V.TXT

      Vargr: Descended from carnivore/chaser stock native to Terra and

transplanted to Lair (Provence 2402) by the Ancients approximately 300,000

years ago. Related to Terran canines, the Vargr were genetically altered by

the Ancients into upright intelligent bipeds. The typical Vargr stands about

1.6 meters in height and weighs approximately 60 kilograms. Vargr rear limbs

are digitigrade, and their hands are quite similar in size and appearance to

human hands, although they retain sharp, non-retractable fingernails. Vargr

can use the same equipment as humans without modification.

      Vargr are covered with short fur, generally brown, black, or rust in

color. Their tails are fairly long and generally end in a flaring brush. The

muzzle is much shorter and less pronounced than in Terran canines, but is

still quite evident. Vargr possess a keen sense of smell, but their olfactory

ability is not anywhere near the level of the K'kree. Like their Terran

ancestors, Vargr have two sexes: male and female.

      The Vargr prefer a pack-oriented culture, obviously a carry-over from

their Terran canine background. As a result, Vargr are rather gregarious, and

they take great joy in one another's company. At the same time, Vargr within a

group engage in constant testing of each other's prestige and dominance. The

chief driving motivation among Vargr is thus to achieve a higher place in the

structure of the current social group, or barring that, to find another group

within which a higher position can be achieved.

      Vargr therefore move from group to group with great regularity, and

seemingly have no loyalty to any specific group or purpose. However, at the

local level, Vargr are intensely loyal. In fact, a Vargr may give his loyalty

to the charismatic leader, even if such loyalties lead the Vargr to ignore the

dictates of a higher authority. So to a Vargr, loyalties are temporary - but

quite strong, just the same.



      Vegan: Minor race from Gwi/Vega (Solomani Rim 1717). The Vegan

Autonomous Region is a cornerstone of Imperial defense in Terra's home sector.



      Vekkur: Vilani religion believing a Supreme Being applies a universal

law to judge the conduct of all sentient life. A believer's fate in the

afterlife depends on understanding and observing that law. Members use no holy

symbols, but always wear some form of white garment.

      Most noted as pacifists, the Vekkur believe that all things have an

equal right to live. They seek to never harm life, and will not kill under any

circumstances. The name Vekkur comes from a mythical Vilani creature able to

cure disease which the Supreme Being sent as proof of his existence.



      Vemene: Covert security agency for Tukera Lines.



      Veraprin: A predator from a world in the Solomani Sphere.



      Veshlar: Fabric used in expensive, formal clothing.



      Vilani: The earliest starfaring human subrace. The typical Vilani is

about 1.7 meters in height and weighs about 70 kilograms (slightly smaller

than Solomani.) 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.

      Today, the term "Vilani" is much more cultural that racial (unlike

"Solomani".) 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.



      Virtual particle: In quantum mechanics, a particle that can never be

directly detected, but whose existence does have measurable effects.



      Virushi: Massive, pacifistic minor race from Virshash/Urlaqqash

(Reaver's Deep 2724).



      Vlazhdumecta: General name given to the original colonists who settled

much of the Far Frontiers region. Their origins are obscure, but they are

believed to have been a minor human race flourishing in the Afachtiabr sector

some 6000 years ago, during the early period of Zhodani interstellar

expansion. The race absorbed a great deal of culture and technology from the

Zhodani. They founded a wide-spread mercantile and commercial empire that

included the Far Frontiers sector.

      Zhodani absorption of the Vlazhdumecta homeworlds triggered the

breakdown of their interstellar civilization. Far from being self-sufficient,

most of their colonies lapsed into barbarism. Few ever recovered.

      Vlazhdumecta composed the basic population of most settled Far Frontiers

worlds until settlers from the Third Imperium came 800-900 years ago. Except

for certain anomalies, no trace of Vilani/Solomani orientation or influence

appeared in the Far Frontiers until then.



      Vlezpridiashav: Prominent Zhodani leader in the region of the Spinward

Marches. As a senior council member, he is aware of the long-term planning of

the Qlomdlabr; his presence on the frontier helps advise local authorities of

the course they should take.