Star Trek: Vulcan Read online

  Did You Know?

  THE KAHS-WAN RITUAL

  Anyone familiar with Vulcan customs and traditions has heard of the kahs-wan, a rite of passage undertaken by Vulcan children when they reach the equivalent of eleven Earth years of age. It’s a grueling ten-day trial in which the candidates venture into the mountains, unarmed and lacking even the most basic survival equipment. There, they must adapt to the merciless environment and procure shelter, food, and water, as well as whatever weapons are needed to deal with the hostile wildlife that lives and hunts on the range.

  Multiple competitors can undertake the test at the same time, but rules require each individual to work on his or her own. Even emergency assistance is prohibited. The trial produces numerous casualties each year, and activists have tried without success to have the kahs-wan declared a form of child abuse. Though misinformation persists that the test is open only to males, in truth female candidates have taken the kahs-wan for generations and often do better than their male counterparts.

  While outworlders are forbidden from attempting the kahs-wan, a handful of hiking marathons have sprung up in recent years, using the lengthy, treacherous paths traversed by the ritual’s candidates as inspiration and allowing non-Vulcans to gain at least some appreciation of the test’s arduous nature.

  Zin’zahn Marathon

  Using as its point of departure the basic course followed by Vulcan children enduring the kahs-wan ritual, this grueling race pushes every competitor to his or her physical limits. Held at the height of summer and in the face of heat so oppressive that even Vulcans are known to express discomfort, runners endure a circuitous course that offers them unflinching exposure to the rugged terrain of the L-langon Mountains. Nearly thirty kilometers of narrow, steep paths cutting through the treacherous landscape challenge even the heartiest of athletes. The marathon has become a huge event in recent years, attracting media attention as well as spectators who pack the area’s small villages and neighboring provinces to overflowing. Parties and other events bracketing the actual race generate enough revenue over three weeks to account for 90 percent of the region’s annual income.

  T’gretvhal Monastery

  Located in the foothills overlooking the Forge’s southern boundary, this abbey was converted centuries ago from an abandoned military fort. Situated along one of the area’s few navigable paths, the monastery originally served as something of an early-warning outpost, protecting the temples and other shrines behind it in the event of invasion from hostile forces. Evidence of the damage sustained by the outer walls as the fort’s inhabitants repelled attackers is still visible today. The monastery’s community is among the more welcoming in the L-langon Mountains area. When you tour, expect to stay for lunch or supper; the clerics will insist on it.

  SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

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  You won’t find the sort of shopping districts that are commonplace in more tourist-friendly cities and beachfront areas here, but the villages and settlements in this region still offer a variety of charming stores and other retail outlets. Entertainment venues are somewhat limited, though music and theater festivals are frequently staged.

  Crystalline Entities

  Unusual even among the already distinctive selection of retailers to be found here, this curio shop offers exclusive clothing and jewelry creations fashioned from volcanic rock as well as gems and other stones found in and around the neighboring mountains. The shop’s proprietors handcraft everything, and no two items are the same. They also carry a large selection of books from local writers and poets as well as music from regional musicians.

  Festival at the Summit

  The closest thing to a “block party” you’re likely to find in these parts, this festival is a weekly gathering of residents and visitors from all of the neighboring settlements. Follow the winding path to the Bacchus Plateau on Mount To’peq, where you’ll find a large campground with stone cooking hearths as well as a larger central fire that is the focal point for the evening’s activities. Music and other entertainment are offered, after which everyone is invited to sleep under the stars before enjoying breakfast and fellowship the next morning. This is one of the few events in which the locals welcome outsiders with open arms and no judgments, and it’s the perfect way to cap a day’s sightseeing.

  Meditations of T’Pau

  Live performances of prominent Vulcan literature are common in the L-langon Mountains area, though they’re mostly confined to texts from ancient historical figures. Performances that focus on T’Pau are a notable exception and are popular due to her lasting impact on Vulcan society. T’Pau’s influence as First Minister helped guide her planet toward lasting relationships with interstellar neighbors, culminating in Vulcan’s partnering with Earth, Andor, and Tellar Prime to found the Federation. The Kren’than village plays host to this piece of performance art, in which Vulcan women perform as T’Pau while reciting passages from Meditations—her renowned book of writings—and offering unique insights from one of the most celebrated luminaries of the past three centuries. One portion of the performance recounts T’Pau’s leadership of the Syrrannite Reformation to overthrow the increasingly militaristic Vulcan High Command, which had begun to discard the teachings of Surak.

  DINING AND NIGHTLIFE

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  While lacking much in the way of upscale dining, there’s no denying the allure of various small restaurants and outdoor cafes sprinkled throughout the area. Vulcan cuisine will be the order of the day in most places, though a few of the villages also cater to outworlder tastes. If you’re hoping to find a bar or dance club that’s a well-kept secret among the locals, then you’ll be disappointed. With few exceptions, most of the dining and other retail establishments tend to close well before midnight. You might want to bring some books to read in your room or on your balcony after dinner.

