recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Shanxi (山西)

**Location:** Milky Way / Xìngyùn (幸运) Cluster / Dà Líng Sān (大陵三) System

Notable for both its spectacular mesas and canyons and as the only human colony as of 2182 to have ever been occupied by an alien force, **Shanxi (山西)** is a Systems Alliance world formerly on the frontier of human space.

## History

First charted by the space program of the Chinese People's Federation in the late 21st century, the system was monitored and set to be explored by a deep space probe sent from that same group later in the 22nd century. With the discovery of the Prothean archives on Mars, however, those plans quickly changed.

Discovering the habitable world on the other side of the mass relay, the Systems Alliance quickly began a colonization effort to take advantage of the planet's natural beauty and liveable nature. By the end of 2156, it stood as humanity's furthest outpost into the stars.

This distance would work against the colony's favor, however, when the First Contact War broke out. The first world to know of the turian's massacre of the expeditionary fleet sent through the Shanxi-Theta mass relay, it was the site of the retaliatory strike against the aggressors. By the end of the month of May, however, the world had fallen to the alien race.

By 2182, the planet had recovered from the damages done in orbital strikes and urban warfare throughout the sparse colonies. Memorials had sprung up in honor of the humans who had lost their lives in the fighting and siege, and the world had begun to spring into the foreground of the human economy in the fields of palladium mining and refinement.
Tarith

**Location:** Milky Way / Crescent Nebula / Lusarn System

**Tarith** is broadly Earth-like, with a fatal flaw; it has a relatively high amount of chlorine in its atmosphere, the reason for the greenish haze that becomes apparent when looking at the horizon. Chlorine has become a vital component in Tarinth's plant life; as a defense mechanism against native herbivores, many species evolved the ability to release clouds of toxic chlorine when disturbed. This gas is heavier than the atmospheric oxygen and tends to settle in low places. While avoidable, this has placed Tarith near the bottom of the lists for colonization.

There are intermittent signals originating in the heart of a large chlorine swamp. They appear to be coded, though it is not impossible that they are garbled distress signals from a downed civilian ship.
Theshaca

**Location:** Milky Way / Armstrong Nebula / Hong System

**Theshaca** is a standard hydrogen-helium gas giant. In the past, it was often used as a drive discharge point for pirates raiding human settlements from the Terminus.

## Description

In 2178 the Alliance set up a network of covert sensing devices on Theshaca's moons. Recordings of pirate FTL exit vectors over the course of six months led the Alliance Navy to eight major pirate anchorages. Since the "Theshaca Raids," no ships from the Terminus have been reported in the Hong system.
Salarian Union

The salarian government is called the **Salarian Union**. It is a labyrinthine web of matrilineal bloodlines, with political alliances formed through interbreeding.

## Description

In many ways, the salarian political network functions like the noble families of Earth’s Medieval Europe. Structurally, the government consists of fiefdoms, baronies, duchies, planets, and marches (colonization clusters). These are human nicknames, as the original salarian is unpronounceable. Each area is ruled by a single Dalatrass (matriarchal head-of-household) and represents an increasing amount of territory and prestige within the salarian political web.

Though each clan has a "seat at the table", the Union is largely lorded over by the ten most influential clans, known as the Drinum Vada. Membership within this exclusive group is not permanent, as the influence of clans ebbs and flows with changes in leadership, allyship and other factors of political import.

Approaching 100 members, the first circle of a salarian's clan comprises parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, and cousins. The next circle includes second cousins, etc., and escalates to well over 1000 members. The fourth or fifth circle of a clan numbers into the millions. Salarian loyalty is greatest to their first circle and diminishes from there. Their photographic memories allow salarians to recognize all their myriad relatives.
Taesin System

**Location:** Milky Way / Byenzine Cloud

The **Taesin System** is a small solar system within the Terminus. It houses the adopted homeworld of the Lystheni salarians, Sepkai.

## History

A day's FTL cruise from the nearby Zuzel System, Taesin remains the only system without a Mass Relay to be discovered in the Byenzine Cloud.

When the Citadel Council was formed, the salarians utilized their knowledge of this system to hide one of their political embarrassments, the Lystheni.

## Planets

* Lorel
* Sepkai
* Jorio
Supay

**Location:** Milky Way / Maroon Sea / Matano System

**Supay** has the composition of an ice dwarf planet, but is unusually large for such a body. It has a trace atmosphere of krypton and xenon. The frozen surface is dotted with deposits composed of potassium and light metals, brought to the surface by cryovolcanic processes.

Supay's icy surface was often used as a source of potable water by passing merchant vessels. Since the Alliance claimed the inner system world of Chasca, satellites placed in orbit automatically bill any vessel landing on the world for the mass of water removed from the surface.

ExoGeni has had a difficult time keeping these satellites operational; they often meet with "accidents" caused by impact with jettisoned ship debris.
Systems Alliance Charter

The **Systems Alliance Charter** is the founding document of the Systems Alliance and is ratified by each human nation and colony that wishes membership in the Alliance. Originally drafted and ratified by the eighteen largest nations on Earth after the discovery of prothean ruins on Mars, it has since been adopted by nearly every nation and colony in which human beings live.

