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{{Info races
{{Info Lineage
|image = Varransplasha.png
|name = Asha
|pronunciation = Ash-Sha
|test = Ankh-Sa (in Ibeth)
|classification = [[Gorr]]
|test2 = [[File:Ashaflafg.png|80px]]  
|subraces = Rakhet, Senef, Merew, Nefer
|test3 = '''Motto:''' "In Misery and Life, none left behind."
|nicknames =  
|image = C1f01d9206ad2d5439fd5270c54b9356.png
*Cat-people (derogatory)
|state = The Ashal States
*Sand-rats (derogatory)
|ruler = N/A
*Metal Masters (praising)
|suzerain = N/A
*Cattlecat (Elven)
|languages = Ibeth, Common
|languages = [[Common]], [[Ibeth]]
|religion = [[Khama]]
|naming = Egyptian   
|first_recorded = 20,000 BC
 
|demonym = Ashal
|distinction = Feliform carnivores who try to regain their lost glory
|maxage = 140
|eye = hues of brown and yellow, sometimes blue and green also
|hair = fur patterns are wildly varying between species, though refrain from too obvious colors like blue, green and yellow, instead favoring more earthly tones of ochre, brown, beige, white, black, etc.
|}}
|}}
Asha, one of the oldest pre-[[Allorn Empire]] [[Races]] of [[Aloria]], are a race of carnivorous furred humanoids that inhabit the [[Ashal Islands]] and vast stretches of the [[Ithanian]] deserts, as well as large floating city-fleets across the oceans. The Asha are known for occupying two opposite ends of the society spectrum; among the Ashal Islands they have cultivated wealthy and prosperous states, free from the centuries of [[Altalar]] oppression that was broken during the [[Cataclysm]]. And yet, many Asha still remain enslaved among the Altalar, in bondage to those who destroyed their ancient [[Dewamenet Empire]], yearning to be as free as their brethren in the east. Fierce and communal, the Asha have learned from the mistakes of the past and their trials as slave people for nearly 1500 years, creating a society that holds liberty above all, looking to the future without letting go of the identity of the past. While most of the Dewamenet Empire still lies in ruins, forgotten by time, the Asha forge ahead with a new identity of their own making, guided by the heroes of ages past and present, to show all in the world, and especially the [[Nelfin]], that they will not be erased from history.
The Asha are the oldest continuously existing [[Heritage]] on [[Aloria]], even pre-dating the Elven [[Allorn Empire]], though has undergone massive changes throughout history. Under the early [[Dewamenet Empire]], the Asha were poised to conquer vast parts of the world, however, they came into conflict with the just-founded Allorn Empire. A cataclysmic war of Dewamenet Technology versus Allorn [[Magic]] erupted, which the Dewamenet lost. In their loss, Elven victory was so violent that it ground their Empire to dust. The Allorn Elves tried to move heaven and earth to erase Dewamenet Culture from existence, through the periods now referred to as the Pearl Wars though try as they did, they could never suppress the resistance and spite of the Asha to survive and thrive. When the Allorn Empire collapsed under its weight during the last Void Invasion, the Asha reclaimed some of their lost homeland, and are now poised to reconnect with much of their hidden past, rejoining long-lost brethren and refounding a common identity.  
==Physical & Mental Characteristics==
[[File:Rkhaeti.png|260px|thumb|right|Rakhet can always be recognized by their sabretooths.]]
[[File:Sefwi.png|260px|thumb|right|The Senef are formidable warriors, albeit smaller than Rakhet.]]
[[File:Newnemewer.png|260px|thumb|right|Mewer can have wildly varying personalities, the jack of all trades.]]
[[File:Neferri.png|260px|thumb|right|To many, the Nefer may look cute or exotic, a trait they use in their plans.]]
[[File:StandingOtter.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha can have some varying bodily proportions to fall in line with their head-shape.]]
[[File:Decorumanub.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha love golden decorations and even apply fur paint like make-up, worn also by men.]]
[[File:Otterfurpat2.png|260px|thumb|right|Fur patterns are not exclusive to head-shape, otters may have tiger stripes, or leopard spots etc.]]
[[File:Downotter.png|260px|thumb|right|Some Asha have fur patterns inverted, with a darker soft body color.]]
[[File:Varranclaws.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha claws are very dangerous in a fight, even a playful one.]]
[[File:LMetal.png|260px|thumb|right|Living Metal can be made to replace missing body parts with great efficiency.]]
[[File:Afflic.png|260px|thumb|right|Some Asha live in wilder tribes, not adopting the civilized notions of the Asha States.]]
[[File:Senef.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha generally have a provocative and challenging nature, among each other, and other Races.]]
[[File:Newottoeo.png|260px|thumb|right|The vast majority of Siwath-Khenu tribesmen were Otter and Capibara-like headed Asha.]]
[[File:Flurras.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha can have fur on their chin that mimics the appearance of facial hair, sometimes even braided.]]
[[File:Rakhetsupr.png|260px|thumb|right|Rakhet usually have a chip on their shoulder, a sense of superiority over the other Asha.]]
[[File:Badotot8.png|260px|thumb|right|Badger and Racoon-like headed Asha are often mistrusted in Regalia, falling into criminal circles.]]
[[File:Nefaerf.png|260px|thumb|right|Nefer often have fluffy fur along their neck and wrists, as softness is appealing to Asha.]]
[[File:Rabboo.png|260px|thumb|right|Rabbit-like headed Asha are rarely seen in Regalia, yet an exotic friend to have for many.]]
[[File:Decorum.png|260px|thumb|right|Traditional Asha attire can compete with the best of other Races' dress-codes in stylishness.]]
[[File:Saloordeess.png|260px|thumb|right|Satoor dresses usually have patterns, repeating rows being a very popular style.]]
[[File:Elastaanpopular.png|260px|thumb|right|Elastaan is particularly popular among the Asha living near and in water.]]
[[File:LionP.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha clothing when based on Regalian fashion can be looser, and more suited to a humid climate.]]
(Pronounced Ah-Sha) Asha are, simplest put, a race of furred animal-people who albeit having the same body proportions of the other Races of Aloria, have other body parts reminiscent more of various mammals. While all other Races are divided among clearly different sub-races, the distinction between sub-races is much subtler Asha, despite the fact that they are just as varied in appearance as the [[Allar]]. Similar to the Allar, the heads and faces of the Asha are similar to those of many Alorian animals; distinct, however, is their method of identification. While the Cro- and Maz-Allar of [[Sendras]] and [[Hadar]] determine their caste by the crocodilian and raptor-like features of their heads and scales with [[Body Shapes]] varied between castes, the Asha instead determine their caste and sub-race by their Body Shape, with the shape of their head and patterns of their fur entirely separate from racial identifications. The Asha are as such divided among the following categories:
* Strongman and Muscular Body Shapes can be found in the Rakhet Subrace.
* Ripped and Athletic Body Shapes Shapes can be found in the Senef Subrace.
* Average and Toned Body Shapes can be found in the Merew Subrace.
* Slim and Andro Body Shapes can be found in the Nefer Subrace.
===Rakhet===
(Pronounced Rak-ghet, meaning Battle-Bred) The Rakhet are born strong and live large, but are rarely encountered; comparable in size to the hardy [[Url]] and [[Eronidas]], it is assumed that their rarity is artificial, made scarce by selective breeding by the Allorn Empire to diminish what is theorized to be the form most common in the days of the Dewamenet, with their size and temperament making them ill-suited to the menial slavery forced upon them by the ancient Altalar. Rakhet are tall, with notable, long sabre teeth in place of their upper canines no matter the shape of their head. Rakhet tail length varies greatly, from a stubbier appendage barely noticeable to one more typical to the Asha, just longer than their legs. Rakhet walk on digitigrade legs with beast-like feet; despite this, Rakhet have humanoid hands. Both of these share paw-pads on their soft insides, as well retractable claws. Temperamentally, they are aggressive, prone to bursts of anger,lacking self control, and bearing a unique propensity for stubbornness and rejection of better judgement. The Rakhet consider themselves physically superior to the other Asha, but nonetheless defer to religion and authority where it is found in the Asha States. Despite their size, Rakhet are typically found on the bottom rungs of society as laborers, soldiers or gladiators as they avoid the more complicated intellectual positions that require patience, a trait that Rakhet do not possess.
===Senef===
(Pronounced Sen-Nef, meaning Blood-Rend) The Senef are born fast and energetic, considered to be the more controlled and disciplined, smaller counterparts to the militaristic Rakhet, fulfilling a similar role to the Maz-Allar within their society. Though more common than Rakhet, the Senef are rarer than the other Subraces of Asha due to the fact that the Altalar culled their numbers to avoid the Asha from having a solid officer-rank within their army to keep the Rakhet in line. Senef can be told apart from the other Asha subraces through their ears, which on average are longer than those of the other Asha by half, even if they share the same animal head type. These ears also tend to be more expressive, having more movability and expressing their emotions very clearly. Senef can both have stubby short tails, as well as the regular Asha tail. They walk on digitigrade legs, have humanoid hands and beast-like feet albeit with retractable claws and paw-pads on the soft insides of their hands and feet. Senef often act as officers to regiments of Rakhet, but are particularly skilled in naval warfare, having unrivaled stability and control in their stance while on ships, and being able to move around flawlessly on even the roughest oceans. They can also be found as bodyguards, hunters, ceremonial guards, holy warriors, and business owners, usually in cooperation with the Nefer. Most if not all Asha corsairs on the high seas are Senef, which is fittingly so, as Senef tend to adore wealth and entertainment, seeking thrills in life and becoming bored very quickly of monotony. They are easy to flatter, and vain enough to seek more of it.
===Merew===
(Pronounced Meh-rew, meaning Rule-of-Many) The Merew comprise the bulk of Asha populations, and are by far the most average compared to the other Asha rubraces; despite this, they are never regarded as boring or mundane, possessing by far the most varied roles in their society, from the agrarian farmer to the pen-pushing bureaucrat to the roving sailor. The greatest skill of Merew is their flexibility and adaptability, having thrived both in the Asha Empires of old, as well as Altalar slavery, and the Asha Nation States beyond that. Merew can both have stubby short tails, as well as the regular Asha tail. They walk on digitigrade legs, have humanoid hands and beast-like feet albeit with retractable claws and paw-pads on the soft insides of their hands and feet. Merew are varied in personality also, including all the temperaments of the other Asha subraces, and more. The typical Merew personality cannot be stratified because they are indeed so adaptable that sometimes their personality rapidly changes from year to year to suit their new needs, intentionally or not. Merew have exceptional perseverance, often claimed to be immune to worry and anxiety in the world as they always remain objective oriented, seeking solutions rather than problems, and brushing aside criticism quickly for the sake of pragmatic problem solving.
===Nefer===
(pronounced Ney-Fer, meaning Beauty-Born) The Nefer are born alluring and live to be graceful schemers and charmers. Nefer are often compared to [[Slizzar]] in that they employ similar tactics of seduction and political intrigue to get themselves ahead in life. Nefer are the shortest of the Asha subraces, coming across as lithe and soft in the eyes of others, almost an inversion of the brutish and massive Rakhet. Nefer are easily told apart from the other Asha subraces by their tails, which are exclusively longer than is normal for the other Asha; they are often as long as twice the length of their legs, and are exceedingly thick, fluffy and soft, with intricate patterns within the fur. They walk on digitigrade legs, and have humanoid hands and beast-like feet albeit with retractable claws and paw-pads on the soft insides of their hands and feet. Nefer always walk with a certain air of arrogance or poise, one that is befitting their remarkable intellect and ambition to subject others in life, though not necessarily in a hostile manner, unlike the more malicious Slizzar or domineering Songaskians. Nefer are benevolent, and while there certainly is an element of vanity among them like that of the Senef, their vanity stems from a uniquely altruistic narcissism; that they will be the most benevolent rulers to all, and bring about a paradise where hunger and boredom are things of the past. It should come as no surprise that the Nefer, while being the smallest and physically least capable of the Asha, are in fact the most authoritative among the Asha. Nearly all Asha political leaders and religious leaders are Nefer, all the way up to the kings and queens of the Asha States. They are soft-spoken, use flattery and honeyed words, and are always immensely non-confrontational, mediating and diplomatic in their approach.
===Head Shapes===
Asha head shapes are not consistent across [[Half-Races]], meaning that the “feline head” shape can both exist in Nefer, and Rakhet, despite how different those subraces are, because subrace among the Asha is defined by Body Shape, not appearance beyond that. It should be noted that head shapes dictate specifically only the shape of the head, not the actual fur pattern. Even though a Rakhet who belongs to the Lew clade might have a Doberman-like head, the Rakhet does not specifically need to have Doberman-like fur patterns or colors. These two things are strictly separate, and to read more about fur patterns, refer to further below. Some rules still apply to the head shapes however, so the individual categories are defined below:
 
* '''The so-called “Lew” clade''' (Pronounced Ee-yew), includes dog-like heads. These heads are specifically domesticated dogs, not the undomesticated wolves and other such canines found among [[New Dynasty Siha]]i. Very common Lew clade head shapes are: Husky, Samoyed, Bull-Terrier, Pit-Bull, Doberman, Akita-Inu, Greyhound, Jack-Russel, and Rottweiler. Two non-domestic exceptions that exist in this clade are Jackals but with pointier ears and hyenas.
* '''The so-called “Mew” clade''' (Pronounced Muuw), includes feline-like heads. It is specifically important to note here that with feline-like, it means large predator felines, specifically not domestic felines or feliform mammals. Very common Mew clade head shapes are: Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Lynx, Bobcat, Cheetah, Cougar, Puma, Civet, and Ocelot.
* '''The so-called “Hemat” clade''' (Pronounce Huh-Mat) only includes two animal types, which are the Otter and the Capybara. That being said, for Otter, any Otter type (sea otter, river otter, etc.) is usable.
* '''The so-called “Sheta” clade''' (Pronounced Shih-ta) includes a variety of animals, but very specifically from the following list: Fox, Badger, Rabbit, and Raccoon.
===Fur Patterns & Colors===
Asha Fur Patterns and Colors, like head shapes, are detached from sub-races and found more variably among the Asha. For ease of understanding, each aspect of fur is divided into categories below:
* '''Texture:''' Fur pattern textures are not strictly locked to species either. For example, the Lew clade would allow a Senef to have a head shaped like that of a Samoyed. Traditionally, Samoyed are understood to have long soft and fluffy fur. Texture may however change regardless of what is expected, so instead of having soft and fluffy fur, the Samoyed-like head may have short or even curly hair. A short-haired Doberman might for example still have short hair on the face, but have fluffy and long fur on the neck and the top of the head. Fur length and softness versus coarseness may vary from place to place on the body. That being said, short-hair fur is the most common for Asha, and 9 out of 10 Asha have short fur.
* '''Colors:''' Colors for Asha are fairly limited, but do exist on a range. The primary color ranges are White to Black, Cream to Brown, Ginger to Mahogany, with any color between these opposites existing. Additional stand-alone colors that can be found are golden blonde, platinum blonde, a gray with a light tint of gray-blue, and orange. These colors may apply to primary, secondary as well as pattern colors, meaning that a Samoyed Nefer may have ginger primary fur with black patches on the torso, and brown stripes on the arms and back and legs.
* '''Patterns:''' Patterns for Asha are wild and varied, and are not locked to Animal head types. For example, a Doberman-like Rakhet may have stripes, spots, circles or one solid color. Patterns may include but are not limited to: stripes, spots, circles, patches, or any combination of these. It is very common for Asha to have a primary fur color, and a lighter color that occurs from the jaw down to the chest, the stomach, and the insides of the arms and legs, but the light versus dark fur pattern may also be inverted.
* '''Eyes:''' Asha eyes are fairly varied, making it hard to tell whether they are infected with some kind of affliction. Asha eye-whites can be white, light gray, dark gray, light brown, and dark brown. Furthermore, their irises also have varying colors, ranging from light blue or light green to light brown, dark brown, dull gray-ish blue or green to rusty brown.
* '''Hair:''' Asha do not strictly have hair in the way that it is understood among [[Ailor]], who do not have fur. Some Asha have fur that grows longer on the top of their head or their jawline, which they sometimes braid or grow longer. In a sense it can thus be said that Asha have top-hair and facial-hair, but it never quite behaves the same way. For example, Asha top-hair doesn’t strictly begin on the forehead and end at the nape of the neck, rather, it can even start at the nose, and form a mohawk to the top of the neck. Similarly, the facial hair may extend longer hair down into the neck, and down to the chest area, forming a thick “collar” so to say. This ‘hair’, though differently textured, is never a different color to the rest of their fur; this is to say that a primarily white-furred Asha cannot ever naturally have brown ‘top’ hair or facial hair.
*  '''Tattoos:''' One would think that Asha are not capable of having tattoos that remain visible as their actual skin is covered by a thick layer of fur that makes seeing the color impossible. This is however not the case, as the Asha have inherited the Rikhzah art from the Siwath-Khenu tribes, a form of deep-skin and fur tattoo art that was practiced for centuries by the free tribes to distinguish them from the slave populations among the Altalar. This Rikhzah art involved the ink of the [[Rikhzah Beetle]] (common in Fair-Ports) to be mixed with a regular dye or ink color, and then applied to the fur. This ink would sink deeper into the skin, and then bond permanently with the hair follicles, thus setting the color in the fur, even after the fur would be shaven/lost/regrown. Rikhzah tattooing can produce unnatural patterns, shapes and formations, and is particularly popular among the Corsairs and the free tribes that live away from the Asha States.
===Half-Asha and Asha-Mixing===
Asha mating with non-Asha follows a couple of additional rules. Asha can mate with any race except Allar, [[Maraya]], and [[Yanar]], and an Asha who has children with a Slizzar or Url will produce fullblood Asha children. For the other compatible races however, a Half-Asha is called a “Feka” (Pronounced Fey-ka). Feka are almost like a Half-Race in the same sense that [[Half-Eronidas]] are for the Eronidas. Feka Asha primarily take traits from the non-Asha parent, meaning that if an Asha mates with an Altalar, the child will mostly appear like an Altalar. In addition to appearing like an Altalar however, the Feka may be more prone to patches of fur and hair, will have a tail inherited from the Asha parent, and will also inherit the ears of the Asha parent, in whatever position those ears were on the parent or on the sides where more humanoid ears can be found, and potentially whiskers. A Sheta clade of the Nefer subrace with a Rabbit head-shape siring a child with an Ailor, would result in an Ailor with patches of soft tufts of fur, rabbit-like ears flopping down from the skull, and a long fluffy soft tail that is twice the length of their legs. Additionally, Feka Asha have retractable claws, but no paw-pads on their hands or feet, and their legs are plantigrade just like their non-Asha parents. Half-Asha are listed as the Feka Asha subrace, and are classified as full-blood Asha even if they look more like their non-Asha parent.  


