Rodulan

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Rodulan
Four Letter Code	RODU
Federation Status	Neutral
Planet of Origin	Basul Rodul
Encountered	TNG: The Most Toys
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N
List of Named Rodulans
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A civilization of artisans and farmers (Though mostly farmers) with craftsmanship second to none, the Rodulans are best known for their sculptures erroneously called Basotile by outsiders though Basotile is actually the name of the unique and incredible material Rodulans use in the creation of these highly sought after works of art. What makes Basotile so valuable is that it is pure thought given physical form and the Basotile itself molds like clay in the hands of the telepathic Rodulans. These sculptures also contain the thought that shaped them and it is this combination of the seen and unseen that makes Basotile so valued off their homeworld of Basul-Rodul. in 2134 the Rodulans broke the Warp 2 barrier and encountered a Freighter limping towards their system for a place to gather resources and repair. The Freighter crew were the first to export Rodulan art in the form of a few early and inferior pieces that are currently found on places such as Deep Space Nine, Trill and elsewhere. Eventually others picked up on the location of Basul-Rodul and started to export their own Rodulan art in the form of the more aesthetically pleasing and mentally stimulating pieces though these later pieces lack the standardized style of early Basotile works and no two are the same. Also a civilization of agriculturalists and ecologists, the few Rodulans to leave their homeworld have become highly valued in the Terraforming business.

However in the 24th Century the Rodulan's previously unimportant region of space the Betreka Nebula became a war zone between the Cardassian Union and the Klingon Empire. Basul Rodul was occupied and contested between the two powers for most of the 18 year conflict and further occupied for another three years before the Federation forced a Klingon withdrawal. Many priceless Rodulan pieces of art were either lost or destroyed in this occupation of their world and the Rodulans have begun an effort to recover some of these pieces of art in the wake of the Dominion War.

Politically the Rodulans are neutral, though they have formed with several other species of the Betreka Nebula to create the Betreka League, an alliance of species within the Nebula to ensure that they are able to enforce their own neutrality. Other members of the League see the Rodulans as freeloaders as they offer very few things to the League besides food and agricultural technology but the Rodulan's invest more of their GDP in the League than any other species. The Rodulan's also purchased several damaged Warships from Ferengi Salvage crews as a gift to the League for their defense fleet. The Rodulans themselves lack the ability (Or more likely the will) to repair these ships but the ships themselves were seen as a great gift by some of the League members.

Today the Rodulans have returned to their quiet lives as farmers and unusually adept artists in their free time though more and more young Rodulans are leaving their homeworld for the Stars above, something the rest of the Rodulans are unsure of what to do about.

Name

• Proper Name: Rodulan
• Pronunciation:

Home System

• Quadrant: Alpha
• Location: Betreka Sector (coordinates A27-0002-1300??)
• Proper Name: Basul Rodul
• Pronunciation:
• Star: It orbits a class F (Yellow-White) star
• Distance from Star: it's orbit is approximately 398 million km
• Companions: It is the 2nd planet of 4 in the system

Home World

• Proper Name: Basul Rodul
• Pronunciation:
• Diameter: 11,866 km (7,373 miles)
• Gravity: 0.93 standard gravity with a density of 5.5
• Axial Tilt: 12.8%, with normal terran seasonal changes
• Orbital Period: 428 days
• Rotational Period: 29 hours
• Classification: M
  • Surface Water: 62%
  • Atmosphere: 1.13% is a standard pressure with 71% nitrogen, 28% oxygen, 1% trace chemicals
  • Climate: Mainly a temperate planet with a couple large islands.
  • Population: Just over 800 million

History

The Old Ways (Circa 9,000 Years Ago):

Rodulan recorded history (Officially) begins 9,067 years ago with the founding of the city of Etaje on the island of Killudoran, though as modern scholars have pointed out, recorded history extends about another 1500 years before Etaje was founded though in considerably less detail. So regardless, with the founding of Etaje began the Ancient Era of the Rodulans where their incredible artistic qualities were first displayed. In this millennia long period of growth from the Bronze Age to the Steel Age, the Rodulans would map much of the surface of their paradisiac ocean world and eventually by the end of the Ancient Era, most of the major islands had established contact with one another. This era of increased contact and trade would lead to the Rodulan’s first attempt at a unified government spanning most of the planet’s surface.

