Location: Milky Way / Apien Crest / Trebia System / Third planet
Description[]
"The only thing on this planet that isn't silver are the turians. It's all too clear they're made of steel." These were Alliance hero Jon Grissom's impressions of the turian homeworld Palaven, seen by humans for the first time following the First Contact War. The turians' martial attitude permeates every aspect of Palaven society, from architecture to art to politics. It's no surprise that their homeworld was never occupied by an invading force until now.
The Reapers, aware of their enemy's reputation, brought overwhelming force to Palaven and did not hesitate to bombard cities that resisted--and all of them resisted. The dust and smoke from pulverized cities is now a breathing hazard across much of the planet. Water and power supplies have all but vanished. Still, the fight here has cost the Reapers dearly.
ALLIANCE TRAVEL ADVISORY: Palaven's weak magnetic field means solar radiation levels are greater than those found on other habitable worlds. Human visitors are advised to wear enviro-suits or other radiation protection when visiting Palaven.
Codex Entry[]
When the turians were introduced to the galactic community, an asari diplomat poetically described their homeworld, Palaven, as “a silver world of fortresses and fire.” Because Palaven's weak magnetic field is a poor shield from its sun, most of the planet's animal life developed metallic carapaces as defenses against solar radiation. Its photosynthetic life is similarly impressive, shutting down vulnerable metabolic processes during daylight hours and repairing cellular damage at night.
The visible fortifications of Turian cities reflect their martial society, but since joining the galactic community, internal conflicts have become honor-bound affairs with few casualties among noncombatants. These city fortifications have proven no match for the Reapers and their aggressive bombardment of Palaven.
Additional Information[]
Shortly after the First Contact War, the first three humans to set foot on Palaven were the mercenaries Jack Harper, Eva Coré, and the heavily modified Ben Hislop. The three were paraded on the streets by Desolas Arterius in an attempt to convince the populace to use the Arca Monolith.
There is a business in the Citadel named after this planet. Located in Zakera Ward's Mid-Wards District, this business is located on the 28th level of a building.
Garrus Vakarian grew up on Palaven – according to him, despite the immense radiation, Palaven is not as hot as Therum and similar to Virmire.
Palaven (or Palavan) has a regular shuttle route to Illium, scheduled for departure at 15.20 Nos Astra time as of 2185.
Trivia[]
- The Mass Effect 3 multiplayer map Firebase Condor is located on one of Palaven's moons.