Mixing among Asha, meaning different sub-races mating, never produces a half-breed within the Asha race, as any child born from a union of two different subraces is simply a randomized outcome between the subraces of the parents. It is however possible to inherit mixed patterns and fur colors. Additionally, head-shape clades are also limited. It is not possible to have a head with the elements of a tiger and otter combined. A head shape is always limited to one type of clade and one species within a clade. That being said , clade head-shapes are not inherited from parents (they can be, but don’t have to be), and are instead randomized each time. A Half-Asha, or Feka Asha, mating with a full-blood Asha results in a child being born as if the Feka Asha was a full-blood Asha themselves. For example, if a Feka Asha with Nefer and [[Cielothar]] heritage were to mate with a Rakhet Asha, that Feka Asha counts as a full Nefer, and the children could be either Rakhet or Nefer, with absolutely no Cielothar traits.
==Design==
==Asha Abilities==
The Asha are a collective of anthropomorphic animal-people, the closest approximation of a "Furries" on MassiveCraft. A wide range of animal types are available, from canine to equine to feline, to marsupials and more, with some species classified under separate Lineages (see below). The Asha can have plantigrade legs and feet or digitigrade legs and clawed feet and hands. They can have a wide variety of natural eye colors, as well as natural fur or feather colors and patterns, but there is a great deal of freedom to change, for example using leopard fur patterning for a canine-otter hybrid design. Some unnatural colors are also available to some of the Legacies. It is important to also mention the Half-Asha, who the Asha consider full members of their societies. Half-Asha are Asha born from dominant Asha parentage that show Asha traits. Common appearances are for example animal-like eyes, ears, claws, tails, and legs, but mostly without fur covering their skin.


{| class="wikitable"
==Cultures==
|- style="font-weight:bold; text-align:center; background-color:#c0c0c0;"
Asha are divided over four so-called Lands which loosely determine their cultural associations and beliefs. This is an important choice for most Asha (though many are born in them) because it defines their outlook on life, and most notably how they interact with Elves and Mages. Historically Elves and Mages have inflicted a lot of pain and suffering on the Asha, and so the Cultures define how they act around Elves, and how they treat Mages. It is possible to change Cultures throughout Roleplay, but choosing one is recommended when beginning a new Character so that others understand how they feel about certain topics, without the Character having to explain complex and potentially nuanced points of view for every Asha they meet.
! Ability Name
{|
! Ability Type
! Ability Range
! Ability Description
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Pure Body 1
| [[File:Untitlesadasd Artwork.png|left|170px|caption]]
| Constant Passive
|
| Self
'''Deshret''' which loosely translates to the red land, are Asha unified in their hatred and search for justice for the pain and historical trauma their people have suffered by the Elves. Deshret Asha can be found all over the world, but most numerously among the Corsair Fleets and Naval Nations, populations of Asha without a true homeland to call their own. Deshret Asha can be expected to always express hostility towards the Elves, and anything related to the Allorn Empire or Oblation Magic, often being at the forefront of the breakdown of this dark institution in the Empire, or agitating for the Regalian Empire to go to war with the Allorn to crush them. Deshret Asha always remember their historical suffering.
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Pure Body 1 | The Character is immune to Afflictions. Any type of Affliction simply fails to infect them, even if it would come at the end of an Ability. Some Event Characters like Arken may have the Ability to negate this effect. Additionally, the Character is unable to learn or use Sorcery, if a Character gains Pure Body 1 at a later point in time, they lose their Sorcery or Magic and do not get Proficiency refunds.
| [[File:Untiwqeqtled Artwork.png|left|170px|caption]]
}}
|
'''Hedjet''' which loosely translates to the white land, are Asha who acknowledge the historical suffering of their people at the hands of the Allorn, but who are mostly content that the age of the Pearl Wars is over, and that they can live in relative security without being repeatedly invaded by Elves. It is not unthinkable they might befriend Elves, especially if those Elves have no real connection to the Allorn Empire, or clear descent from those who benefitted from the murder of their ancestors. Hedjet Asha mostly hail from the Ashal States, where they focus on the rebuilding of their legacy and history and customs, while some of the newly born generations even barely know what the Pearl Wars were about. Some might deride the Hedjet for being tone-deaf, but they might be quick to retort that endless cycles of violence are self-perpetuating, and self-immolating.  
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Body Claws 1
| [[File:Untitled safafArtwork.png|left|170px|caption]]
| Toggle Passive
|  
| Self
'''Neferu''' which loosely translates to the beauties or the beautiful land, are largely tolerated by the Deshred and Hedjet Asha, but regarded with suspicion. While the art of Magic is never in itself evil according to modern Asha attitudes, having Magic means a Mage can always hunger for more Magic and more power. In such a case, a Neferu Asha Mage is only a few steps away from calling upon the dark arts and using Oblation Magic as a means of self-empowerment. The Neferu mostly hail from the Silontaar country, but have populations in many nations, even those who have found acceptance in the Allorn Empire given that the Pearl Wars have ended. Their inaction and distance from the Pearl Wars, is still an ongoing sore spot for them, however.
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Body Claws 1 | The Character can retract or manifest sharp claws that ignore any type of armor that is not plate-tier, and can tear up even chainmail and cured leather. These claws utilize Unarmed Proficiency for combat, but cannot be used in conjunction with any Melee or Ranged Weapons, and must be fully retracted to wield them.
| [[File:Dqwdqq.png|left|170px|caption]]
}}
|  
'''Kemet''' which loosely translates to the black land, are nearly universally reviled or feared by the Deshret, Hedjet, and Neferu. They include three distinct populations. First Asha who have abandoned their cultural heritage and started worshiping Evolism. Second the Asha who have gone mad with grief and become death cultists who worship the death gods and thus also embraced Death Magic. Finally, there are the Mystech who were once Asha, having been ripped from the land of the living or their Dewamenet afterlife when the old [[Khama]] God stole the afterlife, and used it to invade the Evolist pantheon. In doing so, he became a Void God, but all Asha who joined him or were taken there became Void Spirits. Kemet Asha have a complex and often hostile relation to all others because they are disconnected from the modern world.  
|}
==Heritage Traits==
When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description. Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons). Half-Asha must still choose a Lineage to be matched with, and can only pick and choose Mechanics from that Lineage.
===Free Packs===
* Asha can choose 1 Pack from any Category for free. If any magic is chosen, the player may choose an Alignment between God Magic, Exist, Ordial, Void, and Dragon Magic.
* Asha can choose 1 non-Ability Pack that is not Magical or Religious in nature. Non-Ability Pack means that it must be a Pack that does not give a Combat Ability.
===Lineages===
There is a great deal of physical divergence among the Asha, though four major Lineages are considered categorically similar. While all Asha receive the same Free Packs, what Mechanics they receive is dependent on the Lineage they belong to. This choice cannot be changed, and is also relevant to determine the physical characteristics of the Character. It is possible to be a mix of Lineages, but only one Lineage must be chosen for Mechanics. Lineages have no bearing on Cultures, a Remet Asha can belong to Kemet or Deshret culture, and so on. Some caution should be exercised with Silontaar Lineage however, as while they could in theory claim to be Deshret Asha, because they are biologically Magical, other Deshret Asha may reject them.  
{|
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Body Tail 1
| rowspan="2" | [[File:Remetasha.jpg|left|160px|caption]]
| Constant Passive
|  
| Self
'''Remet Asha'''<BR>
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Body Tail 1 | The user possesses a single prehensile tail which can be used in both Combat Roleplay and to hold items or people. This tail has half the strength of the arm, meaning that all actions derive 50% of the Proficiency Points or the Physical Stat of the user when using the tail.
Remet Asha refers to the Asha most genealogically closest to the common Dewamenet ancestor, they are the mammalian-styled "furry" Asha, that specifically excludes any bird-like species. Remet Asha appear like anthropomorphic versions of for example canine, feline, equine, marsupial and more. This can also include hybrids. Remet Asha are by far the most numerous on in the Asha countries, and the Regalian Empire.  
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Asha Agility 1
|  
| Constant Passive
'''Mechanics'''
| Self
* Remet Asha can control a special substance called Living Metal, which is a solid Metal that becomes liquid by their thought and imagination, and can be reshaped to whatever they can imagine, and telekinetically moved around.
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Asha Agility 1 | The user will always outclass any other Race in the realm of running or sprinting, even if they are using Living Metal as armor, be it a competition, a chase, or pure recreation. The user will always run faster than anything else, unless this creature or person specifically has a mutation or Ability making it “as fast as an Asha”.
* Remet Asha have perfect night vision, capable of seeing in dark and low-light environments without needing external lights. Additionally, their claws when struck together create flint and steel like sparks that light up.
}}
* Remet Asha have a natural bodily reaction to non-combat Magic in their proximity. This can for example cause the fur in their neck to stand upright. It can also be used to warn of a magical presence before it is spotted.
* Remet Asha have a heightened sense of smell, sight, and hearing out of Combat. This is fairly flexible and should be discussed with people in a scene in terms of what advantages this may give an Asha in varying scenarios.
* Remet Asha either through a combination of excellent acrobatics, or shock-dampening limbs, or using their claws to slide down buildings, never take damage when falling from heights, so long as this fall is below 50 Blocks.  
|}
{|
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Living Metal 1
| rowspan="2" | [[File:Birdsasha.png|left|160px|caption]]
| Constant Passive
|  
| Self
'''Savent Asha'''<BR>
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip:  Living Metal 1 | Any user will have a quantity of Living Metal that is naturally produced by their body. It is the side of a fist in its inert state, and can be suspended around the user’s neck as a necklace, on the tail for decoration, or on the forearm as a decorative bracelet. Living Metal can have any single color, as long as it looks metallic. Living Metal is always smooth (no jagged edges, rivets or bolts), but has a wavy pattern, similar to folded Steel that shows some reflective difference. Living Metal cannot be stolen, and can turn into a liquid form at the will of the user. In its natural state however, Living Metal is inert and serves no function, unless a Stance is active. Without any Stance active, Living Metal is purely decorative, like jewelry or clothing.
Savent Asha refers to a population of exclusively bird-like anthropomorphic people that split off from the Remet-dominated Dewamenet population and resettled in Fendarfelle during the ending decades of the Dewamenet-Allorn war. The Savent developed entirely differently from the Remet, and as such also have different customs and societal expectations, not to speak of their most notable physical difference, their having wings.  
}}
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Living Metal 2
|  
| Trigger Passive
'''Mechanics'''
| Self
* Savent Asha can control a special substance called Living Metal, which is a solid metal that becomes liquid by their thought and imagination, and can be reshaped to whatever they can imagine, and telekinetically moved around.
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Living Metal 2 | Any body parts lost by the user are automatically replaced after a week by Living Metal, unless they choose not to replace that body part. This decision can be re-made at any time after the limb is lost. Any replaced limbs made out of Living Metal will mimic body flesh in every sense, giving no additional sturdiness against weapons, having the same sensations, and being warm to the touch, yet metallic in appearance.
* Savent Asha have perfect night vision, capable of seeing in dark and low-light environments without needing external lights. Additionally, their claws when struck together create flint and steel-like sparks that light up.
}}
* Savent Asha can manifest (or have) Wings (of any design: Furred, Feathered), which while not in Combat, allow (Elytra) flight (including the use of Rockets). Combat or Ability usage immediately disables flight.
* Savent Asha have a heightened sense of smell, sight, and hearing out of Combat. This is fairly flexible and should be discussed with people in a scene in terms of what advantages this may give an Asha in varying scenarios.
* Savent Asha have a heightened alertness and analytical mind, able to perceive threats and react much faster. They may notice dangers when interacting with Event objects or Characters (Private Message DM's for more info)
|}
{|
|-
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Living Metal 3
| rowspan="2" | [[File:Silontaari.png|left|160px|caption]]
| Constant Passive
|  
| Self
'''Silontaar Asha'''<BR>
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Living Metal 3 | The user gains two Living Metal Functions. These functions cannot be active at the same time together. The first function allows the user to turn their Living Metal into a single Melee Combat Category weapon of choice, two smaller Melee Combat Category weapons of choice, or a shield. The weapon or shield can be handed off to others, but only one can be produced, and it can be “melted” and returned to the user from Emote Distance. The second function allows the user to turn their Living Metal into plate-like metal armor for themselves, covering only one of the following parts: Legs, Torso+Waist, Arms or Head+Neck. This Ability takes several seconds to form, so it cannot be summoned to block an incoming attack.
Silontaar Asha refers to a population of exclusively magic-infused anthropomorphic people who don't quite look like real-life animals but have animalistic appearance traits. Within the furry context, Silontaar can best be described as a custom species that takes small aspects of multiple species but looks like nothing in particular. Parts of their body can have magically glowing aspects or colorations, and in general, they look a lot more fantasy-like.
}}
|-
| style="background-color:#F3BCBB;" | Living Metal 4
| Constant Passive
|  Self
| Grants the user {{#simple-tooltip: Living Metal 4 | The user can transform their Living Metal, as long as it is not being actively used by another Living Metal Ability, into a substitute for wound treatment, but only on themselves. This allows them to cover up 5 cuts and bruises, OR 1 deep gash/internal wound. This negates the wound, removes the pain, and prevents a lethal attack from killing the user. Removing the Living Metal returns the wound to its previous state. Living Metal does not heal, it is a stop-gap measure until a healer can be found. Additionally, the user can turn their Living Metal into any utility tool, like a walking cane, a hammer, or a screwdriver. This includes tools that require a basic resource to function (such as ink in a pen), as it will fulfill this function without requiring the resource. The Living Metal can also be used to form utility objects, like plates, carafes, wine goblets, a horse saddle, as well as be used for artistic endeavors, be that a statuette or simply juggled fluidically through the air before the user.
}}
|-
|-
|
'''Mechanics'''
* Silontaar Asha do not need to sleep or even eat, as they gain sustenance from Magical energies around them. They can eat if they want to, or enter into a trancelike state that approximates sleep but leaves them watchful.
* Silontaar Asha have perfect night vision, capable of seeing in dark and low-light environments without needing external lights. Additionally, their claws when struck together create flint and steel-like sparks that light up.
* Silontaar Asha can, once per day, make use of the Magical Variant of the Sealing Pack from [[Adapt Point Buy]]. Point-Buying the Pack, or gaining it for free, disables this Mechanic.
* Silontaar Asha have a heightened sense of smell, sight, and hearing out of Combat. This is fairly flexible and should be discussed with people in a scene in terms of what advantages this may give an Asha in varying scenarios.
* Silontaar Asha can grant any person the Magical version of [[Adapt_Point_Buy#Shapeshift_Pack|Shapeshift Pack]] for free, but only for an Hour (or the duration of an Event), and with a 7-day Cooldown for that person. This can even apply to [[Afflicted]]/[[Mystech]].
|}
|}


