History
The Aotearoans do not know how they arrived at the homeland. What is known is that new Zealand is not typically inhabited during this time period, and that the Aotearoans have been there for a long time, living a simple life fishing and growing sweet potatoes. The spirit-walkers (world jumpers) traveled abroad, told stories, and on occasion were able to save their tribes from starvation, but the walkers didn't change much.
In the local 1800's several alternate New Zealand experienced
European colonization. This only affected the tribes of
Aotearoa gradually, but effect them they did. A few spirit walkers took the chance to roam to
multiverse, carried to lands other than the islands their predecessors had traveled on. And some brought back technology. Iron working was very useful, and the clothing extremely fine. New types of crops with exotic flavors where brought to Aotearoa. The emigration out-time, always
present, swelled. The changes happened slowly though, through the bottleneck of the spirit walkers, and some of the walkers carried back a warning: the tribes that used these new things changed. They were dominated by other peoples, and lost important traditions. Those who truely wished for change were leaving for lands where it was all around them, leaving behind those who valued their history.
In homeline's 1910, an ambitious chief, Kiakiongi, tried to use guns to
conquer the island. He initially conquered most of the island, but the many
fighters fled to the colony worlds, and walkers gave his opponents guns of their own. After the walker Tenuki obtained machine guns, the costly war was finished. Appalled with the carnage, guns where
outlawed on Aotearoa, except for 27 designated guns kept by 27 chiefs, to be used only on the most vile of men. Kiakiongi is viewed as one of the worst tyrants to ever
live, and no one is willing to follow his path. After this war, those wishing for a larger change have simply emigrated off the island, and the island has remained culturally stable.
Society
Aotearoa Society operates as it has for centuries, harvesting
a living from the sea and growing various roots, though herding is much more common
that would be expected. Aotearoan entertainment consists mostly of stories,
though games are also enjoyed.
Aotearoa really spans over four worlds. One of them is higher tech than the rest of the islands. It is built on a hydropower
plant, and provides much of the limited tech for the four worlds, making the antibiotics,
fertilizer, and refining metal in to useful items. With the benefit of this world, walkers can function as TL6. Aotearoan society is an eclectic mix of technology. They have modern steel machetes (and call them by that name), a wide variety of boat designs, and high quality maps (all from other worlds). Engines are notably for their absence. In general, the TL is 4 for weapons (though no guns) TL 4 for transportation, TL
7 for medicine, and TL 2 for power, with no computers. Literacy is about 25% (and uses an a Latin alphabet).
In addition to the four worlds commonly inhabited by
Aotearoans, many enclaves are spread throughout the quanta. These have Aotearoan heritage, but for some reason, only those who grow up on Aotearoa have the ability to jump .
Aotearoa's coordinates may or may not be well known to centrum, infinity, and similar groups, but its difficult to get to: all rolls to reach it are at -5. Some have half-joked that the world is on a 'steep slope' that is hard to get to and easy to fall off of.
Spirit Walkers
About 1 in 500 Aotearoans is a spirit walker. This depends both on them growing up on the island and having Aotearoan heritage. They highly regarded by their people, but they are also outsiders of a sort. It is traditional for a spirit walker to have a friend in charge of protecting them and helping them -- particularly immediately after jumps. Because the spirit walk drifts and is exhausting, it is not unusual for the walker to end up in the ocean and need rescuing. Companions are almost always of the same gender as the spirit walker, though romantic couple have happened on occasion, most often with the woman as the walker. It is not unknown for companions to change, whether by accident or by finding a place the companion wishes to stay. Walkers will generally go hunting for another companion at this point.
Spirit walkers manifest at a young age, at 10 to 12. They are customarily taken under the wing of another spirit walker (usually an aging one) at this point, but training is slow, and most don't really strike out until they turn 15 or 16.
Aotearoans are highly valued by the forces aware of the quanta. They can reach any world, bring others with them, and explore new
worlds. It takes some convincing to get an Aotearoan to go along with the plan though. As a benefit, most of them do speak some English and have an adventurous spirit.
Spirit Walkers must meditate for at least an hour before each jump, though they usually take two.
This meditation requires contact with the natural earth, be that dirt, ocean, or pool. At the end of that time, a portal opens. The spirit walker is usually carried through the portal by their companion, as they are exhausted at that point.
Aotearoan jumpers find the jump extremely taxing, and their companions often have to bail them out of trouble.
Characters
Spirit Walking: Jumper (Immediate Preperation Required, 1 hour -75%, Tunneling +40%, Tracking +20%, Drifting -15%, Costs 8 FP -40%) [30]
Spirit Walking uses Navigation (Spirit Walking) instead of an IQ roll. This skill defaults to IQ -5.
Perk (Native Aotearoa) [1]: you are a native of Aotearoa, and do not suffer the -5 to get there when using your jumper ability.
Absolute Direction (Worlds) [5]: You always know what world you are on, including details like its quanta and if you are in a skerry. This gives +3 to navigation (Spirit Walking).
Area Knowledge (Q6): Area knowledge of a quanta is equivalent to that of an Interplanetary State, as a quantum consists of many worlds. Spirit walkers travel far and wide, and get a good feel for many different worlds.
Most Spirit walkers have some level of English, Knowledge of a large number of worlds, water craft skills (especially swimming), and Social Regard (Respected) among both their own people and among extra-quanta organizations. Its also very common for them to have extra FP.
In a TL 8 campaign a walker should be considered to have 3 levels of low TL -- but many of them improve that and the eccentric mix of TL levels should be used rather than strait TL 5.
Aotearoan Spirit Walker Template [60]
Attributes: +2 FP [6]
Advantages: English (accented, accented) [4], Aotearoan jump [30], Absolute Direction (World
Sense) [5], Social Regard (respected) 1 [5], Ally--companion (15 or more, 50% points) [6]
Disadvantages: Low TL 3 [-15], Maori (native, broken) [-2]
Skills: Navigation (spirit walking) [4], Area Knowledge (Q6) [4], Swimming [4], Sailing [2], Boating [2], Fishing or Farming [2], Fishing or Farming [1], public speaking (story telling)[2]
This Template is a base for moderately experienced spirit walkers. Younger individuals will be working up to their world sense, and all spirit walkers should be customized with disadvantages and unique skills. They can be a very diverse group.
Aotearoa in the Campaign
Aotearoa is essentially a boring place, and hard for non-locals to get to. Its natives can be found anywhere though, both as PC's or NPC's. Aotearoa represents another faction that can be thrown into the infinite worlds setting, without disrupting the way things work. If you can call them a faction. Aotearoans mostly stay in Q6, around the pacific, which when combined with their preference for English, gives Centrum a slight edge when working with them, as Centrum's population base is in Australia.Adventurers may include convincing an Aoteroan to work for the PC's group or even to just get them off of a world once their conveyor breaks down. Aoteroans can make tricky villians, moving quickly between worlds. Or they can make nice contacts for breaking into a new world or crossing into quantums out of infinity's reach.
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