An caninoid, intelligent Major Race, with a humanoid body plan, derived from Ancient genetic manipulation of Terran carnivore/chaser stock, apparently dating from approximately the same time that Humaniti was scattered to the stars.
The typical Vargr is about 1.6 meters in height and weigh, on average, 60 kilograms. They are upright bipedal carnivores with their legs, or rear limbs, digitigrade.
Physically, the Vargr are not very impressive, by Human standards.
The Vargr senses of smell and sight are superior to those of humans.
On the average their reactions are slightly faster than those of the typical human, but individuals vary widely.
Vargr hands are very similar in size and appearance to those of a human, although there are significant internal differences.
They have approximately the same physical parameters as humans and are able to use the same equipment without modification or additional instruction.
The Vargyr are evolved from carnivore/chasers, but have also evolved strong tendencies toward omnivore/scavenger foodstuffs, and, a such, will eat nearly anything they can get their hands on including garbage, livestock, fungus, and carrion (dead animal and plant material).
Vargyr prefer protein-rich meats (Ungulates, fowl, and seafood), complex carbohydrate starches (...such as cereals, bread, pasta, etc.), and simple carbohydrates (...such as sugars) as their primary dietetic foodstuffs. Vargr supplement their diet with fruit and vegetable matter. Food digestion only takes a few hours, thus Vargr can feed several times in one day, making quick use of large quantities of meat or other foods.
Some favorite Vargyr foods and dishes include:
Inhabiting a region coreward of the Imperium, the Vargr were for years a puzzle to Imperial xenologists. Vargr-controlled space is known as the Vargr Extents.
See Vargr Extents for more information.
Research conducted during the early years of the Third Imperium concluded that the Vargyr are the result of genetic manipulation of transplanted Terran animals of the family Canidae, almost certainly of genus Canis.
The Vargr biochemistry and genetic makeup are almost identical with a number of Terran terrestrial animals, but differ radically from most of the flora and fauna indigenous to Lair, the purported Vargr home world.
The obvious conclusion, supported by archeological evidence, is that the race known as the Ancients was responsible.
See the following articles for more information:
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The Vargr have an intensive racial pride and are easily insulted. They are prone to enter into fights without regard to possible consequences.
See the following Vargyr cultural groups for more information:
Vargr social organization is difficult to characterize in Terran terms, but can be most closely compared to the Dakota Sioux of North America in the 1800's AD, if the analogy is not pressed too far. Vargr are social sophonts, and prefer to travel in nuclear families consisting of at least one mated pair (...the basic social unit), accompanied by the pair's adult offspring.
Even among the most stable Vargr governments, a highly charismatic leader can attract followers for almost anything. The neighbors of the Vargr are constantly the subject of impromptu raids and scattered piracy by bands of Vargr (totally without government sanction, of course) who have been talked into a raid, a battle, or a war by a charismatic leader.
Terran Solomani scientists call Vargyr family units "packs", which tend to be formed around several pairs of attached male-female dyads, single loners of both genders, and numerous "pups" (children). The male-female dyads are organized in an unspoken hierarchy of dominance that is constantly changing as lower-ranked members challenge higher-ranked ones..
The key elements shaping independent Vargr societies are a very strong centrifugal force resulting from an emphasis on consensus and informal lines of authority, and an equally strong centripetal force resulting from a deeply ingrained family-clan-tribe-nation loyalty.
While only a few planets populated completely by Vargr exist within the Imperium, there are millions of Vargr citizens of loyal subject planets. Additionally, Vargr adventurers, criminals, mercenaries and traders can be found throughout the coreward reaches of the Imperium.
Some Imperial Vargr live in Vargr enclaves. Others have adapted to living among Humans and other races. These are often referred to as assimilated Vargr. Assimilated Vargr have all the physical advantages and disadvantages of ethnic Vargr, but many of the typical Vargr mental traits are less pronounced and sometimes completely absent.
Scientists disagree on how much these traits are inborn but suppressed by association with Humans, or not inborn and just not learned in the first place. The comparison between dogs and wolves is highly impolitic, if difficult to avoid.
Assimilated Vargr react very poorly to the suggestion that they have been "tamed" by Humans or, even worse, are just "Humans in Vargr suits" -- claims that ethnic Vargr are quick to make. Assimilated and ethnic Vargr often react very poorly towards each other.
The Tetusu-Dene Scale was developed in the Imperial Spinward Marches as an aid to recognizing Vargr integration into Human societies on the Imperial Core-Spinward frontier. It has been adopted (in slightly modified form) by the Julian Protectorate to recognize the level of integration of societies within the Protectorate.
See Tetusu-Dene and The Panet Relationship for more information.
There is no central Vargr government; indeed, there is no governmental type that can be said to be "typically Vargr". Every conceivable form of governmental organization can be found somewhere in the Vargr Extents.
The Vargr Extents is the general term used for the area of Charted Space dominated by Vargr polities, which are inherently stable and short-lived by the standards of Humaniti.
The only cohesive force in the Extents is a fierce racial pride which causes a slight tendency towards racial cooperation. The higher the level of the Vargr government, the more unstable it becomes because of the difficulty of obtaining consent of all Vargr involved.
Centralized authority is extremely limited at the upper levels of Vargr society, and action is based on broad coalitional concerns, with a constant splitting and rejoining of dissident factions.
Traditionally, this has made it very difficult for more centralized and organized societies such as the Imperium to deal on a meaningful basis with what passes for Vargr states. The Vargr have little respect for formal authority, decreasing as that authority becomes more remote.
Vargr generally have more respect for more informal authority figures, and are more likely to obey superiors who are better known to them.
See the following articles to learn more about various Vargr Governments and political organizations:
Many of the Vargyr governments maintain relation with the following races or polities of sophonts:
Arrghoun is a now lost Vargr language. It was known widely in the Gvurrdon Sector during the -1300s, replaced by Gvegh and its related family of languages by the -900s.
Vargr language scholars believe the language was largely a trade language, developed as an aid to trade throughout the sector.
Arrghoun is a relatively simple Vargr language which in its development lost such complications as noun declensions, gender differences, or elaborate endings or prefixes.
See Aekhu, Arrghoun, Gvegh, Irilitok, Logaksu, Ovaghoun, Suedzuk , and Urzaeng for more information.
Due to the Vargr penchant to not form large, stable governments, Vargr, as a race, have not developed any one, standard calendar or time-keeping system. Instead, the Vargr have developed dozen of different calendars and time-keeping systems.
The Vargr have no accurate calendar, so dating is meaningless, however a Vargr "year" is ~1.03 Solomani years.
See Date Conversion for more information.
Most Vargyr worlds are TL 7 to TL 11 averaging TL 9 to TL 10.
Vargyr merchants and traders are well-known throughout Imperial space and beyond.
See the following Vargr economic entities to learn more:
Due to the Vargr penchant to not form large, stable governments, Vargr, as a race, have great difficulty maintaining large, organized militaries on the interstellar level.
Vargr armed forces have a much greater tendency to organize as mercenaries or corsairs (pirates).
However, like empires everywhere, the Vargr also require militaries to apply force to belligerents, and every Vargr empire to date has formed a competent military (...until it eventually fell).
Some Vargr military units include:
Some Vargr corsairs (pirates) include: