V'gelnian

V'gelnian
The V'gelnian are a vulcanoid race residing on V'geln, better known to the galaxy as Rigel V. 
 * See also Rigelian (Vulcanoid).

V'geln is a harsh desert world with easily-avialable water and plant life only at the poles. The V'gelnians are reclusive semi-nomads, living in stone habitats (built or carved into natural formations) for part of the year and migrating at other times. This lifestyle allows them to gather sufficient resources to survive while avoiding the seasonal dust storms that sweep the planet twice a year.

Appearance
The V'gelnians are tall, slender humanoids elongated and pointed eyebrows and ears, as might be expected of a species that is probably some form of Vulcan offshoot. They typically wear dust-colored masks, hoods, and robes which both protect them from their environment and aid them in blending in with it.

Culture
V'gelnian culture is as harsh as their environment: aloof, cold-blooded, vicious, primitive, and unforgiving. The weak and the unfit are abandoned to the elements: those who cannot survive in the desert on their own are worse than a burden; they are unclean and unfit to live. They are contemptuous of outsiders -- in part from clannishness, in part because few outsiders live up to their desert survival standards. A hapless traveller who asks for their aid is likely to be relieved of useful possessions and any further need for aid. Permanently. Only experienced contact teams should attempt to approach them.

This severe lifestyle parallels some other deep-desert nomadic cultures, such as the desert tribes of Obsidian or the te-Vikram Brotherhood of ancient Vulcan.

Origin
Despite centuries of study, the origin of the V'gelnians remains unknown. Their language does not appear related to Vulcan nor Romulan. This fact, combined with the timescale of spacefaring activity in the Rigel system, argues against their being descendents of some of the lost ships of the Vulcan Exile, but this possibility cannot be ruled out. The most likely other theory for their origin is transplantation to V'geln by the Preservers or other advanced ancient race.


 * Other sources provide conflicting details on the vulcanoid Rigelians. Some of these differences may be attributable to diversity (it's possible the wetter poles have a separate, more hospitable culture), others to separate continuities. Thus it is uncertain if the V'gelnians are "The" vulcanoid Rigelians mentioned in "Journey to Babel" and elsewhere.