Turian

### Common Names

Tonn, Saren, Chellick, Nihlus, Kuril, Lilihierax, Mehrkuri, Illo, Septimus, Sidonis, Orinia, Pallin, Lorik, Joram, Garrus, Vyrnnus

### Common Family Names

Actus, Arterius, Kryik, Nazario, Oraka, Qui’in, Lantar, Talid, Vakarian.

Known for their militaristic and discplined culture, the turians were the third race to join the Council. They gained their Council seat after defeating the hostile krogran during the Krogan Rebellions by unleashing a biological weapon. The turians then filled the peacekeeping role of Citadel space and gained recognition for their efforts.

### Racial Traits

* Physical Characteristics: **+2 to Wisdom and Dexterity. -2 to Charisma**. Turians are wise and agile creatures known for their military prowess but their outer plating shields their facial features.
* Size: Medium
* Speed: 30 feet
* Disciplined: +1 bonus on Will saves
* Master Militarists: +2 on Heavy Weapon, Knowledge (tactics), and Piloting skills.
* Radiation Resistance: +4 bonus vs radiation effects

## Turian Biology

Turians are typically over six feet tall, have two long propertionally thick fingers and opposable thumb on each hand, each tipped with talons with a set of mandibles around their mouths. The most distinguishing feature of turians is their metallic carapace, which is a result of their evolution. Turian features are avian, making them resemble human birds or raptors. Turians have very distinct voices, which has a particularly flanging effect.

Turians wear elaborate facial tattoos which mark their colony of origin though it is not known which marking distinguish which colony after millennia of this tradition. A "barefaced" turian is one that is not to be trusted. Its also slang for politicians.

Turians exhibit characteristics of a predator species rather than prey. Their forward-facing eyes give the impression that they possess outstanding eyesight and their teeth and jaws mimic the structures possesses by apex predators such as the crocodile. Their talons on their hands and feet are capable of ripping flesh.

Their reflective plate-like skin makes turians less susceptible to long-term, low-level radiation but do not possess any sort of natural armor. A turian's thick skin does not stop projectiles and directed energy bolts. Like the quarians, turians are dextro-amino based. Any food fit for human, asari, or salarian consumption will, at best, not provide any nutrition whatsoever and at worst, trigger potentially fatal allergic reactions. Turians have a lifespan similar to humans.

## Turian History

The turians has already discovered several mass relays and had created colonies throughout the galaxy when the asari reached the Citadel. About the same time as the Council was being formed with the salarians, the turians were engaged in a civil war called the Unification War which started between distant turian colonies interfighting. These colonies were run by turian chieftains which had distanced themselves from the Turian Hierarchy. Without government influence the colonies became increasingly isolationist and xenophobic. Colonies began wearing facial markings to differentiate themselves from members of other colones and open hostilities between differing colonists were common.

When the civil war finally broke out, the hierarchy refused to get involved. After several years of fighting and fewer and fewer factions participating or remaining, the hierarchy finally stepped in. By that time the remaining factions were to weak to resist and were forced to end the fighting and to renew their allegiance to the hierarchy. Even though peace was restored, the animosity between colonist refused to fade completely.

It was during the Krogan Rebellion that the Council made contact with the turians. At their behest the turians turned their considerable war machine against the krogan. While the initial assaults were successful it provoked massive counter-attacks which devastated turian colonies. Rather than scaring the turians with their show of corce, the turians only fought with greater resolve to utterly extinguish all krogan life in the galaxy. They eventually implemented the salarian-developed Genophage and successfully put an end to the rebellion.

Due to their role in the Krogan Rebellions they were offered a seat on the Council. Their military now fills the role of peacekeepers in Citadel space ever since.

Following Citadel orders to not activate dormant relays, the turian patrol ships fired upon an undiscovered species: humanity. One human starship managed to escape and warn the Systems Alliance, which retaliated in turn by destroying several turian vessels. The situation escalated into war.

Over the next several weeks, the Alliance lost multiple vessels and patrols to turian offensives. The conflict came to a head when a turian fleet broke through the alliance lines and besieged the human colony of Shanxi. With no options available, the garrison at Shanxi surrendered and the turians occupied the colony, confident that that the majority of Alliance forces had been defeated. A month later the Alliance's Second Fleet caught the turian occupiers by surprise and evicted them from the planet. Both sides prepared for interplanatery war.

