Ursan (Mass Effect: The Next Cycle)



A powerful and strong race, the Ursan are the backbone of the United Races military and peacekeeping forces. Ursan hail from the world of Móra, a large, icy planet that has seen countless wars waged across its permafrosted surface. Over the years, the Ursan have become major players in the galaxy. They are valuable allies and terrifying foes. Their empire spans roughly 30% of the galaxy.

Every Ursan must enlist in the military for at least five years of service, after which they have the choice to continue fighting or continue their education. The Ursan Military numbers are high for this reason, resulting in many wars being avoided simply because one does not want to get on the Ursan's bad side. While it is assumed that Ursan only exist in the military, many business men, police officers, detectives, and chefs are Ursan.

Biology
Ursan are analogous to sentient polar bears. They have opposable thumbs and can walk on two legs. Due to evolving on a frozen planet, the Ursan have thick, insulating fur and dense skin to keep the body at a reasonable temperature. The muscle mass of an Ursan is also much larger than that of the other sentient races in the galaxy, rivaled only by the Yahg. A physically fit Ursan can run, jump, and punch much harder than most other individuals in the galaxy.

The bone structure of the Ursan is very similar. Their thick, dense bones are not easily broken. On a similar note, the claws and teeth of an Ursan can be used as a weapon, though to do so is considered a mark of insanity. Ursan eyesight, accustomed to a very white environment, can be unused to foreign environments. The Ursan ear is known for being sharp, though the nose has atrophied and their sense of smell, while present, cannot be used on its own.

Pre-Spaceflight
The Ursan race evolved from a bear-like species on Móra. As conditions on Móra got colder and harsher, the Ursan evolved to fit this atmosphere. Curiously enough, the Ursan do not have fossil records of themselves dating back any earlier than 50,000 years ago, suggesting they did not originally hail from Móra. The modern Ursan is said to have evolved roughly 30,000 years ago. The Ursan lived in a tribal society, seeing many wars between clans. Eventually, the Iompróidh clan, a massive clan based in the Iompróidh Mountain Range, expanded to dominate much of its continent.

In time, Iompróidh built a massive empire spanning the Galacia continent. Multiple civilizations spawned from Iompróidh. Thuaidh, for example, was a naval power, sailing the seas and navigating around icebergs like no other civilization could. Theas sat on a large deposit of gold, making them a financial empire. Larthar existed on an area of open plains, allowing the Ursan of the area to hunt easily. Sléibhte inherited the mountain home of the Iompróidh civilization. The diamonds of the area were unrivaled, making Sléibhte prosperous with gems and diamonds. The forests of Thoir provided the Ursan of Thoir with massive forts and ships.

Thuaidh and Thoir formed an alliance, exploring the seas of Móra and conquering lands on their continent. Sliébhte acted as a barrier between the Thuaidh/Thoir alliance, though Thuaidh, with their amazing sailing abilities, regularly raided the unclaimed wilderness to the west of the Thuaidh Mountains. Peace existed for a time, though a massive raid occured when the technology rate was analogous to the human Renaissance. The Two Century's War, fought between the Thuaidh/Thoir Alliance and the rest of the nations on Galacia, resulted in the dissolution of the Sliébhte and Larthar empires. The Thuaidh/Thoir Alliance strengthened, resulting in the nation of Trodaí being created.

The three other continents were soon discovered, though they were already inhabited by other Ursan. The continents of Dún and Aon were all inhabited by much-less advanced civilizations while Meatachán contained a civilization rivaling that of Trodaí. The two powers competed for land in the other continents until the Ursan Industrial Revolution being sparked by the Meatachán. Relations went downwards until Trodaí and Meatachán went to war in the Great Ursan War. The war lasted for centuries. The Ursan entered the war with ironclad-like ships and ended the war with proto-starships. Trodaí came out on top, conquering Meatachán and effectively controlled Móra. The Ursan Empire was born.

