"You might see a Frugis, and think 'Oh wow, they're cute' and want to talk to them - Then you might say something that offends them, and find yourself with a broken arm. Given their society it's hardly a surprise, all things considered. But I thank whatever Gods there may be for them being on our side.... And they are cute too." - Luna Sanderson, Commune Federation Militia
The Frugis are a Human sub-species that evolved on the moon of Cicero, within the Verpletter Dwarf Galaxy.
The Frugis are the offspring of Human refugees that were stuck in the Verpletter Galaxy during the Verpletter Sealing Off. The Humans evolved over the next three-and-a-half thousand years to better handle the brutally cold conditions on their new home-world, eventually becoming the Frugis.
Rather uniquely, the history of the Frugis is that of several Human nations meeting at a single world, and then devolving into conflict against one another. This lead to their Warrior and Feudal based society. It is for this reason that unlike many other Human offshoots, the Frugis were not able to revitalize themselves into a space-faring civilization, losing much of the technology after becoming stranded on Cicero, destroying much of it in combat against each other. They only reached a level of advanced technology after being rediscovered by the Commune Federation, who helped uplift them back to the stars.
Like several Human offshoots, the Frugis are considered an attractive people, the females of the species often being considered 'Cute'. However, they are still very capable warriors and anyone underestimating them has been met with a very brutal reminder of the Frugis culture.
Still, in the seven thousand years since they have joined The Commune Federation, they have been incredibly valuable members, helping in the settlement of Icy worlds, and providing military muscle to the Commune Militias and the Stellar Fleet.
History
The Frugis, uniquely, are not the descendent of any one singular nation. Instead, their moon of Cicero was home to several Human Nations, such as the Confederacy of Borealis, the Empire of Mankind, The Thulcandran Federation, The United Alliance, and dozens of other Human-majority nations. At this point however, none of them understood the situation that they were in, and all blamed one another for the situation. This lead to a series of conflicts which resulted in the destruction of most of their space faring equipment.
During their stay on Cicero, the conflicts continued. Over time, even their ranged weapons were lost, and they had to resort to the utilization of swords and knives, and other such primitive weaponry to kill one another. In these conflicts, more ambitious individuals sought to take land for themselves, and would set up mini empires with their followers, though some would pledge loyalty to various other fighting forces. Over the centuries this evolved into a form of Feudalism which dominated the landscape of Cicero, and would shape the culture of the Frugis in the coming millennia.
The Frugis as they exist now began to appear after about 1700 years, and were the majority of the world by 2436VC.
In 3512VC, The Federation Commune was able to make first contact with them. The Frugis were able to understand the concept of spaceships as they understood the stories of their ancestors, and many quickly signed up to join the Federation. As a requirement, they were forced to stop all conflict amongst themselves, and that absolute feudal power was not acceptable. When the nobility resisted this, the common people slaughtered them, and accepted membership into the Commune Federation.
Physical Description and Anatomy
A Frugis Female
The most immediately noticeable feature of the Frugis is their blue skin, which tends to be more noticeable in females. This adaptation helps them to blend in with the ice of their home-world, as well as keep their blood safe - It has multiple layers, meaning not as much reachest the outer layers. This also occurred in a manner similar to that of Argyria in regular Humans - Their world Cicero is prominent in silver metals that they adapted to over time.
A Frugis Male
Frugis eyes are also noteworthy - They tend to be brightly coloured. Their pupils are catlike, being slits along vertical cut down the middle of the iris, and are usually a darker shade of whatever the iris is. For example, a set of blue irises will usually produce a set of dark blue pupils. This has assisted them in seeing better in both the dark that their moon experiences when it orbits it's parent planet, and in the brighter times when their world is exposed to the sun - The brighter irises help them see better in the dark, while their darker pupils help them filter the light and highly reflective ice when the sun shines on their world.
Internally, the Frugis have an extra layer of fat to help them to keep as much heat as is possible. This is one of the few adaptations to the cold they have, aside from their skin layers. they are also capable of developing muscles faster than regular Humans, which also helps them maintain heat.
There aren't any substantial differences in, for example, height between the males and the females of the sub-species. Compared to Humans, however, they are a bit smaller on average, reaching about 1 7 meters tall on average.
Culture
As with many species, there is no singular Frugis culture. However, there are broad generalities that can be extrapolated from them.
Warriors
In no small part due to their history of combat, the Frugis have a history of conflict, and have developed a culture of warrior-dom as a result. Nearly all Frugis are taught basic self defense and armed combat, especially with swords and knives, which still play a role in their society. Physical fitness is encouraged and is a large focus within their educational systems, partly born out by their necessity to maintain body warmth.
Promiscuity
An interesting characteristic of the Frugis is that of their promiscuity - There does not appear to be a genetic basis, nor does there seem to be any particular environmental factor for where it came from. It is assumed that it is linked to the warrior-like culture that they enjoy, but whatever the case may be, the Frugis are well known to be sexually promiscuous. The vast majority of the society appears to be pansexual, and will engage with anyone of any sex, gender, or species that they are compatible with should the opportunity present itself. There are many polyamourous relationships and households, open relationships, and no-strings-attached arrangements in Frugis spaces. Exceptions do exist to this, but they appear to be rare, which is an even bigger oddity to the sociologists of the Commune Federation.
Notable Frugis
There are several noteworthy Frugis active within the 200th Millennium. Due to being incredibly active members within the Commune Federation, and a number of Frugis who have made their way outside of Verpletter, a number have become well known and famous throughout various regions of space.
Qinsya Vilagrassa Tes Sanderson
Qinsya Vilagrassa Tes Sanderson is a female Frugis, noteworthy for her position on the CFS Eternity, the flagship of the Commune Federation, where she acts as a Strategic Officer, and as a Combatant. She is famous for her ability to come up with incredibly simple seeming, but utterly effective and secretly genius plans that their opponents are incapable of predicting. She is also the wife of Luna Sanderson, the captain of the CFS Eternity.
Xenola Bwynova Feliu
Xenola Bwynova Feliu is a female Frugis, who is famous for her actions on the Commune-Kreigsleute front. She is credited with the defense of the planet Vauu, and the retaking of the Flakstand Asteroid cluster from the Liberty Empire. She is considered a master of defensive warfare, and has been credited with her ability to utilize whatever few resources are available to her.
Praxoriad Escolano-Bandrés
Praxoriad Escolano-Bandrés is a male Frugis, who is located on the planet Kreon. Originally taken there as a slave, Praxoriad was able to lead a slavers revolt against their captors, and were able to organize with other slaves. While they seek a way back to Verpletter, the Commune Federation, and Cicero, the group, known as the Maranvix, have begun a war against the slaver rings on Kreon, liberating a many captured peoples as they can.
Winona-Wysnell Xes Arcas
Winona-Wysnell Xes Arcas is a female Frugis who lives on Earth. The resides in the Greenland region, officially studying various aspects of Earth culture, which she intends to take back to Cicero to make use of. However, she is also there on a mission of her own - Seeking to spread the ideology of the Federation to those on Earth.