New Home - People and Culture

Freedom

New Home has a long tradition of relatively liberal laws. Very early in their history, the now banished Overlords attempted to impose an absolute rule over every aspect of life. Faced with the prospect of outright revolt, they consented to be bound by the “Covenant of Landfall”. This instrument guarantees a Commoner’s right to live unmolested by his government.

Later amendments have extended this basic right to members of all castes. It has been applied to almost every aspect of life, so today the amount of regulation and legal control on New Home life is very small by general standards.

Homers can and do bear arms, especially knives. Slug-throwers and energy weapons require a licence that is rarely issued to civilians. There are no restrictions on movement, and Homers can drive their ground cars as fast as they like. Building is unregulated, and consequently New Home's cities have sprawling suburbs full of distinctive and adventurous architecture.

There is no regulation of recreational drugs which seems to cause no special social problems. It does make New Home an attractive holiday destination for wealthy youngsters from nearby worlds. Visitors from Colchis are especially common.

Some visitors are surprised that public nudity is accepted, and commonly practised in the warmer parts of New Home.

In contrast to the general air freedom, the export of technology is heavily regulated and restricted. New Home's leaders are keenly aware that their world's population is relatively small. They cannot compete with their neighbours' huge armed forces. Instead they rely upon their advanced technology to defend themselves. To maintain this advantage, the authorities work hard to prevent advanced technologies from leaking outside the kingdom. There are extensive customs checks at all ports, where all forms of technology or mass data storage are routinely seized.