Vrast

A Human Minor Race with its core population based in Diaspora Sector.

The evolution of Vrast (who consider themselves distinct from Humans) contrasts with that of mainstream Humans in several respects. They apparently descend from a little-known hominid people taken by the Ancients during the same time period that the proto-Solomani were collected.

Physiology

Vrast are shorter and stockier than Humans, with large foreheads and heavy eyebrows. Some Vrast can pass for Human, but they are relatively few -- interbreeding with Humans, if it ever occurred, ended when the Ancients seeded them on other worlds.

Vrash eyes are overly sensitive to light.

Psychology

The Vrast evolved with certain psionic abilities that they never lost. While they aren't telepaths as such, they can link their minds when threatened or in combat. The linked mind is then under the control of the "silver-manes", a collective consisting of the six most elderly Vrast in a given fleet or fighting body. After the Psionics Suppressions, this aspect of their identity was quietly downplayed into near-obscurity.

The Vrast take more time to assess situations and arrive at courses of action than Humans. They are careful, methodical researchers.

Society

The Vrast have no formal, organized religion. Their beliefs are held in common and are considered to be the natural order of things, not something which they can choose to believe in or ignore. Every child learns how to conduct simple ceremonies and rituals surrounding the changing of seasons and thanksgiving observances for the end of a long drought or rainy season on their worlds. Much like the Zhodani, their early experience with psionics produced a truthful culture uncomfortable with lies. With other races they may hedge the truth, revealing only what they want to be known, but even those half-truths will be factual.

The Vrast political structure is a system of interlocking clan relationships. At its root are individual families, each headed by a tarash, male or female, selected by the casting of dub-war, "the bones" (usually fragments of the actual bones of ancestors). The tarash of each given geographical area meet at planetary equinoxes in a subclan council. They in turn elect a taran (equivalent to a baron) who chairs the council and otherwise makes all the executive decisions for a particular collection of families.

Settlements

Many Vrast continue to live underground, in tightly knit communities within massive caverns. The decor of those who choose to live in artificial homes on the surface is almost universally based on underground themes.

The Vrast never developed the culinary arts to any great degree, so their food tends to be simple cooked meat or fish and stewed or raw vegetables. The one subject at which they do excel is brewing.

Culture

Many Vrast write and perform poetry, although the standard tends to be terse lines and short stanzas rambling into long epics. Novels and plays are not Vrast norms; although, peculiarly, some of their epics have been made into operas. The Vrast do enjoy music, and developed the bagpipes independent of Human culture. Pipers are well paid, and wandering professionals are gladly fed and housed without charge.

History

The Ancients seeded the Vrast (possibly the entirety of the species, which was apparently endangered on Terra), on a world in Diaspora Sector.

The Vrast knew Humaniti as the ancient enemy of their oral history. When their technology developed rudimentary space travel during the later part of the Long Night, they discovered the enemy lurking close at hand. Acquiring Human jump drive, methodical, non-hateful conquests of small Human worlds followed, as the Vrast reasoned they needed to control the foe for their protection. The nascent Third Imperium, expanding into Massilia Sector and referring informally to Diaspora as the Enigma Sector, soon came into contact with them. Diplomacy and cultural exchange saw relations improve and before long the Vrast were incorporated as just another minority demographic within the Imperium.

In 1105, most Vrast communities are found in Diaspora or Massilia.

References & Contributions (Sources)

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

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