The Rise and Fall of the Esharan Hegemony (Circa 8,500 Years Ago) Etaje would become the focal point of the Esharan Hegemony, the first of the major Empires in the long history of the Rodulans. This government was a unification of all of the major islands in the north of Basul-Rodul that later encompassed most of the world. It was during this time that the Rodulans first experimented with their unique form of art, “Telepathic Visualization”. Telepathic Visualization is the most basic form of Rodulan art similar to paints for most other cultures. Telepathic Visualization is thought given physical form in the image of a sculpture. Eventually Telepathic Visualization led to the lost school of Basotile in the late 70th Age.

However ambitious the Hegemony’s plans were, as the name implies, the Esharani didn’t simply govern other islands, they dominated them. This system of Etaje dominating the Hegemony in a near brutal fashion, combined with the very slow means of communication between Etaje and other member states made the Hegemony unsustainable. Though the Hegemony enjoyed a short 30 year period of reform on Etaje’s part during the reign of Archon Dreddica the Gone Too Soon, her successor Archon Heddila the Last, proved a ruler bent on establishing an Empire based on Etaje’s control of the league, however her wars backfired and the Hegemony collapsed upon itself…

The Great Reformation and the Dawn of the 1st Age: (Circa 8,000 Years Ago)

After the collapse of the Esharan Hegemony the different Islands also warred with one another and Basul Rodul descended into a Dark Age. Many priceless works of art would be lost during this time and this era of warfare also marked the first instances of Rodulan telepathy being used as a weapon.

But the teachings of an important philosopher survived the wars (At least in part) and this spectre from the Past lead to the Great Reformation that lead to the development of modern Rodulan society based upon the principle that each individual community was entitled to self-rule and all should unite for the common good. While the latter part of the Reformation took many years to implement, the Autonomous Islands gradually grew into the Rodulan League made up of independent Islands banding together to promote shared ideals of Federalism and Direct Democracy.

The first island to implement these ideals was Killudoran and it is the formation of the Killudoran Canton 8,492 years ago that marks the start of the Rodulan Calendar. The calendar states that every hundred years is an Age, and that every ten Ages is an Era.

For Example… Year 10 of the 3rd Age of the 4th Era would be represented as 4:3:10: Each Age and Era is also given a creative name by the Collective of Chrono-Guardians in Etaje, this name is based upon signs and portents reviewed in the 99th year of the Age and the 999th year of the Era.

For Example… Year 10 of the 3rd Age of the 4th Era would also be known formally as Year 10 of the Towers Age in the Divine Era. Another less formal example primarily used by the vast majority of the Rodulan population simply recognizes the year and age. For example, 3:10 Towers would represent the 10th year of the third age named Towers.

The First Era/Glory Era: (Circa 7,900 Years Ago)

The Glory Era reaped the benefits of the Great Reformation and the spreading of these ideas and the formations of different Cantons across Rodulan. The Rodulans also started to form scattered rural agrarian communities versus the City States of the Ancient Era and the Esharan League. There is however a deep sense of unity among these communities and many form grand Federalist leagues with some major economic centers. The rural communities providing the cities with food and crafted goods and the cities providing the agrarian villages with protection, technology and a better standard of living later became the basic foundation of the Rodulan concept of the Island State.

The Second Era/The Black Era: (Circa 6,900 Years Ago)

To call the second Era the ‘Black Era’ is a bit of a misnomer considering it’s extremely peaceful history and it is universally accepted among the Rodulan population that the Chrono-Guardians made a very serious error in their reading of the signs.

The Black Era is also known as the ‘Dull Era’ since not much happened in the way of technological advancement. Not even further spreading of the Great Reformation occurred until the end of the Era. Around the time of the third Era, the Rodulans held a technological level similar to the High Middle Ages though as the Rodulans will fiercely point out, the Second Era was more hygienic, safer and just plain happier than Europe was at the time.

The Third Era/The Blessed Era: (Circa 5,900 Years Ago)

The Third Era is commonly considered the most significant of the early Era’s post the Great Reformation and involved a sudden burst of the teachings of the Reformation and a series of (Relatively) rapid technological advancements that propelled the Rodulans into an era of technological development similar to Earth of the early 1700’s.

A new series of Religious sects developed on Basul Rodul as well and it is from this renewed sense of religious interest that the Era takes its name from. These religions all stemmed from a common source in the form of the Prophetess Dikken and quickly spread across the islands. These religions are noted for their non-existent Dogma and though these various sects differ in their interpretations of Drikken’s prophecies and teachings, they rarely quarrel with one another. In the cases where this did happen it was found that Religions themselves fought with one another and the sane masses of religious Rodulans refused to take part in holy war. A mirror of what happened on Earth where religious followers fought one another but not religions themselves.