==History==
==Language and Naming==
Asha history dates back long before even the Allorn Empire; it is not exactly clear how long, but most scholars agree that the Asha were not around during the [[Meraic Civilization]] and likely rose to prominence immediately after. There exist an incredibly small number ofrecords from Pre-Allorn Altalar encountering and skirmishing with “metal bending felines and canines", and the great Ziggurats of the Asha States, which are also mentioned in scouting reports from just before the rise of [[Talea]]. What is understood of this truly ancient time is that much of the known world around the supercontinent of [[Daen]] (including Ithania, [[Daendroc]], [[Hyarroc]], and [[Teled Methen]]) was roughly equally divided between the Allorn Empire and the Dewamenet Empire. While the Allorn Empire praised and advanced the arts of [[Magic]], the Dewamenet Empire advanced the arts of [[Technology]], and in fact had a very harsh stance against Magic from the outset. Finding specific dating for the beginning and end of the war between the Dewamenet Empire and the Allorn Empire is nigh impossible, as the Altalar underwent great efforts  attempting to erase any notion of the Dewamenet Empire from history to force the remaining Asha into endless and hopeless servitude. It is however known that the conflict lasted for several centuries, with decades being spent fighting over mere miles of no man’s land. It is said that the Dewamenet had large crawling scarabs and scorpions as tall as mountains that bellowed fire, and regiments of soldiers that lined up with tubes casting fire and brimstone, echoed by loud thunderous bangs in rapid succession. What else is known is that the latter half of their conflict was very much a losing war for the Allorn Empire, whose presence at the front line near Ithania was driven back severely. Through some intervention however, which the Altalar claim came from the Avatars of the Gods, the Dewamenet army was crushed and their High Wall defences crumbled, giving the Altalar a clear path into the heart of the Dewamenet Empire.  
[[File:FulyE- WIAQD-Ri.jpg|260px|thumb|right|This Otter Asha has some unique fur patterning.]]
[[File:F2Ol9VZXsAA-hWT.jpg|260px|thumb|right|This ringfighter Asha wears a cartouche tablet, which many Asha wear on their belt with their name on it.]]
[[File:GNZs7FQX0AIhdKT.jpg|260px|thumb|right|An Asha wearing a traditional Satoor with Living Metal decorations.]]
[[File:F11jBE4XsAEC9ab.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Jewelry of any kind offers a stylish way of carrying Living Metal around.]]
[[File:F lxMExW4AAN 4N.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Arkenborn Asha have an exceptionally difficult time among anti-Magic Asha.]]
[[File:F17VXhAWEAEchdb.jpg|260px|thumb|right|This Gazelle Asha is one of Akhet's Golden Sons, extremely rare Demigods among the Asha.]]
[[File:Ee0wtYEWsAAWduZ.png|260px|thumb|right|Asha acrobats and courtesans are some of the most highest sought after.]]
[[File:FBjMXgzUYAY3MVh.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Living Metal is often used by Corsair Asha to replace lost limbs.]]
[[File:FojDOauXgAUCAu8.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Living Metal is also used as a makeshift armor, with custom colors.]]
[[File:FDOCD7ZXMAQgEP7.jpg|260px|thumb|right|Asha fur patterns do not need to be realistic, with a great deal of freedom.]]
The Asha speak a language called Ibeth which is based on real-life ancient Egyptian. However, it should be noted that because Ibeth is considered a reconstructed language from archeological evidence, it is an incomplete language, and takes a lot of loan words from Common (English). Also, because it is a reconstructed language, not all Asha naturally speak Ibeth, as it is only really taught in the Ashal States and the Corsair Fleets. Most Asha who are born in Regalia never learn Ibeth, and more commonly speak the other languages of the Empire. In terms of naming, Asha similarly either have modern Ailor names or Elven given names depending on where they were born, but many Asha have also started embracing Ibeth naming practices. Based on ancient Egyptian, these names can be complicated, because most online resources just re-iterate the names of priests and pharaohs without discussing the names of the common people. Here are some examples of how to construct Ibeth names with the information we have within the lore.
===Khama-Based Naming===
Khama-based naming refers to a common habit for a person to be called "Son of X" or "Made of Y". These are honorifics given at birth and end up being used as first names, but can also be adopted at a later point in life to honor a specific God of the [[Khama]] Pantheon. Even Asha who are not Khama faithful can have these names because the Khama Gods doubled as divine individuals as well as secular rulers of the Dewamenet Empire. It is also common for Asha in the Regalian Empire to have both a Khama-based name and a more common name used among non-Asha like a nickname. This naming process is complex and requires a lot of trial and error. If you need help, you can make use of a [[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17fjSHb1M9iUAYPgWDRXsujBw2bqVoUR25prmFCn_H8k/edit?usp=sharing spreadsheet]] we have provided to simplify the process or inquire in a ticket. Common name prefixes are Sahu (spiritual body of), Sa or Si (son of), Sat (daughter of), Mose or Mes (born of), or Menkau (established in the soul of). Then, either the first or last syllable of the Gods is used to compose names, for example for Tjafar, these would be "Tja" or "Far", while Ra-Mut's syllables would be "Ra" or "Mut". Names can either be single words or have a hyphen (-) to separate the syllables. Thus, finally composing a few name examples:
* Sahutja would be "the Spiritual body of Tjafar"
* Sat-Kha would be "the daughter of Khannar"
* Menkau-Ra would be "established in the soul of Ra-mut"
* Narmose would be "born of Khannar", except the syllables are switched around.
* Rasa would be "son of Ra-mut", except the syllables are switched around.
If you need help composing a good name, please make a Ticket. It is perfectly acceptable to source names from the internet, please just try to avoid naming your Character Imhotep or Rameses or Tutankhamun, or such familiar names from historical people. Generally speaking, you should prioritize names that are easy to pronounce and not too overcomplicated long, while feeling unique to your character. Surnames are not common in Ibeth, though a frequent way to identify someone is by using the "of placename" suffix. This can either be existing cities in the Regalian Empire (or even Regalia), but is more commonly cities in the Ashal States, of which here follows a short list: Akhiza, Siwakhet, Nasar, Lunet, Lahun, Per-Wadjet, Tjebu, Zwajet, Akhet-aten, Bukhama and so forth.
 
==Brief History==
===The Lost Era===
The Lost Era defines a period during which the Asha referred to themselves as Dewa, based on the state name Dewamenet. As Dewa, the Asha were the preeminent Empire of the time, with high technological progress, though recent archeology and events in Regalia implicate the Empire as being tyrannical towards its neighboring people, and even to its subjects. What little is known of this Empire, was that Magic was strictly banned and any born Mages were killed. This Empire's technology was seemingly steam-based, and had some advanced knowledge of electricity and conductivity as well as battery-powered factories, with machines building vast cities and operating complex irrigation systems. The Empire frequently invaded neighboring countries to enforce their anti-Magic policy, which eventually led to conflict with the rising Allorn Empire. This Dewamenet-Allorn war became all-defining for the next 15,000 years, as it destroyed the Dewamenet Empire, the near total destruction of the Asha, and the rise of the Allorn Empire as the undisputed magical hegemon of the world.
===The Dark Era===
The Dark Era defines a period during which the Asha were reeling from the destruction of their Empire, and the loss of the vast majority of their population. The magical event that the Elves used was described as a terrible climate shift in the region that was so strong, that it has lasted to this day. It was as if the Gods of the Elves decreed that all moisture or liquid would be deprived of every living and unliving thing in the Empire, drawing it closer to the frontline of the war. In essence, all moisture was drained from the heartland of the Dewamenet Empire and forced into a small strip of land that would later become known as No Man's Land, an impassable jungle with impossible high humidity. The entire Dewamenet Empire's core heartland became an unlivable desert in a near instant, all machines ground to a complete halt because of a lack of water to fuel steam power, and the batteries ran dry. All living beings died as their body was deprived of moisture, and those lucky enough to survive eventually died from thirst in this endless wasteland. The cities were eventually buried under the sand, and much of the heartland forgotten. It is said by the Kemet, that in the split second before this event occurred, Gahan stole the Khama Afterlife, and the capital of the Dewamenet Empire with it, killing all its inhabitants and turning them into Spirits while seceding into the Void to render the remaining Khama Gods incapable of doing anything about it.
===The Pearl Wars===
The worst period in Asha history, which spanned up until the Cataclysm, was the Pearl Wars, so named because of its relation to the Oblation Magic used by the Elves. How the Elves learned Oblation Magic is unclear though some rumor it was the Death-Goddess the Charnel who taught them. Oblation Magic involves capturing the soul of a dead person who cannot pass into the afterlife, eviscerating their soul, their memories, their emotions, and their feelings, and congealing into a single pearl of magical potency. This pearl could then be used to amplify the Magic of those who held them, and they suddenly came in massive demand in the Allorn Empire. Vast armies of Elves ventured into the blasted wasteland that was once the Dewamenet Empire, to capture the defenseless roaming souls of the dead Dewamenet citizens, using Oblation Magic to kill them one final time and use the remnant of their souls as nothing but vulgar fuel for their own internal Mage-Wars. When the Elves ran out of Dewamenet Souls to consume, they ventured out to the hinterlands where the Asha had survived. The Dewamenet Empire was vast and had many lands outside of the modern-day Ithanian heartland, and so Elven ships ventured beyond the high seas in search of these ex-Dewamenet colonies that still had Asha in them. They would find them far afield from the Ashal Islands (which were subsequently abandoned) to Nordskag, the Regalian Archipelago, and even Hadar where some Dewa had fled to hide. Their cyclical raids became a near five-yearly occurrence, where they would inflict death on the local populations, and then harvest their souls to produce more Oblation Magic Pearls, to bring back to the Allorn Empire to help amplify their power. These raids were filled with such mockery and cruelty, with the Elves making theatric displays of their arrival and heralding the supremacy of the victors over the vanquished. When the Asha speak of their historical trauma, it is this period, even if there are no Asha left alive today who experienced the Pearl Wars first hand.
 
The Pearl Wars ended when the Cataclysm struck. Due to the complexity of Oblation Magic in being a combination of potent Ordial Magic and Exist Magic, the world was no longer capable of sustaining the kind of Magic required to produce these pearls. Secondly, the Cataclysm provided enough of a momentum that weakened the Elven gods to the point that the Khama Gods as few as there were left, felt emboldened to reveal themselves from hiding. They quickly conspired to produce a pseudo-afterlife called the Duat, which in reality was nothing more than a waiting room for an actual afterlife that is believed to be dull and in a state of non-consciousness for those inside it. It did, however, remove the precondition for Asha souls to have Oblation Magic inflicted upon them, as it gave them an afterlife to have their souls pass into, thus denying the Elves the ability to snatch them. The Allorn Elves and Allorn Revivalists take no responsibility for the suffering of the Pearl Wars, indicating that they believe this was simply the plight of the conquered, insisting that the Asha would have done it no other way if they had won the war and discovered that Elven ears could be used as fuel for their machines. The Wars were so historically significant because they continued for thousands of years on a cyclical 5 or 10 year basis. The sheer population growth stunting that occurred because of it means that the Asha are still not numerically comparable to the Ailor or Elves to this day, despite being older people than both. Oblation Magic Pearls have largely disappeared from the world, though rarely, one might still encounter these ancient magical objects, always betrayed by their sickly green and blue glow, and a distinct hunger they encourage in anyone who lays eyes upon them, even those who deeply revile these objects.
===The Light Era===
The Light Era defines the post-Cataclysm period during which some of the Asha have started re-settling the lands that were previously depopulated by the Pearl Wars. The most notable of which are the Ashal States off the coast of the former Allorn Empire (now Ailor colonies). Asha have populated nearly every known continent with some even daring to live among Elves, while far flung populations like the Savent and Silontaar have been re-connected with the wider Asha population after millennia of isolation away from the Pearl Wars. Some Asha even, have resorted to an exhaustive mission of revenge referred to as the Claw Wars, a mockery of the concept of the Pearl Wars, by which the Asha Corsair fleets raid coastal Elven settlements. Unlike the orchestrated and theatric Pearl Wars however, the Claw Wars are just disorganized revenge killing because it feels good to them, a fact that makes more than half the Asha population quite uneasy with the brutality of the Corsairs. Regalia has since become a hub for Asha-Revival, with knowledge both being freely shared and discussed, and potentially being suppressed and silenced to ensure the Asha do not grow too confident in their desire to re-build their Empire.
 
==Religions==
* [[Khama]] The most obvious and majority religion for the Asha is Khama, which was once an ethnoreligion for them but is slowly being rediscovered to be so much more and inclusive of other peoples.
* [[Unionism]] is the second most common Religion for Asha, especially those born in the Regalian Empire. The Asha are represented by Asha Gods in the Unionist Pantheon, which makes it very appealing.
* [[Estelley]] Any Asha who worships Estelley is deeply, deeply strange. Estelley as a religion was used to empower the genocide of the Asha, and is an Elven ethno-religion, so there is no compatibility.
* [[Fornoss]] There are some Fornoss Asha communities, particularly in Nordskag where some Asha communities survived throughout the Pearl Wars, and integrated with the Fornoss Ailor, but abandoned Khama.
* [[Evolism]] Evolism is a surprisingly common religion among Asha, especially those who court the Dark Gods for powers to take vengeance on the Elves, or just support Gahan and his Dream-Dewamenet.
* [[Draconism]] Draconism does not have a strong Asha representation in it, but Asha can be Draconists if they resonate with the dogmatic virtues or mechanical themes of world-creation in Draconism. 
 
==Asha and Magic==
The Asha do not universally hate Magic. There is perhaps a common understanding among them now, that it was largely their extremist purist policies that led to the destructive Dewamenet-Allorn War, and subsequent Pearl Wars. The majority of the revulsion of Asha concerning Magic is aimed at the seductive power of Magic can lead one to justify and commit great evil with a few simple hand gestures. A fire mage himself is not distinctly a problem (though there would be many Asha with knee-jerk hostile reactions even at the sight of any Magic), but said fire mage's desire for ever bigger and hotter fire. Eventually, he would simply run out of his own body or soul's capacity to draw enough magic from the respective realms to cast. In such a case, the fire mage would seek other ways to empower their Magic, which to the Asha is a downward spiral that ends in Oblation Magic. While Oblation Magic became impossible after the Cataclysm, there have recently been signs that it has once again become possible with select rogue Allorn Mages experimenting with Oblation Magic, and worse, it has become cast-able without the need for that person's soul to be denied by any afterlife. Oblation Magic has evolved, and so too has the vigilance of the Asha evolved from a continual purist hate of Magic to a suspicion and paranoia, that any Mage could at any point in time be seduced by the cheapest and easiest but most violent route to power without bounds. There are, however, still many purist Asha who are completely in agreement with the Lothar, though they are generally considered quite radical. 
 
==Asha and Elves==
The attitude of the Asha, especially those who care a lot about the Pearl Wars history or their revulsion against Oblation Magic, tends to project itself onto the Elves as a whole. The Asha are taught for decades, in every school, in every nursery rhyme, and in every story re-telling of the Gods or the priests or even just their distant family's history, that the Elves are without moral and without value for life. They are taught from the day they are born that Allorn society carries within it a cultural darkness fostered by Talea the greatest killer in history, that justifies such indifference to the suffering of others. There are many Asha who learn that some element of this is exaggeration or a hypocritical form of bigotry born out of fear of otherlings. Many Asha who come to Regalia are predisposed with an inability to see Elves as real people, but rather see them as Demons, and many struggle to overcome years of cultural indoctrination, to treat Elves as equals. We encourage Players to play with the concepts of taught hatred, and learned growth, and see the potential for character development as Regalia's melting pot cosmopolitan culture allows their Characters to see the historical nuance and complexity of the individual, but Players are also more than welcome to imply in their backstory that their Character already overcame this historical conditioning.
 
==Culture==
This section covers Remet Asha Culture as it was known from rediscovered or surviving customs from the Dewamenet. There is overlap with the other Asha Lineages, but niche cultural habits like fashion are discussed in their Lineage Expanded lore further below.
===Fashion===
Asha clothing is often very simple in its application of garments yet rich in texture and patterning. Beyond a simple chest cloth worn by women and leather straps worn by men to attach objects to, most Asha rarely wear any clothing on their upper body when they don’t seek a reason to blend into other societies. On their lower bodies meanwhile, all wear a so-called Satoor, a dress-like clothing piece often in earthen or burgundy color tones with a variety of intricate patterns in vibrant colors that spans from the waist to the ground. These Satoors are often specially tailored to allow a tail to protrude from the back, and also have individual cuts on the front and sides to allow a free range of motion for Asha in combat. The Satoor is, in fact, a crucial piece for many cultural traditions of the Asha. As part of decoration for the Satoor, high officials may also wear shoulder capes or shoulder pelts from regional bovines. Jewelry is also a very much prized accessory for all genders of Asha, with numerous necklaces and ear piercings being the norm in adults. The Asha recognize the difference between a civilian Satoor and a combat Satoor in that combat Satoor cut off at the knees, while those for civilians end at the ankle or a bit higher. The Asha also have a fabric that was once unique to them alone, produced by the coastal Asha which has since expanded world-wide. Elastan, a form of lycra, is made from natural blue threads excreted by a unique coral species. The fabric is inherently liquid deterrent, and Elastan clothing made by the Asha usually covers their arms and shoulders, as well as their legs and waist, but does not cover their torso. Elastan was eventually also mixed with other fabrics, creating Peltastan, a form of wooly spandex. It has properties similar to those of Elastan, being form-fitting and soft, but Peltastan is not water-repelling. Peltastan clothing is usually worn on the torso and upper leg area, while a half-Satoor is worn over it like a battle skirt, often with shoulder pads to boot. Such pads are often light and decorative, as Asha effectively do not wear armor, in order to benefit from their superior agility over other Races. When protection is required, Living Metal is capable of forming a quick, sleek coating for their defense.
 
==Mannerisms==
Mannerisms are small niche behaviors Asha might display in Roleplay that enhances their themes.
* Asha tails are immensely important, both physically and culturally. They are considered a deeply personal extension of the mind, with touch being extreme taboo without permission.
* Tails can also be used to indicate intent. Tails aiming up can be a sign of intimidation or taunting, tails swaying can be a sign of approval or liking something, while tails wrapping around legs can indicate fear.
* Tails can also be used to touch others, which is considered an intimate gesture. A tail coiling or stroking someone else's leg is considered a very forward non-verbal flirtation.
* Most (but not all) Asha use a form of guttural sound for communication also. Growling, and purring, though not barking, are part of the vocal routine of most Asha when indicating pleasure or displeasure.  
* Pulling or cutting an Asha's tail is considered an extreme insult. Tail cutting is a common practice among those with bigotry towards the Asha, with Asha seeking to replace lost tails with living metal.
* Asha treat half-Asha as part of their culture, so long as they have made an effort to be part of Asha culture. Half-Asha who belong to other cultures receive apathetic responses from full Asha.
* Asha transition between bipedal and quadruped movement for a variety of reasons, for example while vaulting over things, or while crawling under obstacles, or to move around faster.
* Asha dress style is very much non-gendered. All genders wear the Satoor (a half-dress with a parted opening on the side), while female Asha may opt for a chest binding if it is culturally appropriate in Regalia.
* Asha are highly sensitive to the killing and eating of members of their people, as Khama holds that people who are refused by the afterlife, are reborn as wild animals in Aloria, such as lions or dogs.
 