## Signatories

### Original Signatories

* Argentine Republic
* Chinese People's Federation
* Commonwealth of Australia
* Federal Republic of Germany
* Federal Republic of Nigeria
* Federative Republic of Brazil
* French Republic
* Indian Union
* Japan
* Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
* Republic of Korea
* Republic of Turkey
* Republic of Singapore
* Republic of South Africa
* Russian Federation
* United Arab Emirates
* United Kingdom of Great Britain
* United North American States
Systems Alliance Parliament

* Representatives of those human beings spending a majority of their year living in space

### Purpose

* Civilian governance of the people, territory and belongings of the Systems Alliance

The **Systems Alliance Parliament** is the house of government in which representatives from each member state or colony of the Systems Alliance convene to pass new legislation concerning the people, territories and belongings of the supranational body.

## Organization

### Prime Minister

The seat of Prime Minister within the parliament is elected by the members of parliament themselves, most often going to the leader of the party who won the most representation.

### Seat Breakdown

Seats are distributed evenly between each member of the Systems Alliance, with all receiving one total representative within the parliament.

#### Earth

Among the nations of Earth, each state signatory to the Systems Alliance Charter receive one representative within the parliament.

#### Colonies

Each individual settlement that surpasses both a population barrier and a milestone on the development index qualifies to request representative status which, if approved, grants the colony one representative within the parliament.

#### Spacers

"*Persons who spend more than six months of the solar year in space, yet never stay within one populated system for more than a month."* Is the legal definition prescribed to spacers, those individuals who fit that bill. These peoples are given representative slots based on the population registered that fits the criteria.

## Notable Members

### Individuals

* Adunni Afolayan
* Amul Shastri
* Anita Goyle
* Doihara Kasai
* Donnel Udina
* Shaheizy bin Musa

### Parties

* The Blues
* Colonies United
* Developing Nations Coalition
* Eternal Earth
* Forward Humanity
* Integration Alliance
* Terra Firma
* Verdant Alliance
Talae

Credit to the Spectre Expansion Mod

**Location:** Milky Way / Meade Cluster / Mactare System

A tiny, rocky planetoid, **Talae** is noted for its frigid temperatures, thin nitrogen atmosphere, and poor mineral wealth. Its proximity to the Mactare mass relay, however, made it an ideal location for a defense grid. Huge mass accelerator cannons and wings of fighters capable of defending the system are dotted at bases across the planet.

## Trivia

* Talae was created and added by the Spectre Expansion Mod for Mass Effect 3, which can be found at this link.
Thorn Brigade

Art by Third

The **Thorn Brigade** is a mercenary company mainly operating within the realms of Council Space, particularly the Bahanak Frontier. Founded by human Alliance veteran Ana Sevillo, the company presents itself as a more reputable organization than many of the merc groups that are more prominent across the galaxy.

## History

Formed by Alliance veteran Ana Sevillo in 2176, the Thorn Brigade was her solution to a million different problems that had sprung up throughout civilized space that no-one else seemed to want to tackle. What started as a small group of veterans getting together to help some people out eventually became a full-blown security force, with Ana at its head. She formally established the Thorn Brigade as a mercenary company, and they began operating as such, working for whoever needed them - but never forgetting the core values on which they were established. Unlike most other mercenary outfits, Sevillo believed in helping people above all else, and she made sure that stayed the Brigade’s main focus as jobs began to line up.

Because of her unwavering dedication, the Thorn Brigade managed to remain both financially successful and reputable in the eyes of the galaxy, having helped everyone from simple human colonists to the turian councilor himself. Though unconventional, the Brigade developed into something of a sensation - at least to those they helped. As of 2182, Sevillo and her company are employed by a drell businessman named Tybis Ikratt to guard his manufacturing plants and private residence until more advanced security measures can be installed; though outside their normal area of operations, a big payout and the seemingly cut-and-dry nature of the job convinced Sevillo spreading out would be worth it.
Rothila System

**Location:** Milky Way / Annos Basin

Rothila is a bright, yellow-white star on the larger end of the F-class spectrum that is most notable for housing the salarian colony world of Dagnes. Its other three planets are uninhabitable and hold few valuable resources, so aside from cursory scans and initial probing, they are largely untouched.

## Description

Friga, sitting just a stone's throw away from the star, is a tiny purple sphere with no atmosphere that is tidally locked to Rothila, constantly boiling one side and leaving the other in darkness. Dagnes follows second, with its clouded skies often hiding the muted brown, blue and green landscape below, and third is Tinoth, a grey-hued gas giant sitting much further from its parent star than the two planets preceding it. Tinoth's atmospheric pressure is particularly crushing, and it has 22 small moons that circle it; Baleia, being both the largest and the furthest away from the planet, is where a drive core discharge station was built.

The fourth and final planet, Jikkart, would likely have been very similar to Dagnes were it not for its strangely severe elliptical orbit, as water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide are all present in the planet's atmosphere in some form. When Jikkart comes near the star, everything enters a gaseous form, but as it moves away water becomes frozen on the surface in wide, shallow lakes while the carbon dioxide, oxygen and nitrogen remain the same. Were it not for the extreme variation in temperature, it might actually be habitable.

A small relay station is maintained at the edge of the system, since Rothila's distance from the rest of the Annos Basin can make it difficult to establish communications at times, and two asteroids, 1896 Valta and 1897 Niti, circle close to one another at the very edge of the solar system.