The Fourth Era/The Divine Era: (Circa 4,900 Years Ago)

Where the rest of Basul Rodul progressed slowly in their technological development, the Krzexxi Islands of the South-West of the planet progressed in a similar fashion to Earth (Albeit more slowly) and fully embraced industrialization and did not cling to remnants of Agrarian life. As such, by the time of the Divine Era the Krzexxi were already past their industrial revolution and had ironclad warships, advanced medicines and a technological level of mid-19th century Europe while the rest of the Rodulans slowly advanced towards the industrial revolution. Their caution and slow development as to not affect their highly agrarian culture would later prove to be their undoing…

The Kzrexxi began a long two and a half ages of conquest of the rest of Basul Rodul and though they proceeded to conquer much of Tikan (The largest continent) they were eventually driven back by Iddanii Continental forces utilizing telepathic abilities. So for the next four thousand years the two groups of Rodulans, the Tikan and the Iddanii to the East and the Krzexxi to the West, remained polarized to the point of a millennia long cold war.

In the last Age of the Era a series of Ozaras (The female religious head of the main sect of Dikkenism) were elected that united the various factions of Dikkenism under one banner and contributed to the religious cohesiveness the Rodulans exhibit today. It is believed that this is where the 4th Age received its name within the signs.

The Fifth Era/The Storm Era: (3,900 Years Ago)

An age marked by rapid industrial development in the East and the complete overturn of standard life in the Fourth Era, the Fifth Era is commonly seen as the first major turning point in Rodulan history as the entire species progressed rapidly towards a technological level of 21st century Earth. This Era also marked a decrease in traditional Agrarian lifestyle and increased urbanization in the East. A less mutually beneficial and advanced form of capitalism also evolved in the East that for the first time in thousands of years, some Rodulans found themselves incredibly poor and unable to provide for themselves with the collapse of their Agrarian society.

The Storm Era ended with Revolution brewing on the Horizon as the gap between the poor farmers and the rich industrialists became greater and greater.

The Sixth & Seventh Eras: (2,900 years ago to 998 Years Ago)

A great time of upheaval, the Sixth and Seventh Eras were marked by constant and vicious war, both internally and externally. This period was a violent one in Rodulan history and is quite thoroughly documented thanks to a system of “Telepathic Historians” like the Ullians though it is rarely spoken of. The Rodulans maintained a peak technological level similar to that of early 21st century Earth but the technological level only remained constant on some parts of the planet.

Civilizations fell and were rebuilt again and again in the fires of non-nuclear war and it wouldn’t be till the mid Seventh Era that things would even begin to return to normal as the Krzexxi reached out to the East in a surprising gesture of goodwill to stabilize the region.

The telepathically sensitive compound Basotile was first discovered during this time of the aftermath of global war and the first Basotile works were created. While it is impossible to really know which one was the first, Kivas Fajo believed he had the first one ever created.

The Eighth Era/The Exalted Era

The beginning of the Eight Era was characterized by the growing Unity brought about by the last half of the Seventh Era and technological development that lead to a return to peaceful agrarian life. Green Technology was embraced and while the Rodulans took several centuries to turn their heads to the stars, the Rodulans sustained a technological level slightly more advanced than Earth of the 22nd century.

Rodulans returned to the arts during this time as farming became easier and easier and they had more and more time to devote to other disciplines. Rodulan society also evolved during this time to a more cerebral and introspective one and while rural life was still the focus of their society, it became steadily less agrarian and geared more towards serenity and living one with nature. Rodulans have shifted to being artists and scientists as their main focus and being farmers second, a reverse of their old philosophy.

This slow but steady turn towards science eventually lead to Rodulan warp capability in 2130 and their breaking of the Warp 2 barrier four years later. It was during one of these early warp flights that the Rodulans discovered a damaged freighter limping towards their system and brought it back to make repairs. The crew of the freighter instantly thought of the value of Rodulan art (Especially Basotile pieces) and began steady exportation of what the Rodulans considered early and inferior pieces. One of these early pieces would later be sold to Kivas Fajo under the assumption that it was the first Basotile piece ever created. That information is of course impossible to know but the piece was early enough to be in the running for the title and he displayed it proudly.

