The Nomen come from the planet Borella. They are humans, but humans who have adapted solely to their planets harsh conditions. Borella is a very hot planet, covered in deserts and warmed by what the Nomen call 'The Mega Sun'. It is believed that the Nomen are an offshoot from one of the Tribes of Man, who split from them and Kobol long before Kobol was abandoned by the Thirteen Tribes. Why they left is unknown, but they sailed the solar winds and landed on Borella. The time on Borella has changed the Nomen though. They have grown tougher and have pronounced facial features - like ridges around their eyes. In addition, they have power over their bodies and able to perform feats that normal people cannot even think about. Mentally as well, they have changed. Nomen live to survive and will do pretty much anything to help them in this quest of theirs.

Two things bind all Nomen together. The first is that they think of themselves as True Humans, and all others (including the Colonials) are lesser races. Aliens, by their very nature, are also inferior species.

The second thing that binds Nomen together, is their adherence to what they call 'The Code'. This is a list of laws and rules that the Nomen live by. It governs their conduct and their punishments. Nomen should be patient and disciplined. One aspect of the Code that is known outside of Nomen culture is the Blood Trail or Blood Hunt. A Blood Trail is called when someone interferes with the Nomen way of life by robbing, stealing or otherwise impeaching on their Code or their honour. A Blood Trail is one of the few times that a Nomen will interact with other species and it will end with the death of the Nomen or, more likely, the target. Blood Trails can be called against other Nomen.

Nomen society is harsh, and to outsiders, can be considered cruel. Only the strongest survive. Minor infractions against the Code lead to punishment, while major or repeated infractions lead to death or exile. To outsiders, the Nomen are generally thought of a nomadic warrior race.
Another aspect of Nomen society is that each tribe has a Rooster. This contains all the names of Nomen who manage to survive training and childhood and become full adults. Some punishments can include the name of a Nomen being stricken off this list.

While Nomen can mate with normal humans, they would not even think of this. Diluting the Nomen blood with normal human blood would result in something less than the ideal human. The offspring would be cast out of the Nomen and possibly killed or left to fend for themselves in the inhospitable deserts of Borella.

The Nomen are not a space faring race in themselves. While they do have transports, freighters and other assorted small craft to ferry them and cargoes between the stars, they do not have a standing navy or warships. They mainly buy or trade for ships rather than construct them on Borella. In a similar way, Nomen do not make much use of technology. It is a tool, nothing more. that is not to say that they do not manufacture - Laser Boles, the Nomen favoured weapon - they just do not go in for it as much as other races, and luxury items are unheard of.

It is probably of no surprise that Nomen do not believe in luck.

Character Generation:

Borellian Nomen are not really suggested as player characters unless the whole party is going to play them. Nomen do not really interact with others unless it is trading or they are on a Bloodhunt. Before the Exodus, it would have been unheard of for a Nomen to join a Colonial career. Even an exiled Nomen would not dream of joining the ranks of lesser humans.
After the Exodus though, things might get a bit different. It would take an awful lot, but a Nomen might - might join a career if they think it would help them to survive.

Points: 33
Attributes: ST +1 [10], HT +2 [20]
Advantages: Fearlessness (2) [4], Fit [5], Heart Stop [5], High Pain Threshold [10], Fearlessness (level 1) [2], Less Sleep (3) [6]
Perks: Autotrance [1]
Disadvantages: Callous [-5], Code of Honour [-15], Social Stigma (Minority Group) [-10]

Autotrance:

A Nomen has no problems awakening from an autotrance and thus suffers no penalties.

Heart Stop:

A Nomen has a special ability in that they can stop their heart from functioning for short times. At any time, the Nomen can simply stop their heart, and it will appear that they have just died. They will not register any vital signs, and to all equipment and examinations, the Nomen is dead. However, after a little while, the Nomen may simply get up and function as if nothing has happened. The heart can only be stopped for a couple of minutes at most, and the ability can only be used once per centar. Any longer, and the Nomen may find themselves really dying.
This ability is not well known outside of the Nomen themselves.

Skills:

A Borellian Nomen must learn certain skills to be a Nomen, and these are listed below. The actual values of these skills are left to the player to decide so that they can determine just how good a Nomen they are. In addition, a player may choose other skills that might be useful, such as piloting skills. A Nomen will not normally enter a Colonial designation of any description, but may if a Blood Hunt calls for it.

Acting, Armoury/TL (Laser Boles), Brawling, Camouflage, Climbing, Fast Draw (Laser Boles), First Aid/TL, Hand Weapon (Knife), Holdout, Influence (Intimidation), Jump, Navigation/TL, Orienteering/TL, Running, Shadowing, Stealth, Survival, Thrown Weapon (Laser Boles), Tracking, Traps/TL

Older Nomen will have the Teaching skill so that they can teach new Nomen the skills, customs and Code of being a Nomen.

The Code:

The Code binds all Nomen together. Even those who have been stricken off the rooster of the Nomen try to live their lives by the Code. The code includes the following points.

• A Nomen is never unarmed.
• A Nomen never pulls a weapon unless it is to be used. A drawn weapon must be used in some way before it is allowed to be sheathed. With Laser Boles having a timer of only fifty microns before they explode, this teaches a Nomen to be both quick and certain in their choice of targets.
• A Nomen must be patient and disciplined.
• A Nomen must listen to their elders. A Nomen is not allowed to ask direct questions nor to judge their elders, yet they may seek enlightenment on why something is done.
• Elders are to be respected.
• Outsiders who insult the Nomen are to be killed.
• No one is to touch a Nomen without their permission.
• Nomen do not make excuses

Naming:

Nomen tend to use short and harsh sounding names. Some examples include:
Bora, Maga, Taba.