## Planets

* Friga
* Dagnes
	+ Cuzene
	+ Furwen
	+ Warrik
	+ Yumala
* Tinoth
* Jikkart

## Asteroids

* 1896 Valta
* 1897 Niti
Teukria

**Location:** Milky Way / Crescent Nebula / Tasale System

Named for a legendary asari archer from Thessia's Iron Age, **Teukria** is an asteroid large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet or, as some term it, a "mesoplanet." Its gravity is sufficient to give it a spherical shape. It has been developed for iron and nickel mining.
SSV Ibn Battuta

The **SSV Ibn Battuta** is a Systems Alliance survey vessel of the Drake-class. Stationed at Arcturus Station with the Systems Alliance First Fleet, it is noted in the successful charting and exploring of several clusters and systems, including the Acheron, Erebus, and Phlegethon systems where it discovered the mysterious Carr Relay. It is named for the famed Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta.

## History

Commissioned out of Arcturus in 2158, the Ibn Battuta's first mission was to the Styx Theta cluster where, over the course of several months, it spent a significant amount of time charting and scanning the worlds in the region, specifically Chofen and Quaji.

In November of 2160, the Ibn Battuta came across the Carr Relay when they reached the yet-unexplored Phlegethon System. The relay was charted as active and marked for further exploration before the mission returned home.
Shared Intelligence Division

The **Shared Intelligence Division** is a branch of the Citadel Council concerned with the intelligence sharing between Council races and the forces of the Council themselves. Initially created after the distrust sowed between the Citadel Security Services and the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance became unbearable, the SID has worked diligently to integrate the best intelligence the Council races have to offer into a single data network ever since.

## Member Intelligence Services

* Alliance Intelligence Service
* Citadel Security Services
* Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance
* Special Tasks Group

## Known Members

* Centus Tyrex
* Orenn L'Maiva
* Wilorn Zirix
Redan Armor

**Redan Armor** is a line of krogan hardsuits designed by the salarian firm Devlon Industries. Offering high maneuverability and a lighter than average frame, the armor is a popular choice for krogan who prefer to be mobile in combat rather than tank-like.

## Description

Sets of Redan armor may be ordered in any color scheme imaginable at a cost fitting the craftsmanship. The standard set is a metallic grey, with exposed blue lighting.

While the suit lacks the heavier armor found on most krogan mercenaries, it makes up for it with a bolstered kinetic barrier system that can withstand over 150% of the average barrier capacity. As a result, the suit tends to be on the more expensive end and requires a longer charging period before it is fully prepared for combat.
Syglar

**Location:** Milky Way / Proditore's Scar / Spinam System

The turian colony world of **Syglar** is a moist, yet mostly terrestrial planet that has been colonized since the days prior to the Unification War. Originally settled to become an agricultural hub, the dense jungles and lush rainforests that cover much of the world's usable land proved to be more of a hindrance than realized. Focus instead shifted to rearing the native flora and fauna, which as luck would have it, were of the same amino acid chirality as their new blue-blooded sapients. Long periods of havoc-bringing electromagnetic storms are commonplace.
Striker

The **Striker** is a fully-automatic weapon that functions more as a grenade launcher than a rifle, firing high-impact slugs that detonate on contact. The weapon increases its rate of fire the longer the trigger is held, which is devastating if the weapon can be kept on-target. In an attempt to market the Striker outside of the Krogan DMZ, the gun was designed to be fired by non-krogan, but its recoil tends to off-balance smaller species. Enthusiasts point out that the target on the receiving end of a Striker has far worse things to worry about than its shooter's balance.
SSV Tumusla

The ***SSV Tumusla*** is a Leipzig-class frigate utilized by the Systems Alliance Navy as part of their Third Fleet out of Arcturus Station. A light frigate utilized throughout the Attican Traverse for pirate suppression missions and raids on criminal organizations, it is named for the Battle of Tumusla during the Bolivian War of Independence.

## Crew

### Marine Detatchment

The *Tumusla*, as most Alliance frigates do, hosts a single squad of marines. Traditionally the squad has been nicknamed "Llama Squad" in reference to the national animal of Bolivia, the site of the battle that gave the vessel its namesake. Llama Squad is officially a sub-division of Camelidae Platoon, Bravo Company (2/904), 3rd Battalion, 904 Brigade, 9th Fleet Division out of Arcturus Station.
Tadius Ahern

Admiral **Tadius Ahern** is a flag officer within the Systems Alliance, the commanding officer of Pinnacle Station, and a veteran of the First Contact War.

## Biography

During the First Contact War, Ahern was given a near-suicidal mission to retrieve a data module, with only a small squad, against dozens of turian mercenaries. The mission was a success, but Ahern's experiences in the war left him prejudiced against turians. However, Ahern did not succumb to racial hatred; rather, he gained a candid appreciation of the advantages, and limitations, of turian military doctrine.

After the war, Ahern eventually worked up the ranks to admiral, and was given command of Pinnacle Station — once a turian command center during the Krogan Rebellions, though now a training facility run by the Citadel Council.
Tuchanka

**Location:** Milky Way / Krogan DMZ / Aralakh System

Scarred by bombardment craters, radioactive rubble, choking ash, salt flats, and alkaline seas, **Tuchanka** can barely support life. Thousands of years ago, life grew in fierce abundance under the F-class star Aralakh (a Raik clan word meaning "Eye of Wrath"). Tree-analogues grew in thick jungles, their roots growing out of shallow, silty seas. Life fed upon life in an evolutionary crucible. This world died in nuclear firestorms after the krogan split the atom. A "little ice age" of nuclear winter killed off much of the remaining plant life.

