The turians are a sapient species that evolved on the planet Palaven. They are renowned for their discipline and military strength.
Physiology[]
Turians are an average of six feet tall. They have two long fingers and an opposable thumb, with each digit ending in a talon. They have a set of mandibles around their mouths. The most noticeable feature of a turian, however, is likely their metallic carapace which contains a small amount of thulium. This trait evolved as a means of handling the high solar radiation that bombards their homeworld and cuts through the planet's weak magnetic field.
Turians exhibit many biological features that are common in predators -- they were clearly once the apex predators of their planet. These features include razor sharp teeth and forward-facing eyes. Their diet, therefore, is almost entirely comprised of meat. Turians are one of a handful of species (including the quarians) that are built on dextro-amino acids. Because of this, they are incapable of digesting foods suitable to humans, and many other species.
Though turians have a number of avian-like qualities, they do give birth to live young. Male and female turians do not vary much in appearance, and outsiders sometimes have trouble telling them apart.
Turians live roughly the same length of time as humans.
Turian blood is dark blue in color.
History[]
The turian culture began to develop around 13,000 BCE.
Before the asari and salarians created the Citadel Council, the turians were already using mass relays to colonize star systems throughout much of the Milky Way. These colonies began a bitter civil war, known as the Unification Wars. Each colony was run by a local chieftain, who had distanced themselves from the Turian Hierarchy.
When the fighting broke out between the colonies, the Hierarchy did not intervene. They permitted the colonies to war against each other for many years. Finally, when all of the colonies were weakened from the fighting, the Hierarchy swept in and forced all of them to swear allegiance once more.
The Citadel Council did eventually make contact with the turians, in the midst of the Krogan Rebellion. The Council requested the aid of the turian military -- and they did not disappoint. They initially proved successful against the krogan, until a massive counterattack decimated several turian colonies. Three of the turian colony worlds were made completely uninhabitable by the use of weapons of mass destruction.
In response, the turians deployed a genophage developed by the salarians. The krogan were broken, the massive numbers that gave them an advantage had been quelled. The Krogan Rebellion ended by 1600 CE and the turians were granted a seat on the Citadel Council.
In 2957 CE, the turians made first contact with humans -- by opening fire on a team of explorers attempting to activate Relay 314. This quickly escalated into a war between the turians and the Systems Alliance. The Citadel Council intervened, drawing up terms for peace. Tensions existed between the two species for years to come.
In 2986 CE, the Reapers invaded the Milky Way. The turians fought against the Reapers, but to little effect. Eventually, Palaven began to be assaulted by the monstrosities. In an unlikely turn of events, the krogan -- who agreed to join the war once the genophage had been cured -- came to their aid. The combined efforts of the krogan and turians managed to secure a victory against the Reapers, albeit a brief one. Realizing the desperate situation facing the entire galaxy, Primarch Victus ordered the turian warships to join the battle in orbit around the Earth.
Culture[]
Turians have great pride in their history. They bear facial marking that denote the colony that they come from. These tattoos are most often white, particularly on turians with darker skin tones, but can also be any number of other colors. Not having facial markings is taboo in turian society -- the term "barefaced" means that one cannot be trusted. It is often used to describe politicians.
Turian culture heavily emphasizes public service. Turians very rarely put their own needs above the needs of a group. Every turian serves the state in some capacity between the ages of 15 and 30 cycles.
Because of their inclination towards self-sacrifice and public service, turians are generally poor businessmen. This was not truly a problem until they joined the galactic community. As a result, the turians offered protection services to the volus.
The center of the turian culture is the military. The turian military is more than just an armed service, it is a public works organization. They act as law enforcement, fire fighters, and even employ the engineers who maintain schools, spaceports, and other civilian resources. The military also ensures that every turian world is receiving the necessary resources.
Largely because of their emphasis on the military, turian society is extremely regimented. Their work ethic is renowned -- no matter what the task, turians always follow through. When spurred to violence, which takes a great deal, the turians only understand total war. Turians will never engage in small skirmishes but will always amass large numbers for a full-scale battle. They will not completely exterminate their foes, but will instead break them so completely that their enemy has no choice but to surrender and become a turian colony.
Despite the disciplined nature of their society, turians enjoy a very free life. There are few restrictions, so long as turian citizens are able to complete their duties.
Religion[]
Turians believe that a group, or an area, has a spirit that transcends individuals. A military unit, for instance, would have a spirit embodied by the strength and courage of that unit. Turians do not believe that spirits can influence the world, other than to inspire. However, they believe that prayers and rituals do allow turians to communicate with these spirits.
Once, the turians believed that ancient titans had walked across their planet of Palaven. These gods were worshipped in the Temple Palaven, but once other species were encountered in the galaxy the beliefs of this Valluvian faith fell out of date and the temple was shuttered.
Government[]
The turian government, called the Turian Hierarchy, is a hierarchal meritocracy. There are 27 citizenship tiers, beginning with civilians -- which covers client races and children. The second tier is the beginning of military service. Full citizenship is granted to those who reach the third tier, by graduating boot camp.
Higher-ranked citizens are expected to protect the lower levels, while the lower levels are expected to serve those higher than them. Turians will advance through many tiers during their lives, and can also be demoted. If an individual is demoted, they are not shamed or dishonored -- instead, the shame lies upon the one who promoted them before their time.
At the very top of the hierarchy are the Primarchs. Each Primarch rules a colonization cluster, voting together on matters of national importance. Otherwise, they do not interfere with each other and often maintain a hands-off policy in regards to those below them, trusting everyone lower in the hierarchy to do their jobs correctly.
Source[]
Turians are derived from Mass Effect.