Elas
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Elas, one of two inhabited Class M worlds in the Tellun system, is home to the haughty and militaristic Elasians. The Elasians warred with their spacefaring neighbors, the Troyians, for generations until the Federation stepped in to broker a peace between the two sides. The Federation has an ongoing interest in keeping things quiet in the Tellun system, since the Troyians’ homeworld of Troyius is a key supplier of dilithium. (TOS: "Elaan of Troyius")
Climate
Elas has a climate that corresponds with the mean for Class M worlds, except that its precipitation is slightly below average. Its sub-arctic regions are cold and dry and lashed in the winter by strong winds; few Elasians live there, and those who do rely on hunting and gathering instead of agriculture. The tropical and sub-tropical bands are well suited to agriculture and settled living, and so the vast majority of Elasians live near the equator.
Geography
Elas has five continental landmasses, each of which are connected by narrow land bridges or separated from the rest only by narrow bodies of water. The three closest to the equator are the most densely inhabited, and they feature fertile plains and mountain valleys that can support high population levels.
Civilization
Elasians are a humanoid race characterized by their square-shouldered builds, tan complexions, high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. Elasian females are renowned for their beauty throughout their sector of the Beta Quadrant. Even more remarkable, their tears contain psychotropic chemicals that are absorbed through the skin, so that whoever touches the tears of an Elasian female falls in love with her.
Throughout their history, the Elasians have been a tribal and warlike race with a semi-feudal social and political structure. Individual Elasians owe their primary loyalty to their local chieftain, who has the right to demand service from all of their followers of military age (for most of their history, only males served as soldiers, but more recently some leaders have allowed females to serve as well). In turn, local warlords owe their allegiance to a regional overlord, although some local lords pay homage directly to the Elasians’ world leader, the Dohlman. Each Dohlman rules for life, and upon the death of one all of the regional lords and the most important local leaders gather to elect a new one from amongst their own ranks.
It isn’t always easy for a member of an alien race to get along with an Elasian. They cultivate a haughty demeanor, especially if they are of noble birth. They do not yield easily or gracefully when disagreeing with someone, and they believe that showing weakness — especially to non-Elasians — is the most contemptible thing that they can do. This makes them difficult negotiating partners, but Federation anthropologists who have studied the Elasians argue that it is the logical end product of a culture through which warrior virtues have been disseminated so thoroughly for so long.
Economy
Unlike its sister planet Troyius, Elas possesses no mineral wealth around which an export economy could be built. Its fertile plains allow the Elasians to produce more food than they need for themselves, though, and so agricultural staples are its main export, along with native crafts, textiles and jewelry.
History
The Elasians share the Tellun system with another spacefaring race, the Troyians, who occupy the homeworld of Troyius. Both races developed the capacity for interplanetary travel in the 22nd century, but from the moment that they became fully aware of each other they became rivals, and rivalry quickly led to war. Elas and Troyius attacked, raided and bled each other for decades before they made first contact with the Federation in 2258. Both joined the UFP soon thereafter, but continued to skirmish.
Federation geological surveys then confirmed that Troyius held valuable heavy metal and mineral deposits. This conferred great strategic importance on the planet. In 2268, Starfleet sent no less an ambassador than the Enterprise to aid peace negotiations between the warring parties. An agreement to end the war and betroth Dohlman Elaan of Elas to the Principus of Troyius nearly collapsed, however, when Enterprise captain James Kirk briefly became enamored of the Dohlman after coming into contact with her tears. Captain Kirk shook off the effects of the aphrodisiac and saw to it that both sides signed and swore to the peace treaty.
Upon her marriage, Elaan abdicated, thus becoming the only Dohlman of the Elasians to vacate the position before her death. She was succeeded by her nephew, Dokuun of Panderos. Since Elas and Troyius made peace with each other, there have been no significant violations of their treaty, although every generation of Elasians seems to have its young bucks who wonder why Dohlman Elaan ever consented to it (on submissive terms, no less, since she gave up her throne). The most capable (and most dangerous) among them sometimes get shipped off to serve with Starfleet to keep them from making trouble at home.
All the same, the Federation keeps a close eye on affairs in the Tellun system. True to the Federation’s original survey data, Troyius has become a major supplier of dilithium to Starfleet. Renewed warfare between the Elasians and the Troyians would severely disrupt the flow of dilithium from Troyius. Therefore, any sign that hostilities between Elas and Troyius might resume would set off alarm bells, especially if the Federation faced military confrontation elsewhere — imagine the panic if Starfleet were to lose even part of its dilithium supply during the Federation-Cardassian War or the Dominion War. Maintaining the peace in the Tellun system remains a high priority for the UFP diplomatic corps.
Places of Interest
Ekeos is the largest city on Elas and the Dohlman’s seat of power. Before the advent of world government for the Elasians, Ekeos was the capital of one of its most successful ancient kingdoms, also named Ekeos. Elaan, the Dohlman who sacrificed her throne for peace with the Troyians, was descended from Ekeos’ last ruling dynasty (about half of Elas’ Dohlmans could also claim connection to that bloodline).
The Dohlman’s stately palace was once the residence of the monarchs of Ekeos, although it has been refurbished and expanded on many occasions since ancient times. It is noted for its lush courtyard gardens, imposing stone columns (ornamented in a style that reminds Terran observers of Classical Greece) and the vivid colors of its decorations.
Reference(s)
- Burns, Eric, Kenneth A. Hite & Doug Sun. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 7: Worlds, Decipher, 2005. ISBN: 1582369097.