In recent centuries, many krogan have returned to their homeworld. The reduced albedo has caused global temperatures to rise. In order to maintain livable temperatures, a vast shroud was assembled at the L1 Lagrange point. It is maintained by the Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission (CDEM), which is based on orbiting battlestations.

## Wildlife

Tuchanka ecology is incredibly deadly. Nearly every native species engages in some predatory behaviour; even the vegetation is carnivorous. Most animals have evolved behaviours making them savage, clannish, and consummate survivors.

The varren, while now found across the galaxy, is native to Tuchanka. Varren are pack hunters when vulnerable prey is readily available and become scavengers when outnumbered or outclassed. Their supreme adaptability, vicious demeanour and rapid breeding cycle have led to them becoming pests on many worlds.

Kakliosaurs are extinct animals from Tuchanka that were domesticated and used as battle-mounts. They were known to be as fierce as their riders, fiercely loyal, adept at navigating mountains and immune to many toxins. During the Rachni Wars, krogan used kakliosaurs to traverse toxic worlds. Unfortunately, kakliosaurs were driven to extinction before the end of the conflict.

Thresher maws are also found fairly commonly on Tuchanka, although it is unknown if they are a native species. Their adaptability and highly aggressive nature have led to them thriving on the krogan homeworld, causing many to believe they might originate from Tuchanka.

Harvesters and klixen are also found on Tuchanka, although neither of them are native. These powerful, aggressive and adaptable beasts were brought to Tuchanka by the krogan and flourished amongst the planet's harsh conditions.

Pyjaks have also found their way onto Tuchanka after stowing away with a trader who visited Eletania. While not especially aggressive, they are incredibly adaptable and have managed to carve out their own niche in Tuchanka. Pyjaks live in groups around krogan habitats, stealing from food stores and eating insects from trees with their finely pointed tongues. Krogan consider pyjaks to be an invasive nuisance and generally try to eradicate them. Pyjak meat is sometimes consumed on Tuchanka.

## Notable Locations

### Cities

* Gormagoll
* Nakmor
* Urdnot

### Geographical Features

* Ahngaz Wastes
* Damplands
* Kelphic Valley
* Kraddak Wastes
* Rezad Flatlands
* Valley of the Ancients

### Locations

* The Hollows
* The Shroud
Tracmus Duxes

**Location:** Milky Way / Serpent Nebula / Terevan System

Perhaps the single most important turian military base outside of the Trebia System, **Tracmus Duxes** serves as both a staging area for the turian portions of the Citadel Fleet as well as both the Duxes Legion and 13th Fleet of the Hierarchy Army and Navy respectively.

## History

Given to the Turian Hierarchy as part of their reward after the Krogan Rebellions, the system was immediately salivated over by the leadership. From the first day it's purpose was clear, a massive military base to continue the turian defense of the Council and to act as a bit of a leverage point, seemingly countering their lack of strong negotiators and verbal tactics.

The first expeditionary forces arrived in 901 CE, beginning construction within weeks. By late 902 the base was mostly taking shape, and within the decade the entire fortress-city and spacedock was completed. Keeping with turian tradition, there was no fanfare or ceremony. The work day simply began on January 14th, 913 and has continued to this very day.

## Terrain

Tracmus Duxes is largely an arid world, vast canyons of carbonaceous rock making up the majority of the surface. Two large oceans make up the rest of the terrain, one focused around the northern ice pole and another splitting the south in two. The planet held no natural fauna or flora, though dextro plants will grow in treated soil with proper care.

## Satellites

* Spaceport Duxes
* Many smaller multipurpose satellites

## Notable Locations

* **Tracmus Duxes (Fortress)**
	+ Tracmus Duxes is also the name of the fortress, the one massive construct on the planet's surface. This city-sized military base houses, feeds and otherwise maintains the turian personnel stationed on the planet, trading many of the luxuries and amenities granted elsewhere for efficiency and productivity.
* **Spaceport Duxes**
	+ Housing the Turian Hierarchy's 13th Fleet, this spaceport is state of the art in every way. Dreadnaught-sized maintenance bays can repair nearly anything, with a multitude of smaller ports allowing any other vessel to be repaired or, in some cases, constructed.
Telith System

**Location:** Milky Way / Sentry Omega

 The **Telith System** is a quiet and unassuming star and planet duo within the Sentry Omega cluster. Uncharted until an intensive search by the Holun-Myeri Exploratory Fund, the system is still unmapped on standard galactic charts as of 2182.

## Mass Relays

* **Kestrel Relay** - Discovered by the HMEF, the Kestrel Relay is a dormant mass relay that leads to an unknown location or locations as of 2182. Researchers with the outfit speculate that it leads somewhere into the Terminus Systems.
Trigestis

**Location:** Milky Way / Phoenix Massing / Chomos System

T**rigestis** is a gas giant, named for the first salarian astronomer to predict planets' occurrences mathematically rather than through direct observation. It has a faint ring system and three moons: Sidacha, Norem, and Bestia. High-altitude clouds can be seen casting shadows on Trigestis' lower atmosphere, where concentrations of methane and ammonia give it an azure color. The planet is believed to be an extrasolar capture.

