The Vaani (Ryǩka: Vaanckii [zʷaːnɕkiː]) are natives of Vaan, largest moon of Saracä [saʁaɕe] in the Ünẅko [onɯkɑ] System. Physically, they are a canine, bipedal, humanoid species, though the length of their ears and whiskers are exaggerated. According to Vaani folklore this is a sign of superior intelligence, and if one is curious about the mental capabilities of another all they need do is to examine the length of the ears and whiskers of the individual in question. Obviously, there is absolutely no scientific basis to any of this, and it is used as nothing more than an anecdote for the purpose of entertaining children, though some children subsequently have at times in their immaturity accepted it as fact and wrongfully judged all alien species lacking whiskers or any sort of pointed ears to have no intellectual ability. In addition to the now thoroughly discussed whiskers and ears, they sport everything else one would expect, including prominent teeth, claws, a muzzle, a well groomed coat of fur the head from head to toe, with a mane of thicker fur framing, and a tail. Omnivorous in the truest sense of the word, they are willing to eat just about everything that isn't poisonous, and are notorious for the size of their appetites. Vaani are also digitigrades, a fact which his made easily observable by their habit of eschewing footwear of any sort on normal occasions. Another easily observed feature of the Vaani is their size and stature. Standing 7'6" feet in height and weighing 500 lbs on average, they are by human standards a large people with a powerful build that affords all of the physical strength one would expect from it, but not however the brutish temperament. On the contrary, the Vaani are generally a well composed and contemplative lot, and usually pursue a pacifistic approach to life and the universe. Or at least that's what they want other species to think of them, and those privy to the less widely publicized moments of Vaani life report all sorts of less than dignified behavior. Vaani reach maturity by age 25, and with access to a safe and sanitary living environment and proper medical technology live until roughly the age of 350.
The Vaani are a very community minded people, and see nothing wrong with the sentiment of "a place for everyone and everyone in their place". The economy tends towards a planned state of affairs, with individuals pushed towards whatever field of work they will nominally excel at and a significant redistribution of income. Children are raised not by their respective parents but instead communally in children's creches by those deemed best suited to the task, something which is evidenced by the lack of surnames in Vaani naming conventions. One of the factors that leads to and facilitates such a socially minded culture is the fact that the Vaani species as a whole shares a low level communal psyche. The effects of it are not significant for most Vaani, except in cases of extreme social trouble and upheaval, but certain individuals are trained to enhance their awareness and control over it for certain positions and jobs in Vaani society.
Technologically, the Vaani have through years of painstaking research made great strides in understanding the the universe at the quantum level, and the knowledge that this has subsequently unlocked forms one of the foundations of Vaani technology. Through probability mechanics some semblance of order has been brought to the quantum chaos, and probably one of the most significant practical applications has been the use of quantum tunneling to facilitate faster than light travel and communication over long distances. However this technology has not been put to expensive use as the Vaani have not invested a great amount of resources into launching manned deep space expeditions to worlds beyond. The science though is certainly far from perfected, and the research continues. It is purported that currently the application of probability mechanics as a defensive measure, tentatively and unimaginatively dubbed the "probability shield", is being finalized and that ambitious scientists are without missing a step plunging into quantum temporal manipulation. Some have also raised the idea of applying probability mechanics to offensive ends, but the pacifistic Vaani have not yet carried through with this.
Vaani at one point in time spoke a myriad of individual languages. However the forces of globalization have in time brought matters to a point where all Vaani share a common tongue. DubbedRyǩka [ʁyɧka], the language is notable for featuring vowel harmony, phonemic vowel length, phonemes articulated simultaneously at three points and a lack of pronouns, as well as two secondary articulations for consonants, colloquially dubbed "howling" and "growling" (technically labialization and uvularization) in keeping with the Vaani's canine physiology, and the the pairing of most vowels in plain and "howled" (rounded) forms. Counting vowel and consonant length, the language distinguishes 59 separate sounds, and being to properly speak the language is simply out of the question for most. Even with the aid of technology, precise and accurate translation often poses several points of difficulty,
The Ünẅko System is home to five planets. Closest to the star Ünẅko is small Ewwo [əwɑ], second smallest of the five. It is a chthonian planet, its gaseous atmosphere having been stripped away some time ago by Önẅko's gravity. The resulting planet is the metallic core that remains. Ewwo has actually fallen just within Ünẅko's Roche limit, and has begun to fall apart entirely. Next from Önẅuko is Skaa [skaː], a tiny lifeless rock lacking the gravity to even hold onto a proper atmosphere. Third, and second largest in size, is the planet Bežram [bəʑ͡ʁam], a gaseous planet of a medium size. The particulates of the iron oxide which permeate the planet's roiling atmosphere lend it a distinct reddish hue. The large gas giant Saracä is the biggest of the five planets, and the planet around which Vaan circles. Methane in its atmosphere colors it a rich blue. Both third largest and smallest of the planets, small Wecraadaake [ɰəɕ͡ʁaːdaːkə] is the farthest from the sun. It is a dead planet, scorched completely. Presumably the civilization which created the occasional ruins dotting the surface was in some way responsible. In addition to Vaan Gemä [gəme], Crüü [ɕ͡ʁoː] and Zdraka [ʑdʁaka] orbit Saracä. Meanwhile, Wecraadaake is orbited by Iijii [i:ji:] and Masrage [mas͡χagə], Bežram by lonely Go [gɑ] and Ewwo by Žemuun [ʑəmuːn] and Mänyctran [menyɕtʁan]. Tiny Skaa lacks any major natural satellites.