  Fire Plains Mural Cafe

  An oddly immersive mural covering all four walls of this compact eatery depicts the volcanoes, lava flows, and wildlife that characterize one of Vulcan’s most inhospitable regions. The mural was painted in the early twenty-fourth century by a visiting Rigellian artist, based on her visits to the Fire Plains and the holophotographs she took during her travels. In recent years, the cafe has become a favorite watering hole for locals, be they Vulcan or outworlder expatriates.

  Ba’tak

  The trademark Vulcan lack of subtlety strikes again with this simple yet well-appointed restaurant. No replicators are used to prepare the food, and though local cuisine dominates the menu, a limited selection of outworlder favorites is available. Ba’tak (which translates to “tradition”) is known for its bertakk-torrafeiaca stew, which is second to none in the region. The place isn’t flashy, but the ambiance is welcoming and soothing after a long day spent sightseeing.

  L’jusa Tea House

  Enjoy morning or afternoon tea at this picturesque cafe near the Harmony Gardens cottages whether your taste runs to local specialties like n’gaan spice tea or herbal beverages from your own home world. The shop also sells a rich assortment of traditional confections, and its lunch menu offers a small selection of light dining options. Next door is a kal-toh parlor owned by the same proprietor, and it’s not uncommon for patrons to enjoy their tea and sweets while taking advantage of some lively gaming.

  LODGING

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  With a single exception, there are no luxurious, all-inclusive resorts located in the region, though several of the villages feature small hotels and cabins or cottages for rent. Do you really need five-star hotel staff service when practically every window has a magnificent mountain view?

  Golgatya Camping Ground

  Visitors looking for a break from the usual hotel or inn might like the change of pace offered by this small, secluded campground at the edge of the nearby mountains. Accessible only via the footpath leading into the foothills and through several small villages, the region is the source of many stories and folktales that attract curios
ity seekers. Legends tell of voices that can be heard echoing through the hills at night and are believed to belong to warriors killed in battles centuries ago. As the story goes, Tokar, a powerful Vulcan mind-lord, cast their katras upon the winds, dooming them to exile and eternal damnation.

  Haulan

  Haulan is the aforementioned only all-inclusive resort in the region. In Vulcan, haulan means “reflection,” and this hotel lives up to its simple moniker by embodying Vulcan traditions, which means the accommodations are simple while still possessing an undeniable elegance. A tour guide is on hand to illuminate visitors regarding the hotel’s origins as a fort constructed by forces loyal to Sobok, a local tyrant who ruled over the region two millennia ago, enslaving the settlers and conscripting all able-bodied Vulcans into his army. Remnants of the original encampment are kept in the property’s subterranean levels. By far the largest hotel in the area, Haulan boasts sixty-seven rooms, each of which offers a spectacular view of the mountains and the Forge beyond.

  T’grat Inn

  Formerly a monastery of indeterminate origin and ownership, the T’grat Inn was converted into a bed and breakfast at the turn of the century. According to folklore, war refugees used the original abbey as a temporary sanctuary during their movements through the region as they sought to evade Sobok’s legions as well as the despot’s unremitting cruelty. Eleven well-appointed rooms offer a calming view of a lazy stream winding down through the foothills. The owners provide breakfast consisting of typical Vulcan fare, though they’re able to accommodate many other species’ dietary requirements upon request.

  T’PAAL

  * * *

  MAP OF T’PAAL

  GETTING AROUND

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  Nolatihr Peace Park

  S’hekhina Gallery of Visual Art

  S’pranlaq Artisan Enclave

  T’Paal Observatory

  Veklar Prison Museum

  SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

  Alternative Factors

  Mahr-kel-svitan

  Chamber Music Pavilion

  Gad’muf fi’kov

  DINING AND NIGHTLIFE

  Rau-nol

  Surak’s Last Resort

  Zefram Cocktails

  LODGING

  Altitude Tree House Enclave

  Interplanetary Plaza Hotel

  SO YOU WANT TO PURGE ALL YOUR EMOTIONS

  LOCATED ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE VOROTH SEA, T’Paal has followed the example set by Lake Yuron and other smaller cities around the planet and fully embraced the idea of becoming a tourist attraction. Indeed, the entire area is a regular entry on numerous “can’t miss” destination lists. Distant enough from the equator that its coastal location enjoys a temperate climate year-round, T’Paal has seen remarkable growth in recent years. A number of outworlder immigrants and other expatriates have settled here, seeking escape from the more frantic pace of life that so characterizes the larger population centers on their own worlds.

