Elcor

The Elcor are a Citadel species native to the high-gravity world of Dekuuna. They are quite massive creatures, and stand upon four muscular legs for increased stability. They move slowly, which was an evolved response to an environment where even a fall could be lethal. This sluggishness has inserted itself rightly into their psychology as well, making them deliberate and conservative.

Physiology
Having evolved on such a high-gravity world, the Elcor are slow but incredibly strong. All four of their limbs have been dedicated to support and balancing their massive bodies, and they therefore seemingly cannot properly manipulate objects, making it somewhat of an enigma how they build their weapons and other technologies. Their immense, heavy bodies are incapable of quick movement, but they utilize a rather imposing stature along with their immense strength, and also have a thick, tough skin which allows them to shrug off many attacks.

Very deliberate by nature, their speech pattern is heard by most species as a flat, ponderous monotone. However, they rely more upon things such as scent pheromones, extremely slight body movements, and subvocalized infrasounds to convey shades of meaning that make a Human's smile seem as subtle as a cigarette lighter compared to a fireworks display. Because this subtlety and monotonous speech pattern can easily lead to misunderstandings amongst other species, the Elcor have resorted to going out of their way to clarify when they are being sarcastic, amused, or angry.

History
Prehistoric elcor travelled across Dekuuna in large tribal groups. These groups were likely led by the oldest and most experienced elcor. This may have later developed into the elcor culture of Elders, whose wisdom could keep the tribe safe provided they followed the correct guidance (see below).

According to their ambassador, the elcor were just making their first forays into space travel when the asari made contact with them. With their help, the elcor discovered the closest mass relay and, within a single lifetime, had established a regular trade route to the Citadel. The elcor quickly became one of the more prominent species in Citadel space, though they still have to share an embassy with the volus.

Culture
Elcor usually prefer to stay on their colonies rather than travel in space, which may be why few elcor are seen on the Citadel or on other worlds. Possibly because of their size or evolution in the open air, the elcor find the necessary confines of space travel uncomfortable. Evolving in a high-gravity environment where a fall could be lethal has made elcor psychology deeply cautious and conservative. Their culture is built on small, tight-knit groups, and their conservative nature means the elcor government is extremely stable. Despite this, they are always welcoming to outsiders.

Economy
The elcor economy is small, only slightly larger than the Alliance's, but extremely well developed. They see no point to rushing things, and are fond of making thorough, century-long development plans. They don't need to trade for any resource—they have all they require to supply their own needs, and trade only in finished goods. Any attempt to embargo their space would be fruitless.

Government
The elcor government is known as the Counts of Dekuuna. The elcor follow the recommendations of their Elders, who spend years poring over ancient records of jurisprudence to determine the precedent that should be followed in any given situation. The Elders record closely argued and minutely detailed instructions on what course to follow in any theoretical crisis. These are filed away in huge libraries of data discs and are consulted when needed. This makes elcor policies very predictable, provided one has done a great deal of research.

Military
Because their slow, conservative psyche is not suitable for making the spur-of-the-moment decisions necessary in combat situations, the elcor rely on sophisticated VI combat systems. These war machines can choose between thousands of gambits developed and polished over centuries by elcor strategists.

The slow speed and immense size of the elcor makes them easy targets. Fortunately, their durable hide allows them to shrug off most incoming fire. Elcor warriors don't carry small arms; their broad shoulders serve as a stable platform for the same size of weapons typically mounted on Alliance fighting vehicles.