of the Frontier.) The Churg fit well with that unit, as it was used for assaults and had a love of bladed weapons. Churg units served in several battles with the Terran Confederation with mixed results. The Vilani pulled back from the planet during the early Interstellar Wars. The Terrans tried to quickly conquer the planet, but the Churg resisted the Terrans and forced them to pull back. At that time, the planet was divided into four nations led by various warlords. The Second Imperium eventually assimilated the planet by destroying the capitals of two of the nations by orbital bombardment. The surviving two warlords agreed to surrender to the Imperium. The Imperium directed that they determine who was going to be the leader of the planet and after an epic brawl, Warlord Gark emerged victorious and became the Grand Khan of the planet. Her defeated opponent became her second in command and served faithfully. During this time, the Churg spread to multiple planets in both the Old Expanses and Alpha Crucis. Many joined the imperial army and marines. Other Churg set off on wandering adventures seeking to conquer worlds in the frontier. Churg mercenaries became popular throughout the nearby sectors and even served worlds outside the Imperial border.

During the Long Night, Dobbet again balkanized and went through endless wars. They were contacted by scouts from the Third Imperium a century or two before the borders of the Imperium reached Dobbet. During that period, they were a marketplace for off-world weaponry, which unleashed frightful wars across Dobbet. The Third Imperium border eventually reached Dobbet and it was once again brought into the Imperial fold.

In 704 with the creation of the Solomani Autonomous Region, Dobbet effectively left the Imperium until the Imperium brought it back into the fold after the Solomani Rim War. The world became the fiefdom of Count Rexon Ruvanis and his descendants have guided the planet since. Throughout everything, the Ruvanis family kept the peace on the planet through force of will and dominating personalities, which the Churg respected. Count Rexon brought in a Bwap management consulting group to reorganize the planet’s government, which was a disorganized mess. As you could expect, Churg do not make good bureaucrats. The Bwap were able to quickly reorganize the planet’s government into an impersonal civil service bureaucracy operated by the Bwap with some human participation. This led to a vastly improved economy and Dobbet became an industrial powerhouse in the subsector.

It quickly became obvious that the Churg would often grow frustrated when dealing with the intransigency of a Bwap bureaucrat. This would often lead to violence, which in turn led to most Bwap offices having bodyguards (often other Churg) and the imposition of extreme criminal penalties for assaulting a Bwap or other members of the civil service.

Count Rexon formed several Churg mercenary companies and hired them out across the sector and even beyond into non-imperial space. Seeing the success of this company, enterprising Churg created their own mercenary companies of varying qualities and size. Soon these became a common sight in the trailing portions of the Imperium and even beyond Imperial borders.

Countess Carvina Ruvanis was 40 years old in 1116 when the Rebellion started. During the Rebellion era, as a high population world with a major scout base on the Solomani/Imperial border, Dobbet was one of the primary targets of the invading Solomani fleets. The Solomani Naval fleets at nearby Gemstar/Alpha Crucis jumped straight to Dobbet. At the beginning of the invasion, a massive fleet jumped into Dobbet and quickly overwhelmed the local system defense boats. The Countess fled into the wilderness and led a spirited insurgency for two years before she was captured and executed by SolSec. While the insurgency was crippled, many Churg continued to resist the Solomani individually. This was hampered by the lack of firearms due to the high law level. Most Churg resisted the Solomani, not because they loved the Imperium, but as general resistance to authority and a struggle to reassert Churg dominance. SolSec increased the harshness of the counter insurgency methods which lead to increased death toll among the Churg and other species on the planet. Millions of Churg died both in pitched battles and in reprisal raids. 

Due to the low technological level of the planet, the arrival of Virus was not as catastrophic as it was on higher tech worlds. Still several starships bombarded the planet and dropped several nuclear weapons. This caused massive casualties and also caused the planet’s institutions to collapse. In the resulting chaos, billions starved. The remnants of SolSec seized power, backed by the surviving Confederation army troops equipped with TL-14 equipment. The SolSec Commandant, Dax Rheinfelden declared themselves the Governor of the planet and instituted martial law.  

Commandant Rheinfelden gathered a large army of Churg and forced the surviving Churg to submit to his leadership.  Dissenters were hunted down and then executed. He had to have tens of thousands of Churg executed before the resistance to his rule dwindled to a small insurgency. There were persistent rumors that the insurgency was run by the children of the executed Countess. 

