Mass Effect: Pandora's Box

Homeworld: Linnaeus – A planet with relatively low gravity, and a temperate climate. It has a single continent, about a fourth the size of the surface, which wraps around the planet to create a ring of land in the upper hemisphere. Known as Ovisia, most simply call it the Pasture due to its incredibly widespread grasslands, which runs from coast to coast, with a few areas barren due to rocky cliffs, and, of course, cities.

Common Lifespan: 130~180, though initially thought to be short lived due to predatory animals, and disease, weapons, and medical science have shown an Ovisian to be quite long lived.

Overview:
The Ovisians are a very timid race, preferring to stay away from any and all physical confrontation. Highly gifted with numbers, and logistics, most Ovisians are talented bankers, and accountants. Entering into the Galactic civilization quite early, before even the Turians, the Ovisians began to specialize in economics while relying on foreign trade to keep them afloat. Their intrinsic knack for mercantilism and economics made them a key instrument in creating a stable galactic economy. Authors of the Unified Banking Act, responsible for establishing a standard galactic currency, the Ovisians tend, and care for the galactic economy, and its budget.

While not overly religious, the Ovisians are highly spiritual and have beliefs similar to those of the Turians, with a distinct Asari flavor. To an Ovisian, everything has a soul that is part of a larger soul. The soul of a blade of grass is connected to the soul of the meadow, which is connected to the soul of the hill it grows on, which is connected to the planet, and connects with this rising order of magnitude until there is only one soul left, usually referred to as the Universal Soul, or the One Soul. When one dies, or when a blade of grass wilts, its soul returns to the soul above it so that its energy can be repurposed. For special occasions prayer is usually made to the souls thought to govern it. A farmer hoping for a good harvest would pray to the soul of the seeds, then soil, then crop, then continue upwards, traditionally. As time went on prayers were usually shortened down to two bookends, starting with whatever is being affected, and ending with the One Soul, a common phrase being, “From this to the One…” followed by a short prayer.

Physical Description


The Ovisians are generally lithe, and stringy, a result of their planet’s low gravity. They have muscle definition, and even athletes, but are considerably weaker than most other galactic races, though finding one that isn’t healthy and fit is rare, due to the fact that they actively work out simply by walking on a planet with higher gravity than theirs. They are usually fair skinned, and have light, usually blond, hair. An Ovisian with dark hair, and skin is usually thought of to be exotic, and inherently mysterious. An odd quirk in the Ovisians is the linked nature of their hair color and eye color, which has caused golden eyes to become the biological norm. Another stereotype of a dark Ovisian stems from this feature, as it is hard to tell where one is actually looking, making them seem shifty or uninterested if it is hard to tell if they’re looking you in the eyes.

The most striking feature on the otherwise meek Ovisians are their large horns which grow from their heads. They are only slightly ribbed, with smoother horns being the more sought after feature. Culturally, there is no distinction in horn size, but it isn’t uncommon for a male to brag about their “third horn”. There is a huge stigma about breaking one’s horn, and is something most, if not all Ovisian’s fear. The loss of a horn is usually looked at as a sign of low social status, ugliness, and poverty. Someone who has lost a horn is called a Scur, which is highly derogatory. Horns may grow back after being broken cleanly, as if with a blade, or with medical assistance if that is not the case, but it is easy to tell one is regrown as it is usually off colored when compared to the original. These ‘Reformed Scurs’ are not looked upon quite as badly, as they are seen as trying to at least remedy the issue.

Biological Traits

Though relatively fragile creatures, advances in medicine and technology have made Ovisians much more resilient to the harshness of nature, and disease. Ovisians have evolved to specialize in trade, which have given them a talent, and flare for risk management, and logistical thinking. Ovisians are also quite curious about things, and their relation to others, what causes inflation, how does that relate to poverty; they seek out patterns to help them answer these questions.

Species Traits

A biotic Ovisian isn’t quite as rare as a Salarian one, but they are indeed outliers. Moreover, they are not the most powerful biotic species by far, their best easily outclassed by even Humans.

Due to their highly developed sense of analysis, understanding of statistics, and ability to forecast, stemming from their economic oriented minds, and culture, the Ovisians are almost always ready to gamble. An Ovisian who doesn’t is seen as a bit of an oddball, and most consider it a rite of passage for a father to take his son to his first sporting event and place his first bet, usually after quite a bit of studying up on the variables that will affect the result.

Thanks to the landscape of the Pasture, and the nature of the Ovisians, there are only two sports in which an Ovisian will be likely to excel, racing, and rock climbing. The latter, rock climbing, being popular enough that most major cities will sponsor talented individuals, leading to heated rivalries which usually end in cosmoeconomic debates.

Combat Evaluation

Simply not cut out for the front lines, an Ovisian soldier is likely to be trained for long distance fighting, or guerilla warfare. Their minds are naturally suited for tactical analysis, and are usually found aboard a fleet, rather than ground side shooting a gun. While it is theoretically possible for an Ovisian to handle any weapon, most, if not all, will err to the sniper rifle, as to keep themselves out of direct fire, and a pistol or SMG, simply because the kickback isn’t hard on them.