Some physical differences...
The Vilani have also mastered the secrets of longevity in which their science and protected environment allowed them to flourish on worlds alien to their own. Therefore, I have a much higher life expectancy. Skin colour tends toward the tan or brown or reddish. (Somewhere in canon there is talk even of a blue-skinned Vilani) Their eyes remain more hooded with an extra fold of skin.
But having said all that the whole of humaniti is so interbred in the Far, Far Future nothing short of a bloodtest would determine whether a person is truly Vilani or just one of the many genetic experiments by the different Imperiums to aid in the settlement of hostile worlds.
The significant difference in the Vilani resides within their psychology not physiology.
The GT Book on the Vilani is likely to deal with the Vilani in the IW Milieu given their propensity for change or lack thereof...it might be safely said that these characteristics would not change even in 1248.
As to the references to the Vilani being Persian or today's Iranians, Azeris, Iraqis this was hinted at in one of the Imperiallines issues which stated (warning very long entry):
Early Vilani/Terran Contacts by Terrence R. Mclnnes Scholars in the Restored Vilani Imperium have recently added an area of study that, till now, was never formally addressedthe possibility of Vilani contact with pre-stellar Terra. Two papers, published almost simultaneously in 1117, sparked the controversy. Later citings to legends, historical accounts, linguistic studies and archeological evidence fueled the growing debate. But, the topics of the original two papers still dominate discussions. Synopses of the two papers follow. The Lagash Disappearance: The exploratory cruiser Lagash was oneof a numberof vessels dispatched toward the Rim during the first great wave of Vilani exploration and settlement. The Lagash and her sisterships spent years on a single voyage. Though equipped only with relatively crude Jump-1 drives, they had enormous fuel capacity. The cruisers could use multiple jumps through deep space to reach stars farther than one parsec apart. The Lagash was rimward-bound out of Muan Gwi in -7518 when she last parted company with other Vilani vessels. She was due back at the Muan Gwi fleet rendezvous point in three years, but never returned. Documents dating back to -6021 offer some clues to the Lagash's disappearance. They include information about a sub-light message torpedo, with recorded togs from the Lagash, discovered flying through the Kaggashus system. When interrogated, it broad- cast its recordings on all commonly used hailing frequencies. The torpedo was moving toofast to be intercepted and disappeared again into deep space. The logs told of a drive fault while thecruiser was in a system with four gas giants and one hospitable world, a world with an indigenous human race. A further mishap, while refueling at the largest gas giant, permanently crippled the ship. With no other choice, the crew salvaged whatever it could from the cruiser and shuttled to the surface of the main world. Documents available to scholars do not mention the specific coordinates of the system. Although a few fragments of the original logs still exist, most of the surviving documents were not detailed records, rather merely appeals to Sharurshid management for further exploration, appeals Sharurshid denied. The Lagash was only mentioned in places. However, careful analysis of all references to the Lagash log makes Terra a likely place forthe crew to have landed.
This is further supported by information from Terra. According to Terran archeological records, humans living in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley began developing a major civilization shortly after the Lagash became marooned. Coincidentally, a major city-state in the region was named Lagash. By 2500 BC (-7018), the Lagash dynasty had conquered neigh- boring Ur and other city-states spreading a written language, engi- neering technology, and the concept of personal freedom throughout the area. The Sumerians, (possibly under the influence and leader- ship of the Lagashi), developed the first high civilization on Terra. They gave the world the first engineered irrigation systems, the potter's wheel, the wheeled vehicle, the sailboat, the first coherent system of music, and a base-60 mathematical system. Terran linguists were amazed to leam, with the first Vilani encounters at Barnard's Star, that the Vilani language in many ways resembles ancient Sumerian, and that the First Empire Vilani alpha- bet had a strong similarity to Sumerian cuneiform writing. This suggests to many scholars that the crew of the Lagash did indeed establish a base on early Terra. They speculate that the Lagash crew used the remnants of their equipment and knowledge of technology to build superiorweapons and farm implements. These were in turn used to dominate their indigenous neighbors. Physical evidence of the Lagash would be most difficult, if not impossible to find after all these millennia. Since the Lagash itself was never found in orbit around Terra, most believe its orbit decayed and was destroyed in the crash. Based on orbital data in the few surviving log fragments, some believe the explosion in 1600 BC ( 6118) that destroyed most of the island of Santorini and much of the Cretan civilization in the eastern Mediterranean Sea was caused by the Lagash entering the atmosphere and crashing into the sea. Those holding the strongest belief in the Santorini/Lagash crash theory speculate that some wfefsnoa of the crash, probably fossilized into rock, may still remain m the seated near the island. The VlllanI Brothers: In AD 1275 (-3243). Giovanni and Matteo Villani appeared in Florence, Italy. Their origins were unknown, however they belonged to the wealthy merchant dass and Giovanni in particular rose to play a major role in Europe's international economy. Giovanni Villani is most noted for his bookthe Cronica Universale. This work traces human history from its origins, and gives a detailed insight into the Florence of his time. This chronicle also reflects the worid was that of the counting house, the f 0'j city hall, and the public square. He and 0 i his brother were every inch merchants. But more than this, they exhibited every characteristic traditional to Sharurshid.
However, several scholars speculate that perhaps the Vilani brothers were Vilani. Possibly they were traders voyaging along the rimward frontier of the Sharurshid bureau's territory in search of new business opportunities, and found themselves stranded on a primitive but developing Terra. By this time the First Empire had reached its maximum expansion, and the nearest Vilani controlled worid was only a few parsecs to coreward. To this day, no ; one knows the Villani's exact origin or the year of their birth. Could they have come from the stars? I Artifacts from this period in Terra's history still survive, preserved by families or museums. Scholars, at AAB are hopeful that relics of the Villani brothers may in truth prove to be Vilani. The information on which these papers are basedparticularly the possible relationship between the Vilani and Sumerian languageshas long been on file within the AAB on Viand. That this knowledge was not distributed until now suggests a mechanism within the Third Imperium's bureaucracy might have suppressed it. The surge of interest in this topic also comes with a large measure of frustration. Many of the ideas offered by scholars can potentially be confirmed on Terra. Unfortunately, the routes to that world, the birth place of humaniti. have closed indefinitely. (Note: Terrence Mclnnes is the author of MagaTravellerAliens)
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