Cimmerian

"We were born to heal, but we neglected our duty."

- The Cimmerians, regretting not being able to help the Solarians and being forced to hide from them.

The Cimmerians (a name given to them by Humans, not one that they use or acknowledge themselves) are an offshoot of the Solarian species which adapted to an underground existence on the planet Cimmeria IV.

Biology
The Cimmerians are small child-like blind humanoids with pale grayish skin. The Doctor describes them as not ugly, but rather physiologically simple. He describes their faces as having "flat, almost invisible nose, small slit for a mouth [and] dark flat eyes". Despite that, the Cimmerians have no concept of eyes, since theirs are non-functional. They do understand what "light" means, but they refer to "tasting" light, rather than seeing it.

The Cimmerians evolved from a group of Solarians called "Healers", known for their psychic abilities. As such, they still possess such abilities as to shift their molecular form (allowing them to pass through solid walls, for instance) and to heal injuries of other beings, both physical and psychological (such as insanity). However, the healing is compulsory, not voluntary. Whenever they see an injured being they will feel compelled to heal them, even at the expense of the Cimmerian's own life as they may die from the effort.

History
Many ages ago, the Solarians were hit by a devastating plague, which took the lives of many healers as they involuntarily gave their life energies to attempt to cure those affected. A number of healers fled to the planet Cimmeria IV, but unfortunately, the plague victims followed them, resulting in even more death. In a desperate effort, the healers used their advanced abilities to block out all light emitted by the Cimmerian sun, casting the whole system in eternal darkness. With no light to power their solar ships, the Solarians could no longer travel through the Cimmerian system, and the healers were thus abandoned there. As several generations passed, these healers would forget about their origins and evolve into a subterranean race which Humans would later name the Cimmerians.

Appearances

 * Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories - "Embrace the Darkness" (2002)