The Council quickly intervened and revealed the galactic community to humanity. Terms of peace were negotiated and conflict was essentially brought to an end. The turians were ordered by the Council to give heavy reparations to the Alliance for their part in instigating the conflict, known to the Turians as the Relay 314 Incident. Mistrust between the two races still linger but are dissipating.

## Turian Culture

Turians are noted for their strong sense of public service. It is rare to find a turian who puts his needs ahead of the group. Every citizen from age 15 to 30 services the state in some capacity, as anything from a soldier to an administrator to a construction engineer to a sanitation worker. Due to this sense of service, they tend to make poor entrepreneurs. To compensate, they accepted the Volus into their life, offering the miniscule race protection in exchange for their fiscal expertise.

Society is highly regimented and very organized and the species is known for its strict discipline and strict work ethic. Turians are willing to do what needs to be done and they always follow through. Theya re not easily spurred to violence but when conflict is inevitable, they give it their all and everything they got. They do not believe in skirmishes and guerrilla warfare; they prefer massive fleets and numbers to defeat an adversary so completely that they remove any threat of having to fight the same opponent more than once. They do not exterminate an enemy; rather they devastate its military so that the enemy has no choice but to become a colony of the turians.

The military is the center of their society. It is not simply an armed force; it is an all-encompassing public works organization that includes police, fire brigade, engineering corps for schools, structures, spaceports, etc and even a merchant brigade to ensure colonies get the proper supplies.

Turians are tought to have a strong sense of personal accountability, the "turian honor" that other races find so remarkable. Turians are taught to own every decision they make, good or ill. The worst sin they can make in the eyes of this code of honor is to lie about their actions to the point that even turians who murder will usually confess to the crime when asked.

## Turian Religion

Turians believe that groups and areas have "spirits" that transcend an individual. For example, a military unit would be considered to have a spirit that embodies the honor and courage it has displayed. A city's spirit reflects the accomplishments and industry of its residents. An ancient tree's spirit reflects the beauty and tranquility of the area it grows in.

These spirits are neither good nor evil. Turians do not believe spirits can affect the world but spirits can inspire the living. Prayers and rituals allow an individual to communicate with a spirit for guidance or inspiration. Turians enjoy absolute freedom of religion and can practice whatever appeals to them as long as it does not impede anyone's duties. There are many turians who practice the asari "siarist" philosophy, for example. Many turians have since embraced Confucianism and Zen Buddhism.

## Turian Government

The government, known as the Turian Hierarchy, is a hierarchical meritocracy. While it has great potential for misuse, this is tempered by the civic duty and responsibility turians learn in childhood.

There are 27 tiers of turian citizenship, begining with civilians, client races such as the volus, and children. The initial period of military service is the second tier. Formal citizenship is the third tier, after boot camp. For client races, such as the Volus, this is offered to them after so many years of service. Higher ranking citizens are expected to lead by example and support lower ranks. Lower ranking citizens are expected to follow orders and support their superiors. A full citizen can be appointed a higher rank by his superiors. At the top are Primarchs who vote on matters of national importance. They maintain colonial rule but practice a hands-off policy, trusting their citizens to follow their jobs completely.

The stigma of demotion lies not on the individual who was demoted but rather on the person who promoted them in the first place. This curbs the tendency to promote individuals not suitable for positions beyond their capabilities.

## Turian Military

Although they lack the brutality of the krogan, the refined skill of the asari, and the adaptability of humans, the turian military has formidable discipline and their fleet makes up the single largest portion of Citadel forces. Their fleet is also alloted the single largest number of dreadnoughts, being that they are appointed the role of galactic peacekeepers.

Officers and NCOs are turians enlisted for life, with years of field of experience. Personnel are thoroughly trained and stay calm, even under fire. Turian units rarely ever break ranks, even if their entire line collapses, they fall back in order, setting ambushes as they go. A popular saying goes, "you'll only see a turian's back once he's dead".

Command and control is decentralized and flexible. Individual squads can call for artillery and air support. They make extensive use of combat drones and practice combined arms; infantry operates with armor, supported by overhead gunships. They are methodical and patient, and dislike risky operations. They recruit auxiliary units from conquered or absorbed races or colonies. These units are light infantry or armored cavalry units that screen and support main formations. At the conclusion of battles, the auxiliary forces are granted full citizenship.