THE ANOA

V ID'S CHILDREN
O
A HUMANITE TRIBE IN THE FAR REACHES OF SPACE

A players guide to speculative Anoa Culture.

The Anoa are adapted to increase survival in space and to work in ZeroG
environments. Accused of worship of the Traveller in its darker aspect of the
Spider they are despised and enslaved by many in the Third Horizon.

BY Thomas Boulton

"This work contains material that is copyright Fria Ligan AB and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the
Community Content Agreement for Free League Workshop. All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Thomas Boulton
 ANOA VOID'S CHILDREN

CHILDREN OF THE VOID • Rapid oxygen saturation of blood

The Anoa are mentioned in the Last Cyclades (p.103) • Autonomic sealing of all orifices when exposed to
in a passing reference as one of a number of Humanite vacuum,
Tribes to be enslaved by the Hegemony. This article • Readily seal-able orifices (Anoa noses are small and
attempts to expand that entry into a playable option collapsed)
drawing on both the Known Space and Polity Universes • Monkey feet, suited for gripping and manipulation in
for inspiration and maybe one little bit of Babylon Five. Zero-G.
• Additional chromosome, operating as a checksum
What follows is all speculation, but it was fun to put against radiation-driven changes
together. I hope you find it of use. Image sourced from • Thickened epidermis limiting chromosomal damage
pixelbay with full usage rights and minor vacuum-related damage

Image by Image by https://pixabay.com/users/ Physically Anoa are odd, they are bow-legged, have
imaartist-11400164/ double eyelids, a small roundish mouth, reflective skin
which appears rough like tree bark, thin and tall as a re-
A SACRED MISSION
sult of low-g existence and awkward runners as a result
of their physical adaptions. In effect a tall thin shiny hair-
"We are the people of the Void, may the Icons less scaled chimpanzee with a mouth like a Lamprey.
protect us, our voices raised as a single cho-
Interestingly because of their adaptions, Anoa resist
ral voice disrupting the plans of the Dark-
change to their genome, resulting in clear linages within
ness Between The Stars. Our changes were
the tribe that can be readily identified.
wrought for a sacred purpose, to serve the
greater good and protect those who have no e CULTURAL BELIEFS
such adaptations. You will see us in the quiet The Anoa are colonist's from the Second Horizon, mem-
places where the unadapted cannot tread with- bers of a group who came to the Third Horizon along
out their mechanics and smart materials, their with the Moghul Fleet and possibly the Order of the Pari-
weakness is so obvious if it was not for the ah. They are aware of and actively despise darkmorphs
Icons we would leave them to their fate." (creatures who serve the Darkness Between the Stars)
and those humans who would follow the Darkness into
e APPEARANCE corruption.
The Anoa are a humanite tribe found scattered across
the arms of the Third Horizon. Arguably the most radi- Like the Sailors of Ancient Al-Ardha, the Anoa will of-
cally bio-sculpted of all the Humanites, Anoa are adapted ten cast a prayer in the direction of the Traveler in their
for exposure and survival in space. These adaptations darker aspect as The Spider. Active worship of the Spi-
are comprehensive and effective allowing the Anoa to der is an accepted part of Anoa life in the hope that the
survive for surprisingly long periods of time in a Vacuum. prayers will protect an Anoa and their companions from
misfortune at its hands. The belief and active worship of
The Adaptions include the following: the Spider is not well regarded by others, often leading to
suspicion that the Anoa follow the Darkness, leading to
• Nictitating membrane over both eyes, accusations of heresy and violence from others.
• The ability to expel all gas from the lungs,

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 ANOA VOID'S CHILDREN

Anoa tribes are part vagabond, part grifter and all allies to the Draconites, noting they do not share the
about family. Anoa work in the most dangerous of en- same beliefs but both have an understanding of the
vironments and often do it for very little. Above all, an Darkness Between The Stars.
Anoa knows that trust is vital to survival. Once an Anoa
forms a bond, they will see it as binding in all things. e Enemies
The Anoa are considered heretics by many followers
For an Anoa there are only four types of people: of the Church of the Icons. In addition they do not
share beliefs with the Order of the Pariah and their
• One to taste the void with - A trusted companion or worship of The Spider draws accusations from the
member of the immediate family group. These are more fanatical fringe of the Order. Finally they are
people who you trust to check your line and your suit, sought out by Zenethians and peoples of the Third
to hold the line against the Darkness and to open the Horizon for enslavement.
Airlock at exactly the right time.

