Call for Action: Vilani Lore Compilation

[GabrielGABFonseca]

The Vilani: first to travel the stars after the Ancients, founders of the Ziru Sirka, a significant cultural touchstone of the Third Imperium... and woefully under-documented in published Traveller materials.

Previous Traveller editions have touched to varying degrees of depth upon the Vilani, but with a few rare exceptions (DGP's Cogs & Dogs Vilani & Vargr and GURPS Traveller's Interstellar Wars), this information has been fragmentary and scattered across many different publications.

Around October last year (2024), I started to scour through the Traveller materials I own and compile every single bit of Vilani lore I could find, starting with the publications I knew were Vilani lore-dense. Much to my surprise, however, some publications I did not expect to find any Vilani lore whasoever did have some fairly interesting tidbits – as an example, GURPS Traveller: Sword Worlds, which contained a few short Vilani myths and swords featured in said myths. In part spurred by that find, I've decided that looking at the 'obvious' places will not be enough.

And so I'm calling on you for help finding and collecting Vilani lore from across the Traveller literary corpus. From the get-go, the list below has the publications I've already scoured, but as new finds are reported in this thread, I'll modify the list to include that publication as well. I am looking for anything and everything – cultural practices, historical accounts, dates, names, places, words, games – you name it. By the end of this process I want to have gathered every pre-existing scrap of lore in one single, unified place, but I simply cannot do it alone.

Classic Traveller:​

• Imperium — Multiple Sections
• A Pilot's Guide to the Drexilthar Subsector (Gamelords) — Pgs. 10-12

MegaTraveller:​

• Imperial Encyclopedia — 'A Chronology of the Imperium' section
• Vilani & Vargr (DGP) — Multiple Sections
• The Flaming Eye (DGP) — Multiple Sections

GURPS Traveller:​

• GURPS Traveller: Core Rulebook — Multiple Sections, Pgs. 33-34, 42-43, 47-50, 56-59, 75-77
• GURPS Traveller: First In — Pgs. 13, 16, 114, 134
• GURPS Traveller: Ground Forces — Pgs. 6-8, 52, 133
• GURPS Traveller: Nobles — Multiple Sections
• GURPS Traveller: Humaniti — Multiple Sections
• GURPS Traveller: Sword Worlds — Pgs. 74, 89, 92
• GURPS Traveller: Planetary Survey 6 - Darkmoon — Pg. 33
• GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars — Multiple Sections

Traveller 4:​

• Milieu 0 — Multiple Sections

Traveller D20​

• EPIC Adventure 5 - Scout Cruiser — Pg.13

Traveller 5:​

• Traveller 5 Core Book
• Maker Book 1 – Beasts and Sophonts — Pg.18
• Agent of the Imperium — Multiple Sections

Mongoose Traveller 1st:​

• Minor Alien Module 1 - Luriani — Pgs. 13, 14, 27

Mongoose Traveller 2nd:​

• Solomani Front — Pgs. 4, 109, 119, 227, 234
• The Third Imperium
• Trailing Frontier
• The Deep & The Dark
• Aliens of Charted Space, Vol. 3
• Aliens of Charted Space, Vol. 4
• Clans of the Aslan
• Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society, Vol. 1 — 'A Concise History of the Vilani' article

Third-Party:​

• Encyclopaedia Dagudashaag — Pgs. 14, 34, 181, 183, 204, 234, 265, 282, 315, 318, 377
• Vilani Grammar & Glossary — Entire Document

Periodicals:​

• JTAS 17 — 'Random Notes' section
• The Travellers' Digest 4 (DGP)
• The Travellers' Digest 5 (DGP)
• The Travellers' Digest 15 (DGP)
• The Travellers' Digest 16 (DGP)
• The Travellers' Digest 19 (DGP)
• The Travellers' Digest 21 (DGP)
• The MegaTraveller Journal 1 (DGP) — Pg.6
• The Traveller Chronicle, Issue 6
• Signal-GK 12

---

While the list above does not always include them, I would deeply appreciate it if you could also include page numbers for your finds, as that'll make my life much easier – the document I am building has transcribed sections of text listing the publication and page(s) from which it was transcribed, but due to the inclusion of a lot of DGP materials, I cannot make it publicly shareable under the Fair Use Policy, alas.

