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. In their communities, Asath are often quite uniform in superficial appearances, unless they intermarry between more disparate neighbors.

Tails

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.

The Asath tail accounts for much of their bodyweight and height/length. From the waist down, the humanoid body merges with the serpentine lower body. All together, the tail can be between seven and nine feet (213-274cm) long. The first three or so feet (~90cm) are densely muscled with the purpose of holding the body upright. The rest of the length supports their slithering form of locomotion and provides support and balance.

Asath possess a pelvis similar to a human's, but lack the bones of the leg and the Asath pelvis has adapted in shape to better suit their form. The bones of the tail are an extension of the spine and the rest of the structure is supported by muscle and some rudimentary cartilaginous ribs throughout the widest parts of their tail.

From the waist down, Asath lack humanoid excretory and urogenital openings. Instead, they have a cloaca that contains these orifices. On the surface, this opening appears as a vertical slit. When opened, it reveals the tracts as separate openings. In females, this looks similar in arrangement to humanoid physiology, though positioned forward. In males, the length of the penis is retracted into the body and the testicles are contained within the body, so only the glans is apparent, as well as the anus. Asath males also possess a baculum, which is not present in other races (aside from the Mariel).

Lifespan

Asath have a natural life span of approximately five hundred years. Like the other elemental races, they mature at the same rate as humans until about the age of twenty-five, after which point, aging processes are suspended until sometime in their last century of life.

Reproduction

Asath give live birth and have a pregnancy of about nine months like humans and the other elemental races. Asath also nurse their young. Despite superficial appearances, it is important to remember that they are still mammals. Asath newborns are helpless at birth, with a tail little longer than humanoid legs. It takes slightly longer for Asath "toddlers" to grow a tail long enough to hold them upright than it does for humanoids to learn to walk.

Like many other elemental races, female Asath are intermittently fertile across their long lifespan; one year out of every five. The amount of children Asath bear tends to depend on their culture and needs. In a relatively stable society, Asath women may have two or three children throughout their lives. In a society where there are threats to the population from war or the environment, Asath may have more children.

Diet

The Asath have a wide and varied omnivorous diet, but with a strong appreciation of meat. With their muscle mass and means of movement, Asath have large appetites and meat best satiates them. Each society has their own specialized dishes and food sources, but they make the most of them. One thing that is common amongst the Asath is their love of spice, and when they have access to capsaicin, they indulge at levels few other races can tolerate.

Historically, domestication of animals has proven especially challenging for the Asath compared to other races. Their imposing and snake-like features are terrifying for familiar domestic species of animal. So, no matter the level of development for an Asath society, hunting is their primary means of acquiring meat from large animals. They have had more success in domesticating fowl and even some larger reptile species. If near water, fishing is a another means of acquiring meat.

Asath are are not very discriminate in what animals they eat. Their menu includes beloved pets of most other races such as horses, dogs, and other adored animals. Even kuzo and sometimes humans make it onto the menu. However, in the case of humans, killing them is often a means of defense against incursion or other offenses--and then why waste the meat? During the War of the Gods, even Asath aligned with the light were known to eat the flesh of fallen enemies. Kuzo, which are generally seen as sub-human and almost animals on their own, have less ethical consideration by the Asath than antagonistic humans. In most Asath societies, true cannibalism of other Asath is considered abhorrent.

In addition to their meat-eating, Asath also eat fruits in vegetables. Some settlements sustain themselves on gathering local resources while others have some limited farming (small personal or community gardens). Many ferment strong wines from available fruit.