Turian Hierarchy

The **Turian Hierarchy** is the governing body of the turian people and their colonies. It was the third government to be asked to join the Citadel Council for their gallantry during the Krogan Rebellions. It serves as a benefactor state to the Vol Protectorate, exchanging military aid and other goods for the volus' assistance with mainly economic matters.

## History

### Formation

In the classical era of Palaven, the turians were split into largely territorial and militaristic sects, based upon such mundane things as language barriers and minor cultural differences. Believing himself to be called by the spirits to unite his brethren under one banner, General Tenerus Lennet began a conquest in 3,180 BCE that would last several generations, attempting to subjugate the other clans into a united turian state. While he would not live to see the conclusion, his grandson, General Ciprit Lennet, completed his mission, rounding up all of the other leadership figures and subjugating them beneath his one banner. This came to be known as the "Understanding of Cipritine", and founded both the Hierarchy and Palaven's capital, Cipritine, that very day.

### The Unification War

By the time humanity moved into the Common Era, the turians had already discovered several mass relays and spawned colonies throughout the galaxy. At about the time the asari were forming the Council with the salarians, the turians became embroiled in a bitter civil war next door. The Unification War, as it was later named, began with hostilities between the colonies furthest from the turian homeworld, Palaven.

These colonies were run by local chieftains, many of whom had distanced themselves from the Hierarchy, still bitter with animosity millenia after the "Understanding of Cipritine". Without the galvanizing influence of the government, the colonies became increasingly isolated and xenophobic. Colonists began wearing emblems or facial markings to differentiate themselves from members of other colonies and open hostilities became common.

When war finally broke out, the Hierarchy maintained strict diplomacy and refused to get involved. After several years of fighting, less than a dozen factions remained and the Hierarchy finally intervened. By that time, the chieftains were too weak to resist; they were forced to put an end to fighting and renew their allegiance to the Hierarchy. Though peace was restored, it took several decades for animosity between colonists to fade completely. To this day, most turians still wear the facial markings of their home colonies.

### The Krogan Rebellions

In the midst of the Krogan Rebellions, the Citadel Council made first contact with the turians. At the Council's behest, the turians brought their considerable war machine to bear on the krogan, now a recognized threat. While the initial turian offensive was successful in routing many krogan warrior bands, it provoked a massive counterattack from the krogan which devastated several turian colonies. Three turian worlds were rendered completely uninhabitable after the krogan used fusion torches to throw asteroids at them, and the bloodiest battle in turian history occurred at Digeris, where the planet was severely bombarded and the turians sacrificed many frigates and fighters to take out a fleet of krogan dreadnoughts. Rather than scaring off the turians with this show of force, the turians only fought with more resolve to quash the krogan utterly. Eventually, the turians implemented the salarian-developed genophage. With their advantage in numbers removed, the majority of krogan were subdued by 800 CE, although scattered insurgent actions would continue for decades.

The turians were soonafter granted full membership on the Citadel Council in gratitude for their service. The turian military fills the muscle and peacekeeping niche left by the decimated krogan.

### Relay 314 Incident

In 2157 CE, following Council laws in place since the Rachni Wars which prohibited the activation of uncharted mass relays, a turian force opened fire on explorers from an as yet unknown race: humanity. One human starship managed to escape and warn the Systems Alliance, which retaliated and destroyed several turian vessels. The situation quickly escalated to war.

Over the next several weeks, the outnumbered Alliance lost multiple scouting parties and patrols to turian offensives. The conflict came to a head when a turian fleet broke through Alliance lines and besieged the human colony of Shanxi. With no other options, the Alliance garrison on Shanxi surrendered, and the turians proceeded to occupy the world, confident that the majority of Alliance forces had been defeated. However, one month later the Alliance's Second Fleet caught the turian occupiers by surprise and evicted them from the planet. Both sides began preparations for a protracted interplanetary war.

Before that could happen, the Citadel Council intervened and revealed the galactic community to humanity. Terms of peace were negotiated and the conflict effectively 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 galaxy as the "Relay 314 Incident". Mistrust between both races would linger for years to come.

## Citizenship

Turians enjoy broad freedoms. So long as one completes their duties, and does not prevent others from completing theirs, nothing is forbidden. For example, there are no laws against recreational drug use, but if someone is unable to complete their duties due to drug use, their superiors step in. Judicial proceedings are 'interventions.' Peers express their concern, and try to convince the offender to change. If rehabilitation fails, turians have no qualms about sentencing dangerous individuals to life at hard labor for the state.

### Citizenship Tiers

The Hierarchy is split into 27 tiers of citizenship, beginning with the first tier at childbirth and advancing upwards from there. The initial period of military service is the second tier. Formal citizenship is conferred at the third tier, after boot camp. For client races, citizenship is granted after the individual musters out. Higher-ranked citizens are expected to lead and protect subordinates. Lower-ranking citizens are expected to obey and support superiors. Promotion to another tier of citizenship is based on the personal assessment of one's superiors and co-rankers. At the top are the Primarchs, who each rule a colonization cluster. The Primarchs vote on matters of national importance. They otherwise maintain a "hands-off" policy, trusting the citizens on each level below them to do their jobs competently.

Throughout their lives, turians ascend to the higher tiers and are occasionally "demoted" to lower ones. The stigma associated with demotion lies not on the individual, but on those who promoted them when they weren't ready for additional responsibility. This curbs the tendency to promote individuals into positions beyond their capabilities. Settling into a role and rank is not considered stagnation. Turians value knowing one's own limitations more than being ambitious.

#### Tier List

* Primarch
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* Civis
* Servus
* Singula

## Organization

### Council of Primarchs

* Primarch Lucan Fedorian - Primarch of Palaven
* Duarch Ellis Valterus - Duarch of the Meade Cluster

## Facts

* The turian imperial anthem is called "Die for the Cause."