Mass Effect Part Nine: The Drell

The Drell are a reptilian race, saved from their dying world by the Hanar after the races made first contact. Since then the Drell have been a loyal client race to the Hanar, complimenting them with their abilities, hands and prowess, making up for the Hanar limitations.

Drell are omnivorous humanoids with a lifespan similar to humans. They are of a similar size and shape to humans and Asari but with denser muscle tissue, giving them a relatively higher degree of strength compared to other species of the same size.

Their throats are well developed, allowing them to create sounds above and below the human range of hearing. Originally hailing from a dry, arid world the Drell have a hard time with prolonged exposure to damp and wetness which can, with prolonged exposure, cause progressive degeneration and suffocation.

The Drell have the ability to recall with near-perfect detail memories from their past and can even zone-out and re-live the memory in vivid detail.

The Drell homeworld of Rakhana is now barren and lifeless despite once being home to some 11 billion Drell. Despite the best efforts of the Hanar only some four-hundred-thousand Drell could be saved. The Drell simply lacked the ability or capacity to rapidly become an interstellar society and was in a state of freefall collapse.

It has been two centuries now nad most Drell remain on the Hanar world, Kahje. The debt of gratitude they feel as a race towards the Hanar is one that cannot seem to be repaid. To other races this deal, The Compact, can seem like slavery, but it is considered a great honour to be chosen to pay the debt.

Those who are chosen typically recieve some implants to aid them in communicating with the Hanar by allowing them to see the UV and IR spectra given off by them.

Drell Statistics
After generating statistics for the Drell adjust them as follows:
+1 Strength (after calculation)
All Drell have the ability to recall events with perfect clarity.

Mass Effect Part Eight: Volus

Volus are an associate race in Citadel space. They have their own embassy but despite constant pressure and many actions on behalf of The Council haven’t yet managed to grasp a seat. They come from a high pressure, high gravity, high temperature greenhouse world, high in ammonia, the very chemistry upon which the Volus physiology is based. Most environments used by other sentient races are poisonous and dangerous to the Volus and so, like the Quarians, they must hide themselves away in pressure suits when off their own worlds.

The Volus are not physically adept being small and stocky in stature and somewhat clumsy compared to other races, necessary adaptations for their home planet. As a result they seek power in other ways, typically trade in which they have a fiersome reputation.

The Volus have bound together Citadel space with their economics and banking. They are ruthless traders – stereotypically – and use their accumulated wealth and prestige to hire on assistance from more physically and militarily capable races such as the Turians – who handle most Volus military endeavours.

Wealth measures success in Volus culture and trade is important at the individual and at the clan status. The Volus themselves tend to pacifism and cowardice, but this is really pure self-preservation. They do not carry their clan names with them and all Volus have individual paired names that uniquely describe them.

The Volus are run by the Vol Protectorate, their government which is itself a client state of the Turian Hierarchy. In exchange for Turian military protection the Volus pay a tax to the Hierarchy as well as supporting them in foreign policy and providing a small number of auxillery troops.

Volus Worlds
Irune – homeworld, Alahya – a moon of Dranen undergoing terraforming, Boro, Daleon, Maskawa, Talis Fia, Zada Ban

Volus Statistics
After generating character statistics, modify them as follows:
AGI -2, BLD -1, CRE +1.

Mass Effect Part Seven: Salarians

The Salarians were the second species to join the Citadel and founder members of the council. In many ways they could not be more different than the Asari, being short-lived and stretching the definition of ‘humanoid’ pretty far.

‘Hyperactive’ doesn’t even begin to describe the nature of the Salarians. They think fast, talk fast, move fast and live fast, few Salarians live over the age of forty, despite advances in medical science.

Warm blooded, but amphibious, the Salarians are known for their observational skills, non-linear thinking and quick reflexes. Despite their short lives they have a great capacity of research, science and espionage and are driven as few other races are.

Bipedal tall and elongated the Salarians are ‘bendy’ with a skeletal structure that is more cartilege than bone. Their heads are long and thin and have a pair of fleshy horns protruding from the top. Their skin comes in all manner of different colours, reds and greens as well as more common blue and grey. Their eyes are large and oval, excellent at gathering light and seeing underwater, they also blink from the bottom up.

Salarians only need to sleep one hour in every earth-equivalent period.

Salarians are egg-layers. Unfertilised eggs produce males, fertilised ones produce females. 90% of all Salarians are males and breeding rights are decidedly unromantic and based upon lineage, wealth and accomplishment of well-recorded family lines.

The Salarians have a chequered history, perhaps due to their necessarily short-sighted thinking given their lifespan. They were responsible for recovering the Krogan and turning them against the Rachni during those wars and also responsible for crippling the Krogan reproductive system with the Genophage.

The Salarian military is not particularly powerful or effective but their espionage and commando teams are almost peerless in the galaxy. They are master manipulators, preferring deflection and politics to direct conflict.

Salarians are gadgeteers who could be characterised as ‘early adopters’. They much prefer having something powerful, new and complicated over something proven, reliable and simple.

Salarian females normally remain on the Salarian homeworlds out of tradition. Salarian matriarchs (Dalatresses) run dynasties and run their clans and families ruthlessly.

Salarian names are complex including – in order – the name of a salarian’s homeworld, nation, city, district, clan name and given name. For example, the salarian on Feros is named Gorot II Heranon Mal Dinest Got Inoste Ledra, but he would be called either by his clan name, Inoste, or his given name, Ledra.

The salarian race also includes the Lystheni ‘offshoot.’ They are outcasts and criminals, perhaps a sub-species, and found running with mercenary gangs such as Batarian clans.

Salarian Worlds
Sur’Kesh – homeworld, Dagnes, Erinle, Gorot, Halegeuse, Jaëto, Mannovai, Nasurn, Olor, Rannadril, Senoquol

Salarian Statistics
After the character’s statistics have been generated, modify them as follows:
AGI +1, BLD -1, CRE +1, KNO +1, PER +1, PSY -1, WIL -1
Salarians are short lived, living no more than 40 years, they tend to specialise in a very few arenas to the best of their ability and lose some diversity in skills, this is reflected in having five less skill points than normal.