 

[actionman]

Classic Traveller

A Pilot's Guide to the Drexilthar Subsector (FASA)

"Near the end of the Pax Vilanica, as the First lmperium began suffering from internal dissension and civl wars among ambitious provincial governors," pg. 10

"One provincial governor, seeking possible allies in support of his planned revolt in the Daibei sector, sent explorers out to the uncivilized regions beyond the frontiers." pg. 10

"Unfortunately, his plot was uncovered, and he was deposed and executed." pg. 10

From this we can discern that Vilani provincial governors could be ambitious, start civil wars, give primitive civilizations Vilani high technology, and use them to fight in Vilani civil wars. We can also discern that the Ziru Sirka practiced capital punishment.

EDIT: Something else to consider is the kind of values and situational ethics Vilani provincial governors must have had. Provincial governors were probably highly competitive positions, so for a provincial governor to act this way could mean that ambitious officials starting civil wars and equipping barbarians to fight against their own empire were the best the of the candidates available. This is something of a damning indictment of Ziru Sirka political culture of the time.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

From Scout Cruiser (QuikLink Interactive, Traveller D20), we have a list of names of Qasar-class ships, which are all named for explorers, Solomani, Vilani, and Luriani. As such, the following are historical Vilani explorers of note:

• Iruraninamire Diruran
• Amiiduug Amii
• Uukiraagii Ruuki
• Mariniirekhig Udamari
• Ushirkumagedus Hirkaa
• Kenaraagi Irken
• Gariiniiru Garii

 

[G'Naakbusters]

From Encyclopedia Dagudashaag:

The Zirduluush, near-sophonts native to Degushlish (Dagudashaag 1302), are named in Vilani; a translation is ‘Strange Ones’

Meshurish and Mendadii, a squabbling pair of Vilani heroes.

Uushzii, a Vilani word meaning ‘annihilation’.

Shashuush, a frozen hell mentioned in Vilani mythology.

Sharik, the captain of the Vilani ship that discovered the planet Kassandra (Dagudashaag 3208) (the star of which is named after them)

Planet Argiluu, the name is derived from the Old High Vilani for ‘no sound ocean’ -- the primitive sonar systems used in the earliest Vilani surveys produced no returns in many areas of the world-ocean.

Kishgakhir and Gakhir, twin sons of the minor god Angakh of Vilani mythology. (Apparently they have a bit of a Roman thing going on; Name and Anti-Name/Not-Name?)

Shir Lukam meant ‘the place of rest’ in an ancient Vilani dialect.

Nokhopii, Vilani for ‘Beauty’.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

Mongoose 1st edition, Luriani:

Page 13: Khisezu, dunamkiikim and igakhisga are Vilani dances, also popular with the Luriani.
Page 14: Kamminlu, an art form that originated on ancient Vland.
Page 27: Dinkir, Old High Vilani for 'humorous fish'; Ikark, a type of sweet fruit; Kingeii, Old High Vilani for "sweetheart"; all modern Luriani terms of endearment.

 

[G'Naakbusters]

Obscure creatures of Vland:

• Chiilar : Vilani equivalent of spider (T4 Graytch materials)
• Garu: A small, slow creature (Traveller's Digest 16, I think?)
• Ilaku: Vland equivalent to moles (HIWG Australia Yiklerzdanzh materials)
• Yunii: Vland equivalent to Terran jellyfish. (T4 Alien Archive, Provider chapter)

 

[Jame Rowe]

Obscure creatures of Vland:

• Chiilar : Vilani equivalent of spider (T4 Graytch materials)
• Garu: A small, slow creature (Traveller's Digest 16, I think?)
• Ilaku: Vland equivalent to moles (HIWG Australia Yiklerzdanzh materials)
• Yunii: Vland equivalent to Terran jellyfish. (T4 Alien Archive, Provider chapter)

Wow, you got a lot of lore!

 

[G'Naakbusters]

Wow, you got a lot of lore!

I tend to collect lore from the various sci-fi universes I enjoy, for my own entertainment. So I have a lot handy.

