Salarian (Mass Effect Supplement)

Salarian

Physical Description

Source

Salarians are superficially similar to Earth's amphibians, though they are distinctly warm-blooded. They are most notable for their incredible metabolism; they think and move much faster than any other sapient, though in exchange their lifespan is much shorter, though this is somewhat mitigated by how little a salarian needs to sleep. Salarian skin takes on shades of orange, green, blue, and purple, though unlike the asari, this is typically in duller shades typically averaging out to skin tones similar to humans.

Salarians are particularly androgynous among sapients, though this fact is somewhat obscured by salarian reproduction. Salarians reproduce through laying a clutch of roughly a dozen haplo-diploid eggs every few years, of which only one or two at most are fertilized to become females, leading to a male population of over 90%. As such, it's likely one may simply never meet a female salarian. Additionally, salarians lack a hormonal sex drive, instead reproducing as a matter of necessity.

Salarian memory is nearly perfect, and is unrivaled among their contemporaries. A major aspect of this memory is the nature of imprinting; deference to those a salarian knew in their youth. This is an inherent biological response that tappers off within the first 5 years of a salarian's life.

History

Early salarian history is almost impenetrably complex to a non-salarian, and consists of a litany of clan treaties and assassinations interspersed by the occasional war. By the late 6th century BCE, the Salarian Union had achieved spaceflight and activated the mass relay at the edge of their home system, Pranas, and in 520 BCE they discovered the Citadel, which had already been settled by the Asari Republics. 20 years later, after lengthy negotiations and numerous treaties, the two governments formed the Citadel Council in order to establish galactic law and protocol.

When the Rachni War began in 1 CE, the Salarian Union's forces played a secondary role, mainly supporting more experienced and equipped turian forces and uexecuting precision strikes. By 80 CE, however, the situation was dire, and the Salarian Union had to turn to failsafes they had hoped would never be needed. Making first contact with the primitive krogan on their post-nuclear homeworld of Tuchanka, the Salarian Union promised their clans technology that could save them and their planet in exchange for their help in the war. The situation immediately changed in the Council's favor, and by 300 CE, the rachni were declared extinct.

The Salarian Union upheld their side of the bargain, stabilizing Tuchanka's atmosphere and spreading the galaxy's medical technology to Tuchanka. However, the war had taught the krogan clans two important lessons: the wider galaxy was a thing to be fought, and they were stronger than the Council's forces. Krogan expansion began slowly, colonizing uninhabited worlds in nearby systems, but the nature of krogan reproduction in a comparatively post-scarcity world meant growth would be exponential, the fear of which resulted in the creation of the Special Tasks Group, an asymmetrical warfare black-ops subdivision of the Salarian Union. In 700 CE, multiple krogan attacks on Council colonies marked the beginning of the Krogan Rebellion. Ten years later, a turian strike force was given a bioweapon developed by STG and dispersed it into the atmosphere of Tuchanka, inflicting the wider krogan population with the genophage. While this stopped the Krogan Rebellions, it sent their population on a course toward extinction, and neither the turians or salarians would be forgiven any time soon.

Society

The Salarian Union consists of a number of matrilineal bloodlines that arrange themselves similarly to European kingdoms lead by a single Dalatrass. Its governmental tiers, consisting of regional, national, continental, planetary, solar, and sovereign rulers, are made absolute through imprinting.

Salarian culture places a great deal of importance on intelligence and secrecy, as they are their greatest strength in the galaxy. From an outsider's perspective, a salarian is a box of secrets with a dozen contingencies for any given situation, and is never forthcoming with their true intentions.

Salarian Names

Salarian names are quite complex. A full name includes - in order - the name of a salarian's homeworld, nation, city, district, clan name and given name. However, few salarians use their full name unless necessary and prefer to go by their family and given name.

Example Full Names: Rannadril Ghan Swa Fulsoom Karaten Narr Eadi Bel Anoleis, Gorot II Heranon Mal Dinest Got Inoste Ledra

Given Names: Beelo, Chorban, Esheel, Ish, Jarroth, Jarun, Jondum, Kallo, Kirrahe, Maelon, Mordin, Morlan, Padok, Palon, Rentola, Schells, Solik, Tazzik, Tolan, Valern, Zevin

Family Names: Aenarth, Aulaw, Bau, Erkoln, Faergow, Gurji, Heplorn, Inoste, Irheth, Jath, Jowar, Marhall, Raeka, Sernik, Solus, Tann, Vass, Venirn, Vodol, Wiks, Yosann

Salarian Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Age. Salarians are considered mature at 9, and typically only live to be around 40.
Alignment. Salarians lean towards Lawful alignments from the moment they imprint. Salarians do not have dogmatic tendencies so are generally neither good nor evil.
Size. While salarians stand over 6 foot tall, sometimes reaching up to 7-foot or taller, they are markedly slim. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
High Metabolism. You must only sleep for 1 hour to gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. Additionally, taking a short rest only requires 30 minutes of downtime, and a long rest only takes 4 hours of downtime.
Natural Genius. At the end of character creation, choose one skill that you are proficient in. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen skill.
Photographic Memory. When you make a saving throw to maintain concentration, you may make a Intelligence saving throw instead of a Constitution saving throw.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Salarian.

Variant: Lystheni

When the Pranas mass relay was activated, a group of salarians with a limited imprinting instinct saw an opportunity to liberate themselves from the Salarian Union's clutches. Flinging themselves to the furthest corners of the galaxy, eventually settling in the Terminus System, the lystheni sought equality between the sexes. Over the nearly 3000 years, or more than twice as long by the standards of human generations, of living in some of the harshest conditions in the galaxy, lystheni have become stronger than their Council Space brethren. Lystheni are largely unwelcome in Council space in order to appease the Salarian Union.

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence scores increase by 1.
Age. Salarians are considered mature at 9, and typically only live to be around 40.
Alignment. Lystheni were divided from their wider population on principles of independence, and as such lean toward Chaotic alignments.
Size. Like their brethren, lystheni stand over 6 foot tall, sometimes reaching up to 7-foot or taller, but have considerably more heft. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
High Metabolism. You must only sleep for 1 hour to gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. Additionally, taking a short rest only requires 30 minutes of downtime, and a long rest only takes 4 hours of downtime.
Natural Genius. At the end of character creation, choose one skill that you are proficient in. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen skill.
Lyshtheni Might. When you make a death saving throw, you may add your Strength modifier to the result if it is positive.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Salarian.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
6′ 0''	+2d8	65 lb.	× (1d4) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

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