Entering the Stars
The Ursan built starships and explored their system before discovering a Mass Relay at the edge of their system. Ursan explorers mapped the space around them, sending colony ships and exploration ships around their area. The Ursan Empire expanded heavily, especially in what was once the Attican Traverse. Some planets, such as Ratatoskr, Ymir, and Aesir (what was once Earth), were suitible to the Ursan especially due to the presence of glacial ice.

Within 300 years of leaving its home system, the Ursan Empire controlled hundreds of worlds. Eventually, exploration was conducted of the galaxy. This led to the discovery of the Yahg, an aggressive race. The landing party was killed, resulting in the Ursan Empire declaring war on the Yahg.

Ursan-Yahg Wars
The Ursan-Yahg Wars were a series of wars between the Ursan and Yahg. While peace was never officially declared for almost 700 years, the Yahg would sometimes cease their raids of Ursan worlds. The two races were physically matched, resulting in massive battles that littered worlds with rubble. The Ursan Empire was invaded several times before being liberated. The Yahg Confederacy was invaded several times before retaliating.

Times of 'peace' would last for centuries at their longest, months at their shortest. The war finally ended with the Yahg announcing their hostile intentions would cease. A blockade around Yahg space was enforced and the Ursan/Yahg relations, though tense, were not hostile for some time. Exploration ceased for a time, keeping the Ursan from expanding too much.

Forming Alliances
Some time after the Ursan-Yahg Wars, exploration was resumed. The first expedition, which was launched illegally, resulted in the discovery of the Citadel, a massive space station. The inhabitants of the station were the Raloi, a bird-like species. While peaceful, the Raloi were currently in the middle of a massive civil war. As the Ursan slowly went back to exploring, relations with the Raloi improved.

An investigation into which was the rightful ruler of the Raloi began by the Ursan before the Ursan pledged full support for the Republicans. The Ursan secured the Raloi Republic's victory. The Raloi Republic and the Ursan Empire signed official alliances. The Pan-Galactic League was formed to keep the peace around the galaxy.

When the Matsu and Talorai discovered the Citadel, the Pan-Galactic League welcomed both races. As the numbers of the Pan-Galactic League grew, so did the number of worlds in the Ursan Empire.

First Great Galactic War
When the Matsu discovered cloning and augmentation, the insectoid creatures left the Pan-Galactic League. The Matsu swarmed over a large area of space, taking planets and systems quickly. The biomechanic constructs of the Matsu were cloned and grown. In short, the Matsu Empire grew armies overnight. Roughly fifty years after leaving the Pan-Galactic League, the Matsu Empire invaded the Talorai.

The Talorai were devastated. While the Ursan Empire attempted to back them up, most Talorai worlds were overrun by the Matsu. The Ursan thusly invaded Matsu space, distracting them while the Talorai, with the help of the Raloi, created war machines to fight the Matsu Empire. The Yahg complicated things. An alliance with the Matsu had been signed by the Yahg, resulting in an all-out galactic war.

Eventually, the Ursan sent a massive fleet to regain their worlds and fight the Yahg. This massive offensive forced the Yahg into a corner. The Yahg surrendered and the Ursan had a straight shot at Matsu territory. The Matsu Empire was being pushed on both sides. The war machines and synthetics created by the Talorai regained much of the Talorai land while the Ursan offensive took much territory on the other side of Matsu space. The Matsu Empire surrendered.

Tensions
The First Galactic War shook the galaxy to the core. Seeing that it was an ineffective system, the Pan-Galactic League collapsed. The Citadel was declared a neutral zone and the Galactic Chamber (meeting place of the representatives for the Pan-Galactic League) stood silent. The Ursan military expanded heavily, anticipating the Matsu's first strike.

Ursan dig teams discovered a data cache on what was once Sur'Kesh. The data, left by the Predecessors, was about a biological weapon limiting reproduction. While the Raloi, who decoded the information, wanted to refrain from unleashing this upon the Matsu, Talorai scientists secretly worked on the weapon. The weapon was given to the Ursan when the Talorai began having doubts once it was completed. The weapon was released on the Matsu, reducing their numbers over time.

