The Torlan Alliance

The Torlan are a mix of every other race with a whitewashed, sterile, imperial aesthetic. Seeing themselves as the great unifiers between the broken tribes of mankind, they view the Forerunner “gods” as a kind of cosmic mistake, having fractured the people of Terra into a disjointed and incomplete picture of what it was originally meant to be. They believe that by bringing the Terran species under one banner that peace and a unified destiny are possible.

They are willing to dominate the galaxy if needs be to achieve this goal of a unified “Terran Republic.” Just an inch under the bravado of that statement however are inter-house politics driving their civilization into a near constant state of back biting and political intrigue.

The Torlan have monochromatic skin with brilliantly glowing blue or green eyes, and hair such a dark colour it appears black except in sunlight when shades of red or blue may shine through. Their skin tones range from spotless ceramic white to solid matte black with a spectrum of greys in between. Their flesh has adapted to the extremely harsh radiation of their local star, “Atraxia,” which bathes the Torlan homeworld in ultraviolet light.

 It is believed the Torlan were created by the interbreeding of the Lantus with Mexam and Serin, their combined attributes resulting in a 4th race that homogenised after centuries of being stranded alone in Atraxia with no faster than light travel. Some believe the Torlan aren’t human at all, but “alien” organisms bearing a coincidental resemblance to humanity. The history of their exact origin is a matter of myth as much as history, but it is known that they appeared first on the Serin Star Harrier *Lyssis**,* which crashed landed on Torlan in 810NE. The Torlan remained cut off from Galactic Civilization for over 1200 years, time they spent becoming genetically and culturally distinct.

 Torlan is in the furthest habitable zone of their home star-system of Atraxia, leaving the planet in perpetual winter. Temperatures there never rise above those felt in spring or fall. Their aesthetics reflect this icebound climate as a matter of pride in tolerating extreme cold. Inside their homes they have atriums and gardens lit by bright golden light, usually full of creeping ivy vines and yellow leaved trees as decoration – a remnant of their Lantus origins, displaying warmth at the heart of an icy empire.

## Sub-Cultures

* House Shikumi
* House Parlini
* House Karnikati
* House Champeign
* Unincorporated Citizen

## Language

Torlan Basic became one of the most popular languages in the Galaxy after Serin during the Reunion War. Very easy to learn, Torlan essentially uses monosyllabic root words to compound into full expressions within very short, compact sentences. 16,000 base words then go to form 1610 words which can go to describe anything as mundane as “Bring me that third object on the left of the centre panel,” Bri’kijiáni-han-cen, to “I felt the heat of adrenaline course through my veins, ”A’fen-korsu Adren sa-ha veni.”

Because it is so easy to learn and apply to such vast topics with little barrier to education and understanding, it allowed the otherwise highly complex and difficult to learn subjects like physics and chemistry to become intuitive parts of daily speech. It’s emotional depth and ability to convey extremely specific descriptions of otherwise inexplicable sensations made it a reflex for anyone looking to express themselves. Even other cultures have begun to borrow Torlan phrases because of their ubiquitous observations on life.

You may download a copy of this font to use in hidden messages or fan art here: TORLAN Font.TTF

## Enemies & Allies

The Lantus Arboreum – The Torlan believe the Lantus created them but have little in common now. While less common Torlan and Lantus genes share high compatibility so they can have families together.

The Mexam Confederation – Because of their mutual dislike of the Serin and close trading relationships, the Torlan are very close
to the Mexam, sharing many economic and often inter-state family ties.

The Serin Empire – The Torlan are caution towards the Serin, sometimes openly at war throughout history. The Serin carry a genetic discrimination gene inserted by Anax to prevent them from commingling. Because of this genetic incompatibility Torlan-Serin offspring often die at age 6 as their own bodies turn on themselves. The Torlan now believe Anax is evil and
must be destroyed for his crimes. The Serin overall view the Torlan as dangerous militants.

The Anactora Peacekeepers – The Anactora is a Torlan establishment, and funded by the Torlan houses.

Independent Worlds – Trade and Police services are provided by the Torlan, and they respond by trading openly with the Torlan, often openly reliant on the Anactora to maintain their solidarity.

## Assets & Population

The Torlan got a late start in Galactic Exploration and Conquest, but made up for it in strides after defeating the gods and establishing their network of Interstellar Matter Gateways. These great gates are mysterious, able to send or receive matter between them, or send but not be able to retrieve it.

The Torlan population currently sits at roughly 6 Billion on 1 Forerunner World and 13 Frontier planets.