Feritax Candidus

Feritax Candidus ("White Savage") Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder found exclusively in turians, caused by autosomal recessive inheritance. For an individual to present with the symptoms of the disorder, they must have inherited a copy of the recessive pale gene from both their mother and their father. Those who inherit the pale gene from only one parent are known as "carriers" who do not present with any symptoms of the disorder, nor do they have any health problems from carrying a copy of the gene. Parents of turians with Feritax Candidus Syndrome have a 25% chance of conceiving another child with the same disorder during each subsequent pregnancy.

The symptoms of Feritax Candidus Syndrome range from the physical to the psychological. Physically, pale turians are characterised by their ivory white derma; both their plating and skin are a distinctly white colour (it is this feature that gives them their colloquial name - "pale turians"). This absence of colouration is caused by an increase in thulium content, a metal found within the plating and skin of all turians, which helps them to survive in environments with high levels of background radiation. It is unknown why exactly pale turians have a higher concentration of thulium than the typical turian, but there appears to be a direct correlation between thulium concentration and the disorder itself. A few experts in the field of xenobiology have proposed that this is a form of albinism native to turians, however the increased concentration of thulium does not align with such a diagnosis, as albinism is characterised by a lack of pigmentation rather than an increase.

Another physical feature of pale turians are their exaggerated predatory assets. Having evolved as the apex predator species on their home-world of Palaven, all turians possess needle-like teeth and sharp talons, capable of shredding skin from bone. In pale turians however, their features are far more pronounced - the average talon length of a pale turian is double that of a normal turian, and it is a similar story with their teeth and leg spurs. This has lead to some more controversial experts in xenobiology to hypothesise that these exaggerated evolutionary traits are indicative of historical cannibalism, arguing that the predatory features of pale turians are perfectly designed to shred through the naturally thick hide and plating of their fellow turians. The Cipritine Medical Bureau strongly dismisses such claims.

When it comes to reproduction, pale turians are more or less infertile. Their genetic makeup makes it extremely difficult for them to conceive children, regardless of whether they are male or female. Xenobiologists believe that this is one of the primary factors which contributes to the exceedingly promiscuous behaviour of pale turians. While all turians are naturally promiscuous during their youth, the act of conceiving and rearing offspring is most commonly reserved for turians who are either mated or married (or both). The fact that pales are naturally promiscuous for the additional purposes of reproduction, rather than solely for sexual gratification, indicates that they possess a biological urge to breed with as many partners as possible. The more sexual partners one has at any given time, the more likely it is that they will conceive offspring. Some more outspoken scientists have argued that this type of behaviour is almost parasitic in nature.

Bonded pale turians are an anomaly. The Cipritine Medical Bureau strongly advises against bonding with pales, due to both their reproductive urges and cultural bias against infidelity.

Psychologically, pale turians tend to be emotionally unstable. Unlike their disciplined siblings, they often suffer from violent mood swings and can lose control of themselves when under pressure. The hallmark of the pale turian psyche is their increased levels of aggression and penchant for physical violence. This behaviour is triggered by a pale's naturally high levels of testosterone. They are territorial, possessive, cunning and ruthless. Pale turians always run the risk of completely snapping and becoming "feral" - a colloquial term for the complete loss of all executive functioning of the brain.