In 1202, the remnants of SolSec and the Confederation military rule the planet in the name of the Solomani Party. Upon the death of the Commandant in 1140, they selected a replacement who rules as Governor for life. Usually, the governor died from natural causes, but the current Governor Kristine Quiroga arrested her predecessor in 1189 and then executed him for failing the Solomani cause. She has maintained an iron grip on power since then.  

She has expanded SolSec’s network of secret informants. Solsec informants are everywhere and citizens of all species are encouraged to report anyone who does not demonstrate proper respect for the party and the cause.

In 1160, the then Governor instituted gladiatorial games which proved quite popular with the Churg. The games are televised across the world. There is a great deal of gambling by Churg, humans and Bwap on the games. The gladiators are usually prisoners who serve their sentences in the games. Any prisoner can volunteer for the games, but many prisoners are forced into the games to maintain a steady number of participants. Other Churg join as a way to earn fame and fortune. Usually, the new gladiators are given several months of training in various weapons and fighting styles. While most of the gladiators are Churg there is a small percentage of humans who participate and even a few Bwap have been seen in the games.  

Most cities host regional arenas but there is a major arena in the capital city. Games are broadcast across the world on television. There are a wide variety of games. Some feature gladiators fighting gladiators, while others feature gladiators against various animals. Most matches feature hand weapons, but there are some games with various firearms. Some games feature races either on foot, mounted or with vehicles. Sometimes the vehicles mount weapons which are used against other competitors. Some games feature races or battles through a deadly obstacle course. Some games are wrestling or boxing matches, while others are straight up fights to the death. The most proficient and successful gladiators have become celebrities across the planet. 

The Solomani Party has divided the planet into hundreds of districts. The Party designates one Churg as the Mayor of the district and he/she has absolute control over the Churg in that district, but only the Churg. The Solomani Party removes any Mayor that doesn’t show proper respect and competency. They judge competency by keeping the Churg from rioting or rebelling and meeting certain economic goals which depend on the district’s makeup. There is no appeal to the removal, it can be done on a whim by the ruling members of the Party, and the removal tends to be fatal. On average, each district has 100,000 Churg. Each Mayor is assigned a Bwap manager who runs the government bureaucracy that keeps the planet functioning.

The various districts have different purposes based on their location. The rural districts are focused on agriculture, and most Churg are farm or ranch workers or support the farms via secondary industries, such as packing and warehousing, mechanics working on tractor repair etc. In more urban districts, the Churg work in factories or shops. Churg can volunteer to join the armed forces or the gladiator games, otherwise they are forced to work in the district of their birth unless authorized by a human. They do have limited ability to choose what they work on in the district. 

Of course, only humans are members of the Party. Crimes against humans are punished much more severely than crimes against Bwap or Churg. In the eyes of the Party, Bwaps are more respected than the Churg. For the most part the Churg are accepting of the rule by the Solomani Party. The Party and the humans have thoroughly dominated the Churg and continually show the Churg that they are dominant. The Churg mentality is to accept and acquiesce to dominant leaders. Most Churg will accept the existing structure and try to make the best of it. This isn’t to say they are happy with the party’s rule. They resent the imposition of arbitrary rules such the inability to move freely and the chances of arbitrary arrest if they offend a SolSec monitor or another human.

From the Party’s perspective, they are an island of human stability in a sea of alien chaos. The entire planet would have perished if the Party had not exerted control and restored order. If the Party was to fall, then the planet will quickly fall too. They believe that the Churg are incapable of governing themselves and if left to their own devices, would happily slaughter each other and then fall into barbarism. There is some truth to that. If the Governor and the Party were eliminated and not replaced with something, the Churg would fracture and follow numerous different leaders, which would then begin a battle for dominance. Most likely the world would balkanize into dozens of nations led by petty autocrats of various flavors. The Bwap would try to ally themselves with the various factions and survive as best they could.  

During the Collapse several large Vampire ships reached accommodations with an earlier Governor. In return for not attacking Dobbet, the Governor gave the ships thousands of captive Churg. What the ships did with the captives is unknown. The Vampires return periodically for additional captives. Usually, the prisons are emptied to provide the captives. If that doesn’t provide enough captives, SolSec will arrest enough Churg until the quota is filled. If the Vampire’s pattern holds, they will return in late 1202 for the next batch of Churg. 

