Fraal
Quiet and peaceful, the fraal (pronounced “frahl”) appear calm and composed in even the most chaotic situations. Averaging about 1.5 meters tall, the fraal are thin humanoids with large eyes; pale, almost luminous skin; and swept-back ears. While many are bald, some have wisps of silver, white, or pale yellow hair atop their large, round heads. Individual fraal can be so thin as to appear practically weightless, but most weigh about 55 kilograms. Even the youngest fraal adults have an ancient, wizened look that can be as intimidating to humans as it is disconcerting.
History
The fraal are nomadic starfarers who came to Earth more than 10,000 years ago. A large group of explorers traveled in three slow-moving colony ships, crossing the void of space over the course of many centuries. The trip was plagued by one disaster after another, though, so that by the time these colony ships reached the Sol system, contact with the fraal homeworld had been lost. In addition, damage to the ship’s computers resulted in the loss of much vital information, including some technological know-how and most historical and scholarly records—among these the location of the fraal homeworld. The starfarers were cut off, isolated from their place of origin, and unaware of their original mission. Indeed, they weren’t even sure if Earth was the destination they had been traveling to reach, or for what purpose. Thanks to eons of lost knowledge and countless mechanical breakdowns, accidents, and travel-related mishaps, these fraal were truly alone.
Initially, the fraal set up installations on Earth, building bases in isolated regions using local materials and components salvaged from their colony ships. From these hidden bases, the visitors set out to explore the planet and meet its inhabitants. Humans, still primitive but demonstrating great potential, were beginning to spread out from the geographic cradles that spawned them by the time the fraal arrived. Meetings between the two species led to the birth of many of Earth’s greatest legends. Unfortunately, such meetings rarely went well for the visitors.
Though the fraal tried to join human society from the moment they arrived in the region, they kept running into problems. Primitive humans displayed great fear when the fraal approached, looking upon the aliens as magical creatures, spirits, or even gods. As humanity advanced, making contact didn’t get any easier. Fear turned to distrust and hatred, and humanity’s violent nature was too much for the peaceful fraal to deal with. Eventually, they withdrew and went into hiding in other parts of the solar system, watching humanity from afar and waiting for the proper moment to reveal themselves. Attempts made by the fraal in the 20th century resulted in tales of flying saucers and alien abductions, but little else. If they were capable of the emotion, the fraal would have begun to despair.
At some later point in human history, however, a meeting of the minds finally took place. As humanity put aside its own hostile nature to create a world of peace, the ancient visitors revealed themselves. The fraal joined forces with the humans, helping to lead humanity to the next great plateau. A free exchange of knowledge and ideas advanced both societies in numerous ways. One of the fraal’s most significant gifts spawned a leap in technology that paved the way for true faster-than-light travel. Both sides prospered, and they soon merged to become a united society.
Special Abilities
- Psionic Proficiency: Fraal are extremely proficient in psionics. A fraal character who is a Talent or a Mindwalker has significantly higher psionic energy points than other species (Will x 1.0 or Will x 1.5 respectively).
- Natural Telepath: When using the specialty skill telepathy-contact, a fraal character expends no psionic energy unless the skill check fails.
- Psionic Focus: A Fraal character select a Psionic Specialty skill he is able to use at character creation; when using this skill he has a -1 step bonus. Every time a the character advance to the next Character Rank he can change his focus to a different skill he is able to use.
- Free Broad Skills: Awareness (PER), Resolve (WIL), Vehicle Operation (DEX), Knowledge (INT), Interaction (PER), Telepathy (WIL).
Culture & Roleplaying
Fraal aren’t physically inclined. They tend to develop their minds instead of their bodies, working as Mindwalkers or Tech Ops rather than in the Free Agent or Combat Spec professions. They are thinkers and philosophers with a deeply spiritual nature. Because they are a long-lived species, the fraal have a patient attitude that sometimes annoys humans. Their spirituality centers around mind-walking, the study and application of psionics. To them, the powers of the mind have almost religious significance; they feel that all species can find common ground by touching thoughts and sharing inner peace.
Fraal aren’t pacifists, but they believe that violence should be the last resort of an intelligent, civilized species. They can seem cold and distant, but that’s because they don’t have as wide a range of emotions as humans do—and the emotional range they do possess doesn’t shift as rapidly or unpredictably as humans’ emotions do.
Peace-loving and intellectual, fraal are natural builders and scholars—forever working on creative or scientific endeavors, building or mending relationships (both personal and political), and adding to their pool of knowledge simply for the sake of learning.
Campaign Settings
Contemporary Campaign
In a campaign set in contemporary times, the fraal are the first aliens to make contact with Earth. This is a time of paranoia and secrecy, with various powers working to keep the truth out of widespread circulation. Initially, the aliens are feared and few believe in their existence, but as the campaign unfolds the truth becomes more and more apparent. Of course, in this period of first contact, there are more than enough humans who want to exploit the fraal for personal ends. Government agencies, corporations, media moguls, and others seek to unlock the visitors’ secrets for profit, out of curiosity, or to gain power and prestige.
In this type of campaign, one or two fraal join forces with the characters, hoping to find a way to bring the two societies together. The road to peace and a better tomorrow stands before them, if they can work together to steer the two species in the right direction. This is a fragile time, and only great deeds and fortitude can keep events from tearing the world apart.
Near-Future Campaign
A campaign set in the near future describes a world where the existence of the fraal is an accepted fact, and the visitors and humans valiantly work together to conquer the stars. No corner of the solar system is off limits to the humans or their alien partners; colonies, research stations, and industrial facilities can be found as near as Earth’s moon and as far away as Saturn. This is a time of scientific exploration as the two species struggle to unlock the secrets of faster-than-light (FTL) travel—a technology whose origin lies in the combination of human and fraal science.
In this type of campaign, the fraal are everywhere. They work with every friendly government (or with the world government, if one exists), helping civilization reach to the very limits of the solar system. This is an exciting time, a time of new discoveries, new challenges, and new technologies waiting to be developed for the good of all.
Far-Future Campaign
The faster-than-light technology born from the merging of human and fraal science has opened the stars to both species. Humans and their fraal companions have established a galactic society, though the age-old problems of Earth remain to cast a shadow over everything that has been accomplished. New alien species have been discovered, and many of these take their place alongside the original human and fraal explorers. But humans like to draw lines and establish nations, and soon war and the threat of war hinders even greater progress.
Still, there are no limits on where the human spirit can go or what can be discovered. In this type of campaign, the fraal can remain behind to help guide humanity out of its latest crisis, or the species can build FTL ships and head out in a new direction—perhaps in search of the homeworld they lost so many millennia ago….