==Expanded Lore==
Expanded Lore exists to apply more content to the Savent and Silontaar Asha, whose culture differs from the Remet Asha mostly discussed on this page, as well as other concepts that may be relevant to Asha roleplay or deep-lore exploration. This section is optional reading, though if you play a Silontaar or Savent, reading at least their sections is encouraged.
===Gahan and Kemet===
Gahan and Kemet are some of the recently most complicated aspects about the Asha experience. Gahan was once a god of the Khama pantheon, but under mysterious circumstances left said Pantheon, taking the Dewamenet afterlife with him, and breaking into the Void. While doing so, he used the Dewamenet afterlife and all the souls within as an army to effectively conquer a part of the Void, and crown himself Spirit Emperor, with all Void Spirits obeying his will one way or another. While the Spirits still wage war on one another, Gahan rules over the divided chaos absolute, and his Kemet Demons have a special role to play in his keeping the Dewamenet Dream alive in Kemet. Kemet refers to the Black Land, the name the Asha have given to this material afterlife that now exists somewhere between the real world and the Void. They consider it a black land, because anytime anyone has had visions or dreams of the place, it is always represented by a glowing black obsidian pyramid, in which Gahan sits on his throne keeping a fragmented memory of the Dewamenet Empire alive in the afterlife. In essence, while the Dewamenet Empire was destroyed, the capital and the afterlife merged and become one place, which was then tainted by the Void, though it did keep many Dewamenet alive for eternity while the rest of their Empire crumbled.  


The Dewamenet Empire fell swiftly after the Great Wall was broken, with terrible Magics being used to break down their cities and temples and enslave their people. The destruction of heritage and history was so profound that researching anything about the Dewamenet people in the modern day is immensely difficult; murals, libraries, and places of worship were destroyed with brutal indiscrimination, and even oral tradition was erased by the early Allorn Altalar, whose intent was unquestionably to utterly eradicate the culture, history, and collective mindset of an entire people to force them into unending slavery. The Rakhet Asha that resisted were killed in the millions, while others were given tasks most suitable to their field. It is said that many of the Asha eventually grew shorter and more diminutive over time, leading many to assume that what is commonly known as an Asha nowadays is in fact a smaller version of the Dewamenet Asha that existed over a thousand years ago, a cruel sort of ‘domestication’ that only the stature of the Rakhet survived. Some smaller groups of the Asha, notably the Siwath-Khenu or coastal tribes went into hiding, preserving only a fraction of the knowledge of Living Metal and the old Dewamenet infrastructure, but remaining instrumental in the revival of the Ashal Islands centuries later.  
Gahan's Spirits in turn, are also playable. When designing a [[Mystech]] Character, it is recommended to paid Gahan loyalism/an Asha inspired Spirit as an Unbound Spirit. Gahan has several lieutenants, most important of which are the cruel and wroth commander Senetaph who leads the military legions of Kemet, Satjaraf-en the administrator who keeps the historical records of the Dewamenet and Kemet, and Barubast the shipwright who controls the access point to Kemet and ferries souls in and out on the black river, a proverbial magical gateway. While these Spirits should always be played with immense trepedation to reveal any information about Kemet (because we cannot logistically reveal deep lore to only part of the player base), these Asha Spirits should endeavor to be pro-Asha and reasonably align themselves with the Asha community in Regalia, despite its potential opposition to their presence or public cooperation. For better or worse, Gahan's Spirits are a window into the past, and their master despite being corrupted by his lust for power in the Void, still holds a dear place in his heart for his people and their plight, and so many of Gahan's Spirits are exceptional Elf-killers and tricksters.


The Asha that lived in the Allorn Empire after that had a truly wretched existence. Especially during the [[Mage Wars]] and the [[Floundering]], the abuse towards the Asha became so severe that in some cities, the number of enslaved Asha dead by ritual sacrifice, gladiatorial combat, or simple, brutal neglect vastly out measured the number of Asha being borns. The Asha of today know very well that their modern society is built upon the untold suffering of millions upon millions of Asha who died in the deplorable conditions under the excesses of Altalar society that feasted their boredom on the defenceless and enslaved Asha. Enslaved Asha were also mutilated by their Allorn masters; like domestic cats, they were cruelly de-clawed in their youths, with some even losing their teeth or ears; others were stripped of their tails to destroy their social cohesion and prevent silent communication; others still were even more brutally disfigured, losing their tongues and eyes for the crime of looking at their master the wrong way. Throughout the centuries, the Altalar perception of the Asha declined incredibly; though recognised at least as thinking beings in the earliest days of Allorn dominance, by the Floundering, the Asha were treated as less than disposable, seen with the same ire and disgust as a domestic animal. Any Altalar household usually had upwards to fifty Asha slaves, many of whom had been so thoroughly bludgeoned into submission that their life was a monotonous repetition of the same activities, so cruelly abused that they kept on their misery without protest.  
Both Khama as a faith, and Asha society culturally speaking, have a complicated relation with Sprits. Spirits were not overtly used to torment the Asha during the Dewamenet war or subsequent Pearl Wars, but are inherently made of dark Magic, the stuff that was used to murder their kin. Spirits are unaccountable and unpredictable, and their pro-Asha attitude (at least for the Gahan Spirits) is at best fickle, with a Spirit perhaps deciding to murder some Asha it does not like out of boredom or a desire to consume its soul. Still, these Spirits can provide invaluable assistance or information to the cause, and even those who do not consider themselves part of the Kemet Asha cultural Land, might indulge in a bit of Spirit summoning or bartering just to get an edge on the Elves, who still have the upper hand because of their Magic usage.  


When the Cataclysm and the [[Wildering]] occurred, however, the Asha were granted an unusual, and undeniable opportunity- and one that was only heightened by their single remaining inherited secret; Living Metal. Though forbidden by their Altalar masters, the Asha continued to secretly practice the old skill of the Dewamenet, and found a great surge in power as the land around them came apart; beneath great shields and shelters of shining Living Metal, the Asha watched on as rubble and malicious greenery tore the Altalar and their cities apart. The roles had reversed now, with the Altalar, wounded and crying out for help left, or in many cases made, to suffer before their inevitable deaths in the ruins of their towers and estates while their slaves freed each other and fled. The retribution of the Asha upon the Altalar population was just as devastating as the [[Eronidas Invasion]] had been, but is one that is rarely if ever referenced in Altalar texts; that the greatest, most devastating victory of their history had been utterly undone and wrought back upon them in the absence of their Magic is a fact that many Altalar struggle to accept, if at all they acknowledge it, even in spite of the breakdown of their slave system and the very real deaths of hundreds of thousands of Altalar in that breakdown. Not all slaves escaped however; the far southern states fared better in the Wildering, with many hundreds of thousands of Asha remaining enslaved, as with the Sollerian Altalar who were completely unaffected and could rely on their martial caste to keep the slaves in line even as their Magic failed them.  
===Savent Asha Expanded Lore===
Savent Asha would almost be considered an entirely different people by outsiders, but they are most certainly Asha, and hybrids of species-appearances between Savent and other Asha are part of their heritage too. The Savent Asha descend from a group of peoples that objected so violently to the war between the Dewamenet Empire and the Allorn Empire on the principle of non-aggression and not hating Magic, that they left the Dewamenet Empire in search for lands far away from either Empire, or Empires as a whole. The Savent at the time believed that violence was an inherent quality of Empires, and as such, people should avoid creating large geo-political powers. They settled in a largely (by Regalia) unmapped continent north of Guldar called Qelis, a temperate lake-rich land where the Savent have established 231 smaller Kingdoms and Republics that all live in perfect harmony, but are equally rather poor when compared to other countries around the world.


As the Asha broke free, millions of them moved east in the hopes of finding any remnant of the Dewamenet Empire as the tales had been told by the Siwath-Khenu who came out of hiding and sought out their freed brethren on the eastern coasts. [[The Great Journey]], as the Asha told it, was a 3 year procession of massive caravans of Asha, some tens of thousands with supplies and families, who traveled along the crumbling roads of the Allorn Empire to the east, eventually all arriving in Bestaal, where one last Dewamenet gateway to the Ashal Islands existed; what was once a surviving monument of Allorn victory over the Dewamenet, would now be the gateway to the Asha’s freedom. Hundreds of Thousands of Asha formed living metal bridges together, allowing their people to travel across the ocean to the Ashal Islands, re-colonizing them one by one, re-activating the Dewamenet infrastructure, the Mewer Pyramids that burst forth the irrigation waters, the Aphed sanctuaries that once more were home to the [[Aphed]] storks, and the Khem-Henqet mills, creating power in the Living Metal tubes that brought life and air in the cities, blowing away the sand and revealing beneath the gardens that would within 10 short years once again house the lush waterfall gardens, growing plants like the [[Mew Hesep]] as it out of nothing. The last piece of infrastructure, yet arguably the most valuable to be restored, was the Vault of the Dead, heralding the return of [[The Sefakhem]], the “cult of the dead”, and the way for Asha to bury their dead, commending them to the afterlife. With death and life alike returning to the land, animals returned in the wake of nature’s flourishing besides some animals that had survived on the islands since the days of the Dewamenet Empire, like the [[Taraq]] and the [[Turbahakh]], finding an easy environment to take hold, as the Ashal Islands did not have any natural predators except for the [[Torat-Nekh]] that lived in the deserts in large numbers.  
Savent Asha are without exception, either fully Avian Asha (think Eagle, Raven, Hawk, Owl), or a hybrid between Avian Asha and mammalian Asha (for example, an eagle face with long dog ears and cat lower legs but an Avian upper body and tail). All Savent Asha have beaks, and all of them have avian forearms and claws, while some of them have wings including regal plumage. Savent Asha are otherwise physically similar to other Asha and Asha Lineages, except that they will a visual niche that is not existent in any other heritage or culture, bar from perhaps the avian ([[Maquixtl#Heritage Traits|Maquixtl Genos Form]]), who fall squarely in the terror-bird category only.  


Though the Ashal Islands were a safe haven for the Asha, they were nonetheless still under constant threat by other Races. For nearly a hundred years, the Ashal Islands were under continuous attack from the Altalar attempting to re-establish control, as well as [[Velheim]] raiders and [[Daenshore]] encroachment from the recently liberated Ailor slaves who grew jealous of the lushness and fertility of the Ashal Islands, a stark contrast to [[Arvost]] and [[Kilarallis]] which were effectively dead stone islands. The worst of them was the [[Battle of Awanath Cliffs]] where, although casualties were low, the Asha finally destroyed the last Altalar slave fleet, which prevented any further raids, thus buying the Asha more peace of mind. The Asha remained a relatively small population, attempting to liberate their still enslaved brethren leading to nothing as the Altalar had meanwhile regained their control over Magic, and could fend off the Asha Fleets. As the [[Regalian Empire]] encroached with its larger fleet and more and more Ailor settled into the regions, the Ashal Islands became more isolationist, with only the Corsair Fleets venturing out to capture what the islands could not be self sufficient in. The Asha consciously played no important part in any of the world events leading up to the modern era, as they mostly tended to the damage done to their lands by the Allorn war millennia prior, and recover their population, which was bolstered yet further by enslaved Asha who had heard stories like [[Esraa%27s_Odyssey|Esraa's Odyssey]], fleeing to the Asha States to be free and join their people.  
The major difference besides appearance niches between Savent Asha and all other Asha, is that their psyche is in essence completely devoid of all trauma that many other Asha suffer from when looking at their history and the state of their people across the world. While there certainly is empathy and pity for the Pearl Wars, there is an equal yet soft-spoken sentiment among the Savent, that the Dewamenet got what they deserved because of what they tried to do to the Elves. The Savent rejected the Dewamenet-Allorn War in all its senseless brutality (from their perspective), and deem the outcome to have "occurred in equal measure onto the Elves, to be fed to the Dewamenet Machine as fuel". Many of them in essence claim, that whatever hardships would have befallen the Asha, would have been inflicted onto the Elves if the Dewamenet had won, and that this is not a unique victimization of the Asha, but rather a sign of the more widespread depravity and hubris of Empire-politics. A particularly sore topic for those who have to hear the same sentiment as an excuse, from an Elven Allorn Apologist.


On the cusp of the 4th century BC, the Asha were the first race to join the Ailor in the so called Crown Alliance in response to the Magic Covenant that formed between the [[Songaskians]] and the Altalar, with a stringent alliance of the [[Sihai]] in the far east. The Asha knew that if the Songaskians and Altalar united in an attack against them, the Ashal Islands could not hold, and the Ailor, although an enemy of theirs for some time, were considered a more distant enemy and therefore a closer ally. The few years since have greatly improved relations between the Asha and the Ailor, especially following the Ailor ban on the enslavement of Asha, though Asha born in or imported in slavery were not freed,, and started adopting political ideals that the Asha themselves had already accepted many decades prior. The Asha Corsair fleets still remained independent from the Regalian Empire, but the Ashal States had finally agreed to relinquish foreign policy to the Empire at large, believing the common alliance of all federal states under the [[Regalian Emperor]] could finally afford them the peace to revive much of the Dewamenet history and culture. Indeed, the Asha played a vital role in supplying the Regalian armies during the [[Altalar-Regalian War]], and continue to supply some of the more useful ores to the Empire that are rare finds elsewhere, also starting irritation supply projects across the poorer regions of the Empire to aid Ailor population growth. Many Asha also moved to the Regalian capital, selling curiosities and providing uniquely Asha hospitality. While some suspicion from the Asha still exists towards the Ailor, their alliance with the Ailor and Allar has done them much good, and as such, they have earned and continue to advance a strong political position inside the Empire, even if they do not pay taxes or send troops to any of the Empire’s conflicts. Nefer Asha continue to remain present in the highest rungs of Ailor society, gently steering policy into their progressive directions to create a better world for everyone involved not through slavery or submission and conquest, but through standard of living and co-operation.
That is not to say that all Savent think that the Asha "got what they deserved", there is always a very fine line to walk between being genuinely empathetic towards the historical suffering of the Asha, and finding the right time to discuss the causes and implications of the actions of the Asha forefathers. The Savent insist that the Dewamenet were far from innocent, and engaged in equal measure of genocide as the Elves did, it just so happened to be the case that the Elves did it better (and faster). Savent can be genuinely included in interest groups who seek to discover more of their lost historical heritage and have very real passion and emotion towards the rediscovery of lost information. There remains however, the concern from other Asha, or the thought in the back of one's mind, that a Savent is only there out of recreational reasons, and can never fully understand what it means to re-discover a culture that was so violently destroyed by the conqueror. At the end of the day, Savent can return to their own unique culture that has flourished independently from a desire to return to the old Dewamenet.  


==Culture==
Savent Culture is based on real-world Achaemenid period Persia Minor cultures (such as Lydean and Phrygean or other Anatolian Cultures of that period). However, because there is no real linguistic survival from this period, we use Achaemenid names for the people, but still use Ancient Egyptian as their language. Despite their cultural deviation, the Savent have held onto Ibeth, as well as Khama as a religion, even adopting the more modern interpretations as die-hard belief in their faith waned over time, and they had to ironically resort to the diluted oral survival of the captive Asha to fill the gaps. The Savent are a culture with a very strong emphasis on metallurgy, particularly working with noble metals like gold and silver, which form threads throughout their other customs and traditions. Music is for example also important to them, with several instruments being credited to their invention, and always finely decorated with in-laid gold and silver threading.  
Asha culture can best be described as a culture that maintains elements of the past, the Dewamenet Empire and what the modern Asha assume was an autocratic system, while implementing a high standard of living and a very progressive way of life. The Asha in general live the “live and let live” mantra, believing strongly in the Bastar faith concept of Kharma, and believing in the social liberation of others not through conquest, but through cooperation. The Asha States are the only known entity on Aloria that has outright banned slavery of any kind, and any slave who is lucky enough to land on Ashal territory is immediately freed and given social housing. The Asha States are nations that do not strictly know the concept of poor or rich, as they all live in a communal society with free housing, no taxes, and only minimal economic bartering while what the Asha call “inalienable rights" such as a roof over one’s head, food, water, and leisure are all free for their people. Such a utopia would indeed not be possible without the communal suffering that the Asha went through during the Allorn Empire, as well as their command over Living Metal in the Ashal States, where the ancient Dewamenet infrastructure and technology supplants the need for a labor workforce. While capitalism and finance have been slowly introduced to their society through the alliance with the Regalian Empire, the Asha have relegated such activities to so called Fair-Ports, port cities where finances and taxes are a thing, but where Asha opt-in to these activities. The Asha are not naive to think that the whole world could live in such peaceful conditions as they do at home, with their needs taken care of by technological machines that somehow still work after 1000 years of being buried under the sand. They know very well that the world outside their islands is far more cruel, and that if they shared too much of what they had without properly securing it first, that they too would fall to rampant poverty and conflict. As such, the Asha are welcoming and kind to visiting guests, but suspicious and deterring to staying immigrants. Foreigners may only live in the Fair-Ports, and mixing with other races is strongly discouraged. That being said, many Asha also have a lust for adventure and grow bored of the ever-peace of the Asha States, venturing out on the high seas as Corsairs, or into far-away lands as explorers, becoming part of other societies and tasting the wealth and entertainment other places have to offer. Other Asha yet discover the wealth of commerce outside of their realm, developing an appetite for trade and becoming much wanted business owners across the Regalian Empire. And finally, many Asha have a burning vengeance for the Altalar that inflicted so much pain on them, or if not the Altalar, then at the very least the Kathar, signing up for the Regalian Military and making a living out of war.  
 