The great-grandson of Countess Carvina, Ramsel Ruvanis has assumed her title and has maintained the loyalty of several hundred Churg warriors. He still manages a small resistance against the Governor and her armies. He would welcome contact with off-worlders who offer any assistance against the Governor and the Solomani Party. He and his band of rebels are not the only ones who are resisting. Numerous Churg leaders refuse to bow to the Governor and the Party. They tend to gather small war bands and launch attacks of variable efficacy. Most of these groups of insurgents are quickly eliminated by the Party, but some have survived, which draws more Churg recruits. Count Ramsel has some contact with the other bands and has a limited alliance with several of the larger bands including the Bloody Hands led by Clox the Axe and the Black Swords of Orrr the Ugly. He tries to temper their impulsiveness with limited success. 

Demographics

In 1110 the demographics of the planet were 5 billion Churg, 100 million humans, and 30 million Bwaps. By 1202 the planet has suffered a 99% die off, leaving 41 million Churg, 6 million Bwap and 4 million humans.  

The Governor rules over the humans, Churg, and Bwaps with an iron fist. This is supported by a cadre of SolSec security agents equipped with TL-14 battledress and heavy weapons. They are further backed by several battalions of TL-13 equipped human heavy infantry and a large army of Churg equipped with a variety of TL 6-8 weapons and equipment. The armed forces employ a great deal of Bwap usually in logistic rolls, but they are found throughout the force structure. The armed forces are organized along standard Solomani Confederation structures. All officers are members of the party and hence human, while the enlisted consist of Bwap and Churg. 

There are 400,000 troops in the Grand Army of Dobbet. Churg make up 350,000 of the army, while there are 30,000 Bwaps and 20,000 humans.  All officers are human, while non-commissioned officers are a mixture of all three races. Officers in Churg units are assigned a squad of human bodyguards that are equipped with TL-8 equipment and are veteran troops. Officers in Bwap units are assigned a mixture of human and Churg bodyguards equipped with TL-6 equipment and again are veteran troops. 

There are 18 division equivalents that staffed by Churg and equipped with TL-6 equipment. The Bwaps mostly serve as logictics and transportation, but there are five Bwap line infantry battalions. In addition to the human officers, there 8 battalions equipped with TL10 relic Solomani Confederation equipment. They are experienced. There is one battalion of 2000 troops equipped with TL-13 relic Solomani Confederation battle dress and heavy weapons; they are elite troops. These troops are carried into battle by helicopters. A few special operations groups use a handful of relic grav APCs and tanks.

The planet has a small aerospace force consisting of 500 airplanes, which are a mixture of TL 6 ground attack planes, bombers and transport planes. The aerospace force is designed to put down Churg rebels and isn’t designed to fight off invading forces.

The Grand Navy of Dobbet has a fleet of 40 ships on the seas of Dobbet. Two of which are TL8 missile destroyers. There are of six TL-6 amphibious assault ships. The rest are a mix of TL-6 light patrol craft and frigates.

The Governor would welcome contact with other humans from off-world. If the humans have aliens with them, this will lessen the enthusiasm of the Governor but not eliminate it. If the humans seem to take orders or be subservient to the aliens, that will give the governor pause. Most of the RC would be repulsed by the Solomani party and how it runs the world, but there will be considerable debate on what to do about the situation. 

Dobbet will pose a challenge to the Reformation Coalition or another pocket empires trying to conquer or absorb it. A decapitation strike against the governor will most likely unleash a wave of chaos and leave the world worse off than before. Replacing the current governor with someone with less antipathy towards non-humans may be a solution, but identifying a suitable candidate will be a challenge in the current Party. Working with Count Ramsel may be an option, if the RC can stomach working with an Imperial style noble. The Bwap are a third component on the world. They are ever present but often ignored by the Humans and the Churg. There may be a Bwap who could seize power if given aid.   

Character Generation

This section presents rules for generating Churg in the first three Traveller editions and Mongoose Traveller. Hopefully this provides a basis for generating Churg in other rule sets. For each rule set, the standard careers are divided into three categories: Common, Possible and Unlikely. Possible and Unlikely should be at the discretion of the referee and should require a good reason. The following lists cover the basic careers, the referee should use their judgement on any new or expanded careers. 

There has never been a university for Churg on Dobbet, but Churg can attend universities on other worlds, though it is very rare. 