## Notable Locations

### Natural Satellites

* Bestia
* Norem
* Sidacha
Tactical Scan

A **Tactical Scan** module is a modification that comes pre-installed or is retrofitted in by the user to a combat hardsuit. When triggered via omni-tool, the suit's optical input take a quick and detailed scan of the area, then compare the recognized constructs, creatures and other details against local and galactic databases. This information is quickly relayed back to the user, filtering for strategic weaknesses and other helpful tips. When in the armor of a proficient combatant, this typically results in faster kills and a higher rate of success. Tactical Scan has a range of around 50 meters.
Taetrus

**Location:** Milky Way / Meade Cluster / Mactare System

Widely regarded as one of the turians' most successful colonization efforts, **Taetrus** is a humid world home to a vibrant dextro-amino ecosystem. Marshes, rainforests and wetlands are common and the seas are shallow but plankton-rich.

## Notable Locations

### Cities

* Dilix
* Iratiana
* Madra
* Regeris
* Spaedar
* Vallum

## Trivia

* Taetrus was referenced in the original Mass Effect games, but was created and added by the Spectre Expansion Mod for Mass Effect 3, which can be found at this link.
Synne D'Leve

**Synne D'Leve** is an asari political aide, formerly under the employ of asari councilor Messana Tevos. After her romantic involvement with Rachel Bright, the daughter of a pair of human diplomats, was brought to light after the young woman's disappearance, she was shunned from her job and hid from the galaxy.

## Biography

Living an unremarkable life as one of the asari councillor's aides, Synne was dragged into the spotlight after the widely-publicized disappearance of Rachel Bright, the daughter of a pair of human diplomats and, coincidentally, Synne's girlfriend. Their relationship was discovered shortly after Rachel vanished, and with no other leads and the Brights demanding answers, authorities considered Synne their main suspect. She was arrested and questioned mercilessly, but as the months went by, no trace of Rachel was ever found, and Synne's story and alibi remained solid. The lack of evidence implicating Synne forced C-Sec to release her, but even though she was freed from jail, her torment was far from over.

Left without answers - and without their daughter, Timothy and Colette Bright made it their sole purpose to harass and slander Synne D'Leve in whatever ways they could until she confessed to whatever she'd done to Rachel. She lost her job, was shunned by her friends, and ultimately ended up removing herself from society altogether in an attempt to move on with her life, but even without the Bright family's persecution Rachel's disappearance haunted her. Since retreating from the public eye, no-one has seen or heard from Synne at all, leading the few still thinking about her at all to wonder if she finally joined Rachel, wherever that might be.

## Personality

* Worrisome
* Reclusive
* Diminutive
* Remorseful
* Kind

## Physical Description

Though always somewhat slight of figure, Synne has only grown thinner and weaker as worry and regret have eaten away at her over time. The poise and grace most asari radiate is lost on her, as is their often glowing complexion, but Synne tries her best to keep her head up and not let herself fall apart. Her skin is a deep, dark shade of indigo that hides the tired circles under her eyes, contrasted by the white, wing-shaped design decorating her face and her bright gray eyes.
Shuoma System

**Location:** Milky Way / Dabo's Knot

A red dwarf star and the five planets that orbit it within the Bahanak Frontier, the **Shuoma System** is most notable for being the site of the volus and batarian first contact in 292 BCE. The jointly-exploited world of Bumi is present within the system, and it along with the plethora of mineral-rich moons help keep the economies of both species running smoothly.

## Planets

* Bumi
* Sec Tur
* Nukvarn
* Ghra'da
* Qdurn
	+ Nefari
	+ 17 other moons

## Asteroid Belts

* Modred Belt (between Sec Tur and Nukvarn)
* Vasihra Belt (between Nukvarn and Ghra'da)
Timeline of the Prothean Cycle

The final cycle overseen by the Reapers, the **Prothean Cycle** saw the rise of the Prothean Empire, a galaxy-spanning empire with its seat on the Citadel. Using the information that had been left from those who had come and gone before, the Empire and its subjugated species were able to end the Reaper menace once and for all, at the expense of their own civilization. Each of the years listed is BCE, before the common era of humanity.

## Pre-Imperial Era

### 68,000

* The species known as the Protheans discover mass effect technology and achieve spaceflight utilizing technology from the ruins of the extinct Inusannon.

## Early Imperial Era

### 63,000

* A species of hostile machine intelligences known as the Metacon are discovered by the Protheans, plunging the species into war. Militarily strong, the species petitions the other spacefaring species who have made it to the Citadel to join them in crushing these galaxy-threatening AI. Upon their refusal, the Protheans declare war on each individual species, subjugating them into their empire one at a time to bring down the Metacon.

## Cycle's End

### 48,000

* The Empire collapses upon the arrival of the Reapers. Having learned of the menace beforehand, the Protheans were somewhat prepared with their doomsday device. Unfortunately, much of the leadership is destroyed within the first few months, leaving the survivors in a race against discovery and destruction by the Reapers.

### 47,588

* n a last ditch effort to destroy the reapers, the Protheans sacrifice many to reclaim the Citadel. The remains of their fleet hold off the oncoming reapers as their engineering teams complete the Crucible/Catalyst merger. When the merge is completed and the signal is sent out, the Prothean and Reaper fleets are both destroyed. The cycles now broken, remaining reaper technology across the galaxy becomes independent, but unified in a cause. Remaining Protheans are scattered across the galaxy, too few to repopulate anywhere.

