Physically, Romulans are almost identical to their Vulcan cousins. However, the Romulans lack the rigorous mental disciplines developed by the followers of Surak and this, combined with the more benign environmental conditions on Romulus, has greatly limited the physical capabilities of Romulans compared to their ancestors. As a species the Romulans are generally thought of as duplicitous, a reputation the actions of their government over the last decade has reinforced. In particular, the Romulan Intelligence Service, the Tal'Shiar, is renowned for its ruthlessness and deceitfulness.

The Romulans rapidly spread to their system's second habitable planet, Remus. From there they founded an interstellar empire spanning many worlds. In the 2150's this empire came into contact with what would come to be known as the Federation. Relations between Humans and Romulans continued to be poor, and eventually a brief but intense war resulted. Long after the war was ended, a Romulan Bird of Prey penetrated the Neutral Zone to test Federation defences. The ship was destroyed but this action marked a long 'cold war' between the two powers. Eventually this culminated in the Tomed Incident of 2311, when thousands of Federation lives where lost to the Romulans. The incident led to the Treaty of Algeron, which forbade the Federation from developing cloaking technology and reaffirmed the existence of the Neutral Zone. Subsequent to this the Romulans cut off all contact with the Federation.

Eventually the tension softened and the Romulans agreed that they would again take a more active role in intersteller relations. They acted in opposition to the Federation for some years, until the emergence of the Dominion threat in 2370.

In the Delta Quadrant, there exists a significant Romulan presence, lead by Tal'Shiar Admiral Custle tr'Khellian. The Romulans formed an alliance with the Falcarians immediately upon their arrival in the Delta Quadrant via the Seru Wormhole. They later formed an alliance with the Ssoran Hegemony and have since been behind every significant action against the Federation. In particular, Admiral Custle has a personal vendetta against Captain Reena Harras and has been hunting her since he first became aware of her presence.

INFORMATION

Species: Romulan
Classification: Bi-pedal Humanoid
Affiliation: Romulan Empire
Homeworld: Romulus
Location: Beta Quadrant

Special Abilities:
Romulans are not as physically strong as Vulcans and do not have the same mental prowess, but are tended towards empathy within their own species and are stronger than humans. They are renowned for their deceitfulness and devious nature. They are a highly xenophobic species and distrustful of all other species. They are, however, highly developed as a society.

Traits:
Devious, intelligent, strong

Description:
Romulans are characterised by their pointed ears and the bony ridges on their foreheads. They typically have olive skin and very smooth dark to grey hair.