However in 2328 the Betreka Nebula became a war zone between the Cardassian Union and the Klingon Empire. Basul Rodul was occupied for 23 years from two years before the conflict began to three years after it ended and the Klingons were forced to withdraw. The Occupation of Basul Rodul lacked the brutality of the Occupation of Bajor but the effects on both respective peoples and cultures were the same. The Rodulans were now keenly aware that they were part of a dangerous galaxy and without a means to defend themselves. A few years later the Rodulans and several other species from the Betreka Nebula formed an Alliance to keep themselves neutral through their own armed forces. The Rodulans contribute little militarily to this Alliance but have donated considerable sums of money towards the Betreka Nebula League in order for the defense fleet to be maintained.

During the Occupation a great many Rodulan pieces of art were either stolen, lost or destroyed and since the Dominion War the Rodulans have been offering hefty sums of money to whoever returns these works of art to them. They are especially interested in recovering the lost Basotile pieces from two centuries ago.

Government

The Rodulan Confederation, as outlined by the Constitution of 1457, is a federal state consisting of legislative jurisdictions known as Cantons divided into three levels, the Federal, Canton, and Local. The three main bodies of the Confederation are the Confederate Courts to handle judicial matters, the Confederate Assembly acting as a legislature, and the Confederate Committee to act as the ruling body.

The Confederate Assembly consists of two houses, the 500 member Canton Council with two members per each Canton and the 1500 member House of Directors with the number of directors proportionate to each Canton's population though the number is always kept at 1500. Through referendums, citizens may challenge any of the laws passed by the Assembly and through petitions can introduce amendments to the Constitution and introduce laws.

The Confederate Committee consists of 11 members that all serve collectively as the head of state. Each member is elected for four year terms and the Chairman of the Committee is elected through the Confederate Assembly from among the Committee members. The Chairman chairs the government and assumes certain representative functions but the office of the Chairman carries no additional powers and the Chairman still functions as a department head within the administration. Chairmen are elected for two year terms in between election cycles.

Physiology

A Rodulan Eye

The Rodulans are nearly identical to Humans save that the Rodulan eye is completely and totally black without any other pigmentation. This gives the Rodulans a rather alarming appearance to most other species and as such, some Rodulans (Mostly those few in Starfleet) will wear contact lenses when in prolonged contact with other races. Internally the Rodulans resemble Ferengi and Boslics with a four lobed brain though this brain is far more compact and has not resulted in an enlarged head. This brain structure has left the Rodulans difficult to read by most telepathic species and many Betazoids find the Rodulan's minds very alien and uncomfortable from the brief glimpses they gain.

Rodulans have similar lifespans to Romulans and maintain a youthful appearance for over 300 years before aging normally for another fifty to seventy.

Telepathy

A somewhat important factor of Rodulan culture, telepathy is both an ability and a skill to the Rodulans as it is commonly used in their advanced art forms (Most notably Basotile which is thought given physical form). It is thought that their four lobed brain and black eyes have contributed to this species' incredible telepathic strength comparable to the Ullians. However due to their unique brain structure, Rodulans are blind to other Rodulans unless one individual is either very powerful or very weak, as such their society is not as open as the Betazoid's. The Rodulans are highly sensitive to surface thoughts and easily slip into the thoughts of aliens largely because their incrediblely powerful psionics are untrained. Rodulan telepathy is also far more intrusive and like the Ullians, they are capable of telepathic rape if they are not careful. Another draw back (Or some would say advantage) to Rodulan telepathy is that any sort of probing into an alien individual's mind is not a pleasant process and is usually quite painful. The longer they dig, the more pain is caused and there is a risk of neural decay or overload.

However if Rodulans do not utilize their mental powers often enough (Espescially during old age) neural decay will set in from a lack of stimulation. So for many elder Rodulans Basotile is as much recreation as it is living healthy.

It is perhaps through this combination of mental traits why Rodulans are so uninterested in aliens and why they stick to their homeworld.

Religion

The Rodulans are highly religiously homogenous and all Rodulans follow the Ozara Sect of Dikkenism. Dikkenism is a rather loose religion without much dogma to it and in fact preaches a limited form of skepticism in blind prostration, ritual and prayer and Dikkens should always be questioning the rationale of their belief system so that it can be modified to suit the times. The Rodulans worship a Goddess called The Artist and see the universe as her canvas. The Artist sees all and keeps her masterpiece forever in balance and ever changing. It is believed that The Artist bestowed the Prophetess Dikken with a series of prophecies and when she disappeared Dikken was taken to the side of The Artist to help her further paint the canvas that is the Universe.