### 47,504

* The final living member of the Prothean Empire dies, leaving the fate of the galaxy up to those of the next cycle.
Shaheizy bin Musa

**Shaheizy bin Musa** is a former politician within the Systems Alliance Parliament. Representing Singapore in the ultranational organization, the man served through the first three parliamentary classes after the signing of the Systems Alliance Charter. Declining the opportunity to run for a fourth term, he retired back to his home city and serves as a staunch advocate for his political party, The Blues.
Terminus Systems

The **Terminus Systems** are located on the far side of the Attican Traverse, beyond the space administered by the Citadel Council. These systems are populated by a loose affiliation of minor species, united only in their refusal to acknowledge the political authority of the Council or adhere to the Citadel Conventions.

Their independence comes at a price; the Terminus is fraught with conflict. War among the various species is common, as governments and dictators constantly rise and fall. The region is a haven for illegal activities, particularly piracy and the slave trade. The prevalence of batarian criminal gangs has led to simplified batarian languages becoming the "lingua francas" in the Terminus. The Terminus Systems have no government, but the Omega serves as a trade capital.

At least once a year, a fleet from the Terminus invades the nearby Attican Traverse. These attacks are typically small raids against poorly-defended colonies. The Council rarely retaliates, as sending patrols into the Terminus Systems could unify the disparate species against their common foe, triggering a long and costly war.

Despite the dangers, Citadel races have not been deterred from traveling through and even extensively colonizing the Terminus Systems themselves. Humans, turians, salarians, elcor, asari, and volus each have a sizable colonial presence there. Since the Citadel Council's authority is nonexistent, these colonies are often fully independent from any interplanetary government. The Terminus Systems also encompass the homeworlds of the quarians and the vorcha, as well as the adopted homeworld of the Lystheni salarian people.

Before the Alliance expanded into the Voyager Cluster, the turians mapped the Terminus Systems in great detail using an interferometric array, with one end in the Attican Beta cluster and the other at the planet Gromar.

## Locations

### Clusters

* Basillae Flare
* Byenzine Cloud
* Caleston Rift
* Carina Nebula
* Crescent Nebula
* Eagle Nebula
* Eyes of Mizhuna
* Far Rim
* Hourglass Nebula
* Nemean Abyss
* Omega Nebula
* Paraxhi Square
* Perseus Veil
* The Phoenix Massing
* Radana Burst
* Rosetta Nebula
* The Shrike Abyssal
* Sigurd's Cradle
* Titan Nebula
* Valhallan Threshold

### Homeworlds

* Heshtok
* Rannoch
* Regdika
* Sepkai (Adopted)
Sahrabarik System

**Location:** Milky Way / Omega Nebula

A haven for scum and villainy of all kinds, the **Sahrabarik System** serves as a gateway to various locations within the Terminus Systems and a hub for many of the dealings taking place in that sector of space as well.

## Planets

* Urdak
* Imorkan
* Bindur

## Asteroid Belts

* Tritus' Refuge
	+ Named for the legendary former leader of Omega Tritus Mexilinan, this belt is notable only because of its protection of the memorable station.

## Mass Relays

* Omega-1
* Omega-2
* Omega-3
* Omega-4
TruthHax

**TruthHax** is a multi-species extranet collective of hacktivists against extranet censorship, governmental oversteps and the classification of public data. Initially founded by asari Lessar B'Vael and salarian associate Jondum Luro, the group has been successful in maintaining a shadowy and private public persona as of 2182.
Thresna Gores

**Thresna Gores** is a batarian bounty hunter and former slaver for the Hegemony. Having reformed herself mid-life, she now puts her skills to use in the darker markets of the galaxy, though without slavery in the mix. She resides in the Gozu District of Omega.

## Biography

Born to a typical low-caste family on Khar'Shan, Thresna was raised on cheap meals and propaganda. From a young age she knew she wanted to be a raider, out on the frontier getting revenge on humanity for their sins against the Hegemony. With her parents' consent, she joined up with a gang at the age of 16.

Running with them for quite a few years, Thresna became notorious for her stellar hunting aptitude. She became one of the Hegemony's finest runaway slave trackers, and excelled at bringing in her quarry alive.

In 2177, Thresna and her gang were tasked with hunting down a former drell slave that had escaped captivity on Erszbat. She lost quite a few members of her team in the pursuit, the drell turning out to be a capable assassin for the Illuminated Primacy in his former life. When she finally confronted the man, it was he who had the upper hand. In a rare move, the assassin allowed her to flee with her life, but posed a question: Couldn't her skills be used to put some good into the galaxy?

It was a question that bothered the woman for weeks. As a woman of opportunity, however, Thresna was unconcerned with bringing good into the galaxy. She wondered why she had allowed others to profit off her skills for so long, instead of reaping the rewards herself. Leaving the Hegemony behind, she set off to Omega to become a freelance bounty hunter. She has been doing just that ever since, and has quickly risen up as one of the top bounty hunters in the game.

## Armament

Thresna carries with her two M-4 Shuriken submachine guns and a Kishock Harpoon Gun. Her omni-tool comes equipped with the abilities Submission Net, Cryo Blast and Neural Shock, and she carries with her blocks of Shredder Ammo.
Sepkai

**Location:** Milky Way / Byenzine Cloud / Taesin System

**Sepkai** is the transplanted homeworld of Lystheni Salarians. Much like their original homeworld of Sur'Kesh, Sepkai is covered in dense jungles and massive rainforests. The biological diversity on this planet alone is enough to keep biologists busy for a millenia, however, its location in the Terminus keeps many teams away. In truth, that is how the Lystheni prefer it.

