Hello! Ric here with the second of two cultural indexes that were both voted for with equal
results. This week, we’re looking into a race that forever stands apart from those
others in the Mass Effect universe by the very nature of their biology.
The diminutive, but influential Volus. Native to the planet Irune in the Aru System
of the Aethon Cluster, they are technically a humanoid species with four limbs, head and
facial features but all this is obscured by their environmental suits. The Capital city
is Lenos and many of its settlements are based on historic trade routes with few founded
for militaristic purpose. The planet itself has a radius of 11,525 kilometres,
a 36.2 hour day and an atmosphere of greenhouse gases that supports ammonia breathing lifeforms.
As such, the standard oxygen-nitrogen mix most species enjoy is lethal to the very alien
biology of a Volus. What’s more, the planet is 1.5 G and has an atmospheric pressure of
60.2 times that of Earth’s at sea level. This means that they Volus have evolved to
be squat and stocky to withstand this gravity and that their physiology is uniquely suited
to withstanding this pressure. The human body is quite adaptable and may
be able to survive this pressure for a while with gradual acclimatisation and breathing
apparatus but a sudden transition from an Earth-like environment to Irune’s surface
would result in a human expelling all their air and bits as their body collapsed and they’d
pass out and die before they managed to take another step. The inverse is true for a Volus.
If rapidly exposed to a human atmosphere, they’d effectively explode, likely not even
having the time to develop any form of gas narcosis.
This has led to the entire species wearing distinctive pressure suits when off their
homeworld, the look of such a suit becoming synonymous with a Volus’ appearance and
many have not even seen a Volus without his or her suit.
This has led to no small amount of fun to be had on the Volus’ part with much speculation
on how they look beneath their masks, much like the Quarian race. One recurring topic
is that Volus often deliberately avoid answering questions on one’s gender, considering the
topic irrelevant at most times. Some go even out of their way to deliberately spread misinformation
about this topic and an individual’s identity to confuse the subject further, although they
do seem to identify with at least two genders. They breathe a high ammonia air and their
blood may be blue according to several documented injuries and the colour or their saliva. Yoqta
is an illness common on their world that almost all will contract at some point during childhood.
It is effectively Volus chickenpox and rarely fatal.
Their unique and extreme environmental requirements see them create pressurised zones for other
species on their home world for races to conduct business as can be seen by the Hazard warnings
to remain within such areas when visiting the species. Likewise, Volus who are expecting
a long stay away from habitable planets can petition local authorities to have a sealed
living chamber made though due to the danger of explosive decompression and atmospheric
leakage these habitats are uncommon. On the plus side, their unique and extreme
requirements mean that they have little competition for potential colony worlds and they have
many that they have laid claim to. Although lots of these colonies are listed as having
temperatures from -57 to 9C and pressures of 1.6 atm to around 6. So either the Volus
continue to wear their suits even on these worlds, are far more adaptable than they put
on, or the codex entries are inaccurate. The species is a citadel race, but not on
the council. For more on the makeup of the Mass Effect government, I’ve done some in-depth
videos, but the Volus have a long entwined history with the Turians and are responsible
for the creation of the galactic credit through the unified banking act. In fact, proportionally,
the Volus own a larger sway of businesses and wealth than the other citadel species
being a race that long ago took up trade as the primary means of settling disputes.
A clan-like culture, the Volus society evolved from a myriad of smaller clans that traded
goods and dealt with one another through business. Warfare on Irune is unheard of and this can
be attributed to the lack of any idealism placed on open war. Instead, any disputes
that do escalate into conflict are short lived and settled over the negotiation table.
This makes the race natural mediators, if seeming rather cowardly to others but unsurpassed
in financial, information, commerce and such matters concerning trade. It is for this reason
that they allied themselves with the Turians and supplemented their poor grasp of economics.
In return, the Turians provide their military protection and treat the Volus as a “client”
race. The Volus Protectorate, the government of
the Irune therefore has strong ties to the Turian Hierarchy and decisions for the species
often consider the Turian’s input. The race maintains an Embassy on the Citadel where
they lobby for more galactic weight as currently they share an embassy wing with the Elcor.
This is somewhat of a sore spot for the Volus, especially with the rapid rise of humanity,
overtaking the Volus. In terms of military, the Volus prefer a more
passive option and rely on the Turians for the majority of their security however, they
do support their own forces that operate in cohort with the Turians. And such Volus soldiers
have powered armour and exceptionally tough enviro-suits with those who have a strong
Biotic potential often doing well in the frontlines as Biotic powers are not as dependant on an
individual’s physicality and stature. They prefer to use their frigates for air superiority
when they can however, but only have one dreadnaught; the Kwunu which was a gift from Elkoss Combine,
the Volus’ most renowned arms manufacturer. Most of their technology follows the same
Prothean designs as the rest of the galaxy, but they have a reputation for creating affordable
alternatives for many designs. Their native tongue is Iperian Volus and their
naming conventions actually lack a family name, despite all Volus possessing a first
and last name. This is because in Volus culture, no one person can own another and the assigning
of a family name was considered an act of ownership. This despite that in their past
clan-members were also traded among other tribes.
Their clan mentality is strong and as a species refer to themselves as the Vol-Clan, naming
others in a similar fashion, humans are considered Earth-Clan, even if they never set foot on
the homeworld while Quarians are “Migrant-Clan” or by the stigmatic term “Clanless”. I
suspect that species that also primarily have a clan society would be addressed by their
clan name, such as the Krogan and not their homeworld like humans.
The shorter name however seems to indicate the clan to which a Volus affiliates and its
possible as certain clans are known for differing specialities. The post prestigious university
on Irune is the Ten-Clan Academy for example and the clan names seem to be derived from
locations. They do seem to have religions on their homeworld,
probably multiple as one Polytheistic religion names multiple gods and specifies them as
Northern beliefs. These deity’s names are often used to name stellar objects such as
planets the Volus have an interest in, much like a certain other race has a tendency to
do. They also have reverence for certain historical
documents such as the Book of Plenix, A manuscript that documents charity and expunging of debt
in times of national crisis. Only two people have ever been exiled from the Vol Protectorate
before, showing the adept nature of compromise and negotiation the species has. Initerestingly,
two of these writs were for the same radical who preached the abandonment of ownership
as a concept altogether and continued to marshal followers.
The Volus are a species that has prospered immensely from their interaction from the
other galactic races, as many others have but due to their lack of military might and
heavy reliance on trade, they make tempting targets for pirates. As such, the tight bond
they share with the Turians is their lifeline for protection but through their ingenuity
for business they have made themselves integral to the galactic landscape with most business
having employed a Volus company or individual at some point. , it’s a sore point for many
Volus that they still don’t have a place on the council despite their contributions
to the galactic community. All this however is threatened with the arrival
of the Reapers, a power that does not care for negotiation or commerce and even the diminutive
Volus were forced to take to the front lines to protect their lives, though many served
best as analysts and engineers. Or biotic powered cannon balls.
Thanks for watching this index video on the Vol-Clan of Irune and with this end is the
return of the viewer vote on which species to delve into next. I was thinking we could
either keep this mass effect trend going with the jellyfish-like Hanar of Mass Effect or
the from the Star Trek universe, the Changeling Founders. Cast your vote over on the community
tab or drop a comment for another specie you’d like to see on the index, and until then,
thanks again, I’ve been Ric and goodbye!