Some people play video games or do gardening or bake. I make personal data archives for fiction

 

[G'Naakbusters]

GURPS Traveller: Planetary Survey 6: Darkmoon:

For those who end up in the slammer:

Gina: A rude slang term for a male (from Vilani word for a long tuber-like vegetable); see also Zagara
Isazii: To be worthy of respect; a righteous person.
Kena: A new prisoner who doesn't look tough; a weakling. (from Vilani word for "good to eat" -- so this use might be something akin to sacrilegious?)
Saanunan Gigish ("ceiling dance"), a euphemism for suicide.
Zagara: Rude slang term for a female (from Vilani word for electrical socket); see also Gina.
Ziinirnic: A diminutive used to refer to a prisoner who is not worthy of notice. (From Vilani word for pubic hair.)

 

[Sigtrygg]

Marc's podcast interview with the secret of the Annic Nova Revealed.

Imperium board game contains an eight page booklet detailing the history of the Vilani.
Mega Traveller Imperial Encyclopedia - timeline has notable dates of Vilani development.

 

[GabrielGABFonseca]

Some people play video games or do gardening or bake. I make personal data archives for fiction

One of us! One of us! One of us!

Thank you all for your submissions so far, I'll begin updating both my document and the forum post!

 

[actionman]

GT First In

"By the time the Vilani Empire was officially founded, however, the deeply conservative Vilani character had reasserted itself." pg 13

"The (IISS) motto is First In (in coreward portions of the Imperium, this is sometimes given as the Vilani kimash or “foremost”)." pg 16

"In comparison, the Vilani first reachedTL9 about -9300. Vilani ascendancy in the galaxy lasted for over seven thousand years, during which time they never advanced beyond late TL9. Admittedly, the Vilani are unusually conservative, but even so such a long period without significant progress demands explanation." pg. 114

"They were culturally unified from a very early period, and their civilization put a much higher value on conserving knowledge than on extending it." pg. 114

"...the Third Imperium is not a terribly innovative civilization. The Vilani influence is doubtless important in keeping change under control." pg. 114

"Vilani records and assistance were often useless, since the old Imperium had not spent much effort on understanding or accommodating local cultures." pg. 134

"Local myth is full of frightening tales of the Vilani Imperium" pg. 142


GT Ground Forces

"When the Vilani began expanding into the stars, they had very little military tradition. The difficulties of just existing on Vland had caused them to avoid the world-spanning conflicts most peoples suffer through. Wars on Vland tended to be quick and brutal. The most common tactic was to wait until one side could marshal overwhelming force, then demonstrate the capabilities of that force to the target group. This way, the destruction of vital resources could be avoided. If the targets refused to surrender, the war was fought with no mercy. For a long period of time, many battles were “fought” by having the opposing forces lineup in a position where they could be counted and evaluated. The commanders would then meet to decide if a battle was really necessary. As the handful of Vilani colonies grew into the Ziru Sirka, they brought these techniques to the stars with them." pgs. 6-7

"...the Vilani preferred to use “cost effective” measures. Invasions were seen as a waste of men and valuable material. If a world refused to surrender after viewing the Vilani force in orbit, it was much easier to destroy cities until the survivors surrendered. Troops, when used, were more occupation police than combat soldiers. Retribution attacks were standard policy when guerrilla movements formed. The Vilani were patient; sooner or later the population would come around to the Vilani way, or the world would be targeted for colonization by Vilani in an effort to overwhelm the natives. For millennia, these tactics well served the Gisadia Ziru Sirka, or Army of the Grand Empire of Stars. But in the later part of the period, as the empire began failing, the Army was called upon to hold rebellious worlds in numerous sectors." pg. 7

"Stagnation and corruption had left most units mere shells of real military organizations, without any real combat ability." pg. 7
(This tells us that Vilani officials, even military officers, could be and were corrupt to the point of ruining elements of their military. This is no small thing.)

"...the Vilani expected them to simply give in and submit to Vilani authority" pg. 7

"The Vilani troops of the sector had to relearn ground tactics... millennia-old doctrines were found and implemented. The Gisadia tried to adjust, but by the mid -2300s it was obvious that the Terrans were much better fighters" pg. 7

"The late Ziru Sirka had been wracked by a series of minor civil wars and regional power plays." pg. 8

"The Vilani command was unable to adjust to the Terran ability to rapidly shift strategy and tactics on the fly." pg. 8

"Many (Terran) Army commanders recruited the Vilani troops they had just defeated into ad-hoc “liberation legions,” pg. 7
(Seems like many Vilani military personnel didn't care at all for their own empire, or they were utterly venal.)

