Asath

The Asath (eɪsaθ) are the creation of the Fire God Alaezo with the souls of the fire elemental, Salamander and given sinuous snake's tails instead of legs. Half-reptilian and bonded with a fire elemental, the Asath love heat and most are found in the world's tropics, though their first home was the Great Desert of South Thiskel. From there, they spread to islands in the warm seas, to Ertia, and to Ageond.

A small population of Asath that converted to following Craeseth survived in the Forsaken Land after the Cataclysm. The Forsaken Land Asath are a distinct culture with some physiological and magical differences from the rest of their race.

Their anatomy and size can make them intimidating to others and many Asath societies are insular, but they are hardly the monsters that some humans fear. They are a passionate and noble people who hold to strong values.

Biology

The lower portion of the Asath body resembles that of a snake and they have taken on other subtle serpentine traits. However, their reptilian aspects are superficial and, biologically, they are mammals. This means they do not lay eggs (or retain eggs in their body until young hatch like some snakes). They are not ectothermic, or cold-blooded, like true reptiles. While they do prefer warm climates, they are endothermic, meaning that they are capable of producing their own internal body heat instead of relying on absorbing it from their environment as reptiles do.

Like reptiles, they do shed the skin of their snake-half, but only during their youth. Snakes and other reptiles that shed their skin do so as they increase in size, and this is a trait that was not abandoned in their chimeric origins, but it only occurs when they grow.

Asath vision is one of the other serpentine traits they were given. Their eyes can shift between normal spectral sight to heat-sensitive vision. Like most of the elemental races, their long, tapered ears allow for greater hearing.

Appearance

Asath have the torso of a humanoid body and, from the waist down, have a muscular serpentine tail that holds them upright. Standing upright, males reach an average of 6’5” (195cm) and females 6’ (182cm), with an extra tail length of about five feet (152cm). They tend to be lean in build, carrying very little fat, but becoming moderately muscular.

Like the other elemental races, Asath have long, tapered mobile ears that extend five inches from their head. Aside from their tails, the Asath have subtle traits that are reminiscent of reptilian appearances. They tend to have narrow faces with angular features. Their eyes have a diamond-shaped pupil and are distinctly snake-like. Many also possess prominent canine teeth, though Asath are not venomous. Nor do they have forked tongues--though many Asath societies practice forms of body modification, some of which do surgically alter the tongue. Scarification, piercing, tattooing, and other forms of modification are practiced with different regions using specific patterns or specific modifications to identify individuals based on their social roles.

As most Asath inhabit the sunnier regions of Aserra, they tend toward darker complexions, ranging from tans to dark brown. Black is the most common hair color, and nearly all Asath have sleek, straight hair texture. Some populations have red, yellow, or white hair colors, but these are rare. Eye colors are typically shades of yellow, orange, or red.

The colors and patterns of their serpentine halves are dependent on their environment and may mimic snakes of the region, or be wholly unique to their population. Hybrids of different populations will often have a blend of their parents' colors and patterns.

Lifespan

Asath live for up to five hundred years, appearing to be ageless for much of that time. They mature at the same rate as humans until the age of twenty-five, at which point apparent aging ceases, but they will begin to take on an ageless appearance after a time. Around four-hundred and fifty years of age, their apparent aging begins again until their eventual death.

Reproduction

Asath give live birth and go through pregnancy like other elemental races. They do not lay eggs, or retain eggs in their body until young hatch, like snakes. A female Asath is fertile for only one season every year and they usually give birth to only one child—multiple births are extremely rare, but have happened. Asath children are born after a nine month gestation. They are mostly helpless, and the bulk of their tails are barely longer than a human child’s legs. Not until their tail lengthens can they learn to stand and slither. Up until the age of two or three, Asath children can only half-crawl and half-slither. Around the age of 450, most Asath women begin their menopause and can no longer bear children. They cannot reproduce with other races.

Diet

Asath are almost exclusively carnivores. They raise and slaughter their own food, or hunt. Usually, native wildlife and farm animals such as cattle, sheep, chickens, pigs are eaten. Be forewarned, Asath are not very discriminate in what they eat. Their menu includes beloved pets of most other races such as horses, dogs, and other adored animals. They sometimes will eat humans, but this is usually retaliation against human aggression, not a common diet staple. Asath will not eat dragon meat, nor the flesh of the elemental cousins. Besides meat, Asath also eat grains in the form of bread. They are fans of alcohol and ferment fruits and grains to create strong liquors.