Second Great Galactic War
The Yahg, expanding their military greatly since the First Great Galactic War, declared war on the Ursan. They reclaimed much of their territory they had lost in the First Great Galactic War and numerous Ursan worlds. The lines switched back and forth for years until a disagreement between the Matsu and Yahg generals resulted in the breakdown of the Matsu-Yahg alliance.

When things began looking grim for the Ursan, the Matsu invaded Yahg space. The invasion was unexpected by almost everyone in the galaxy. The Yahg and Matsu fleets destroyed each other as the Ursan fleets continued to push the Yahg to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. To keep the peace, the United Races was drafted. Better governed than its predecessor, the United Races kept relative peace in the galaxy for a long time after this.

Expansion
The Ursan Empire, after the war, began to grant more charters to colonies. Within a thousand years, 35% of the galaxy (sector-wise) belonged to the massive Ursan Empire. Technological advances and GDP skyrocketed across the galaxy. Roughly 1100 years after the end of the Second Galactic War, The Archives were discovered on Aesir, the capital of a Predecessor race known as the Humans. The Archives allowed the races of the galaxy to further come together in case of a Reaper invasion.

It is now 1400 years after the end of the Galactic Wars.

Culture
The Ursan culture is a huge variety. Their art and architecture is very similar to space-age Norse. The buildings on Ursan planets, while harsh to some, can be beautiful to others. Ursan music usually involves many drums and, again, can be harsh or beautiful, depending on one's taste. Ursan cuisine is generally enjoyed around the galaxy. Classic Ursan, i.e. wood-smoked meat with spices from Móra is very popular among the galaxy. Ursan enjoy eating nuts on the side. As a result, most Ursan markets have a variety of nuts. It is customary for Ursan guests (and hosts) to buy nut dishes for gatherings, resulting in Ursan parties popularly being called 'Nut Fests'.

Government
The Ursan Empire is run by an Emperor and a Council. While the Emperor is more of a figurehead, he/she can be powerful in persuasion. The Ursan Council has multiple layers; Imperial, Sectorial, Systemic, and Local. While most meetings occur over long-range communicators, there is a formal meeting every year in the Ursan Rotunda. The Ursan Rotunda, a massive, round building designed to hold every counciler in Ursan space, is organized with the Emperor sitting in the middle of the room with the Imperial Council on each side of him/her. Each other counciler sits in a ring formation. The front rows contain the Sectorial Councilers while the back rows contain the Local Councilers.

Councilers are elected by members of his or her community. Many Local Councilers were once citizens that were granted a charter for a colony.

Military
It goes without saying that the Ursan Military is one of the most powerful militaries in the galaxy. Each citizen must sign up for the military and serve for at least five years. The Ursan military is led by some of the most capable tacticians in the galaxy. The Ursan Navy is the largest navy in the galaxy, known for its tough ships and even tougher crew.

The Ursan physiology plays a big role in war, though the sheer willpower of the soldiers in the Ursan military is extraordinary. Thanks to the Raloi, the Ursan fight with top-of-the-line weapons. Each starship is kept in top shape and each weapon is thoroughly inspected before being sent to the military. The Ursan citizens are proud of the military and can all say that the Ursan military has their backs.

Religion
The Ursan practice a highly honor-based form of ancestor worship. More of a philosophy than a religion, the Ursan treasure honor above many other things, resulting in many Ursan being chivalrous and preventing Ursan from backing out of commitments. The Ursan believe that, when one dies, he or she joins his or her ancestors to watch over the living descendents of the dead Ursan. In life, each Ursan is judged by his or her ancestors. If an Ursan is honorable, the Ursan will join his or her ancestors in the afterlife. If an Ursan is dishonorable, the Ursan will be rejected by his or her ancestors and thrown back into a new life of suffering without any guidance whatsoever.

Behind the Scenes

 * The Ursan are heavily inspired by Wookies of Star Wars fame.
 * The Ursan are analogous to the Turians from the Mass Effect Trilogy and Vikings.
 * Many of the names on Móra, including Móra itself, are derived from Irish words
 * The Ursan are the only race that in Mass Effect: The Next Cyle that is not descended from a canon Mass Effect race.