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.
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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.
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 their cousin races, their long 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” (1.955m) and females 6’ (1.828m), with an extra tail length of about five feet (1.524m). They have become much more reptilian in appearance since their initial creation, their faces have angular features with reptilian eyes that have diamond shaped pupils, but they still have long, tapered ears. Though not venomous, they have developed fang-like canines. Hair color is black, red, white, or golden yellow and eye color is usually red or gold. Their skin is well-tanned, though those that live in the Forsaken Lands are pallid. Their coloration depends on their territory. Island Asath are usually red or orange-tailed, mainland jungle and grassland Asath have camouflaged tails that similar to native snakes and Forsaken Landers are black tailed and desert Asath are sandy colored with white hair.
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.
