Tag Cloud:
This is an old revision of the document!
The Felani (pronounced “Fel-ah-nee”) are a mammalian species from the Fel System in the Secession Sector. Their homeworld is particularly idyllic - mostly free from extremes of weather, large predators and other dangers, as well as bountiful in resources. They were discovered in 2468PT, as the Commonality moved to secure strategic volumes of space during the Commonality-Ascendancy cold war that lingered after the Elysian Revelation. When initially encountered, they were a mostly pre-industrial society. The majority of the population concentrated on low-intensity agriculture, with lots of leisure time and community festivals. The few cities on the Felani homeworld contained a few eccentric inventors and scientific institutions that pursued science mostly as a hobby, and had developed small-scale electricity generation and some rudimentary electronics.
The Commonality initially took a hands-off approach, monitoring the Felani in secret and allowing them to develop on their own while the Faction secured the system. Disguised Elysian monitoring teams infiltrated the population and investigated their society, which they determined to be very slow in pace and relaxed in attitude. Given their homeworld's bounty, Felani society rarely had to deal with any hardships and they we considered to lack the essential incentives and societal drivers to develop spacefaring technology within the next millennium. However, the overseers of the monitoring teams noticed items and devices going missing at a much higher rate than would normally be expected, but it was put down to carelessness and given lower priority than developing the surrounding volume's defences and supply lines for the war. It was only when massive energy signals were detected by orbiting starships a 12 years after the species' discovery that the Commonality's operatives discovered the truth about the “disappeared” equipment. The Felani were well aware of the presence of the Elysian infiltrators, and had constructed elaborate networks around hiding that fact from their “visitors”. The technology that had been mislaid had been stolen, sold to Felani scientists across the planet, and reverse-engineered. Felani science had advanced rapidly in an incredibly short time, mostly under the noses of the Elysians.
Once the truth was revealed, the Felani were formally contacted by the Commonality, and diplomatic overtures begun. Over the following hundred years the species became gradually integrated into the Faction, and can now be found all over Commonality space. It took an additional fifty years before Commonality scientists discovered that the Felani were latent psions - their abilities were rarely developed to any great degree and took such a subtle form compared to those of the Elysians that they barely registered until Felani began to enter Commonality research institutions.
Having evolved on a resource-rich world with little competition, the Felani seem predisposed to being relaxed and somewhat languid. Their physiology requires more rest than the Terran standard, and most Felani typically spend half a standard day cycle asleep or resting. Although they have a tendency to be curious and adventurous, historically Felani society prized a disinterested affectation to be presented to outsiders, which still exists in a residual fashion today. Essentially a Felani may well be extremely interested in some phenomenon, culture or thing, but will put on a disinterested air around those they are not close to, only to obsess about it when among close friends. This tendency can sometimes cause problems when Felani participate in larger Confluence groups, as it interferes with them being direct and open. The Felani seem to have resisted social engineering attempts by Judges to draw them into the Commonality cultural norms, and although the tendency has lessened it has proven difficult to extinguish across the species.
are humanoid in general structure, but have one of the most unusual physiologies of any sentient organic species known in the Orion Sphere. They are blue-skinned, often with a degree of green mottling around the temples and cheeks, and patches of blue and green often extend into their hair colouring. This is thought to be an evolved form of oceanic camouflage. Their skin is also irregularly spotted with porous areas, which appear as tiny whitish spots, usually in areas where the skin is stretched over the skeleton (collarbone, elbows, etc)
The Aquerna have fringed ears and patterned ridges along their foreheads, occasionally with small horned protrusions. Due to being a primarily water-dwelling species, they have evolved to have webbed fingers, gill-like structures along their lower jaw or neck, and wide, flattened noses to help them manoeuvre underwater.
Although the Aquerna normally absorb most of the oxygen they need from the surrounding environment through their skin, this is much more difficult in air than it is in water. Vikaas Aquerna need oxygenated water to survive for long periods in atmosphere - this is usually accomplished by a flow of oxygenated water into the mouth, nose and gill structures, where their gas exchange mechanisms are concentrated. Aquerna are often seen carrying tanks containing oxygenated water which they can use to breathe from when remaining on land for periods exceeding an hour or so. The tanks usually contain technology to re-oxygenate their water supply, and connect to a circulation mechanism to pass the water across the Aquerna’s absorptive tissues.
The Vikaas Aquerna have 3 body hits and a death count of 200. Their cartilaginous skeletal structure, rubbery skin and gel-like hemolymph grants them a significant resistance to physical trauma compared to other species. Vikaas Aquerna characters may call RESIST to the first PHYSICAL Condition (e.g. broken bones, burns, etc) acquired each day, as their semi-flexible limbs compensate for the damage and their skin heals itself quickly. However, their porous outer surface affords them significantly less protection than the skin of other species, so they are much more susceptible to Radiation, Disease, and Toxins in the environment. Conditions of these types are acquired in half the time, and also progress in half the time stated on the condition card or sheet.
Vikaas Aquerna all share a diffuse form of empathy, and are psionic. Like their physical bodies, their emotions and feelings diffuse into the surrounding environment, as they simultaneously absorb the feelings presented by other sophonts nearby. The Aquerna all begin with 2 Psi Points, and can purchase powers from the Hydrolysis path, and its Branch Paths, all of which focus on the various applications of this unique form of empathy. However, the Aquerna are especially vulnerable to mirroring the emotions of other characters around them, and their roleplay should reflect that. While this does not rise to the rules robustness of the EFFECT call and similar effects, it is considered an intrinsic part of the rules for playing an Aquerna character.
The Aquerna are an aquatic species and have significant difficulty breathing in atmosphere. Without a breathing apparatus and oxygenated water tank assembly they begin to suffer. After 30 minutes without their breathing apparatus they cannot use any of their Psionic Abilities, Professional Skills or Combat Skills with the exception of Toughness and Resilience. They also suffer difficulties in communicating when deprived of their apparatus (as most incorporate Aquerna-specific translation modules). Aquerna without their breathing apparatus cannot use spoken words - they must attempt to communicate using non-verbal sounds and sign language.
