Vilani

Intelligent major race, evolved from a branch of humaniti which was deposited on Vland ( Vland / Vland 1717) by the Ancients in approximately -300,000, and who became the earliest starfaring race of humaniti.

Physiology

Physically they are identical to Solomani, Zhodani, and many other branches of humaniti. The typical Vilani is about 1.7 meters in height and weighs about 70 kilograms (slightly smaller than the Solomani average). Purebred Vilani (of which few remain) generally have a medium complexion, with light brown to black hair. Gold eyes are also a common trait. Vilani blood types are C, D, M, N, and O, with types C and N dominant. Vland itself has a hospitable environment, but an alien biology; humans cannot use local plant and animal life for food unless it is processed.

Early History

Vilani history begins with accounts of the wars of the gods, terrible destruction, and of the occasional intervention in human affairs by the gods. Tales are also told of explorers who found great living stone-metal gods possessed of immense magical powers. Modern archeologists now believe these "gods" were actually giant robot warriors and juggernauts used by the Ancients in their Final War. Apparently, the last of these finally ran down in -20,000.

Early Vilani society was dominated by three groups. The first were the shugilii (which translates roughly as miller), the people who could transform Vland's alien biology into edible food. The second were the aristocrats; the natural leaders of society. The third group were the merchants, who controlled trade.

Vilani society went through an industrial revolution in -11,000, and each of these three forces gained power rather than losing it. Each participated in the creation of the industrialized wealth of Vland. The ultimate breakthrough came in -9235, when a research team working in the fringes of the Vland system created the first prototype jump drive.

The jump drive ensured Vilani ascendancy for the next 6000 years. The Vilani found intelligent lifeforms on other worlds within 60 parsecs of Vland. None of the other races had progressed enough to possess interstellar travel, and the Vilani found it easy to dominate them. They imposed Vilani culture and law on these other races, but the conquering was not militaristic; rather, it was through economic subjugation.

As their sphere of influence expanded, the Vilani found it difficult to maintain control across such great distances with only jump-1 as their maximum rate of travel and communication. At the same time, each of the three power classes of society found itself threatened by the forces around it.

Three bureaux were established, each independent of the other two, and each responsible for governing a particular territory. The three were effectively identical, but initially espoused different philosophies, based on their origins.

Sharurshid, originating with the merchant class, emphasised interstellar trade. Makhidkarun, originating with the aristocracy, emphasised interstellar government. Naasirka, originating with the shugiliis, floundered after it found that it could not control food supplies on most of the worlds it dealt with, but it ultimately became a broad-line organisation which emphasised energy, transport, and luxury goods.

In -5430, the Vilani finally discovered jump-2. No other race had jump-2, and the Vilani maintained a sole monopoly on it by jealously guarding its secrets from all subject races. Beginning in -5400, a series of wars to subjugate the resisting fringe cultures was waged. This period of consolidation lasted until -4045, when the ruling Vilani council, the Igsiirdi, declared the Grand Empire of the Stars, or Ziru Sirka. The Vilani calendar starts from this date.

The Ziru Sirka

At first, the Empire had no emperor. Within 10 years, the chairman of the Igsiirdi, who was elected for life by the council, was declared to be the Shadow Emperor (Ishimkarun). In -3610, the Shadow Emperor became the Emperor of the Stars - the absolute monarch of the Empire. Successors were elected by the Igsiirdi upon the death of the old emperor.

For nearly 1200 years the Empire kept the Pax Vilanica. However, the empire fostered cultural rigidity. Old Vilani culture had been based on the three groupings of society; these groupings were further developed into a rigid caste system, based on the idea that each citizen had a specific and set place in the universe, and it was each citizen's duty to remain in that place. Society could not afford to let individuals do as they pleased. However, not all of the subject races of the Empire were able to be completely absorbed into this culture (the Vegans, for instance) and those societies did not do well under the Vilani.

Vilani culture was maintained by the bureaux structure, and it hampered drive and innovation. Exploration wound down and was stopped by -4000. Scientific research was controlled, and then stopped altogether by -3800. The real beginning of the end of Vilani domination, however, was signalled by the contact with the Terrans in -2422. By -2408 the Terrans and the Vilani were at war; by -2219 the Terrans had surpassed the Vilani technologically and were marching through the cities of Vland as conquerors, and the Grand Empire of the Stars was at an end.

Vilani and Solomani stock were intermingled during the Rule of Man, and cannot be told apart without blood typing (85% accurate) or DNA genotyping (100% accurate). This has meant that "Vilani" has come to indicate a cultural rather than a racial or national labelling (unlike, for example, the label "Solomani"). It is applied those within the Imperium who retain some of the old ways of the Vilani. Dialects of the old High Vilani language survive in certain places, along with a few fragments of Vilani culture, such as musical forms and other fine arts. Certain of the old Vilani noble families have maintained more of the old culture, particularly the families who control the Vilani megacorporations. A culturally pure Vilani believes strongly in the team approach to nearly all problems of any significance. To a Vilani, the lone merchant is a fool - personal risk is a thing to be minimized, not relished. The best way to minimize such risk is to enter into the task as a group.

Society

The world of Vland, while possessed of a hospitable environment, boasted an alien ecology based on its own independently evolved biology, a biology that produced proteins, sugars, and amino acids that were difficult for humans to digest and metabolize. The humans just could not use local plant and animal life for food.

This led to the creation of one of the oldest occupations in Vilani society: that of shugilii (which translates roughly as miller). The shugilii was a person who could transform raw food into edible food through special aging and chemical treatment. The shugilii's task was more akin to shaman or witch doctor than of that cook. Since virtually no food on Vland was edible without some treatment, shugiliis were powerful members of society.

The alienness of Vland was reciprocal: humans were unsuitable as food for predators, parasites died because humans provided no nutrition, bacteria could not infect the human system, and even viruses were unable to invade and take over human cells. Consequently, the primitive human society found no need for medically oriented shaman. Vilani medical understanding was very slow to develop because of this.

Early Vilani society became dominated by three groups. The first were the shugilii, the people who could transform Vland's alien biology into edible food. The second were the aristocrats; the natural leaders of society. The third group were the merchants, who controlled trade. This old Vilani culture developed into a rigid caste system based on the idea that each citizen had a specific and set place in the universe, and it was each citizen's duty to remain in that place. Society could not afford to let individuals do as they pleased.

Not all of the subject races of the Vilani were able to be completely absorbed into this culture (the Vegans, for example) and those societies did not do well under the Vilani Imperium.

The stbility which Vilani culture achieved was not obtained without cost. Cultural rigidity brought with it stagnation, and the Vilani Imperium collapsed soon after contact with the young, vigorous Terran Confederation.

Currently, Vilani is a cultural rather than a racial or national labelling, and is applied to those within the Imperium who retain some of the old ways. The Vilani language survives in certain places, along with a few fragments of Vilani culture, such as musical forms and other fine arts. Certain of the old Vilani noble families have maintained the old culture, particularly the families who control the Vilani megacorporations.

(ADV-12, 1107; MT-ENCYC: p45, 1120; HIWGv, 1120)

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