"...a legendary Vilani folk hero who defeated an army by means of skill and trickery." pg. 52

"Raised by her pure-Vilani grandparents... She grew up in a Vilani purist enclave" pg. 133


GT Humaniti

"The Vilani used their independent development of jump drive as support for an imperialistic ideology. Clearly, the Vilani were best suited to rule, since they alone had the technical skill to invent the jump drive and the dynamism to build an interstellar civilization with it." pg. 7

"Human and alien races were given jump drive by the Vilani, and in return were forced to obey Vilani dictates." pg. 7

"Vilani influence added the idea of bureaucratic government." pg. 7

"The Vilani had legends of fearful god-rulers in the distant past..." pg. 69

"About -5100 the Vilani started the Consolidation Wars, hoping to consolidate all of the “minor” races of known space into a Vilani-ruled empire." pg. 69

"Sharurshid systematically tried to eliminate the Geonee as a significant influence in Massilia. Geonee worlds were placed under military rule. Most Geonee communities were deported back to the core Geonee worlds, or forced to meet strict population control measures. By about -4100, most of the far-flung Geonee colonies had been depopulated and resettled by Vilani colonists." pg. 69

"...the Geonee were a subject race in the Ziru Sirka. Military occupation was eventually lifted, but the Geonee worlds were always ruled by Vilani bureaucrats. Occasional uprisings were promptly and quietly crushed, and law levels were kept high." pg. 69

"The Vilani bureaucracy was eliminated, and all restrictions on research and technology abolished." pg 71

"...Vilani caste system." pg. 86

"Luriani have a long-standing grudge against the Vilanifor thousands of years of oppression under the Ziru Sirka" pg. 110

"Dozens of Human minor races came under Vilani domination during the First Imperium. In many cases, these minor races were assimilated into Vilani society. Such races lost their distinctive identity..." pg. 127

"Conquest soon followed, and the race was subject to Vilani rule for thousands of years." pg. 127

"The Vilani invaders took advantage of Sarnese disunity, turning factions against one another in a civil war" pg. 128

"Sylean populations... were simply bludgeoned into submission as soon as the Vilani chose to make the effort." pg. 128

"Almost all of the pre-Vilani cultures were eradicated during the millennia of Vilani domination" pg. 131

"Vilani intellectual-property laws tended to concentrate social power in the hands of megacorporations, at the expense of the First Imperium’s minor races." pg. 131

 

[Sigtrygg]

Careful there - those are GURPS TLs in GT, not Traveller TLs.

Also I would point to some GT authors not having read the Vilani History eight page booklet in Imperium, much improved by GT:ISW.

 

[Condottiere]

 

[actionman]

Careful there - those are GURPS TLs in GT, not Traveller TLs.

Also I would point to some GT authors not having read the Vilani History eight page booklet in Imperium, much improved by GT:ISW.

OP included GT sources, so I'm helping out with those. I don't consider GT canon, really.

 

[Condottiere]

I rather like the Foreign Legion aspect.

 

[GabrielGABFonseca]

Careful there - those are GURPS TLs in GT, not Traveller TLs.

Also I would point to some GT authors not having read the Vilani History eight page booklet in Imperium, much improved by GT:ISW.

OP included GT sources, so I'm helping out with those. I don't consider GT canon, really.

Quite valid points, but I've decided when starting this to approach it in bibliographical fashion; first collate all existing literature/materials in a thorough and exacting manner, and only then adopt the historiographical method of looking at each individual material and considering its merits and demerits.

'Tis the sworn duty (and burden) of the Archivist/Biblioteconomist/Library and Information Scientist.

In either case, I really do appreciate the help and will add these to the main post shortly!

 

[Seffix]

If you see any particular entries on shugilii, could you point me at them? I've been using/creating its lore extensively in my game.

 

[GabrielGABFonseca]

If you see any particular entries on shugilii, could you point me at them? I've been using/creating its lore extensively in my game.

Off the top of my head, good sources on the Shugilii are the three main ones I mention in the post: DGP's Vilani & Vargr (hard to find, can't share excerpts online), GURPS Interstellar Wars, and Milieu 0 from T4. Of this, the most relevant to games set in the 'present' of Traveller (1105, I.e.: the Golden Age) is likely T4. Vilani & Vargr would too but it's basically inaccessible, so [shrug].