## History

An uncharted rock before the Lystheni exile in 494 BCE, Sepkai hosted a wide array of native flora and fauna that would've taken any scientist by storm. In searching for a suitable home for their genetic ancestors, the baseline salarians chose this world for its similar terrain and biosphere. With nothing more than a few prefabricated buildings and some old-fashioned building materials, the Lystheni were left to fend for themselves.

Today the world remains largely the same, with most Lystheni still scrounging out a basic living in small communities in the northern hemisphere. Any trade is done through their modest capital, Dignon, which houses the only spaceport on the world.

## Terrain

Covered in massive oceans and vast swaths of rainforest, Sepkai is a biological marvel.

## Notable Locations

### Natural Satellites

* Nonau
* Kestor
* Leojin
Rozanda Echemendia

Art by Konni, commissioned by Rey

**Rozanda Echemendia**, known to those close to her simply as **Roz**, is a human historian native to the nation of Cuba on Earth. Daughter of a professional baseball player, she travelled across the human homeworld much as a child, experiencing the aftermath of two different wars and the loss of a close friend to human trafficking. Academic in nature, she set out to study the vast history of the subject of slavery, all the while searching for her friend.

## Biography

Roz was born in Jovellanos in Cuba on the 14th of March 2079. At the time, her mother and father were both in college, with Learco coming upon the ILB Draft, during which he was assumed to be a top pick. Going 5th overall to the QC Eskrimadores, the young family found themselves crossing the world to join his new team in the Philippines.
Synthetic Insights, Ltd.

One of only four corporations licensed by the Citadel Council to develop AI technology, **Synthetic Insights, Ltd.** is a minor player in the Virtual Intelligence market most notable for their AI research and Graybox technology.

## Description

Synthetic Insights has a strict non-discrimination employment policy, but they do refrain from hiring slave labor, or even "indentured servants". On Noveria, Synthetic Insights relies on the goodwill of the NDC's executive board to continue their work.

## Notable Branches

### Corporate Headquarters

The corporate headquarters on Illium is a small, two-story rented segment of the Faere B'Tissa Building within Nos Astra's Kelise District. Housing nothing but the corporate offices and financial department, none of the actual research and development takes place within the premises.

### Noveria

The holdings of Synthetic Insights, Ltd. on Noveria are extensive where tight security allows them to work without harassment from politically hostile organizations; therefore they invest heavily there.
Terevan System

**Location:** Milky Way / Serpent Nebula

The **Terevan** **System** is a stellar system that houses a large turian naval base, one of the most important strategic fortresses in the Hierarchy military.

## History

Offered to the turians in addition to their seat on the Council after the Krogan Rebellions had officially concluded, the system has been of strategic importance to the Hierarchy since its settlement. Named for the first turian councilor, the system is a frequent discussion topic in political circles. Despite its proximity to the "Heart of the Galaxy", the system remains highly classified.

## Planets

* Tracmus Duxes
* Lodantus

## Moons

* 44 minor satellites in orbit of Lodantus - CLASSIFIED

## Stations

* Lodantus Watch - CLASSIFIED
* Fuel Depot ST01 - CLASSIFIED
Torfan

**Location:** Milky Way / Styx Theta / Karaht System / Nymbar

A moon of the gas giant Nymbar, **Torfan** is infamous as the site of the Massacre at Torfan in 2178. A popular pirate hideout before that, the moon has been mostly abandoned since that event.

## History

Used by many batarian gangs as a pirate hideout, Torfan had the benefit of nearby Helium-3 sources at both Nymbar and Donmazi to help stimulate both its own prominence and the credit chits of those running the show down below.

A planned retaliatory strike for the Skyllian Blitz that was over two years in the making, the Massacre at Torfan is one of the most ruthless and costly undertakings in the history of the Systems Alliance. While the Alliance forces suffered heavy casualties, every single pirate within their targeted bases was killed or executed regardless of surrender.
Rosenkov Materials

**Rosenkov Materials** is a human weapons and armor developer of Russian origin. Ascending to prominence in the years after the discovery of Element Zero and Mass Effect technology, it is considered the cream of the crop among human weapons and armor designers.

## Products

### Armor Sets

* Goliath Armor
* Titan Armor

### Weapons

#### Sniper Rifles

* M-97 Viper
* Volkov
SSV Francis Drake

The **SSV Francis Drake** is the class leader of the Drake-class corvettes utilized by the Systems Alliance. A member of the Systems Alliance Seventh Fleet, the vessel is sent on charting missions to discover what lies in unknown space. Notably, the vessel discovered the garden world of Proteus in 2175. It is named for the English explorer Sir Francis Drake.
Tali'Zorah

**Tali'Zorah** is a quarian engineer and explorer formerly of the liveship Rayya. Born to admiral Rael'Zorah and his wife, Hana'Nim, she lost her mother at a young age to an unknown virus that had rapidly spread across the Migrant Fleet. In 2181, she left the fleet on her Pilgrimage.

## Biography

Tali was born in 2161 aboard the liveship Rayya. She lost her mother to an unknown virus at age 17, and with her father living a rather distant life she was largely raised by family friends such as Shala'Raan. Having reached maturity, she departed the Migrant Fleet on her Pilgrimage in 2181.

