Age of Vulcan Antiquity

History of Vulcan Civilization
The ancient Vulcan people were divided into tribal lines and consisted of extended clans that were organized together for protection against the harsh environment of the desert. These tribes existed in a nomadic fashion, where they traveled between different reservoirs of water. Some eventually established permanent settlements in areas that provided adequate food, water and shelter, these sites being the source of the first city-states.

Much of this part of Vulcan history is uncertain, as there were many legends that spoke of angry gods, wars in the sky and tales of psionic might. The only trace of such events were the scattered ruins that dotted the planets' surface. It is believed that certain Vulcans demonstrated moderate amounts of psionic talents at this time, their abilities making them revered by their people, who viewed such individuals as favored by their deities. Such Vulcans were often focal points within their tribes, and the source of many alliances between the different families, though some resorted to violence in order to acquire such individuals. In addition, there was violent and bitter competition for natural resources, leading to fierce conflict.

During the early eras of Vulcan civilization, it difficult to gather sufficient metals and ores. This was not because the world was resource-poor, but rather because valuable minerals were located too deep below the surface to be easily mined. As such, Vulcan metalsmiths had to work extremely hard in order to craft the items that they needed, from simple weapons to agricultural tools.

This changed as mindsciences developed that allowed adepts to locate veins of ores and pull them from the crust psychokinetically.

At one point during ancient Vulcan history, the world was invaded by a race of non-corporeal entities that relished in causing death and destruction. Conventional weapons were incapable of killing these creatures. Fortunately, the Vulcan Sajik created the Sword of Sajik, which was used to slay many of the creatures, eventually driving them away from Vulcan.

Eventually, Vulcan began to develop weapons of mass destruction, including atomic weaponry. Initially, these weapons were used frequently, but such use did not provoke a worldwide disarmament program, as was the case on other worlds. These ancient atomic wars ravaged the surface of Vulcan, permanently distorting a region of its magnetic field, and leading to frequent energy discharges in the red sands.

Rather than stop the use of such destructive weapons, the ancient Vulcans instead refined their usage to create 'cleaner' weapons, such as 'neutron bombs' designed to kill the inhabitants of a city but leave the surrounding region unharmed. Records indicated that even at their most violent phase of their existence where they committed a number of atrocities in the name of conquest, no Vulcan had ever hunted another or treated their brothers as if they were beasts.