  T’Paal strikes a balance between primitive throwback settlement and luxury resort. Its most distinctive features are its brilliant brick-red soil and its enormous rock formations that face west toward the ocean, towering into the sky and standing like sentries guarding the local inhabitants. Viewed by many Vulcans as sacred land, the entire region has long held a well-earned reputation as a destination for mental and physical healing as well as spiritual renewal. It’s also a lure for artisans of every stripe.

  Though not quite hedonistic, the city’s culture is carefree and permissive, fully embracing the Vulcan principle of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.” In fact, T’Paal has become something of a magnet for the counterculture of both immigrants and locals alike, with most of T’Paal’s Vulcan residents having forsaken the usual trappings and mores of their native society. You may very well encounter the occasional local who has cast off even the most basic Vulcan tenet of emotional suppression. If you think a cold, logical Vulcan makes for an intimidating debate opponent, try taking on one who’s retained that formidable grasp of unassailable logic while letting his emotions run unchecked. Engage with these individuals at your own peril.

  T’PAAL: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

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  (First published in the 2377 Edition)

  I sit here, allowing the rays of our sun to warm my skin. It has been too long since I last experienced this sensation. After spending the past seven years with my shipmates aboard the U.S.S. Voyager as we worked to traverse the Delta Quadrant and return home, my thoughts were always of my wife, T’Pel, and my four children. Now I am home, and I am once again surrounded by my family.

  Though I was not actually born on Vulcan, I have always called the planet my home. The larger cities of Vulcan didn’t speak to me; instead I was drawn here, to T’Paal. The ocean appeals to me, though I am never far from the desert’s warmth or from the serenity to be found while meditating among the rock formations, which have stood here for uncounted generations. It is here that I met T’Pel and that our daughter, Asil, was born.

  At first, I was uncomfortable with T’Paal’s unconventional atmosphere, which seemed to flout our people’s customs and traditions. Then I met T’Pel, and it was she who helped me to appreciate the city and those who call it home. Though there are those who view T’Paal as being out of step with Vulcan societal norms, in reality the city and its people represent the very essence of the diversity we cherish.

  —Lieutenant Commander Tuvok

  GETTING AROUND

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  T’Paal is bracketed by mountains to the east and the Voroth Sea to the west. The region’s original settlers therefore expanded outward from the original village to the north and south, following the topography, so the city is long and narrow. Because of this, you can expect to do a lot of walking to get from one end of the city to the other. Modern conveyances are prohibited within the city center, and transporters are limited to official and emergency use. Skiffs and magnetic rail are used for tours of the surrounding mountains and canyons. Given the locals’ penchant for physical fitness and outdoor activities, don’t be surprised to encounter runners and hikers everywhere you go.

  SIGHTS AND ACTIVITIES

  * * *

  T’Paal’s embrace of the arts has made it a sanctuary for creative souls of every sort. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a gallery, outdoor display, or performance venue. Many of the galleries offer demonstrations and classes tailored to all skill levels, so don’t be afraid to partake of everything this welcoming city has to offer.

  Nolatihr Peace Park

  A stunning amalgamation of natural rock formations and precision stonework constructed hundreds of years ago by the region’s original settlers, the Nolatihr Peace Park is accented by the wondrous beauty of waterfalls, reflecting pools, and gardens showcasing flora from around the planet. The huge karanji cactus plants that grow here were first planted two centuries ago and now soar nearly fifty meters above the park grounds. This tranquil setting is one of T’Paal’s most inviting destinations and a popular venue for weddings and other ceremonies and family rituals. Some locals even proclaim that the site bore witness to the first ever koon-ut-kal-if-fee, the Vulcan “marriage or challenge” ritual, and ignore all attempts by historians to set the record straight. Artists and photographers find inspiration among the glades and walking paths. It’s also a popular location for meditation, and it’s common to find people having picnics or simply lounging beneath one of the many trees while reading a book and enjoying the fresh air.

  S’hekhina Gallery of Visual Art

  Founded in the early twenty-first century by celebrated Vulcan holophotographer Selek, this unassuming three-story structure is home to many of his evocative and immediately recognizable images of notable Vulcan women. Selek’s granddaughter serves as the gallery’s curator, offering insightful guided tours about his work several times each day.

  S’pranlaq Artisan Enclave

  Situated beneath an eno
rmous natural stone arch near the city’s western border, S’pranlaq is a collection of modest bungalows and other small buildings connected by cobblestone paths, which wind through the gardens, ponds, waterfalls, and numerous small rock formations that make up the enclave’s courtyard. A popular destination for artists from all disciplines, S’pranlaq began life as a commune for disciples of the goddess Akraana from Vulcan mythology, who was the wife of the war god Khosarr. In keeping with their absolute devotion to Akraana, the followers excluded themselves from the rest of Vulcan society, building and growing by hand everything they needed to sustain their closed, self-sufficient community. Though worship of the ancient gods has fallen out of favor, residents of the enclave continue to observe the old customs, maintaining the enclave even while carrying out their artistic pursuits.