their conservative yet convivial attitude toward other species and their belief that their ideologies and values will inevitably shape the general galactic culture in the long term. In diplomacy, this manifests in a tendency to centrism for the asari, as they seek millennia-spanning investments to maintain stable balances of economic, political, and military power. The asari were the first to discover the Citadel, and proposed the creation of a multispecies governing council after they made first contact with the salarians. As part of the Citadel Council, they serve as its "mediators and centrists". The asari have the largest economy of all the Milky Way species; their economic power and diplomatic reputation allowing them to wield persuasive influence throughout the galaxy. In spite of their galactic-wide influence, the asari do not have a single organized world government; politically, Thessia is composed of loose confederacies known as the Asari Republics which are similar in concept to the polis of Ancient Greece. Policy is decided through the ebb and flow of public opinion within sprawling but well-organized electronic democratic institutions, with the opinions of local Matriarchs being treated with deference and the closest analogue to an executive decision-making body. The military strength of each Asari Republic is essentially a collection of local warrior bands which are not sufficiently organized for large-scale military campaigns but nevertheless have individual members who are well-armed and exceptionally skilled in biotic abilities. An asari commando, who is dressed in a tight military style as opposed to the flowing clothing preferred by asari civilians, is more powerful than the best human biotic adept, whereas lack of biotic talent will exempt an asari individual from military service. The visual design of asari architecture is inspired by the work of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The smooth curves and horizontal lines of Nos Astra, the capital of the asari-influenced world Illium reinforce the signature Mass Effect style. A typical building in Thessia is characterized by large, swooping curves, while the Temple of Athame where Commander Shepard uncovers a secret artifact in Mass Effect 3 has upward-swooping lines like a cathedral. The worship of the goddess Athame was originally the predominant mainstream religion before the asari achieved spaceflight. Siari is the most popular religion in contemporary asari society, which is grounded on pantheism and the belief that all life is fundamentally similar. Appearances The asari first appear in Mass Effect: Revelation, the franchise's