The Rihannsu

The Rihannsu Narrator's Note: This species profile outcomes: it (temporarily) unified the Vulcan is based on data created by Diane Duane people and divided the adherents to Surak's for a series of Star Trek novels. philosophy. While the rival nation-states Just as D.C. Fontana was responsible for banded together to fight the invader, a Vulcan codifying much of what we know regarding named S'task (Surak's most prominent student) the Vulcan people, Diane Duane did the first turned away from his master, and adopted a serious, comprehensive work on the more “the ends justify the means” approach. “Romulan” people. Unfortunately, much of Even as the war with the Orions came to an her excellent material was discarded in favor end, the rift between Surak and S'task of the two-dimensional cardboard villains threatened the very unity both men were trying presented in Star Trek The Next Generation to build. and later, Star Trek:Deep Space Nine and Rather than see Vulcan destroyed or their Star Trek: Nemesis. causes reduced to one more justification for This profile is an attempt to reconcile the war, S'task gathered together his followers and different versions of the Romulan Empire into led them into space in seventeen multi- a coherent whole. Wherever possible, the generational colony ships. Because these were data has been weighted towards the on- (comparatively) crude, sub-light vessels, they screen evidence, or logically extrapolated and their descendants would be subject to the therefrom. Narrator's and players should effects of relativity- and spend nearly 500 (non- feel free to use or discard the data as needed subjective) years in space. for their campaign. Comparatively isolated in the Beta Quadrant, Ironically, much of this material has been the Rihannsu would spend nearly sixteen resurrected in the Star Trek Online hundred years in isolation- though a caprice of MMORPG and can now be found in a single the Q caused the formation of a wormhole volume: Rihannsu: The Bloodwing Voyages. which allowed a century of war with their mother planet Vulcan. By the 21st century, the Rihannsu had Known to the Federation as “the Romulans”, returned to space and were busily forming an the Rihannsu are a sister people to the Vulcans Empire-including an attempt to corrupt and who left in a diaspora just as the teachings of suborn their Vulcan neighbors. In response to Surak began to take home on their homeworld. this and other failures, and alarmed at the After much trial and error (and some rumored founding of an interstellar Federation, intervention from the Q), the Rihannsu found the Rihannsu launched a war against the the sister worlds of Ch'Rihan and Ch'Havran humans of Earth, before being defeated and on which to settle- and from which to found “confined” behind the Neutral Zone. their expand their Empire. With the end of the Earth-Romulan War, the History Rihannsu entered a period of isolation which At the Time of Surak, the Vulcan people lasted nearly a century- and which was ended were divided, fragmented, and at near-constant with unprovoked attacks on the Federation's war with one another. According to some monitoring stations along the Neutral Zone. scholars, during the first part of Surak's life, Border conflicts with the Klingons had led to a there was never more than ten year period tenuous treaty which was honored more in its when more than 30% of the planet was NOT breach than its keeping- but which did allow at war. an exchange of technology and intelligence In this maelstrom of death, violence, and between the two powers. blood-debt, two events occurred which proved Upon their return to the Galactic stage in the pivotal to the fate of both the planet and of the 2260's the Rihannsu engaged in acts of Alpha and Beta Quadrants: Surak began military, diplomatic, and technological teaching a system of ethical and reasoned brinkmanship, and establishing diplomatic ties behavior which Federation translators render as and committing acts of aggression throughout “logic”, and Vulcan was invaded by Orion the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. pirates and slavers In the 2270's Rihannsu researchers began The Orion invasion had two curious kidnapping Vulcans in order to harvest the genetic and neurochemicals necessary to Following an abortive attempt to collapse the “bootstrap” latent Rihannsu psionic Bajoran Wormhole in 2371, elements of the capabilities. Tal Shiar allied with the Cardassian Obsidian Rihannsu Commander Ael t'Rllaillieu, fearing Order in order to perpetrate the disastrous that the technology would be used to destroy Battle of the Omarian Nebula- a Dominion the last freedom's and nobilities of her own trap which seriously damaged the effectiveness people, allied with a Federation task force led of both organizations. by the Starship Enterprise and destroyed the Initially neutral in the Dominion War, the research facility, and indirectly