Culture

Basotile

Perhaps the most sought after pieces of art in the quadrant, Rodulan Basotiles are sculptures shaped by telepathy and through long and tiring hours of working, eventually a slab of Basotile will form into a sculpture physically representing the thoughts of the individual that made it and contain an imprint of this thought within it. This combination of seen and unseen is what makes these pieces so valued. While the early forms of Basotile are rather complex, unatractive, and bulky, later forms of Basotile (Most notably those crafted with 'Diamond Glass Basotile') are usually serene, flowing and incredibly beautiful.

Basotile sculpture as an exported art form exist in rarities since most Rodulans engage in Basotile crafting as a past time and frequently remold the Basotile to represent a new thought to reflect their current state of mind. Basotile art is also highly personal and representive of an individual's mental state and the Rodulans believe that a part of them lies within these sculptures. A few pieces have made it off world though though many of these pieces were looted from Occupation of Basul Rodul during the Betreka Nebula Incident and the Rodulans are very insistent on getting them back.

Basotile art has existed for fifteen hundred years give or take and it is difficult to pin point where the technique began though Kivas Fajo believed he hand the first Basotile ever created. Upon his arrest his collection was seized and the Basotile returned to the Rodulans and it was confirmed as a very early example of Basotile through the thought held within it though it is still impossible to know if it was the first.

• 

  An early form of Basotile owned by Kivas Fajo.

• 

  A later form of Basotile, the so called 'Diamond Glass' variety, the rarest kind of Basotile.

• 

  A contemporary form of Basotile in the currently popular 'Spectrum' kind of Basotile

Customs

• It is considered rude to divert one's gaze from the person that they are conversing with save for if one is performing another task like pouring a cup of tea or they are not sitting down together.
• Rodulans have no concept of marriage, two souls are bound together in mutual understanding but that bond is not always eternal and Rodulans do not force or expect two people to stay together forever.
• Having children together is a very serious undertaking in Rodulan society and many couples sometimes take decades to prepare themselves and test the strength of their relationship to prove themselves worthy of having children. Those individuals who rush into having children are looked down upon in Rodulan society and the community will often force themselves into the child's life to fill the gaps the parent's rash choices have made. Rodulan convention also dictates that couples should have at least two children but no more than five to teach the children how to interact with others and so that parents have enough time to spend raising their children.
• The exchanging of pieces of art (In particular Basotile) between friends, family and lovers is seen as giving part of your soul to the other person as Rodulans consider part of their soul to flow into the art that they create. If the artwork is returned it symbolizes the loss of a relationship and separation.
• Rodulans are expected to court for a year before settling down together and are expected to move in together into a new place that was never either party's former residence (A modified tradition of the old Rodulan custom of a bonded couple moving onto a new farm together).
• When Rodulans first meet another they will stare directly into the other's eyes for a few minutes as a sign of openness.
• The exchange of a Basotile that embodies a couple's first meeting is a sort of 'Proposal' indicating that one party desires to live together as one with the other. If the offer is accepted the two now bonded individuals will reform the Basotile into a symbol of their joined lives and shared love, if a couple splits apart the Basotile is smashed. The party that presents the Basotile to the other may be male or female, Rodulans see the soul as gender neutral and gender roles and sexual discrimination are seen as utterly barbaric. As such any two Rodulans may be bonded regardless of gender, male and female, male and male, female and female, it matters not in the eyes of The Artist.

Technology

The Rodulans are proponents of advanced 'Green' Technology that allows them to live in harmony with nature. They have advanced agricultural technology and have a technological level equal to that of any other major developed planet in the Alpha Quadrant. The Rodulans, however, care very little for space travel and aliens in general. They have a small fleet of shuttle craft and freighters to sell their artworks and export their food in exchange for money or technology but they never travel far from the homeworld.

Economy

They sell various artistic works, the most popular and well know are called basotile. Other than this they do not usually sell anything else. As for what they purchase in exchange. That is usually advanced technology, raw materials, exotic foods and art supplies and various examples of different alien art forms. Nothing else really interests them.

Military

None. The Rodulans themselves have no formal space combat abilities save for a recent Orbital Defense grid installed at the end of the Occupation and their extremely limited weapons on their shuttles and freighters. The Rodulans rely on the Betreka League Defense Fleet for protection.

Federation Intelligence Files

Unknown at this time.

Notes

Information for this article was obtained from Memory Alpha and Beta as well as the TV episodes TNG: the Most Toys, DS9: Necessary Evil, DS9: Equilibrium and VOY: Fair Trade. The novel DS9: Rising Son was also used.

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