===Language and Dialects===
Savent clothing is far simpler when compared to the Asha Satoor with its complex patterns, relying more heavily on the opulence of all that sparkles yet having very vibrant but simple patterns. The Savent tend to lean more in the direction of pacifism or at the least non-violence, vowing only to act in self-defense. That being said, Savent can be ferocious fighters, especially with their sharp beaks and talons, and several Savent arena fighters have gained fame in the Regalian Empire for their ruthless tactics in the ring. The Savent have a more cultural streak than the other Asha, enjoying the finer things in life, and attaching less value to status symbols and vanity. It should be noted, that the metals that the Savent work with (and can create with their hands) are not actual Gold and Silver, but imitation metals like Electrum, which is why having a Savent friend is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
The Asha speak a [[Language]] called Ibeth, but is almost certain that Ibeth was not spoken by the Dewamenet, and is rather a more modern language developed upon the interpretations left behind by the Dewamenet writing on the Ashal Islands. As such, the Asha language has a written alphabet of hieroglyphics that dates back from the Dewamenet era, but a spoken language and phonology that is entirely modern. The Ibeth language has no common ancestry with any other language across Aloria, and is purely made out of what little words the Asha remembered after 1000 years of slavery with the context of writing applied on top, and the gaps filled in by more intellectualy inclined Asha. Ibeth sounds fairly guttural, with soft g’s and ch’s and hard kh’s and dh’s, interspersed with many vowels. In terms of pronunciation, Anglian and Etosian Ailor have an easier time pronouncing and learning Ibeth, but an Asha can always tell whether someone is a foreigner because of the difficult resonant intonations of their consonants. Ibeth is spoken across all subraces far and wide, and even the Siwath-Khenu tribes have adopted Ibeth as a means to stay close to the other Asha, even though they likely spoke a diminutive form of Dewamenet language that has long since died out again. Dialects effectively do not exist among the Asha, because all parts of Asha society are strongly linked together in celebration and communion. Even across state borders, the Asha barter and carouse quite a bit, and as such, dialects that spring into existence never survive for long before they are brought back to the mainline Ibeth standard. Due to the guttural intonation of Ibeth, Asha may have trouble not over pronouncing ‘r’, ‘z’, ‘k’, and ‘d’ sounds when speaking other languages. The Ibeth language is based on real-world Ancient Egyptian, while naming principles follow the same language. It is more common for Asha children to be named after items or events or things that played an auspicious role on their birth. For example, despite the fact that a subrace is called Nefer, the word Nefer also means beauty, so a child born with striking beauty may be called “Nefer” also, while a child born with a cold sniff might be called “Tepi”, which is the “Ibeth” word for sniff. One that walks early may be called “Ahat”, meaning standing, and one that is strong in battle may be called “Keded”, meaning slaughter. Asha parents or sometimes even Asha themselves may change the name of their child or in adult years to something else if they feel more strongly associated with that particular name. Asha surnames are always based on their gendered parent - for example - if a girl born in sorrow from her mother Herep dying in childbirth, she may be called Ianew daughter of Herep. Daughters are named after mothers, while sons are named after fathers. Rulers and priests tend to extend their names, with “-hotep” being a common suffix for a male of high respect, while “-amun” fulfils the role for females of high respect.


===Politics===
===Silontaar Asha Expanded Lore===
Asha politics is centered around the autonomous Asha States, and the Asha Fleets, which are nation-states in name without actual land to call their own. Before the defeat of the Asha at the hands of the Allorn Altalar, the Asha were unified in the Dewamenet Empire, a state spanning most modern day [[Lusits]], Daenshore, Ithania and the Asha Islands. After the defeat of the Dewamenet Empire, the Allorn destroyed the vast majority of the Asha infrastructure and technology on the Daen mainland, but left the Asha Islands relatively untouched due to their perceived low economic value. As soon as Asha technology ceased to function when the war was lost, these islands became sun-scorched desert hellscapes with no fresh water or valuable resources to be harvested. The shifting sands eventually caused much of the architecture to be buried and thus spared from the rot of time. When it was time for the Allorn Empire to fall, millions of Asha moved eastward to the Asha islands, slowly re-discovering and re-activating the millennia old technology that was buried under the sands, re-activating what the Asha call “Mother’s Life”, or the vast underground network of water pumps bringing life back to the desert islands, and establishing the Asha States. The Asha States chose independence from one another as the time of Empires had long since past, and their isolation from one another had turned many of their people strangers to one another. Still, the Kings and Queens come together once every three years in the so-called “College of Mother’s Hands", where they discuss Asha politics along with the Corsair Lords and Ladies of the Asha Fleets. The Asha States are part of the Regalian Empire by treaty of association to the Crown Alliance, but do not formally subscribe to State Law, or State Taxes. There is in fact no agreement or cross-border relation between the Asha States and the Regalian Empire, besides a loose commitment to a common foreign policy, and the fact that the Asha accept Common as an acceptable language and the Regal coin as legal tender. The Asha Fleets in contrast to the Asha States, are nation-states without land. They each have a societal structure with their own law and hierarchy, atop of which sits a Corsair Lord or Lady. These Asha Fleets have specifically done away with land claims, believing that settlement makes them vulnerable to slavery, and thus have embraced the lawlessness and movement of the open waters. The Asha Fleets move around frequently, but are commonly found in the waters anywhere between [[Nordskag]] and Hadar, though sometimes also venturing further west to [[Etosil]] or even the [[Regalian Archipelago]]. The Asha Fleets are not part of the Regalian Empire, and largely ignore Regalian authority or military forces whenever they can. In past centuries, Asha raiding was a considerable problem to Regalian shipping, but since the recent inclusion of Asha States into the Regalian Empire, the Asha Fleets have largely been pacified through the soft political pressure exuded from the College of Mother’s Hands, where the Kings and Queens ensure that their Corsair Lords and Ladies don’t antagonize the Regalian Empire and complicate their own domestic politics. As such, the Asha Fleets have largely started targeting Songaskian, [[Dwarven]], and [[Kathar]] shipping for raiding, though coastal raids against Lusits and Ithania also sometimes occur, the Asha Fleets largely getting away with this because the Regalian Empire would prefer not to further antagonize the Fleets into open war. Despite their separation, the Asha States and the Asha Fleets do have economic contact with one another, and do also share common religious festivities. It is not uncommon for Asha Fleets to visit the Asha States on rotation, with each of these States having one so-called Moon-Port, massive port facilities capable of handling the thousands of ships that Asha Fleets tend to come with. The following Asha political entities exist:
Being reworked during the Khama Update


* '''The Queendom of Bestaal''' is the only Asha State that is positioned on the mainland of Daendroc, and also the only Asha State that does not have considerable Asha Technology present. It is the only Asha state built out of the husk of Altalar cities, and while it has a considerable military, it is relatively poor compared to the other Asha states and has numerous other racial minorities. The Queendom of Bestaal is ruled by Queen Sekhnehettem II.
==Gallery of Art==
* '''The Queendom of Azzol''' is the smallest Asha State both in landmass and population. This Asha State focuses strongly on the religious needs of the Asha Fleets, and as such has many temples all across its landmass, with its capital essentially being one massive temple of the dead, where the Asha Fleets deliver the coffins of their dead who were lost at sea to be processed and buried in the necropolis mastaba (tomb houses). The Queen of Azzol is ruled by Queen Azsamakh III.  
Asha are really cool and awesome, and lots of art has been made of them.
* '''The Kingdom of Ssil''' is a powerful Asha nation with a large population of Rakhet Asha, ruled by a Rakhet king named Kazhotep IV. The Kingdom of Ssil has most commonly engaged in military conflict with neighboring Basqlierra and Massif, and continues to sword rattle with these Ailor nations that are often just a quick transport fleet away from their coastlines.  
<gallery mode="traditional" widths="260px" heights="300px">
* '''The Brother Kingdoms of Pharah''', which are Memphiza, Gizkh and Therasu are the richest and largest Asha States all ruled by one King named Neb-Ram-Assehs II. These brother Kingdoms were once independent, but following three of them falling in the hands of Queens that were all the same age, these Queens made an agreement to marry each other’s husbands to form an ironclad alliance and to merge their customs and liquify the borders between them. They then agreed that the first born child of any of them would come to inherit all Kingdoms, causing the first born son of Queen Clehet-patra IV to become the King of all three unified Kingdoms, adopting all other children from any of the Queens that went before him into his own family as siblings, effectively unifying the three Kingdoms. The three Kingdoms continue also independently be the wealthiest Asha States, as Memphiza produces the majority of the marble for the other states, Gizkh produces the majority of the gold from its many mines, and Therasu has control over the ancient libraries of Therep, where all Asha who learn about Asha technology go to study.
File:Senef.png|The Satoor is technically a dress, but appears more like stylish fabric with a lean fit.
* '''The Queendom of Kharkoor''' is the greatest friend of the Asha Fleets, and the majority of Kharkoor is employed in the production of Corsair ships and naval supplies. Kharkoor’s forests are a well guarded secret of Asha technology irrigating tree sapling farms from which they dispense their endless wood supplies to the many repairs and ship purchases. The Queendom of Kharkoor is ruled by Queen Nefw I.  
File:FBO5Tz6XMAIvMmu.jpg| Asha prefer to go shirtless, though can also wear Ailor clothes in case they want to fit in.  
* '''The Kingdom of Nakhoor''' is also called the Life-Forge Kingdom, which is where the majority of the Living Metal infrastructure of the other Kingdoms is maintained. The reason why unity among the Asha is not fully possible, is because all states fear Nakhoor falling in the hands of any political rival or ally causing that entity to become too strong. As such, Nakhoor is the linchpin that keeps all the other Asha states independent and not at conflict with one another, since Nakhoor also has the means to shut off the living metal irrigation of the other Kingdoms remotely.
File:FcpYmX0X0AARwyy.jpg| Asha can get really really big, if they put in the work.  
* '''The Medes Corsair Fleet''' is an Asha Corsair fleet mostly active around Songaskian and [[Hadravian]] waters, though frequently taking a once-yearly trip back to the Asha States for supplies and religious festivities. The Medes Corsair Fleet has become very adept at coastal raiding instead of boarding, feeling right at home in the desert sands of [[Farah’deen]]. The Medes Corsair Fleet has no single leader, but is led by two Senef Asha lovers, Lady Saalamun and Lady Vasnaf.
File:D-sF2wtXYAAHUDM.jpg| Not all Asha have to be muscular tanks, unlike what this Wiki page may imply.
* '''The Sefetjew Corsair''' is most commonly known for Commander Kahnef (commonly also called Kahn among Ailor), or the “Demon Claw” as he was also called by his victims. The Sefetjew Corsair Fleet is extremely hostile to all foreign entities and still frequently engages in military conflict with the Regalian Fleet if they feel they have found a target that is easy pickings. They continue to raid Ithania, Kilarallis and Daenshore, while occasionally venturing to Etosil. Unlike commonly assumed. The Sefejtew is in fact not led by Commander Kahnef, but by Lord Maswuhotep.  
File:EQTj6IuWkAE7oz4.jpg| Fur painting to appear like tattoos are fairly common among the lower social class Asha.
* '''The Kheni-Hetef Fleet''' was once a Corsair Fleet, but has largely become more pacified due to their agricultural shift. The Kheni-Hetef discovered a way to use Living Metal to purify and irrigate with seawater, allowing them to build floating farms and thus rear livestock on the seas. The inclusion of [[Mai-Allar]] into their fleet due to numerous trips to Hadar diversified their society, and even Dwarves joined them for the curiosity of Living Metal and their expeditions to faraway lands discovering new materials. The Kheni-Hetef Fleet moves around a lot, but usually anchors in the north of Hadar to remain in close proximity to the Mai-Allar underwater communities. The Kheni-Hetef Fleet is ruled by [[Fleet Lord Ammunakhonet]], who is rumored to be four hundred years old, and covered in whipping scars from his time as an Altalar slave. The Fleet Lord constantly wears an ornate feline mask and is so decrepit that he is moved around on a palanquin by his bodyguards; despite this physical frailty however, Ammunakhonet commands great authority and respect among the other Asha royals.  
File:EnKxRY7XIAElnhq.png| Dewet Fashion means using ancient egyptian aesthetics to appeal to the old Dewamenet legacy.
File:493px-Downotter.png| Otter Asha are known to be energetic and fun loving Asha, even as Bound Asha.  
File:Rabbo2.png| Rodent Asha are less common, but nonetheless still good friends to have.  
File:Elastaanpopular.png| Elastaan is very popular as a fabric not only among the Asha, but also Regalians.  
File:499px-28b92e4a58189b5bd2dc107958d9674a.png| Rat Asha are fierce fighters, with many of them working as gladiators in Regalia.
File:59fad4ed89eb7540eb0ba32c0d16ab17.png| Equally, other types of Asha are commonly found due to their ferocious fighting skills.
File:Eu9xO7BXcAIqqWG.jpg| Even if the Asha look like predators, some still have a very calm and kind expression.  
</gallery>