• One to protect from the void - An outsider with no ill

intent, not to be trusted with important things and one
who you would rightly take from in exchange for your
protection. Unaware and unwise, but with access to PLAYER OPTIONS
more than they can possibly need. The Anoa make natural space hands, engineers and
pilots. They are surprisingly adept explorers, but their
• One who rejects the hand - An outsider whose acts weirdness often causes trouble when they meet Hu-
whilst not founded in active worship of the Darkness mans, meaning careers related to influencing others
harm the tribe or those who the Anoa has a bond would be locked out.
with. Worthy of contempt and more than legitimate
as a target of Anoa ire and a good source of birr in the Anoa are religiously suspect, radically different in ap-
case of an emergency. pearance and have a strong dependency on trust based
relationships. As such an Anoa character should be
• One who has fallen to the void - A fallen one, like a highly suspicious of newcomers, unforgiving of betrayal
rabid dog, one who must be put down. but willing to die for someone in the party who they trust.

e Song e Characteristics
Anoa sing all the time to each other, it is their communal Anoa favor Agility and Wits, as these characteristics are
practice and the thing that binds them as a people. Anoa vital for space survival.
sign to ward off the Darkness, to count time and bind
them to their tribes. Anoa Chorals are famed throughout e Preferred Archetypes
the Third Horizon, for something so ugly to sing so beau-
tifully is surely proof of the love of the Icons for the peo- • Fugitive
ple of the Third Horizon. This ability can be represented • Pilot
through purchase of the Blessing Talent. • Trailblazer
• Ship Worker
e Alliances
The Anoa were part of the great exodus from the Second An Anoa is given many gifts In particular they start
Horizon and as such have a natural alliance with the with the following Talents:
Nomads, esp. The Moghul Fleet. They are likely to be

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 ANOA VOID'S CHILDREN

• Vacuum Resistant (See Page 103 of The Last Cy- HARIM - CLAN LEADER
clades)
• Zero-G Training (See Page 74 Coriolis Core Rulebook) Harim is the oldest of the Anoa on the station, working
hard everyday outside in the void. His work is of the best
Like all Humanites Anoa get half reputation in Zen- quality, but his voice is what sets him apart, he is the
ethian Circles this should be lowered to 1. most gifted of all the Anoa on the station.
He is concerned with the safety of his people first
An Anoa who takes Blessing as a talent should sing and foremost, but will help others especially against the
their protection upon the person they are blessing. Darkness Between The Stars. He undertakes no dangerous
action without a quick sacrifice to the Spider, warding
e Skills himself and his endeavor from its gaze.
Anoa are often found in the remote regions of space, He knows all the nooks and crannies of the outer hull
away from the rest of Humanity and its persecutions. and the ways of access Airlocks without triggering alarms.
They can be found in space stations, nomad fleets and
the most dangerous of regions. APPERANCE: Over 2 1/2 meters tall when standing
straight (which he never does). Long limbed, lacking
An Anoa should begin play with at least one point in any pigmentation and with bloodshot eyes Harim is no
the following skills to represent their experience in space beauty. Harim's mouth is shaped like a lamprey - a ring of
survival. teeth with an ability to seal it shut. For all that when Harim
speaks, his voice is a beautiful Alto.
• Force
• Dexterity CHARACTERISTICS: Harim is not by nature aggressive,
• Survival however should his people be threatened he is a highly
capable fighter in a Zero-G environment.
e Anoa Gear
Anoa always have access to an Exo Suit and a Hand Jet ATTRIBUTES
as minimum tools of the trade. STRENGHT 2, AGILITY 5, WITS 4, EMPATHY 4

HIT POINTS: 7

MIND POINTS: 8

REPUTATION: 3 (1)

SKILLS: Dexterity 3, Force 1, Ranged Combat 2, Survival 3

Command 2, Culture 2, Technology 2

TALENTS: Vacuum Resistant, Zero-G Training, Blessing,

Faction Standing (Nomad), The Messenger

GEAR: Cutting Torch, Ordinary Tools, Hand Jet, Exo Shell,

Vulcan Pistol