I think it's okay for me to transcribe a relevant excerpt from Milieu 0 here:

Traditional Vilani meals bear the hallmark of the Shugilii's trade: almost all food native to Vland, but processed using a variety of traditional techniques. The shugilii will prepare the meal at the back of the room, while the host family and guest politely avert their eyes in order to keep from seeing the food being prepared, a tradition that originated in prehistoric times to preserve the secrets of the shugilii's craft.
The meal is usually arrives [sic] quickly, as most ingredients have already been treated and preserved beforehand. The shugilii takes two identical meals, and places one in front of the family head and one before the most senior merchant (usually the guest), and intones the ritual benediction "vaaluuin malauuikki binerii" ("to your life and strong health"); the traditional response is "naaseri binerii mikalen shugilii viilem" ("this health I owe to you, good shugilii"). This ritual predates recorded history, and symbolizes the almost religious awe with which the ordinary Vilani people regard their shugilii.
Gracious guests should ensure that they compliment the shugilii loudly throughout the meal, as a compliment to the shugilii applies equally to the host family. Vilani food is surprisingly good, considering the fact that their raw foodstuffs are almost completely inedible, and the processes by which the food becomes edible may include any combination of aging, beating, sun drying, boiling, saltwater immersion, partial pre-digestion, burning, infection with molds or yeasts, subjection to parasitic infestation, grinding, or marinating. This list is far from exhaustive, as shugilii still guard their traditional culinary secrets most jealously. Polite inquiries about recipes will usually be greeted with the cold stare of disapproval that Vilani reserve for those that exhibit a peverted interest in knowledge that is none of their concern.
The meal invariably includes a large quatity of argu, a fibrous tuber that is almost entirely carbohydrate, and one of the few Vilani foodstuffs that requires only soaking and boiling to be rendered digestible. Solomani guests frequently remark on argu's nutty flavor, which is due to traces of incompatible proteins remaining after processing. Such remarks are considered mildly impolite in Vilani company, as none but the very best shugilii can make completely flavorless argu.
The rest of the meal is placed on the floor in the center of the room in square ceramic pots, and consists of a variety of stews, thick soups, savory fondues, dips and gravies, all heavily spiced to disguise whatever traces of natural toxins and processing agents remain on the food. Family members and close friends may take turns at feeding one another, which is a sign of close affection; guests should avoid trying to feed others in case they overstep some social boundary and commit a dreadful faux pas.
Sneezing and coughing are considered polite, and indicate that the guest consider the spices to be quite hot enough; guest who display no such signs may find a thoughtful shugilii adding hot spices to their meal in order to give it a more agreeable "bite".
As a courtsy to non-Vilani guests, shugilii will usually place a small bowl of naa to one side of the guest's place. Naa is a cloudy liquid plant extract that contains a number of natural antihistamines, and is generally only given to children who have an allegic intolerance for certain trace food impurities. Vilani children usually outgrow their allergies around their seventh year, but many humans of Solomani descent are not so lucky.
In less formal settings, a meal will often finish in a sweet dessert, a tradition that many Vilani adopted from their Solomani conquerors during the Long Night. An unfortunate side effect of shugilii processing techniques is that Vilani foods contain very few simple sugars, causing Vilani to have a craving for Solomani-style delicacies. However, most shugilii frown upon sweets, considering them to be an unnescessary extravagance and a severe risk to dietary health.
A logical, but lesser known, role of the shugilii is that of community nutritionist. Vilani dietary theory is one of the few areas of medical science that has always been quite well developed, for the simple reason that shugilii have made nutrition their profession for tens of thousands of years. In pre-space-flight days, most "illnesses" were dietary, rather than infectious, in nature. A good shugilii is able to disanose many illnesses and dietary defficiencies by a simple examination of the skin, fingernails, hair and eyes for telltale signs. The shugilii will generally announce a regime of diet, special foods and exercise in order to combat the disorder. A few shugilii today specialize in certain fields of nutrition, but this is an innovation that dates from the Ramshackle Empire.

— "Vilani Cuisine", Milieu 0, pg. 50

 

[CordwainerFish]

If you want my head canon, contact with the Terrans introduced the Vilani to fermented foods that tasted good, setting off a culinary revolution among those Vilani not too hidebound to eat it. To this day, the kimchiburger is one of Astroburgers' top sellers.