''For more information about the Asha states, refer to the [[Asha States]] page, and the [[Brother Kingdoms of Pharah]] page.''
===Religion===
The Asha have only one religion called the Faces of Baskarr, Baskarr Faith, or just plain Baskarr. This religion has largely survived as folk tale among the ex-slaves, as well as surviving in a more pure form among the Siwath-Khenu, allowing both groups to merge their beliefs together into the modern version of Faces of Baskarr, which is accepted as different from how it was worshiped during the Dewamenet Era. Baskarr is a female goddess with ornate silk robes and a dress, who has a face covered in a rotating mask. The rotating mask has all the varying animal head faces that Asha have, for example, one of them is a domestic dog, one of them is a big cat, one of them is an otter, and so on. The Faces of Baskarr is chiefly a religion about Kharma, the concept that one’s life is valued based on what good deeds were done for others, allowing passage into the Asha version of the afterlife called the golden desert where souls are left to wander in endless bliss with their loved ones, a realm of no death, hunger, or disease. This makes the Faces of Baskarr very similar to [[Unionism]], but without any real hostile element in its teachings. For example, the Faces of Baskar specifically professes that the religion of Baskarr is only for the Asha, and no-one else, but also that the Asha should protect other beliefs, and even help them achieve their own spiritual absolution and fulfillment, as a means of reaching their own Kharma. Kharma can be acquired for doing simple things, such as working for a day in a communal garden to feed those less fortunate, or paying off a friend’s debt without demanding anything in return. Curiously, and unlike Unionism, the Faces of Baskarr do not truly have a concept of sin. Rather than say, declaring greed a sin, and stating that Kharma would be lost while being greedy, the time spent being greedy is simply “lost time” during which no good deeds could be done. Indeed, it gets even more complicated because among the Asha, it is believed that while doing evil, one can do good and acquire Kharma. A Corsair raiding and pillaging a town is inflicting violence and suffering and loss on others, but if they choose to specifically spare the children and give them a safe home and happy upbringing, this in turn gives them Kharma, even if they brought about the original suffering of the children themselves. Doing evil in the eyes of Faces of Baskar does not condemn anyone’s soul. While many Unionists would claim this to give rise to a race without morals, rather, it represents the idea that no one at any point in life is beyond salvation, and that even the worst of murderers can choose to repent at any time. It also affords the Asha great personal freedoms, making their religion more of a moral guidance than any true deity or faith for worshiping. Still, Baskarr’s name is invoked for fortunes, as Baskarr is treated more like a guide and mentor than an actual god, and may help present opportunities for the faithful to find good deeds and actions. Various religious sects of the Faces of Baskar exist, Holy Orders even. In an almost comedic contrast to Unionist Holy Orders that engage in Holy War and slaughter however, these Holy Orders go about finding people in need and helping them while also taking a vow of pacifism. It is also notable that many Asha claim that the Ailor got their Herons from their religion, as the Faces of Baskarr conspicuously also has a concept called [[Herons of Baskarr]]. The Faces of Baskarr Herons are people who did exceptional good deeds or major sacrifices during their lives, becoming blessed demi-gods of a kind. Unlike Unionism however, there are only a handful of Herons, and the Baskarr Herons continue to interact with each other in a pantheon of the gods after their death, interacting also still with the living and attempting to give them their blessings. There is both an element of tragedy and comedy imported into the Baskarr Herons, as the Asha believe they are meant to both inspire, but also warn the Asha of the perils of being too good and self-righteous, and how some good deeds may end up becoming evil deeds with the right intentions.
===Fashion===
Asha clothing is often very simple in its application of garments yet rich in texture and patterning. Beyond a simple chest cloth worn by women and leather straps worn by men to attach objects to, Asha rarely wear any clothing on their upper body when they don’t seek a reason to blend into human society. Male and female Asha alike, all wear a so-called Satoor, a dress-like clothing piece often in earthen or burgundy color tones with a variety of intricate patterns in vibrant colors that spans from the waist to the ground. These Satoors are often specially tailored to allow a tail to protrude from the back, and also have individual cuts on the front and sides to allow a free range of motion for Asha in combat. The Satoor is, in fact, a crucial piece for many cultural traditions of the Asha. As part of decoration for the Satoor, high officials may also wear shoulder capes or shoulder pelts from [[Muff-oxen]]. Jewelry is also a very much prized accessory for all genders of Asha, with numerous necklaces and ear piercings being the norm in adults. One important cultural expression involving the Satoor is the Satoor-Bis Kahnar Hakkar, a wild dance performed by Asha to court other Asha. The dance itself is carried out with leaps involving fierce snarling expressions, grunting, chest beating and wild waving of claws, where the purpose is also to make the Satoor flow with poise and grace, in contrast to the wild and savage expressions. The primary use of the dance is to impress a potential partner with an Asha's strength, though Asha also perform it to intimidate enemies before battle. This is why the boundary between enemy and passion are very thin for the Asha, and why the “enemy turned lover” is a frequently seen romantic trope among the Asha, impressed with enemy soldiers or warriors in battle that they fall for them. The Asha also have a fabric that was once unique to them, made by the Hemat Clade living near coastal regions, but has since been more widely produced by other Races when the Asha sold it in their Fair-Ports, though 9 out of 10 of these clothing pieces are still made by Asha. They produce their Elastan clothing (a form of Lycra), which is made in dark blue hues from the natural Elastan thread excreted by a particular type of coral. The fabric is inherently liquid deterrent, but can be dyed for those who spend a lot of time infusing the dye over and over. Their Elastan clothing usually covers their arms and shoulders, as well as their legs and waist, but does not cover their torso. Elastan eventually also was mixed with other fabrics, creating Peltastan. Peltastan (as a form of woolly spandex) has similar properties as Elastan, being form-fitting and soft, but Peltastan is not water detergent, and is more matte and soft than Elastan. As opposed to just a Satoor, Peltasta is usually worn on the torso and upper leg area, while a half-satoor is worn over it like a battle skirt, often with shoulder pads to boot. The Asha recognize the difference between a civilian Satoor, and a combat Satoor, which cuts off at the knees. Asha effectively do not wear armor, and besides the shoulder guards which are mostly meant decoratively, go to battle wearing very little to benefit from their superior agility over other races.
===Cuisine===
The Asha have a very simple and rich diet comprising of mostly meat with spices, eggs and dairy such as cheeses and yogurt, it is seen as most disgusting and difficult to stomach among outside goers of the race, however, to the Asha it is the same as an [[Anglian]] eating grain. Their main and most favoured main staple is meat eaten either raw, cooked, and cured, consisting of geese, quail, pigs, cows, mutton and lamb and any fish that can be caught. The meat is eaten in a variety of ways, and no part of any animal is wasted among the Asha, including the blood. The Asha make use of eggs and yogurt in breakfasts and lunches, using eggs, oil and vinegar to make an emulsified spread over a simple pan-fried flatbread. It is a minority food accompaniment but the Asha do in fact eat grains in the use of bread to soak up any juices and drippings from their meat dishes not leaving a single scrap left on their plate. They eat raw meat and fish most often in the afternoon, raw meat, eggs and cheese is an often welcomed sight for the worn-out and hot Asha working on the fields, tending the farm or hunting game. A favoured afternoon dish for the Asha is [[Car-Ki’fo]] made up of finely minced beef then mixed with fermented fish sauces and raw egg served plain with a dollop of Yogurt on top, cooling and refreshing as well as energising to get one through the day, they even eat boards of cheese and sliced boiled eggs. In the evenings is when the Asha tend to congregate in big lavish feasts and tend to cook their meat with spices and pasted herbs. A popular staple dish is a beef stew cooked with pigs’ blood and vinegar with cheese grated over the top and mixed in for a zingy pop in the mouth. They enjoy lamb slathered in warm spices cooked slow, buried in the ground in a clay pot and topped with smouldering embers, cooked throughout the day in time for the night time supper. The Asha eat cheese topped with raw egg yolk as a dessert, accompanied with cured ham and blood sausage sliced chunkily. One of the charming assets of Asha cuisine and one of the only things stomached and traded with outside goers is their selection of cured meat, drying lamb legs in salt and thyme and rosemary slicing it thinly just before served. They hang and cure sausage like packets of roughly minced meats such as beef, lamb and goose. They are mixed with copious amounts of spices, salt and yeast left to hang and ferment for months at a time creating a complex and tart flavour enjoyed by all. This is eaten with any meal at any time of the day.
===Recreation===
The Asha are a physical race, meaning nearly all forms of their recreation and relaxation involve some physical activity, depending on their sub-race. The more physically formidable Asha engage in tests of strength and combat, wrestling where the purpose is to grab another Asha’s tail instead of throwing them to the ground is common, while running sprints and marathons are also common. Unlike higher class Ailor cultures, the Asha do not consider hunting as a mode of recreation with many regarding hunting as barbaric, a calculated attempt to rebuke the Altalar perception of Asha as predator animals; as such, a considerable portion of Asha society simply does not hunt at all. Less civilized Asha may be prone to still hunt however, showing that while many of them take the cultural stance not to part-take, that it did once act as a large part of their societal past-time activities. Asha have also invented games, like [[Hisad]], which is mostly played by Nefer while other Asha engage in their recreation in the background. Asha have something unique referred to as a “Sun-Court”, which is a large open square, usually with some shade created by either trees or suspended fabrics that creates a space for those who wish to be seated. The whole idea of a Sun Court is that all Asha who live in the general area engage in recreation in the very same area. This means that, for example, one might see two Asha wrestling in one corner, a group of Asha playing a number of Hisad games, a few Asha running laps to see who can run fastest, and another few Asha playing with their children. Pets are strictly not permitted in the Sun-Court, and there is generally also a taboo on the idea of owning pets for Asha, who consider it in a way a spiritual successor of Asha slavery. This principle carries into much of the private leisure and practices performed by the Asha; although rarely acknowledged, many of the activities that Asha engage in are deliberately executed so as to reject the notions of what Asha are that are more widely thought of as truth thanks to Altalar propaganda, many of whom still believe that the Asha belong in Altalar chains once again. Still, in Regalia, Sun Courts have become popular across the city, even in non-Asha areas, where instead they are called Village-Greens. Village Greens nowadays frequently host a larger group of different races, all part-taking in their preferred recreation. These Village Greens also often end up being places of learning and tolerance, as races interact with each other in a generally positive manner, learning about each other’s culture, and part-taking in each other’s traditions. This is why they can usually be found in the more poorer areas of the city, while racial divisions are more common in the upper parts of the city. Outside of domestic entertainment, the Asha enjoy mountaineering, exploring, journeying, and generally walking around and discovering new things. Exploration of the Ashal Isles has led to the discovery of flowers and plants like the [[Iam Iret]], [[Shen Itja]], [[Dhew Sheney]], [[Seba Iaat]] and more.
===Family and Childhood===
Asha familial relations are immensely traditional, despite their fairly open and laissez-faire society. The Asha are extremely strict on adultery, with adultery being one of the worst crimes that one can commit in the Asha States. Asha traditionally do not engage in romance until they are at least 20 years old, after which they have the policy of waiting until the right partner appears. Asha rarely go looking for partners, believing that one can only ever truly be loyal to one’s soul-mate, and that soul-mates are met by happen-stance, not while they are being sought out. It is permitted for Asha to be intimate with one another socially speaking, but mating outside of what they call “bondship”, is strictly taboo. Bondship itself is similar to marriage in Ailor culture, though has no official bureaucratic application. Bondship is usually declared in a private ceremony between the two lovers under the full moon, where they pledge themselves to each other forever, before wearing a belt on top of their satoor with matching patterns that indicate that they are bound together. Polygamy, polyamory and bigamy are strictly taboo and reviled by Asha society, who prize singular loyalty and dedication above all. Partners are chosen for life, except for two ways to end a partnership: betrayal or death. In the case of death, the Asha remain celibate for the remainder of their life in homage to their partner. In the case of betrayal, an Asha may re-bond, though is usually considered “spoiled” by other Asha, and may end up remaining celibate out of circumstance, not want. Asha parents have a strong sense of creating independent children. While the children are nurtured through childhood and puberty ending at 17 years old, children are often immediately ejected from the household at that age to become independent, before they are welcomed back onto the periphery of a clan. Families are usually referred to as clans, and an average clan includes a patriarch or matriarch, including their grandparents, their siblings, their mate’s grandparents, their cousins and their children. Asha society does not have an overt male or female bias, but can both have patriarchies and matriarchies. Generally speaking the wisest or strongest (or both) Asha in a clan is made patriarch or matriarch by popular support of all the other members (except for children who do not get a say). Homosexuality is not considered taboo in Asha society, but there is a communal expectation that homosexual bondships adopt or take care of orphans from recently deceased heterosexual couples, so as to take their burden for the race’s continuation in society. Asha generally have large families, with any average Asha couple reproducing around 12 times. This is largely also the reason why some consider Asha women to be fierce lovers with an appetite, resulting (in the eyes of the Asha) in an unfortunate population of Feka Asha in other societies. Half-Asha (being Feka Asha) have a difficult position in Asha society, contrasting Half-Eronidas in [[Eronidas Society]]. The Asha are generally suspicious of non-Asha races, and being pregnant of a non-Asha can be reason enough to have an Asha woman rejected from Asha society and forced to live on the fringes of it. Feka Asha are always stuck in an endless cycle of trying to prove themselves to Asha society, but never quite making it into their fold. Where-as Asha children generally have a happy and very social upbringing, Feka-Asha are isolated and lonely if they are raised in Asha society. Asha living elsewhere, for example the Regalian Empire’s archipelago, probably are more tolerant of Feka Asha, allowing them to exist in their part of Regalian society without much issue.
===Importance of Tails===
Tails are immensely important for the Asha, and make up nearly half of their non-verbal communication, as well as their expression of pride. An Asha without a tail is like an Asha without pride, and faces humiliation in Asha society. This is largely the reason why it was so common for the Altalar to cut off Asha tails at birth, a practice that still exists today. Some Asha have gone through lengths to re-acquire their tail, some even using Living Metal to replace the lost part of their body, but it is never quite the same, as the point of the tail is to be soft and warm and caressing, all things a metal tail could never be. Common uses of the tail include, but are not limited to: expressing adoration for a person depending on the tightness of a tail included in a hug, using the tail to point at desired objects or slowly caress them to show interest, swishing the tail around to express candidness or pride, binding the tail around one’s leg or waist to express fear or loathing, striking the tail on the floor for a challenge or mockery, slapping others with a tail in teasing or flirtatious manner, and holding objects of great importance with the tail by wrapping it around them. Nearly every statement or request made by Asha includes some sort of positioning or motion of their tail, indicating their intent or emotional feeling behind it. This is why it may sometimes be hard for Asha to lie to other Asha, as many of these tail movements are involuntary. Only the Nefer excel at lying, as their tail is so long and fluffy that many of the movements are buffered purely by the fur and delayed coiling of the tail. An Asha’s worst insult is to pull on an Asha’s tail, stand on it, or generally just dismiss or ridicule the tail. Asha tails are collected by some Zolathar priests and priestesses for Void rituals, or as trophies for the amount of Asha sacrificed to the Void Gods, largely being the reason why the Asha have a particular hatred for Zolathar Kathar, more so than all the other kinds of Kathar. 
===Magic and Sorcery===
Asha society is one of the only societies that strictly bans Magic, even the passive usage of it, not only because the Asha are unable to perform Magic themselves, but because Magic has played such an important role in their suffering throughout their existence. Why the Asha are unable to use Magic is not known, though some scholars speculate it is because of their connection with Living Metal and how Living Metal might also have something to do with Purestone, though it does not protect them from Afflictions, which is something scholars have never been able to explain. Magic usage in the Asha States is strictly illegal, and on the high seas, the Asha Corsairs are known to execute Mages immediately after a battle and if any were captured. Many of the Altalar Mages know this, which is why the seas around the Asha States are called the “Mageless Waters", on account of all Mages veering far around the general raiding zones of the Corsair Fleets. The Asha Isles are, as a result, a place that is uniquely free of Magical corruption, Void Tears, Exist Tears, or other mutation phenomena. This is why the Fair-Ports of the Asha Isles are commonly recommended as a vacationing place for individuals who are recuperating from Magical illnesses or other Magic related ailments, as the clean air without any Void or Exist Essence for hundreds of miles around is considered good for the humors. Indeed, patients who convalesce in the beautiful Fair-Ports with their abundant waterfalls and plant and animal life are soothed both physically and mentally from the world’s ailments beyond, as long as they have the finances to upkeep their stay there. While the Asha are hospitable and welcoming in the Fair Ports, convalescence homes are quite expensive, and Asha are known to milk Mages dry of their finances to console their moral objection to curing the ailments of the Magically gifted. Outside of the Asha States, Asha are more or less apathetic to the usage of Magic because it is so abundant, but Asha remain critical of the usage of Magic regardless of whether they have grown used to it, and continue to publicly criticize its usage if used near them.
===Combat and Warfare===
Asha combat is focused around agility and speed, favoring quick deployment of light armored and lightly armed soldiers to strike fast, and retreat even faster, not dissimilar to the hit-and-run tactics practiced by the Avanthar, though without the reliance on cavalry and archers. Asha have never been witnessed on an actual field of battle, though individual Asha have joined mercenary bands and formed up with Ailor tactics. As such, there is no such thing as a general Asha battle tactic or command, and in many of their states, defense is based on deterrency by sea, not on land. As such, the majority of the military conduct of the Asha can be found on the high seas, where they are considered some of the most skilled sailors, corsairs, and marines known to Aloria. Asha are unrivaled in their ability to sprint, dance, pounce, roll, and move around on deck, flinging themselves from ropes and balancing on thin beams to gain the upper hand and the higher ground. When fought face to face, the Asha use a combination of long range weapons like a polearm with a fan-shaped blade at the end called the Shefdew, or Moon-Blade, as well as a blade affixed to their tail which is usually much smaller and used for close-range attacks called a Sensy. These weapons in particular gave rise to the [[School of Mirah]], a combat school unique to the Asha and their racial prowess with these weapons. Asha are also capable of picking up other weapons however, and Asha mercenaries have been seen using the whole wide range of weapons available to all. Especially the usage of Living Metal is used to reinforce either the Asha’s body in battle, repair imminent damage to keep a soldier going, or give a weapon to an Asha after they lost theirs. As such, despite the fact that Asha actually go to battle with relatively little weapons and armor, they remain the most versatile soldiers on the field. The Asha rarely use ranged weapons in the few land engagements that have been witnessed by smaller companies, though frequently do use beasts of burden or large animals for the purpose of siege, or general brute force damage during a battle. A common use is for the [[Maarhanet]], or [[Seqherat]] which acts like a large battle-beast for the Asha to pilot.
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
* A lot of information in Ailor and Nelfin libraries is intentionally tampered with by Altalar, causing a disconnect between what the Asha tell as history, and what other nations commonly accept as history. Nelfin are frequently caught ripping pages or crossing out passages from Asha books entering the Regalian Capital.
* There is credible evidence to suggest that the Asha along with the Meraic were the second people to make it into the upper terrasphere of Aloria and install the equivalency of satellites in orbit, but all knowledge of how they did this has been lost to time.  
* The Asha actually don’t have a formal form of writing. While their language does have a hieroglyphic alphabet, it is too cumbersome to write with, and is exclusively used to write on buildings and murals. Asha mostly transfer knowledge orally though oration courts, something they inherited from the Altalar.
*There are a total of sixteen Corsair Fleets in operation across Aloria, but five are most notable among their number. These include the Medes Fleet led by the unique dual leadership of Ladies Saalamun and Vasnaf, the Sefetjew Fleet led by Lord Kahnef or “Lord Demon-claw” and the Kheni-Hetef Fleet led by Lord [[Ammunakhonet]], an [[Undead]] warrior who has led his fleet since it was created nearly three centuries ago.
* The Asha, due to their tradition of oral recitation of history, also have a vibrant mythology and culture, including some creatures like the [[Zhirakh]] and the [[Sufiq]], both bad and good natured creatures to warn the Asha that there are still dangerous mysteries in the world to be cautious of.  
*Asha are routinely subject to accidental racism in Regalia, either due to over-familiar expectation of animalistic behaviors or similarities, or because Ailor try to be comedic with them, and end up comparing them to domestic animals. Don't do that.  
* Asha ships are somewhat outdated compared to Regalian square rigging vessels, relying mostly on rowing to move. That being said, Living Metal advances have allowed for most of the rowing to be done passively while most of the crew is on deck. As such, Asha ships are slower, but have more reliable propulsion even in bad winds or against the wind.  
 
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[[category:races]] [[category:Gorr Races]]
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Latest revision as of 19:27, 14 September 2024

Asha
Ankh-Sa (in Ibeth)
Motto: "In Misery and Life, none left behind."
Nation StateThe Ashal States
RulerN/A
Other PresentN/A
LanguagesIbeth, Common
ReligionKhama
First Recorded20,000 BC
Demonym(s)Ashal

The Asha are the oldest continuously existing Heritage on Aloria, even pre-dating the Elven Allorn Empire, though has undergone massive changes throughout history. Under the early Dewamenet Empire, the Asha were poised to conquer vast parts of the world, however, they came into conflict with the just-founded Allorn Empire. A cataclysmic war of Dewamenet Technology versus Allorn Magic erupted, which the Dewamenet lost. In their loss, Elven victory was so violent that it ground their Empire to dust. The Allorn Elves tried to move heaven and earth to erase Dewamenet Culture from existence, through the periods now referred to as the Pearl Wars though try as they did, they could never suppress the resistance and spite of the Asha to survive and thrive. When the Allorn Empire collapsed under its weight during the last Void Invasion, the Asha reclaimed some of their lost homeland, and are now poised to reconnect with much of their hidden past, rejoining long-lost brethren and refounding a common identity.

Design

The Asha are a collective of anthropomorphic animal-people, the closest approximation of a "Furries" on MassiveCraft. A wide range of animal types are available, from canine to equine to feline, to marsupials and more, with some species classified under separate Lineages (see below). The Asha can have plantigrade legs and feet or digitigrade legs and clawed feet and hands. They can have a wide variety of natural eye colors, as well as natural fur or feather colors and patterns, but there is a great deal of freedom to change, for example using leopard fur patterning for a canine-otter hybrid design. Some unnatural colors are also available to some of the Legacies. It is important to also mention the Half-Asha, who the Asha consider full members of their societies. Half-Asha are Asha born from dominant Asha parentage that show Asha traits. Common appearances are for example animal-like eyes, ears, claws, tails, and legs, but mostly without fur covering their skin.

