The Turians were the last of the Citadel species to join the Council. The Turians gained this position after defeating the Krogan for the Council during the "Krogan Rebellions", employing a Salarian-developed biological weapon called the "Genophage", which virtually eliminated the possibility of new Kogan births and caused that species to go into a steady decline.
Turian features are avian in nature, resembling Terran birds or raptors. Most also have tattooed-on markings on their faces whose design and color denote which colony or system they were born or raised in. This cultural observance was first developed during the Unification War, in which various Turian colonial holdings fought each other for territory and influence within the Hierarchy; however, years of infighting made most of them too weak to oppose the unifying influence of the Hierarchy itself. Outmatched, they accepted unification under the Hierarchy's leadership, but the markings remained. There are some Turians who do not have face markings; during the war, they were typically Hierarchy loyalists and were referred to degradingly as "bare-faced". While Turians without markings are no longer singled out as such, the slur remains and is commonly used to imply that certain Turians are "politicians" or "untrustworthy"; in Turian, these terms are synonymous and interchangeable.
Turians have a reputation for skill and bravery in combat, but are not considered bloodthirsty. In combat, Turian units are highly adaptable and highly disciplined. Turian lines rarely break, even in highly disadvantageous circumstances; they will retreat and withdraw if necessary, but will do so in an orderly fashion, setting up vicious rear-guard actions and ambushes along the way. A rigid code of honor and strict discipline are the hallmarks of any Turian officer or enlisted-man. This includes humane treatment of prisoners and conquered enemies. A Turian unit will never willingly leave behind one of their own, no matter what the cost of going back to retrieve their comrade. Turian society in general is very honor-bound, concerned with the performance of one's duty, regardless of one's role in society. All Turians work for the glory of the state and most are state-employed in some way. Military service is mandatory for all Turian citizens, as well as client races who wish to become full Turian citizens. While there are some Turian criminals (a rather low number due to the typically Turian devotion to the state and to society), even they maintain a level of conscience unheard of by criminals of other races; a Turian criminal will, like most other beings, attempt to evade capture and consequence for their actions, but once caught and taken into custody, he or she will almost always to admit their guilt and accept due punishment (which, in Turian jurisprudence, is often harsh). Despite this preoccupation with law and order, many are surprised by the importance Turian society places on personal freedoms. Turian society allows for freedom of speech, religion and the practice of practically any activity that does not harm or undermine the state. There are Turians who are known to observe and adhere to Asari and even human religious practices; there is an increasingly large segment of Turians who are known to practice Confucianism and/or Zen Buddhism, as well as some earth-originated monotheistic religions.
Their species is governed by the Turian Hierarchy, a collection of military leaders and autocrats, and of the three permanent council races, they possess the largest military force, even if they are not as powerful as the technologically, diplomatically and economically superior Asari. As such, they are largely employed as the front line of the Council's combined military forces. Most Council peacekeeping forces are made up principally by Turians, and Turians are also the largest racial group employed in the Council Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectres) and Citadel Security Services (C-Sec, the station's law-enforcement body; it was the Turians who suggested the agency's formation). While autocratic in nature, Turian Hierarchs almost never cross the line into tyranny or despotism, for devotion to the well-being of the people is ingrained into every Turian from childhood. Politically, the Turians are conservative, paying great observance to tradition, duty, loyalty, honor and the preservation of the status quo. Still, they generally get along well with most other races. There is a great deal of hostility between the Turians and the Krogan for obvious reasons, and there is a lingering degree of distrust and enmity between the Turians and the human race, the bitter memories of the First Contact War still very fresh for both races. However, the Turians still greatly respect the military tactics and aptitude of the humans as demonstrated against them in battle during the reclamation of the human colony of Shanxi. The rate of human colonization, material wealth and influence within the Council is known to irk some prominent Turians, but there is a grudging respect between the two races.
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