Palmyrans

About the Palmyrans

Disposition	Friendly
Homeworld	Palmyra
Root Culture	Bedouin / Mongol
Status	Active

The term Palmyrans covers a large group of an originally nomadic society who were ruled over by Jaffa loyal to Inanna.  Inanna was originally encountered by the SEF on planet P4Z-549 when she stepped out of an interplanetary ring device in July 2009 after being stuck there for around 2000 years. She escaped alongside a controlled Dr Robert Lewis Stephenson (Dr Bob) who later claimed via a holographic transmission to be First Prime.

After escaping from the SEF she attempted to return to her remaining place of power only to find that in the intervening 2000 odd years that things have changed somewhat.  Given a lack of spacecraft and limited numbers of Jaffa, she initially started to influence things on a small scale whilst building up her numbers before launching all out attacks on her previous colonies. 

This process took about 2 years and she quickly gained the upper hand with the Jaffa city dwellers but the nomads fought back using hit and run guerrilla tactics and armour and shields that seem to protect against staff weapons. Most were soon brought into line but many were still actively resisting her rule.  She couldn’t afford to destroy an entire planet looking for them as she needed the food these planets produced. 

The SEF made contact with some of these rebels from the planet Palmyra and agreed to aid their resistance movement. Ultimately the SEF helped kill Inanna and aided the Shar of the tribe they had contacted in becoming the Shar en Shar over all the nomads over 2 planets as well as drive off or kill the Jaffa on the remaining 3 planets that Inanna had been in control of.

The Palmyran system

The Palmyran solar system contains 5 planets which are interconnected via a series of interplanetary ring devices, plus a sixth planet.  Four of these planets are contained within an asteroid belt where the asteroids are high in naquadah and originally were mined.  The mines are still in place whoever have been deactivated by the SEF on their original visit.

The five planets are:

• Niblis
  • This is the planet outside of the asteroid ring and was used mostly as an industrial world.
  • The Titan Shipyard is in orbit above this planet. 
• Esfahan and Arabella
  • These planets were used for raising and training Jaffa. Fairly urbanised with the main outside areas around the ring devices used for combat training. Arabella was the site of the main Temple to Inanna.
• Palmyra and Medes
  • These were agricultural planets where there were automated farms and food collection.  This is where the human nomads lived and were taken as slaves as needed for the industrial work on Niblis.

There are Stargates only on Arabella and Palmyra. All the planets can connect to each other except Medes and Palmyra.

There is also a separate space station which controls the minefield along with the automated farming and other similar systems.

Displaced Jaffa

Those Jaffa loyal to Inanna were ultimately killed by either Rebel Jaffa or the Nomad forces, the Rebel Jaffa agreed to leave the planets for the sake of peace and joined the Free Jaffa nation.  They choose not to be associated with the name of Inanna and are known as the Free Assyrian Jaffa and are led by The Khan.

Society

The planets belonging to the nomads initially were giant agricultural worlds managed by an automated system which used a highly toxic naquadah based fertiliser.  The locals referred to these as the ships of death due to their programming was set such that if the nomads gathered in one place for too long, or grew too numerous, the drones were used to kill off the population.  This programming has been changed by the SEF.

Many of them still live the nomadic lifestyle on the two agricultural planets also the Shar en Shar has set up a permanent settlement within a day’s travel of the Stargate on Palmyra, the area immediately around the gate has been granted to Shar Richard Gordon of the SEF as a thanks for the work done by the SEF in freeing them.

However some of the younger generation have undertaken training from the SEF mostly led by Col Thomas Thorne and now work with the SEF on Niblis and at the Titan Shipyard.  The agreement with the SEF originally made was that for each ship supplied to the SEF the Palmyran’s keep one for themselves.  Some of these ships have been traded for supplies, training, etc.

The Warleader Aleem has moved his base of operations to Esfahan and has set up training the Palmyran ground troops there.  They are at their best when fighting people who use energy based weapons.  Their unique physiology and the physiology of the animals raised on the agricultural worlds gives their leather armour and shields a significant defensive capacity against energy blasts such as staff weapons etc.  Offensively many of them are training in firearms by the SEF with Allems preference a pump action shotgun granted to him by the SEF as part of the first meeting between the two groups.  However they in general still prefer relying on their shields and armour to get them into melee range and use swords, spears, etc to great effect.

Physiology

With the large amount of naquadah used to fertilise the planets where they lived over a few thousand years of evolution the nomads and their beasts have become immune to the heavy metal poisoning of naquadah and the ALL have a reading of 10 when tested for naquaglobin.  In all other ways they seem to be of human stock.

Culture

The culture seems to be very reticent of that of the desert nomads in the Assyrian regions, they tend to dress in a similar fashion with large flowing trousers and tunics and long strips of material wrapped around their heads

Hospitality is seen as one of the most important factors.  However the refusal of food and drink by humans not from their lands is now seen as acceptable due to the first few members of the SEF to visit showed signs of heavy metal poisoning due to naquadah.  Earth food and drink is seen as acceptable to bring as a gift so that all eat from the same sources.  It is said that the Shar en Shar developed quite a taste for earth based larger.

There was a group of nomad rebels recently who came into conflict with the SEF but these were whipped out by the SEF during a deployment, the Shar en Shar bears no ill will for this action and has stepped up his internal activities to check for further groups working against his wishes.

Persons of note

Shar en Shar

Originally a Shar of the tribe nearest the gate he was supported by the SEF in his rebellion and ultimately became the Shar en Shar and remains so today.  He has also been kidnapped by forces opposed to Computer Prime and rescued by the SEF as part of the deployment which saw the destruction of Computer Alpha and rise of Computer Prime.  He comes across as likeable but is clearly a gifted politician, quick to anger but quick to forgive but this could also just be part of playing his part to keep people off balance. 

Aleem

The Warleader of his people and nephew of the Shar en Shar.  Has a deep and abiding hatred of all Jaffa and seems very unwilling to believe that the Free Jaffa are indeed trustable.  Has no interest in learning how spacecraft works but is happy for his people to be taught how to take part in space battles and concentrates on ground operations.