Cultures

Asha are divided over four so-called Lands which loosely determine their cultural associations and beliefs. This is an important choice for most Asha (though many are born in them) because it defines their outlook on life, and most notably how they interact with Elves and Mages. Historically Elves and Mages have inflicted a lot of pain and suffering on the Asha, and so the Cultures define how they act around Elves, and how they treat Mages. It is possible to change Cultures throughout Roleplay, but choosing one is recommended when beginning a new Character so that others understand how they feel about certain topics, without the Character having to explain complex and potentially nuanced points of view for every Asha they meet.

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Deshret which loosely translates to the red land, are Asha unified in their hatred and search for justice for the pain and historical trauma their people have suffered by the Elves. Deshret Asha can be found all over the world, but most numerously among the Corsair Fleets and Naval Nations, populations of Asha without a true homeland to call their own. Deshret Asha can be expected to always express hostility towards the Elves, and anything related to the Allorn Empire or Oblation Magic, often being at the forefront of the breakdown of this dark institution in the Empire, or agitating for the Regalian Empire to go to war with the Allorn to crush them. Deshret Asha always remember their historical suffering.

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Hedjet which loosely translates to the white land, are Asha who acknowledge the historical suffering of their people at the hands of the Allorn, but who are mostly content that the age of the Pearl Wars is over, and that they can live in relative security without being repeatedly invaded by Elves. It is not unthinkable they might befriend Elves, especially if those Elves have no real connection to the Allorn Empire, or clear descent from those who benefitted from the murder of their ancestors. Hedjet Asha mostly hail from the Ashal States, where they focus on the rebuilding of their legacy and history and customs, while some of the newly born generations even barely know what the Pearl Wars were about. Some might deride the Hedjet for being tone-deaf, but they might be quick to retort that endless cycles of violence are self-perpetuating, and self-immolating.

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Neferu which loosely translates to the beauties or the beautiful land, are largely tolerated by the Deshred and Hedjet Asha, but regarded with suspicion. While the art of Magic is never in itself evil according to modern Asha attitudes, having Magic means a Mage can always hunger for more Magic and more power. In such a case, a Neferu Asha Mage is only a few steps away from calling upon the dark arts and using Oblation Magic as a means of self-empowerment. The Neferu mostly hail from the Silontaar country, but have populations in many nations, even those who have found acceptance in the Allorn Empire given that the Pearl Wars have ended. Their inaction and distance from the Pearl Wars, is still an ongoing sore spot for them, however.

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Kemet which loosely translates to the black land, are nearly universally reviled or feared by the Deshret, Hedjet, and Neferu. They include three distinct populations. First Asha who have abandoned their cultural heritage and started worshiping Evolism. Second the Asha who have gone mad with grief and become death cultists who worship the death gods and thus also embraced Death Magic. Finally, there are the Mystech who were once Asha, having been ripped from the land of the living or their Dewamenet afterlife when the old Khama God stole the afterlife, and used it to invade the Evolist pantheon. In doing so, he became a Void God, but all Asha who joined him or were taken there became Void Spirits. Kemet Asha have a complex and often hostile relation to all others because they are disconnected from the modern world.

Heritage Traits

When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description. Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons). Half-Asha must still choose a Lineage to be matched with, and can only pick and choose Mechanics from that Lineage.

Free Packs

  • Asha can choose 1 Pack from any Category for free. If any magic is chosen, the player may choose an Alignment between God Magic, Exist, Ordial, Void, and Dragon Magic.
  • Asha can choose 1 non-Ability Pack that is not Magical or Religious in nature. Non-Ability Pack means that it must be a Pack that does not give a Combat Ability.

Lineages

There is a great deal of physical divergence among the Asha, though four major Lineages are considered categorically similar. While all Asha receive the same Free Packs, what Mechanics they receive is dependent on the Lineage they belong to. This choice cannot be changed, and is also relevant to determine the physical characteristics of the Character. It is possible to be a mix of Lineages, but only one Lineage must be chosen for Mechanics. Lineages have no bearing on Cultures, a Remet Asha can belong to Kemet or Deshret culture, and so on. Some caution should be exercised with Silontaar Lineage however, as while they could in theory claim to be Deshret Asha, because they are biologically Magical, other Deshret Asha may reject them.

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Remet Asha
Remet Asha refers to the Asha most genealogically closest to the common Dewamenet ancestor, they are the mammalian-styled "furry" Asha, that specifically excludes any bird-like species. Remet Asha appear like anthropomorphic versions of for example canine, feline, equine, marsupial and more. This can also include hybrids. Remet Asha are by far the most numerous on in the Asha countries, and the Regalian Empire.

Mechanics

  • Remet Asha can control a special substance called Living Metal, which is a solid Metal that becomes liquid by their thought and imagination, and can be reshaped to whatever they can imagine, and telekinetically moved around.
  • Remet Asha have perfect night vision, capable of seeing in dark and low-light environments without needing external lights. Additionally, their claws when struck together create flint and steel like sparks that light up.
  • Remet Asha have a natural bodily reaction to non-combat Magic in their proximity. This can for example cause the fur in their neck to stand upright. It can also be used to warn of a magical presence before it is spotted.
  • Remet Asha have a heightened sense of smell, sight, and hearing out of Combat. This is fairly flexible and should be discussed with people in a scene in terms of what advantages this may give an Asha in varying scenarios.
  • Remet Asha either through a combination of excellent acrobatics, or shock-dampening limbs, or using their claws to slide down buildings, never take damage when falling from heights, so long as this fall is below 50 Blocks.
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Savent Asha
Savent Asha refers to a population of exclusively bird-like anthropomorphic people that split off from the Remet-dominated Dewamenet population and resettled in Fendarfelle during the ending decades of the Dewamenet-Allorn war. The Savent developed entirely differently from the Remet, and as such also have different customs and societal expectations, not to speak of their most notable physical difference, their having wings.

Mechanics

  • Savent Asha can control a special substance called Living Metal, which is a solid metal that becomes liquid by their thought and imagination, and can be reshaped to whatever they can imagine, and telekinetically moved around.
  • Savent Asha have perfect night vision, capable of seeing in dark and low-light environments without needing external lights. Additionally, their claws when struck together create flint and steel-like sparks that light up.
  • Savent Asha can manifest (or have) Wings (of any design: Furred, Feathered), which while not in Combat, allow (Elytra) flight (including the use of Rockets). Combat or Ability usage immediately disables flight.
  • Savent Asha have a heightened sense of smell, sight, and hearing out of Combat. This is fairly flexible and should be discussed with people in a scene in terms of what advantages this may give an Asha in varying scenarios.
  • Savent Asha have a heightened alertness and analytical mind, able to perceive threats and react much faster. They may notice dangers when interacting with Event objects or Characters (Private Message DM's for more info)
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Silontaar Asha
Silontaar Asha refers to a population of exclusively magic-infused anthropomorphic people who don't quite look like real-life animals but have animalistic appearance traits. Within the furry context, Silontaar can best be described as a custom species that takes small aspects of multiple species but looks like nothing in particular. Parts of their body can have magically glowing aspects or colorations, and in general, they look a lot more fantasy-like.

Mechanics

  • Silontaar Asha do not need to sleep or even eat, as they gain sustenance from Magical energies around them. They can eat if they want to, or enter into a trancelike state that approximates sleep but leaves them watchful.
  • Silontaar Asha have perfect night vision, capable of seeing in dark and low-light environments without needing external lights. Additionally, their claws when struck together create flint and steel-like sparks that light up.
  • Silontaar Asha can, once per day, make use of the Magical Variant of the Sealing Pack from Adapt Point Buy. Point-Buying the Pack, or gaining it for free, disables this Mechanic.
  • Silontaar Asha have a heightened sense of smell, sight, and hearing out of Combat. This is fairly flexible and should be discussed with people in a scene in terms of what advantages this may give an Asha in varying scenarios.
  • Silontaar Asha can grant any person the Magical version of Shapeshift Pack for free, but only for an Hour (or the duration of an Event), and with a 7-day Cooldown for that person. This can even apply to Afflicted/Mystech.

Language and Naming

This Otter Asha has some unique fur patterning.
This ringfighter Asha wears a cartouche tablet, which many Asha wear on their belt with their name on it.
An Asha wearing a traditional Satoor with Living Metal decorations.
Jewelry of any kind offers a stylish way of carrying Living Metal around.
Arkenborn Asha have an exceptionally difficult time among anti-Magic Asha.
This Gazelle Asha is one of Akhet's Golden Sons, extremely rare Demigods among the Asha.
Asha acrobats and courtesans are some of the most highest sought after.
Living Metal is often used by Corsair Asha to replace lost limbs.
Living Metal is also used as a makeshift armor, with custom colors.
Asha fur patterns do not need to be realistic, with a great deal of freedom.

The Asha speak a language called Ibeth which is based on real-life ancient Egyptian. However, it should be noted that because Ibeth is considered a reconstructed language from archeological evidence, it is an incomplete language, and takes a lot of loan words from Common (English). Also, because it is a reconstructed language, not all Asha naturally speak Ibeth, as it is only really taught in the Ashal States and the Corsair Fleets. Most Asha who are born in Regalia never learn Ibeth, and more commonly speak the other languages of the Empire. In terms of naming, Asha similarly either have modern Ailor names or Elven given names depending on where they were born, but many Asha have also started embracing Ibeth naming practices. Based on ancient Egyptian, these names can be complicated, because most online resources just re-iterate the names of priests and pharaohs without discussing the names of the common people. Here are some examples of how to construct Ibeth names with the information we have within the lore.

Khama-Based Naming

Khama-based naming refers to a common habit for a person to be called "Son of X" or "Made of Y". These are honorifics given at birth and end up being used as first names, but can also be adopted at a later point in life to honor a specific God of the Khama Pantheon. Even Asha who are not Khama faithful can have these names because the Khama Gods doubled as divine individuals as well as secular rulers of the Dewamenet Empire. It is also common for Asha in the Regalian Empire to have both a Khama-based name and a more common name used among non-Asha like a nickname. This naming process is complex and requires a lot of trial and error. If you need help, you can make use of a [spreadsheet] we have provided to simplify the process or inquire in a ticket. Common name prefixes are Sahu (spiritual body of), Sa or Si (son of), Sat (daughter of), Mose or Mes (born of), or Menkau (established in the soul of). Then, either the first or last syllable of the Gods is used to compose names, for example for Tjafar, these would be "Tja" or "Far", while Ra-Mut's syllables would be "Ra" or "Mut". Names can either be single words or have a hyphen (-) to separate the syllables. Thus, finally composing a few name examples:

  • Sahutja would be "the Spiritual body of Tjafar"
  • Sat-Kha would be "the daughter of Khannar"
  • Menkau-Ra would be "established in the soul of Ra-mut"
  • Narmose would be "born of Khannar", except the syllables are switched around.
  • Rasa would be "son of Ra-mut", except the syllables are switched around.

If you need help composing a good name, please make a Ticket. It is perfectly acceptable to source names from the internet, please just try to avoid naming your Character Imhotep or Rameses or Tutankhamun, or such familiar names from historical people. Generally speaking, you should prioritize names that are easy to pronounce and not too overcomplicated long, while feeling unique to your character. Surnames are not common in Ibeth, though a frequent way to identify someone is by using the "of placename" suffix. This can either be existing cities in the Regalian Empire (or even Regalia), but is more commonly cities in the Ashal States, of which here follows a short list: Akhiza, Siwakhet, Nasar, Lunet, Lahun, Per-Wadjet, Tjebu, Zwajet, Akhet-aten, Bukhama and so forth.

Brief History

The Lost Era

The Lost Era defines a period during which the Asha referred to themselves as Dewa, based on the state name Dewamenet. As Dewa, the Asha were the preeminent Empire of the time, with high technological progress, though recent archeology and events in Regalia implicate the Empire as being tyrannical towards its neighboring people, and even to its subjects. What little is known of this Empire, was that Magic was strictly banned and any born Mages were killed. This Empire's technology was seemingly steam-based, and had some advanced knowledge of electricity and conductivity as well as battery-powered factories, with machines building vast cities and operating complex irrigation systems. The Empire frequently invaded neighboring countries to enforce their anti-Magic policy, which eventually led to conflict with the rising Allorn Empire. This Dewamenet-Allorn war became all-defining for the next 15,000 years, as it destroyed the Dewamenet Empire, the near total destruction of the Asha, and the rise of the Allorn Empire as the undisputed magical hegemon of the world.

The Dark Era

The Dark Era defines a period during which the Asha were reeling from the destruction of their Empire, and the loss of the vast majority of their population. The magical event that the Elves used was described as a terrible climate shift in the region that was so strong, that it has lasted to this day. It was as if the Gods of the Elves decreed that all moisture or liquid would be deprived of every living and unliving thing in the Empire, drawing it closer to the frontline of the war. In essence, all moisture was drained from the heartland of the Dewamenet Empire and forced into a small strip of land that would later become known as No Man's Land, an impassable jungle with impossible high humidity. The entire Dewamenet Empire's core heartland became an unlivable desert in a near instant, all machines ground to a complete halt because of a lack of water to fuel steam power, and the batteries ran dry. All living beings died as their body was deprived of moisture, and those lucky enough to survive eventually died from thirst in this endless wasteland. The cities were eventually buried under the sand, and much of the heartland forgotten. It is said by the Kemet, that in the split second before this event occurred, Gahan stole the Khama Afterlife, and the capital of the Dewamenet Empire with it, killing all its inhabitants and turning them into Spirits while seceding into the Void to render the remaining Khama Gods incapable of doing anything about it.

The Pearl Wars

The worst period in Asha history, which spanned up until the Cataclysm, was the Pearl Wars, so named because of its relation to the Oblation Magic used by the Elves. How the Elves learned Oblation Magic is unclear though some rumor it was the Death-Goddess the Charnel who taught them. Oblation Magic involves capturing the soul of a dead person who cannot pass into the afterlife, eviscerating their soul, their memories, their emotions, and their feelings, and congealing into a single pearl of magical potency. This pearl could then be used to amplify the Magic of those who held them, and they suddenly came in massive demand in the Allorn Empire. Vast armies of Elves ventured into the blasted wasteland that was once the Dewamenet Empire, to capture the defenseless roaming souls of the dead Dewamenet citizens, using Oblation Magic to kill them one final time and use the remnant of their souls as nothing but vulgar fuel for their own internal Mage-Wars. When the Elves ran out of Dewamenet Souls to consume, they ventured out to the hinterlands where the Asha had survived. The Dewamenet Empire was vast and had many lands outside of the modern-day Ithanian heartland, and so Elven ships ventured beyond the high seas in search of these ex-Dewamenet colonies that still had Asha in them. They would find them far afield from the Ashal Islands (which were subsequently abandoned) to Nordskag, the Regalian Archipelago, and even Hadar where some Dewa had fled to hide. Their cyclical raids became a near five-yearly occurrence, where they would inflict death on the local populations, and then harvest their souls to produce more Oblation Magic Pearls, to bring back to the Allorn Empire to help amplify their power. These raids were filled with such mockery and cruelty, with the Elves making theatric displays of their arrival and heralding the supremacy of the victors over the vanquished. When the Asha speak of their historical trauma, it is this period, even if there are no Asha left alive today who experienced the Pearl Wars first hand.

The Pearl Wars ended when the Cataclysm struck. Due to the complexity of Oblation Magic in being a combination of potent Ordial Magic and Exist Magic, the world was no longer capable of sustaining the kind of Magic required to produce these pearls. Secondly, the Cataclysm provided enough of a momentum that weakened the Elven gods to the point that the Khama Gods as few as there were left, felt emboldened to reveal themselves from hiding. They quickly conspired to produce a pseudo-afterlife called the Duat, which in reality was nothing more than a waiting room for an actual afterlife that is believed to be dull and in a state of non-consciousness for those inside it. It did, however, remove the precondition for Asha souls to have Oblation Magic inflicted upon them, as it gave them an afterlife to have their souls pass into, thus denying the Elves the ability to snatch them. The Allorn Elves and Allorn Revivalists take no responsibility for the suffering of the Pearl Wars, indicating that they believe this was simply the plight of the conquered, insisting that the Asha would have done it no other way if they had won the war and discovered that Elven ears could be used as fuel for their machines. The Wars were so historically significant because they continued for thousands of years on a cyclical 5 or 10 year basis. The sheer population growth stunting that occurred because of it means that the Asha are still not numerically comparable to the Ailor or Elves to this day, despite being older people than both. Oblation Magic Pearls have largely disappeared from the world, though rarely, one might still encounter these ancient magical objects, always betrayed by their sickly green and blue glow, and a distinct hunger they encourage in anyone who lays eyes upon them, even those who deeply revile these objects.

The Light Era

The Light Era defines the post-Cataclysm period during which some of the Asha have started re-settling the lands that were previously depopulated by the Pearl Wars. The most notable of which are the Ashal States off the coast of the former Allorn Empire (now Ailor colonies). Asha have populated nearly every known continent with some even daring to live among Elves, while far flung populations like the Savent and Silontaar have been re-connected with the wider Asha population after millennia of isolation away from the Pearl Wars. Some Asha even, have resorted to an exhaustive mission of revenge referred to as the Claw Wars, a mockery of the concept of the Pearl Wars, by which the Asha Corsair fleets raid coastal Elven settlements. Unlike the orchestrated and theatric Pearl Wars however, the Claw Wars are just disorganized revenge killing because it feels good to them, a fact that makes more than half the Asha population quite uneasy with the brutality of the Corsairs. Regalia has since become a hub for Asha-Revival, with knowledge both being freely shared and discussed, and potentially being suppressed and silenced to ensure the Asha do not grow too confident in their desire to re-build their Empire.

