Turian

## Biology

### Physiology

Turians usually stand at over six feet tall. One of their more unusual features, when compared to most humanoids, is their hands, which have 2 long, thich fingers and one opposable thumb (on each hand, of course.). Though their most noticeable aspect is the metal carapace, which protects them from solar radiation. Their biology is based on dextro-amino acids, which means they cannot eat levo-amino acid based foods (which most other species consume.) Another thing to note is the Turian voice, which had a distinct flanging effect, making it sound like they’re taking in 2 slightly different voices at once. It’s also important to note that Turians have extreme difficulty swimming. They also possess extremely sharp talons, or claws on the ends of their fingers, causing them to have to wear gloves unless they dull them.

### Lifespan

Their life span is comparable to that of humans, at about 150 years.

### Medical Conditions

Turians can suffer from a wide array of diseases, like most species. Some diseases include:

* Corpalis Syndrome, a rare disease which causes neural degradation in Turians.
* Titan’s Tears, a very rare hemorrhagic fever.

## History

### Pre-Warp

Turian civilization spanned about 15000 years, though most of the records are lost, save for a small amount. Before the Turian Hierarchy achieved warp, they still possessed a very small fleet, consisting of about 5 cruisers around 2270, with a top speed equivalent to about full impulse. The use of the fleet was for exploration, so they were equipped with no weaponry. Before the creation of a unified government in 2212, Turian society consisted of many city-states, akin to ancient Greece on Earth.

Most of Turian history was splattered with battles and skirmishes between cities, though barely any were considered big enough to be called world wars, with the exception of one: the Unification Wars, in 2105. This war was considered by many historians to be the first use of large-scale weapons by Turians, with an estimated 76 Million dead, decimating many of the city-states.

Eventually, as the name suggests, there was unification. The war was brought to an end by a neutral city-state, urging the belligerents to enter negotiations. After around 3 months of negotiations, the Turian Hierarchy was created, with all city-states uniting to form a federation, though they still were able to govern themselves to a certain extent, like old Earth American states, or Canadian provinces.

### Warp

In 2345, the Hierarchy successfully developed and tested a warp drive, at Warp 1. After managing to traverse the Trebia system, they set their scope on a nearby star system, the Barcius system, still in the Apien Cluster sector.

### First Contact

The first alien contact Turians experienced  was with an Andorian research vessel  passing through a neighbouring system in 2350, 5 years after achieving warp. After standard first contact procedures, they petitioned to enter the Federation, seeing it as a way to learn more about the galaxy, and as protection against possible threats. After they entered the Federation, the first Turians joined Starfleet in 2351.

## Culture

### Beliefs

Turians believe in public service, rarely putting individual needs before the needs of the many. Their religious beliefs vary, with total freedom of religion. The main belief is that every group and area have “spirits”.

A military unit's spirit would embody honour and courage, a large tree’s spirit would embody the beauty and tranquility of the area around it.

### Family

Turian families are close-knit, with most families keeping a cache of small arms in their home.

### Society

Turian society is very martial, with children being sent away at their 15th birthday for military training for one year, and more if training as an officer. Many Turians sport elaborate tattoos, showing which colony or city they are from. Turians without a tattoo are known as “Barefaced” and are usually not trusted in Turian society. Traditionally, if a Turian is taken to court for a crime they committed, the trial is more like an intervention, which their peers attempting to convince the individual to change, though if it fails, the Hierarchy has no qualms with sentencing them to hard labour, though in recent times, the offender is sent to a Federation rehabilitation facility.

### Behavior

Turians have a strong sense of honour, and are described as “Men of Action” meaning they value physical actions or deeds over words.

Turian mannerisms are an interesting thing, making use of their mandibles, as well as actions and noises like you’d see in a Human. For example, if a lower ranking Turian was speaking with a higher ranking, they’d most likely stand with a slumped posture, and their mandibles held tight to their face. On the other hand, a higher ranking Turian might tilt their head up, or slightly forward, and walk with a tall, straight posture.

### Rituals

Turians have a large amount of rituals and prayers, meant to be able to connect with the Spirits. If a Turian is trying to create a work of art, they may try to connect to a spirit of a beautiful location, or a stressed Turian may try to connect with the spirit of their unit, trying to connect with the pride and honour of the group, these rituals usually take the form of meditation. Turian families usually have a family vault or crypt, which is used both as a place of rest for the dead, and a memorial. Though many Turians believe in Spirits, some follow the Earth religions of Confucianism and Zen Buddhism.

### Recreational

Turian society is very relaxed when it comes to recreation, for example, all recreational drugs are legal in the Hierarchy, provided it does not interfere with work.

### Language

Turian languages are usually non-gendered, focusing more on the social tier of the person they are talking to. The language consists of a variety of clicks, chirps, squawks, rumbles and whimpers, reminiscent of their Avian origin. Even though their language is very different compared to Federation basic, they are able to speak it, though it requires a fairly large amount of practice to nail the pronunciations.

## Technology

### Ships

Starships of Turian design look quite different to Federation designs, with a lack of visible nacelles. The Turian Navy has a fairly large number of dreadnoughts compared to the rest of their fleet, with about 30 dreadnoughts as opposed to the 10 cruisers

#### Dreadnoughts

Turian Dreadnoughts have a large amount of fire power, and are slow moving. Their maximum speed is Warp factor 5, and Warp 6 at Emergency speed.

### Cruisers

Turian cruisers are more lightly armed than dreadnoughts, but are faster moving. They usually carry a small squadron of fighters. Their top speed is Warp 6, with an emergency speed of Warp 8.

### Fighters

Turian fighters resemble Starfleet fighters in terms of armaments, though they lack the ability to go to warp.

### Stations

The Hierarchy itself does not have much in terms of space stations, with only one orbiting Palaven, an orbital repair station, the HRS Paetiss. It has about 220 crew stationed on it.

### Weapons

Turian weaponry fires ballistic rounds, with the exception of weaponry mounted on starships, which is standard Federation starfleet phasers and torpedoes.

### Unique Technology

Omni-Tools, multi-function diagnostic and manufacturing tools. Some functions include: video, audio, and holographic communications, scanner, camera, flashlight, and most importantly, downloading and playing video games. The omni-tool is projected by a bracelet-looking placed on the wrist. The device contains a projector, a data link, and a power supply, which can last about 24 hours before it needs to be recharged.

## Home Planet

### Overview

The Turian homeworld, Palaven (sometimes spelt as Palavan), located in the Trebia system in the Apien Crest sector, in the Alpha quadrant, is a planet with a radius of 8900 km. It has a weak magnetic field, causing a higher amount of Solar radiation.

### Ecosystem

Life on Palaven is carbon based and oxygen breathing, but most species developed metal carapaces to combat the high amount of solar radiation. Plants also are inactive during the day, being active during the night.

### Government

Palaven is controlled by the Turian Hierarchy, a hierarchical meritocracy. There are 27 citizenship tiers, the lowest being children. Citizens progress through the tiers throughout their life, occasionally being demoted. If demoted, the stigma lies with the person who promoted the demotee, as the one demoted is seen as not having been ready for the responsibilities that came with the promotion.

### Space Infrastructure

There is not much space infrastructure in the Hierarchy with the exception of an orbital station, naval fleets, civilian transports, and communication satellites.

### Ground Infrastructure

Most cities are heavily defended on Palaven, looking like fortresses.

### Important Landmarks

One of the oldest places on Palaven is the Temple Palaven, which was built in 1500 BCE.