The Greys / Sectoids / Vruun'na - 5 points ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -30 -3 ST +10 +1 IQ -25 Mute +30 Telepathy 5 - No Concentration Required +10 Reduced Sleep +10 Telesend at IQ+3 Vruun'na are dimunitive aliens, rarely reaching 5 feet in height. Their skin is a pale grey pallor, and the their heads seem much too large for their bodies. They have tiny holes on the sides of their heads that serve surprising well for ears, and only the tiniest slit for a mouth. Their eyes are universally pupiless, and jet black in color. They are not actually mute, they can emit a quiet, but high pitched chirping sound form their tiny mouths. This sound plays no part in their language, which is telepathic and based on a combination of tones and images. For a human to learn it, requires telepathy and is considered a Mental Hard skill. Similarly, they find human languages whether syllable or tonal based very difficult, and will usually insert images while speaking in an otherwise human language. For the Vruun'na, all human languages are considered to be Mental Hard skills. They are a passive people, more concerned with science and learning than with carving out an empire of their own. They once had a star spanning empire with wondrous technology that can only be dreamed of today. It's still a mystery what happened to it. Sometimes crazed warp junkies stumbles into port, speaking of massive arrays, or even bearing some strange alien device of unknown origin. Unfortunately, all that remains of this once great race are these rumors and assorted trinkets. A small sect of Vruun'nan monks have dedicated their lives to discovering the truth of what happened, and restoring their old lifestyle. Their behavior is often strange, but they usually have wondrous devices, and powerful abilities. Great care should be taken when dealing with the Vann Vruun. Technology ~~~~~~~~~~ Most great technological wonders were old Vruun'na innovations, and have been improved upon by Human scientists. This places the universe at a predominantly tech level 10, with tech level 11 psionic equipment, and the occasional TL11 or TL12 artifact popping up here or there. Consult the GM to see if any one particular piece of equipment is available. . A Brief History of the Universe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Vruun'na were once a glorious race. They had incredible technology that allowed them to have a massive star spanning empire. Inquisitive by nature, they traveled the stars seeking to understand it's greatest mysteries. Things began to disintegrate the day they discovered another intelligent race in a distant sector. These Humans were primitive by comparison, so the Vruun'na were careful. They tried very hard to be discreet, and study them from a distance. Eventually they became careless, and they began to steal humans from their home world and transplant them onto alien worlds. It was an experiment of colonization and to test the adaptability of the humans. What happened next has never been explained. Supposedly, the Vruun'na Empire ceased to exist. It's still the greatest mystery the universe has ever presented to us. One day they were there, the next gone. The Vruun'na didn't all disappear though. Many lived on the planets that they had colonized with humans. What happened next is a sad tale that was repeated on every world where the humans had been planted. Once it became evident that that the few Vruun'na who remained planet-side were all that was left, the humans began to riot and rebel. With sheer numbers they overcame their captors, and burned their devices. Incredible machines were destroyed by their anger, and only when the fires died down did the humans begin to realize the damage they had done. On some worlds, the Vruun'na were slaughtered, and to this day, they are not welcome in the Pax-Tar system. A dark age fell upon the humans. Centuries passed, and eventually planets within the various systems were ready to reach for the stars again. Planets within the various systems were reunited with mixed results. Some systems were able to unite under a single leader, other systems are still bitter from the wars that ensued with their neighbors. Regardless of the unity (or lack thereof) each system found, when the Terran ships arrived, with their superior technology, things changed for the better or worse. These humans claimed to be from the Terran sector, the birthplace of our race. They introduced wondrous technology that connected the various systems, but deposed whatever government that had been carved out, and replaced it with their own governors. Thus the Terran Empire was founded, forged in the blood of any who opposed them. Not that the claim of every system was a bloody battle. Many welcomed them, the stability of government, and the high technology they promised.