**Population:** 1,000,000,000 This human race comes quickly behind the [[Illithid Empire|Illithid]] in terms of power and clout. Having formed an alliance with the illithids many cycles ago, the Varan have enjoyed their position as negotiators and scouts for the mind flayers. Unfortunately, this role has caused other human races to view the Varan as traitors and slavers. The Varan pay this little heed, as they know they can demand respect for themselves by calling on the might of their masters. Aside from the trade barons of [[Boyarny]], the Varan produce no goods and indulge in little trade. Their wealth comes from their employment with the illithids, who have set up their human servants as petty nobles. The Varan provide manpower for the illithids, who in turn provide creature comforts. A mutually profitable acquaintance, as the [[Neogi Empire|neogi]] say. The [[Boyarny]] Varan are considerably different from the others of their race, preferring what they consider honest work. They have emerged as something of a mercantile power over the past few years, and are regarded as honorable throughout [[Astromundi Cluster|Clusterspace]]. Paradoxically, the illithids view these Varan as troublemakers and have done whatever they can to either bring them into line with the other Varan, or ruin. So far, open war between the two factions has been avoided by the diplomatic skill of the [[Boyarny]] consortium. The illithids are known for patience and cunning, however, and the [[Boyarny]] Varan must be on constant guard against mind flayer treachery. ## Individuals The average Varan is predisposed toward activities of the less-than-legal sort. Over the centuries, they have come to view such activities as perfectly acceptable, though they realize that few other races share this outlook. Varan don't like to hear the nasty rumors about their [[Illithid Empire|illithid]] allies, but they don't go out of their way to defend them either. To the typical Varan in the spaceport, the illithids are a source of income and no more. ## Images ![[varan_folk.png]]