Classic Traveller

Characteristics: +2 STR, +1 DEX,+2 END, -1 INT,  -2 SOC

Common careers: Army, Barbarian, Hunter, Marines, Pirate, Rogue, Sailor, Scout, Other

Possible careers: Belter, Merchant, Navy

Unlikely careers: Bureaucrat, Diplomat, Doctor, Noble, Scientist

MegaTraveller

Characteristics: +2 STR, +1 DEX, +2 END, -1 INT, -2 SOC

Common careers: Army, Barbarian, Hunter, Law Enforcer, Marines, Pirate, Rogue, Sailor, Scout

Possible careers: Belter, Merchant, Navy

Unlikely careers: Bureaucrat, Diplomat, Doctor, Noble, Scientist

Traveller: the New Era

Characteristics: +2 STR, +1 AGL, +2 CON, -1 INT,  -1 CHA

Common careers: Athlete (gladiator), Barbarian, Bounty Hunter, Construction Worker, Corsair, Criminal, Entertainer, Farmer, Hunter, Law Enforcement, Martial Artist, Mechanic, Mercenary, Merchant Marine, Prison, Rebel, Scout, Tough, Aviation, Army, Marines, Special Operations, Wet Navy

Possible careers: Agent, Belter, Civil Pilot, Trader, Navy

Unlikely careers: Attorney, Bureaucrat, Civil Engineer, Computer Operator, Diplomat, Journalist, Manager, Medicine, Professor, Psionic Researcher, Scientist, Undercover Agent, Wealthy Traveller

Initiative: All Churg roll 1d6, not just those in military careers.

Mongoose Traveller

Characteristics: +2 STR, +1 DEX, +2 END, -1 INT, -2 SOC

Common careers: Agent, Army, Drifter, Citizen (Worker/Colonist), Entertainer (Performer), Marine, Prisoner, Rogue, Scout

Possible careers: Citizen (Corporate), Merchant, Navy, Entertainer (Artist)

Unlikely careers: Entertainer (Journalist), Noble, Scholar

Sample Churg Character

Clox the Axe

Clox lived in a rural area to the north of Lake Camn. She like the rest of her band hunted animals for food but also for pelts to trade with traders from the cities to the south. It was a tough life, but they kept themselves fed and there was more joy than sorrow. That changed when an army scouting party came looking for rebels who had stolen a load of weaponry. The unit was led by a young lieutenant, human of course, with a company of Churg troopers and a platoon of Bwap snipers. The lieutenant suspected that the rebels were either living in the village or were getting support from the village. After failing to get any traction with the village headman, she ordered the company to burn the village to the ground and kill everyone in it.

Clox came back home from a hunting trip to find her village in ruins. Seeking revenge, she tracked the army unit to their encampment.  As they were sitting down for their evening meal, Clox fired a single shot from her rifle that hit the murderous lieutenant in the back of her head, killing her instantly.  The unit began a pursuit of Clox, but these were city Churg and they didn’t know the backwoods as well as Clox did and she was able to evade pursuit.

Clox began a one-Churg killing spree of the northern territories.  She would strike at members of the army, police union or any humans.  Over the next 10 years she attracted a band of followers.  They shy away from pitched battles and prefer to attack small groups of soldiers or humans.  The band calls themselves the Bloody Hands, as they often leave a handprint with the blood of their latest victim behind as their calling card.  They have no overarching strategy, just an unrelenting rage at their oppressors. They will attack any member of the military regardless of species.  They will only attack civilians if they are humans, in that case they will kill all humans even children.  The only exception is Count Ramsel and members of his band of rebels. He has impressed Clox and she knows that he is fighting the Solomani too.  He often urges her to exercise caution and finesse, but that usually falls on deaf ears.  If Clox meets other humans, her first instinct will be to attack. 

Classic Traveller

UPP: D9B42A-7

Skills: Gun Combat-Slug-2 Armed Martial Arts-1,

Mega Traveller

UPP: D9B42A-7

Mongoose Traveller

UPP: D9B42A-7

Skills: Gun Combat (Slug)-1, Animal Handling-2, Athletics (Dexterity)-0, Drive (Wheeled)-0, Leadership -1

Traveller: The New Era

UPP: C8A319-6

Initiative: 5

1 term Hunter, 3 term Rebel

Skills: Gun combat - Slug– 3/15, Armed Martial Arts: Axe -2/14, Unarmed Martial Arts -2/14, Thrown Weapon 1/13, Riding-2/12, Hunting Beast 3/13, Climbing 1/11, Swimming 1/11, Willpower 2/5, Tracking 4/7, Survival 2/5, Recruiting 3/12, Persuasion 2/11, Intrusion 2/11, Streetwise 1/10, Interrogation 2/11, Ground Tactics 3/12, Leadership 2/11, Wheeled Vehicle-1/9

References

Solomani & Aslan (DGP)

Aliens of Charted Space Vol 3 (Mongoose Pub.)

GURPS: Interstellar Wars (SJ Games)

 

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