## Armament

Tali prefers to utilize the Nexus line of omni-tools produced by Armali Council for running her combat abilities, such as Energy Drain, Combat Drone, Defense Drone and Sabotage. When utilizing firearms, she sticks with shotguns and pistols.

## Family

* Hana'Nim - *Mother*
* Rael'Zorah - *Father*
SSV Henry Johnson

The **SSV Henry Johnson** is a Systems Alliance carrier of the McGonagle-class stationed with the First Fleet at Arcturus Station. It is named for the American soldier Henry Johnson.

## Crew Compliment

* Captain Joanna Pfenninger - Commanding Officer
* Staff Commander Isaac Giménez - Executive Officer
* Staff Commander Steven Sawatzky - Commanding Officer, 33rd Space Division
* Lieutenant Commander Veronica Lansett - Commanding Officer, 331st Interceptor Wing
* Staff Lieutenant Shen Bao - Commanding Officer, Dragon Riders Squadron
* 1st Lieutenant Saša Marković - Commanding Officer, Dragon Riders First Flight
* 2nd Lieutenant Julianne Jones - Dragon Riders First Flight
* 2nd Lieutenant Trevor Spohn - Dragon Riders First Flight
* 2nd Lieutenant Shamma Nair - Dragon Riders First Flight
Salarian Colonization Timeline

With their penchant for curiosity and data-driven research, the **Salarians** have no qualms with building colonies where others dare not tread. With each new colony comes a multitude of new questions about the world around them, and opportunities to expand in the realms of politics and spycraft as well. While they do physiologically prefer worlds similar to their homeworld, they adjust readily to worlds they seek to colonize.
Temple Palaven

The Destruction of Temple Palaven

**Temple Palaven** was an ancient monastery and historical site on Palaven destroyed by Saren Arterius in 2158.

## History

Built by the Valluvian Priests as a part of their religion sometime around 1500 BCE, Temple Palaven stood derelict as a historical site for centuries before its destruction.

Soon after the First Contact War, Hierarchy general Desolas Arterius began an excavation of the site after he discovered the Arca Monolith. Later on Saren, realizing how far his brother had been "indoctrinated" by the device, he ordered the bombardment of the temple.
Terapso

**Location:** Milky Way / Sigurd's Cradle / Mil System

A hydrogen-helium gas giant with an abundance of nitrogen in its atmosphere, **Terapso** is notable because of its independence from the government of Chalkhos as well as from any other governing body. As a result, its colonized moons and orbital stations overseeing the helium-3 recovery are neutral meeting grounds for all manner of deals between Terminus governments, warlords, or crime figures.
Sk'tr Flies

**Sk'tr Flies** are a species of flying insect native to the vorcha homeworld of Heshtok. Spending their lives on the sulfur-covered embankments of magma pools and rivers, the short-lived creatures are known for their powerful bites and malicious pursuit of prey.

## Description

### Naming

Commonly referred to by the vorcha simply as Sk'tr, the epithet "flies" is commonly added by humans to better understand their role in the simplistic yet volatile ecosystem of Heshtok.

### Biology

The sk'tr egg sacs laid by females can house up to 15,000 individuals, though a large portion of those will eventually be eaten by the first 500 or so that hatch. These sacs are most often lain upon the undersides of jagged rock faces or magma field flora. After devouring their kin, the small nymphs drop from their birthplace onto the ground below, making their way towards the nearest heat source.

Upon finding an area with a consistent temperature of 60° C or higher the nymphs coccoon themselves in tiny burrows within the ground, metamorphosing into their adult stage. Depending upon the amount of their siblings eaten, the nymph stage can last anywhere from five minutes to five weeks. Also dependent upon their protein intake is the eventual gender, with females having devoured more of their family than their male counterparts.

The reforming of the creature takes up to two months, during which it is most vulnerable and common prey for small scavengers across Heshtok. The dense, protein-packed coccoons are a particularly famous snack among the vorcha.

After emerging, the adult flies have up to four months to spread their genes before eventually succumbing to old age. Both genders are carnivorous, though only the females will drink the blood of their prey, gathering vital nutrients to eventually construct the egg sac.

### Appearance

Sk'tr have four long, gimpy legs that connect to the underside of a rather squat, circular body. Two golden eyes pierce through the anterior end of the creature's torso. Its wings are stubby and hug the sides of the creature when not in flight. While not typically thought of as sexually dimorphic, upon microscopic inspection the females can be seen to have a small white ring around their eyes and the sharp, piercing apparatus within their mouth to absorb the blood of their quarry.

## Problems

While not a major issue on the vorcha homeworld, they are one of the few species known to be hazardous to the krogan. Small parasites known as Hecdysozoans inhabit the mandibles of the female sk'tr flies, reproducing within the blood of the hosts. An ancient genetic sequence within krogan DNA makes each and every one of their species allergic to this parasite, though the degrees of severity range wildly from krogan to krogan. As such, many Blood Pack operators on the planet know to steer clear of magma pools and rivers.
Turian Colonization Timeline

Expansionist and unified, the **Turians** typically spread with diligence and rigorous planning. In the centuries since the Unification War, the Hierarchy and, by extension, the turian species, has largely avoided over-extending their borders, instead spreading methodically within their own territory to avoid the mistakes of the past.