touched off a Rihannsu joined the fight in 2374 after the Rihannsu civil war. assassination of Senator Vreenak and incurred In 2276 following the capture and heavy losses during the war. capitulation of the Rihannsu government, Ael In 2387, Rihannsu scientists noted the was installed as Empress of the Rihannsu instability of the Hobus star and Spock appears Empire, instituting a series of reforms and a before the rule that lasted through the latter part of the Rihannsu Senate to warn of the danger of a 22nd century. supernova. With additional reports of By the turn of the century, the Rihannsu dangerous instability in the Hobus Star, the Empire was again wracked by internal Rihannsu Senate finally authorized a full dissension, and Ael's policy of constructive evacuation and every available vessel was engagement with the Federation was recalled to ferry residents off-world. The superseded by aggressive military action. The evacuation was expected to take six weeks. Norkan campaign and the infamous Tomed The star exploded seventy-two hours later. Incident in 2311 cost thousands of lives and Personality led to the signing of the Treaty of Algeron The Rihannsu are (by and large) a (which reaffirmed the Neutral Zone and passionate, artistic, and often pragmatic forbade the Federation the use cloaking people- born to (comparative) poverty and a technology) and to an almost complete suspicious, almost paranoid mindset that withdrawal of the Rihannsu from galactic makes trust difficult and suspicion- particularly affairs which lasted fifty years. With the of the outsider- a way of life. exception of the Narendra III attack in 2344 “Classical” or “Old School” Rihannsu are and diplomatic overtures toward the also driven by matters of honor and a religious Cardassians in the late 2350's, the Rihannsu philosophy and mindset that mixes utter waited behind their Neutral Zone borders and ruthlessness with a passionate affection second bided their time. to none in the Universe. By 2364, Rihannsu internal dissent has been Suspicion of the outsider- if not outright rigorously quashed, and the Rihannsu returned xenophobia- are bred into the Rihannsu to the galactic stage following an attack in mindset- their rift with their Vulcan cousins is 2364 against several Rihannsu and Federation rooted in an alien invasion, and fifty colonies along the Neutral Zone. These generations have been taught that anything attacks were later identified as having been alien is probably bad- and vice-versa. perpetrated by a Borg scout ship on a survey Rihannsu strength is forged in unity and mission in the area. cooperation- and service to one's family and to As with their return to the galactic stage in the State supersedes all personal consideration. the 23rd century, the renewed Rihannsu As a general rule, though, a Rihannsu presence led to a series of acts of espionage, believes in open, honest dealings- honest aggression, and (occasionally) diplomacy. loves, honest hatreds. As a rule, a Rihannsu Diplomatic ties with the Federation were will keep his word- not for your sake, but for renewed, while at the same time the Rihannsu his name's sake. attempted to lure the Federation into acts of Of course, Rihannsu are no more “all of a war, such as the Nelvana III Incident. piece” than are humans- for every “good” Following the discovery of the Dominion in example of a Rihannsu, there is a 2370, the Rihannsu allowed a codicil which corresponding exception. allowed the Federation the loan of a cloaking device for the U.S.S. Defiant in exchange for Physiology information on the new threat. Despite nearly two millennia of isolation, the Rihannsu still broadly conform to the Vulcan Mnhei'sahe- the ruling passion- is a concept hominid norm- copper-based blood, green- of honor primarily occupied with courtesy not tinted skin, pointed ears, greater-than-standard only to the people around one, but to the physical strength and endurance. various objects and elements as well. In one There are minor chemical and physiological sense, it encompases elements that humans differences which differentiate Rihannsu from would describe as karma: in short, be kind to their Vulcan cousins, though these are more a the unverse and the universe will be kind to matter of nurture than nature. you in return. Some Rihannsu sport a slightly enlarged This courtesy, depending on circumstances, cranium, which results in a v-shaped forehead may require killing a person to do him honor, crest. or severely disadvantaging one's self on his Modern scientists believe that the Rihannsu behalf. possess the same raw telepathic potential as The ramifications are complex and often their Vulcan cousins, but the techniques and subtle- but generally, mnhei'sahe is satisfied if disciplines necessary to harness these abilities all the parties to an agreement or situation feel were lost during the Rihannsu diaspora.

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