Askriish

THE WASTELANDERS.

"He who claims to worship the gods has the duty to improve himself and this land and, by doing so, uphold the divine wish to see this land flourish. After all, by not doing so, how does he expect to see the gods coming back to grace us once more?"
— Morrigan Threodar, Scholar of the Holy School of Sysos.

The Askriish are the people who inhabit the hot lands of Askria, in the northeast of Somnium. In the past, the Askriish organized themselves into various city-states that spanned the region and had little or no sense of belonging to one another, except for their shared religion, honoring the nine gods of the Ennead. Today, after the creation of the Conflegium Confederation, they identify themselves as a single people under one banner, and will even welcome other ethnicities to their lands. The Askriish currently have a relatively open culture of expansionism, with the aim of spreading the Conflegium flag around the world.

BIOLOGY.

The Askriish are of average height: not as short as the Denisoveese, but not as tall as the Lameerians. Some Askriish have fairer complexions with pink or peachy tones, but this is not as common as olive skin tones. Straight noses, large, brown or dark-colored eyes and thick eyelashes are common. Askriish skin is normally very smooth and radiant, giving the face a healthy glow, and they are more resistant to sunlight than Cosmopolites and Denisoveese. Askriish hair normally has a lot of volume and some wave or curls, and is most often black or very dark brown, though blond hair is common during infancy.

CULTURE.

Askriish are a pragmatic people at heart, and have very little use for the dogmas of gender or nobility superiority in their society; the Conflegium is famous for its meritocracy - the best suited does the job, and whether they are male, female, young or elder does not matter. This is tempered by a culture of protectionism, however; those who have already contributed to society are given their due respect rather than being discarded once their usefulness runs out. They have developed a reputation for having a quick temper and are looked down upon by others who think their sexual lives to be far too much licentious. While they are a very religious people, they do not think their gods have anything to do with their success - their religion preaches that the gods have turned away from humanity and, thus, each man's accomplishments are his own. Much of what they do is with the aim of spreading their culture around the world and developing their own society, with the thought that, one day, the gods will once again grace the world with their presence. Askriish are renowned for adopting the techniques and customs of various peoples as they expanded, and are not shy about humbly bowing down to learn new knowledge. For most Askriish, body beauty is fickle, and people look for firmer features when they form relationships; from unique abilities possessed by certain individuals, to special personalities and personal knowledge possessed and acquired on their own. That being said, there are a few standards that are followed by most, even though each region of Askria may have its own. Southeastern Askriish have the habit of keeping long hairs and treating it with oil; a practice they acquired from the Denisoveese. In the meantime, northwestern Askriish keep shorter hairs, as they have had contact with the Seentriaese over the centuries.