Vulkans
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According to legend, the planet Vulkan occupied an orbit just beyond the orbit of Mars. The native peoples were an advanced star faring race of humanoids known as the Eridani. After a time of chaotic upheaval most of the Eridani left the star system except for a group of philosophical anchorites who called themselves Vulkans after their disintegrated home world. The Vulkans were and are solely devoted to logic and the pursuit of knowledge. The Vulkan enclave is now located on Mercury in the hills sunward of the river valley of the twilight zone. Early explorers overlooked this colony, as it was too far sunward in the hot zone to attract discovery.
Vulkans are outwardly humanoid and are on average somewhat taller than humans. Their skin is similar to Caucasian with a yellow or orange tinge. Their hair is always a true black with the exception of the very old, which exhibit gray and white shading. The most distinct difference is their pointed ears, which developed as an adaptation to a thin atmosphere. Vulkans tend to be more robust physically and have a life expectancy of over 100 years. A racial peculiarity is the Vulkan reproduction cycle. Every seven weeks male Vulkans will exhibit a mating urge that if not satisfied will drive the Vulkan to acts of madness. This mating impulse is not shared by the females who, by necessity, are always able to couple with a male but are only fertile in accordance with various ambient conditions.
Vulkans were the first civilized space faring race encountered by humans. After first contact the Vulkans were cold but curious about humans. Over the past 40 years Vulkans have become a close human ally. Vulkans were founding members of the United Kingdom of Planets and have served with Humans in a variety of ventures.