Religions

  • Khama The most obvious and majority religion for the Asha is Khama, which was once an ethnoreligion for them but is slowly being rediscovered to be so much more and inclusive of other peoples.
  • Unionism is the second most common Religion for Asha, especially those born in the Regalian Empire. The Asha are represented by Asha Gods in the Unionist Pantheon, which makes it very appealing.
  • Estelley Any Asha who worships Estelley is deeply, deeply strange. Estelley as a religion was used to empower the genocide of the Asha, and is an Elven ethno-religion, so there is no compatibility.
  • Fornoss There are some Fornoss Asha communities, particularly in Nordskag where some Asha communities survived throughout the Pearl Wars, and integrated with the Fornoss Ailor, but abandoned Khama.
  • Evolism Evolism is a surprisingly common religion among Asha, especially those who court the Dark Gods for powers to take vengeance on the Elves, or just support Gahan and his Dream-Dewamenet.
  • Draconism Draconism does not have a strong Asha representation in it, but Asha can be Draconists if they resonate with the dogmatic virtues or mechanical themes of world-creation in Draconism.

Asha and Magic

The Asha do not universally hate Magic. There is perhaps a common understanding among them now, that it was largely their extremist purist policies that led to the destructive Dewamenet-Allorn War, and subsequent Pearl Wars. The majority of the revulsion of Asha concerning Magic is aimed at the seductive power of Magic can lead one to justify and commit great evil with a few simple hand gestures. A fire mage himself is not distinctly a problem (though there would be many Asha with knee-jerk hostile reactions even at the sight of any Magic), but said fire mage's desire for ever bigger and hotter fire. Eventually, he would simply run out of his own body or soul's capacity to draw enough magic from the respective realms to cast. In such a case, the fire mage would seek other ways to empower their Magic, which to the Asha is a downward spiral that ends in Oblation Magic. While Oblation Magic became impossible after the Cataclysm, there have recently been signs that it has once again become possible with select rogue Allorn Mages experimenting with Oblation Magic, and worse, it has become cast-able without the need for that person's soul to be denied by any afterlife. Oblation Magic has evolved, and so too has the vigilance of the Asha evolved from a continual purist hate of Magic to a suspicion and paranoia, that any Mage could at any point in time be seduced by the cheapest and easiest but most violent route to power without bounds. There are, however, still many purist Asha who are completely in agreement with the Lothar, though they are generally considered quite radical.

Asha and Elves

The attitude of the Asha, especially those who care a lot about the Pearl Wars history or their revulsion against Oblation Magic, tends to project itself onto the Elves as a whole. The Asha are taught for decades, in every school, in every nursery rhyme, and in every story re-telling of the Gods or the priests or even just their distant family's history, that the Elves are without moral and without value for life. They are taught from the day they are born that Allorn society carries within it a cultural darkness fostered by Talea the greatest killer in history, that justifies such indifference to the suffering of others. There are many Asha who learn that some element of this is exaggeration or a hypocritical form of bigotry born out of fear of otherlings. Many Asha who come to Regalia are predisposed with an inability to see Elves as real people, but rather see them as Demons, and many struggle to overcome years of cultural indoctrination, to treat Elves as equals. We encourage Players to play with the concepts of taught hatred, and learned growth, and see the potential for character development as Regalia's melting pot cosmopolitan culture allows their Characters to see the historical nuance and complexity of the individual, but Players are also more than welcome to imply in their backstory that their Character already overcame this historical conditioning.

Culture

This section covers Remet Asha Culture as it was known from rediscovered or surviving customs from the Dewamenet. There is overlap with the other Asha Lineages, but niche cultural habits like fashion are discussed in their Lineage Expanded lore further below.

Fashion

Asha clothing is often very simple in its application of garments yet rich in texture and patterning. Beyond a simple chest cloth worn by women and leather straps worn by men to attach objects to, most Asha rarely wear any clothing on their upper body when they don’t seek a reason to blend into other societies. On their lower bodies meanwhile, all wear a so-called Satoor, a dress-like clothing piece often in earthen or burgundy color tones with a variety of intricate patterns in vibrant colors that spans from the waist to the ground. These Satoors are often specially tailored to allow a tail to protrude from the back, and also have individual cuts on the front and sides to allow a free range of motion for Asha in combat. The Satoor is, in fact, a crucial piece for many cultural traditions of the Asha. As part of decoration for the Satoor, high officials may also wear shoulder capes or shoulder pelts from regional bovines. Jewelry is also a very much prized accessory for all genders of Asha, with numerous necklaces and ear piercings being the norm in adults. The Asha recognize the difference between a civilian Satoor and a combat Satoor in that combat Satoor cut off at the knees, while those for civilians end at the ankle or a bit higher. The Asha also have a fabric that was once unique to them alone, produced by the coastal Asha which has since expanded world-wide. Elastan, a form of lycra, is made from natural blue threads excreted by a unique coral species. The fabric is inherently liquid deterrent, and Elastan clothing made by the Asha usually covers their arms and shoulders, as well as their legs and waist, but does not cover their torso. Elastan was eventually also mixed with other fabrics, creating Peltastan, a form of wooly spandex. It has properties similar to those of Elastan, being form-fitting and soft, but Peltastan is not water-repelling. Peltastan clothing is usually worn on the torso and upper leg area, while a half-Satoor is worn over it like a battle skirt, often with shoulder pads to boot. Such pads are often light and decorative, as Asha effectively do not wear armor, in order to benefit from their superior agility over other Races. When protection is required, Living Metal is capable of forming a quick, sleek coating for their defense.

Mannerisms

Mannerisms are small niche behaviors Asha might display in Roleplay that enhances their themes.

  • Asha tails are immensely important, both physically and culturally. They are considered a deeply personal extension of the mind, with touch being extreme taboo without permission.
  • Tails can also be used to indicate intent. Tails aiming up can be a sign of intimidation or taunting, tails swaying can be a sign of approval or liking something, while tails wrapping around legs can indicate fear.
  • Tails can also be used to touch others, which is considered an intimate gesture. A tail coiling or stroking someone else's leg is considered a very forward non-verbal flirtation.
  • Most (but not all) Asha use a form of guttural sound for communication also. Growling, and purring, though not barking, are part of the vocal routine of most Asha when indicating pleasure or displeasure.
  • Pulling or cutting an Asha's tail is considered an extreme insult. Tail cutting is a common practice among those with bigotry towards the Asha, with Asha seeking to replace lost tails with living metal.
  • Asha treat half-Asha as part of their culture, so long as they have made an effort to be part of Asha culture. Half-Asha who belong to other cultures receive apathetic responses from full Asha.
  • Asha transition between bipedal and quadruped movement for a variety of reasons, for example while vaulting over things, or while crawling under obstacles, or to move around faster.
  • Asha dress style is very much non-gendered. All genders wear the Satoor (a half-dress with a parted opening on the side), while female Asha may opt for a chest binding if it is culturally appropriate in Regalia.
  • Asha are highly sensitive to the killing and eating of members of their people, as Khama holds that people who are refused by the afterlife, are reborn as wild animals in Aloria, such as lions or dogs.

Expanded Lore

Expanded Lore exists to apply more content to the Savent and Silontaar Asha, whose culture differs from the Remet Asha mostly discussed on this page, as well as other concepts that may be relevant to Asha roleplay or deep-lore exploration. This section is optional reading, though if you play a Silontaar or Savent, reading at least their sections is encouraged.

Gahan and Kemet

Gahan and Kemet are some of the recently most complicated aspects about the Asha experience. Gahan was once a god of the Khama pantheon, but under mysterious circumstances left said Pantheon, taking the Dewamenet afterlife with him, and breaking into the Void. While doing so, he used the Dewamenet afterlife and all the souls within as an army to effectively conquer a part of the Void, and crown himself Spirit Emperor, with all Void Spirits obeying his will one way or another. While the Spirits still wage war on one another, Gahan rules over the divided chaos absolute, and his Kemet Demons have a special role to play in his keeping the Dewamenet Dream alive in Kemet. Kemet refers to the Black Land, the name the Asha have given to this material afterlife that now exists somewhere between the real world and the Void. They consider it a black land, because anytime anyone has had visions or dreams of the place, it is always represented by a glowing black obsidian pyramid, in which Gahan sits on his throne keeping a fragmented memory of the Dewamenet Empire alive in the afterlife. In essence, while the Dewamenet Empire was destroyed, the capital and the afterlife merged and become one place, which was then tainted by the Void, though it did keep many Dewamenet alive for eternity while the rest of their Empire crumbled.

Gahan's Spirits in turn, are also playable. When designing a Mystech Character, it is recommended to paid Gahan loyalism/an Asha inspired Spirit as an Unbound Spirit. Gahan has several lieutenants, most important of which are the cruel and wroth commander Senetaph who leads the military legions of Kemet, Satjaraf-en the administrator who keeps the historical records of the Dewamenet and Kemet, and Barubast the shipwright who controls the access point to Kemet and ferries souls in and out on the black river, a proverbial magical gateway. While these Spirits should always be played with immense trepedation to reveal any information about Kemet (because we cannot logistically reveal deep lore to only part of the player base), these Asha Spirits should endeavor to be pro-Asha and reasonably align themselves with the Asha community in Regalia, despite its potential opposition to their presence or public cooperation. For better or worse, Gahan's Spirits are a window into the past, and their master despite being corrupted by his lust for power in the Void, still holds a dear place in his heart for his people and their plight, and so many of Gahan's Spirits are exceptional Elf-killers and tricksters.

Both Khama as a faith, and Asha society culturally speaking, have a complicated relation with Sprits. Spirits were not overtly used to torment the Asha during the Dewamenet war or subsequent Pearl Wars, but are inherently made of dark Magic, the stuff that was used to murder their kin. Spirits are unaccountable and unpredictable, and their pro-Asha attitude (at least for the Gahan Spirits) is at best fickle, with a Spirit perhaps deciding to murder some Asha it does not like out of boredom or a desire to consume its soul. Still, these Spirits can provide invaluable assistance or information to the cause, and even those who do not consider themselves part of the Kemet Asha cultural Land, might indulge in a bit of Spirit summoning or bartering just to get an edge on the Elves, who still have the upper hand because of their Magic usage.

Savent Asha Expanded Lore

Savent Asha would almost be considered an entirely different people by outsiders, but they are most certainly Asha, and hybrids of species-appearances between Savent and other Asha are part of their heritage too. The Savent Asha descend from a group of peoples that objected so violently to the war between the Dewamenet Empire and the Allorn Empire on the principle of non-aggression and not hating Magic, that they left the Dewamenet Empire in search for lands far away from either Empire, or Empires as a whole. The Savent at the time believed that violence was an inherent quality of Empires, and as such, people should avoid creating large geo-political powers. They settled in a largely (by Regalia) unmapped continent north of Guldar called Qelis, a temperate lake-rich land where the Savent have established 231 smaller Kingdoms and Republics that all live in perfect harmony, but are equally rather poor when compared to other countries around the world.

Savent Asha are without exception, either fully Avian Asha (think Eagle, Raven, Hawk, Owl), or a hybrid between Avian Asha and mammalian Asha (for example, an eagle face with long dog ears and cat lower legs but an Avian upper body and tail). All Savent Asha have beaks, and all of them have avian forearms and claws, while some of them have wings including regal plumage. Savent Asha are otherwise physically similar to other Asha and Asha Lineages, except that they will a visual niche that is not existent in any other heritage or culture, bar from perhaps the avian (Maquixtl Genos Form), who fall squarely in the terror-bird category only.

The major difference besides appearance niches between Savent Asha and all other Asha, is that their psyche is in essence completely devoid of all trauma that many other Asha suffer from when looking at their history and the state of their people across the world. While there certainly is empathy and pity for the Pearl Wars, there is an equal yet soft-spoken sentiment among the Savent, that the Dewamenet got what they deserved because of what they tried to do to the Elves. The Savent rejected the Dewamenet-Allorn War in all its senseless brutality (from their perspective), and deem the outcome to have "occurred in equal measure onto the Elves, to be fed to the Dewamenet Machine as fuel". Many of them in essence claim, that whatever hardships would have befallen the Asha, would have been inflicted onto the Elves if the Dewamenet had won, and that this is not a unique victimization of the Asha, but rather a sign of the more widespread depravity and hubris of Empire-politics. A particularly sore topic for those who have to hear the same sentiment as an excuse, from an Elven Allorn Apologist.

That is not to say that all Savent think that the Asha "got what they deserved", there is always a very fine line to walk between being genuinely empathetic towards the historical suffering of the Asha, and finding the right time to discuss the causes and implications of the actions of the Asha forefathers. The Savent insist that the Dewamenet were far from innocent, and engaged in equal measure of genocide as the Elves did, it just so happened to be the case that the Elves did it better (and faster). Savent can be genuinely included in interest groups who seek to discover more of their lost historical heritage and have very real passion and emotion towards the rediscovery of lost information. There remains however, the concern from other Asha, or the thought in the back of one's mind, that a Savent is only there out of recreational reasons, and can never fully understand what it means to re-discover a culture that was so violently destroyed by the conqueror. At the end of the day, Savent can return to their own unique culture that has flourished independently from a desire to return to the old Dewamenet.

Savent Culture is based on real-world Achaemenid period Persia Minor cultures (such as Lydean and Phrygean or other Anatolian Cultures of that period). However, because there is no real linguistic survival from this period, we use Achaemenid names for the people, but still use Ancient Egyptian as their language. Despite their cultural deviation, the Savent have held onto Ibeth, as well as Khama as a religion, even adopting the more modern interpretations as die-hard belief in their faith waned over time, and they had to ironically resort to the diluted oral survival of the captive Asha to fill the gaps. The Savent are a culture with a very strong emphasis on metallurgy, particularly working with noble metals like gold and silver, which form threads throughout their other customs and traditions. Music is for example also important to them, with several instruments being credited to their invention, and always finely decorated with in-laid gold and silver threading.

Savent clothing is far simpler when compared to the Asha Satoor with its complex patterns, relying more heavily on the opulence of all that sparkles yet having very vibrant but simple patterns. The Savent tend to lean more in the direction of pacifism or at the least non-violence, vowing only to act in self-defense. That being said, Savent can be ferocious fighters, especially with their sharp beaks and talons, and several Savent arena fighters have gained fame in the Regalian Empire for their ruthless tactics in the ring. The Savent have a more cultural streak than the other Asha, enjoying the finer things in life, and attaching less value to status symbols and vanity. It should be noted, that the metals that the Savent work with (and can create with their hands) are not actual Gold and Silver, but imitation metals like Electrum, which is why having a Savent friend is not a get-rich-quick scheme.

Silontaar Asha Expanded Lore

Being reworked during the Khama Update

Gallery of Art

Asha are really cool and awesome, and lots of art has been made of them.

  • The Satoor is technically a dress, but appears more like stylish fabric with a lean fit.
    The Satoor is technically a dress, but appears more like stylish fabric with a lean fit.
  • Asha prefer to go shirtless, though can also wear Ailor clothes in case they want to fit in.
    Asha prefer to go shirtless, though can also wear Ailor clothes in case they want to fit in.
  • Asha can get really really big, if they put in the work.
    Asha can get really really big, if they put in the work.
  • Not all Asha have to be muscular tanks, unlike what this Wiki page may imply.
    Not all Asha have to be muscular tanks, unlike what this Wiki page may imply.
  • Fur painting to appear like tattoos are fairly common among the lower social class Asha.
    Fur painting to appear like tattoos are fairly common among the lower social class Asha.
  • Dewet Fashion means using ancient egyptian aesthetics to appeal to the old Dewamenet legacy.
    Dewet Fashion means using ancient egyptian aesthetics to appeal to the old Dewamenet legacy.
  • Otter Asha are known to be energetic and fun loving Asha, even as Bound Asha.
    Otter Asha are known to be energetic and fun loving Asha, even as Bound Asha.
  • Rodent Asha are less common, but nonetheless still good friends to have.
    Rodent Asha are less common, but nonetheless still good friends to have.
  • Elastaan is very popular as a fabric not only among the Asha, but also Regalians.
    Elastaan is very popular as a fabric not only among the Asha, but also Regalians.
  • Rat Asha are fierce fighters, with many of them working as gladiators in Regalia.
    Rat Asha are fierce fighters, with many of them working as gladiators in Regalia.
  • Equally, other types of Asha are commonly found due to their ferocious fighting skills.
    Equally, other types of Asha are commonly found due to their ferocious fighting skills.
  • Even if the Asha look like predators, some still have a very calm and kind expression.
    Even if the Asha look like predators, some still have a very calm and kind expression.

Trivia

  • There is credible evidence to suggest that the Asha along with the Meraic were the second people to make it into the upper terrasphere of Aloria and install the equivalency of satellites in orbit, but all knowledge of how they did this has been lost to time.
  • There are a total of sixteen Corsair Fleets in operation across Aloria, but five are most notable among their number. These include the Medes Fleet led by the unique dual leadership of Ladies Saalamun and Vasnaf, the Sefetjew Fleet led by Lord Kahnef or “Lord Demon-claw” and the Kheni-Hetef Fleet led by Lord Ammunakhonet, an Undead warrior who has led his fleet since it was created nearly three centuries ago.
  • Asha are routinely subject to accidental racism in Regalia, either due to over-familiar expectation of animalistic behaviors or similarities, or because Ailor try to be comedic with them, and end up comparing them to domestic animals. Don't do that.
Peoples of Aloria
Central Peoples
• Ailor • Narim • Solvaan •
Northern Peoples
• Dwarves • Isldar • Sihndar • Urlan •
Eastern Peoples
• Skyborn • Sihai • Dragonkin •
Southern Peoples
• Allar • Bralona • Maraya • Slizzar •
Western Peoples
• Asha • Eronidas • Fin'ullen • Kathar • Lanlath • Maquixtl • Suvial • Yanar •
Accreditation
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ArtistsMonMarty
ProcessorsWaterDruppel, FireFan96
Last EditorHydraLana on 09/14/2024.
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