Preamble
In continuing my project to rewrite the classic Star Frontiers adventure as a sandbox, I am now moving on to one of the planets many sentient species. In the original series, there are two main entries for each species, one to introduce them, and another for a quest to win their support in a climactic finale.
The first species encountered are a desert dwelling, dinosaur riding species of octopii that have an Avatar-like 9th tentacle that can be used to mind meld with other living creatures, including their dino-mounts. In the linear adventure narrative, these octopods rescue the party soon after their starship crashes, and together they set out on a journey to their holy city, where the players can partake in a religious ceremony doing battle with an ancient genetically engineered beast to gain favor with the tribe. Fighting the beast is part of the agreement for receiving help, so this is a section of the railroad that I am trying to unwind and turn into a sandbox. On the way back to the holy city, the party becomes separated from their guides while traversing a dangerous underground cave system/dungeon due to a cave in, and must forge on through the railroad alone.
In their second entry in the adventure series, the party needs to once again gain favor with the tribe, this time to convince them to join an epic battle for the fate of the planet. In the second appearance, the players must once again win the favor of the tribe, this time by finding another one of these genetically engineered beasts to capture it and return it to the tribe. The two octopod quests are so similar that they are a bit boring, but I can try to imagine a greater cosmology surrounding these beasts.
Octopods Culture
Octopods worship an essence that permeates all things in this world. Objects and individuals are merely differentiated expressions of the underlying essence. When a living thing is born, they emerge from the great world essence, and when they die, they return to it once again. Their worldview is tightly bound to their ability to use a specialized ninth tentacle which allows them to connect to nearly any living creatures nervous system via spinal cord and communicate with it telepathically. Because of this bond, they feel a great sense of responsibility to the living creatures of their world. Among the creatures they commune with, they have a very close relationship with their dinosaur like mounts called striders. Striders often play roles in their many religious ceremonies and athletic competitions.
There are however, many genetically engineered creatures left behind by a great and malignant race of worms who reject communication with the octopods, and are thus seen as outside the great world essence. The worms set these creatures loose on their planet long ago in an attempt to conquer it, though they were driven away in a great and fabled battle. In remembrance of this history, the octopods have also taken it upon themselves to hunt these genetically engineered creatures. In particular are the manglers, a quadrupedal death machine that can shoot poisonous barbs from their tails. Many octopod ceremonies center around the capture and ritual combat with manglers. In order to gain favor with an octopod tribe, outsiders may have to participate in one of these mangler related ceremonies to prove their worthiness. Despite being wary of outsiders, they extend mutual aid such as water and shelter from extreme desert weather to all living creatures that can commune with them via ninth tentacle link. This includes almost all living creatures in space except those genetically engineered by the worms.
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