Ash Staeri

## Summary

Loyal, proud and cunning, the Ash Staeri (or more commonly know Ashsta) have grown into a proud and strong race. Hailing from the coldest parts of the world, nothing seems to strike fear in these masters of the sea and ice. Due to the frigid cold of the lands they call home, most Ashsta settlements are built along the coast to allow for easy transport of goods to harder to access regions. Nearly all Ashsta live in the main nation of Myerdal, but some do reside in a few of her owned territories (Pelshavo and Trestva being the largest of the two).

The Ashsta people are divided into two groups: Mainlanders, the Ashsta who live in the main country, and Seafarers, the ones who live on the various island territories of the Myerdalion crown.

#### Mainland Ashsta

The mainland Ashsta are the ones who live in Myerdal, inhabiting her many fast cites and living off of her harsh lands. While all Ashsta are loyal to the crown, the mainlanders are thought to take it to the extreme. Insulting the young Queen, Shyedou, can often result in not petty fights but fines and accusations of treason. In addition to their deep love of their leader, the main and Ashsta are more wary of magic than those who live on the island territories. True to their traditions, the mainlanders shun the use of magic when it comes to any sorts of craftsmanship, preforing to work harder and longer to complete the task than use the aid of magic. Regardless of this, they still do allow house-hold magic to be used within their homes.

#### Seafarer Ashsta

Ashsta by blood and mostly by culture, the Seafarers have adapted to a live less ruled by the Crown. They still owe their allegiance to their Queen, and often do look up to her, but are far less true to the traditional cultures of the Ashsta. Still grand sailors and good at trade, the Searfarers embrace the arcane to shield their island homes and ships from the many rough storms that wreck havoc upon them; in doing so, they are far less wary of mages than their mainland cousins. The Seafarers are known to be the best of the best when it comes to sailing.

**Important Note:** Due to their loyalty to the crown, both Mainland and Seafarers welcome the magic of their Queen. Neither view necromancy has a dark or evil magic, and often will see it as a means of preservation.

## The Appearance of the Ashsta:

Hailing from cold areas, the Ashsta have evolved to be able to retain heat. Dark haired and ashen skin aid in absorbing the warmth of the weak sunlight they are exposed to, and bright warm colored eyes are meant to stand out against their dark features and help them be seen by each other. Their stocky and shorter builds are designed to keep their body's heat centralized and make it easier for them to stay warm.

**Skin Tones:**

The Ashsta are ashen in color, and as such they will always have a gray hue to their skin. Mainlanders are almost always a medium to dark shade of gray. Due to the fact that the islands the Seafarers call come tend to be a bit warmer than the mainland, the Seafarers can have slightly lighter hued gray flesh.

**Hair color:**

Dark hair is one of the most prominent features of the Ashsta, no matter if they live on the mainland or on one of the islands. Their hair is typically quite dark, usually shades of deep gray or black. Commonly, the Ashsta sport hair that is jet black, coal black, raven black (blue tinted), midnight black (purple tinted) or soft black. It is very rare you'll find an Ashsta with gray hair and you will almost never see one with white hair.

**Eye Color:**

Contrasting drastically against their dark features, the eyes of the Ashsta are often warm and bright. The most common color for their eyes would be gold or various shades of yellow, but it is not uncommon to see shades of orange and red-orange. On occasion, there have been Ashsta with eyes that are pink in color but you will never see an Ashsta with red eyes.

**Height and Body Build:**

Designed to be shorter and a big stockier, the Ashsta are meant to centralize their body's heat to keep them going in the frigid lands they call home. The average male Ashsta is around 5'9" to 5'11". While it is rare, they have been seen to hit 6" even. Males are nearly never shorter than 5'7". Females are naturally shorter on average and usually don't grow past 5'5" and are never shorter than 5".

**Important Note:** The ears of the Ashsta *are* pointed. They are about two inches longer than a standard human ear. Additionally, their ears tend to point outwards and away from the skull rather than just upwards.