Council Races Factbook

Mass Effect: From the Ashes
GM
Mark
Game Time
Pre-production
Characters
TBD
Setting
The Citadel and Galactic Governance Council Races Factbook Rise of Corporations · Rise of Dragons The Matrix · Technological Advancements
Resources
House Rules · Character Gen Rules

Citadel Council

Krogan

With the cure of the genophage and a renewed effort to rebuilding Tuchanka, the Krogan people are undergoing a renaissance unseen since their pre-flight days.

Urdnot Wrex still leads the now-named Krogan Dominion. He governs over a uniquely krogan government system best characterized as ‘federalized-feudalism’. Some local control has been turned over to clan chiefs who run their regions as they wish, subject to oversight by Clan Urdnot. Government institutions are slow to develop but there is a renewed emphasis on restoring Tuchanka and establishing a relatively peaceful co-existence with the galaxy’s powers. Wrex’s power is bolstered by the clear signs of krogan prosperity and family-building under his reign.

Krogan Honour Names

Among the krogan, a new naming practice sprung up after the Reaper War: the honor name. With the cure of the genophage, many children born to previously sterile mothers were given a third name, a new middle name, to remind them and all krogan why they were able to live at all. Males usually receive the name ‘Mordin’ while females usually receive ‘Shepard', though this is only a general rule. Clan Urdnot and those closest to them follow this naming convention the most and, while not universal, has quickly gained traction to become a new krogan custom.

Krogan before their rite of passage go by: given name 'Shepard' or given name 'Mordin'
Krogan who have done their rite of passage go by Clan name given name Shepard (or Mordin)

The custom has even spread to adult females who adopt the name ‘Shepard’ as their honor name after their first viable brood. It began with shamaness Urdnot Bakara Shepard, the first to be cured of the genophage and from whom the cure was manufactured. She is revered as both the godmother to all krogan children born after the genopage and as the spiritual leader of the krogan people at large. As such, she is able to temper the voices of those krogan who desire to steer them back to their pre-Krogan Rebellion days and provide both support for Wrex’s progressive policies.

Quarians

Quarians are the smallest of the major powers in the galaxy, though their population has experienced a boom since their exile ended. Initially boosted from some major family building policies, quarian fertility has slowed in recent years as two generations of quarians have spread out and settled the southern continent of Rannoch. Many aspects of Quarian society are intertwined with Geth, who supplement and assist their creators in their endeavours, though this is a negotiated service than enforced. A smaller, but influential, group maintain historic distrust of the geth and want nothing to do with them. They are slowly dying out, though, as many more quarians have grown up on Rannoch with friendly Geth.

Quarian power still lies on their large starship fleet. Although their crew numbers are now down to galactic norms, they are still in command of some 50,000 ships.

Suits still play a large role in quarian society, but they are no longer required to wear them, at least on Rannoch. On starships with mixed crew, they still tend to wear their suits. Their immune systems may be improved, but it was never very strong to begin with.

Geth

The Geth have begun to form their own social characteristics due to the gift of full sentience. While many have returned to their roots as 'servants of the people' and helped their creators to rebuild on Rannoch, a smaller minority remain a conservative faction and argue for a withdrawal of the Geth to their own exclusive settlements and servers. While the Geth Consensus still exists as a pan-Geth consciousness, there are many more voices that argue their points of view based on their experiences in the galaxy. In many ways, theirs is a universal democracy not unlike the Asari republics, albeit with much faster debates and voting rounds.

With the development of ghostrider modules some Geth have taken to uploading themselves into a biologic's brain and share their lives as a sort of advanced muse. This is still expensive, but the price has been coming down. With the advancement cyberware, they can share a biologic's experience without any of the maintenance requirements of a physical body.

Geth have an innate connection with the Matrix as technological sentient beings, and are more likely to be 'technomancers' (as the ability has been called) than any other sentient race.

General Assembly Members

Batarians

A non-voting observer group of Batarians attends and speaks at Citadel meetings. He represents a segment of Batarians attempting to re-establish Batarian society and influence as well as normalize relations with the rest of the galaxy. They are opposed by a violent splinter organization who seek to bring back the Batarian Hegemony of old and blame humanity for their downfall. This splinter attack human colonies and ships in what is traditionally Batarian space, whether or not they're Alliance-affiliated.

Batarians were decimated during the Reaper invasion as they took the brunt of the initial Reaper attack without assistance from any other galactic power. Reaper War scholars estimate that 80-90% of the population in Batarian space died or were Reaped, primarily due to the Hegemony's tight control of the population and refusal to let them leave without government permission. As a result, most Batarians were on isolated colonies or on Khar'shan.

Although Batarians participated in the Battle of Earth, their fleet limped back to Batarian space to begin the painful process of rebuilding. Two factions emerged from this; one favoring a return to the old ways, one favoring modernization and integration into the galaxy. These two factions have clashed several times in the last 50 years without a solid resolution. Batarian space is split between the two with Khar'shan in the middle. The latest shaky truce has held for 4 years.