Askio

The **Askio**, plural **Askions**, are a race of reptilians from the planet Paskion. The four-armed species has specially evolved lungs for breathing the chlorine atmosphere of Paskion. Elsewhere, the Askio wear specialized gas masks for breathing. Askio society is a patriarchy, with only the males permitted to go outside. This causes strife amongst more modern Askions which has led to several civil wars once they joined the OGC.

## Biology and appearance

The Askio are a race of reptilians from the planet Paskion. They have a bipedal stance, with two legs, four arms, and a head on top of the torso. At the bottom of the torso, their spine extends into a small tail. The arms are much skinnier than the legs, possessing thin bones that can handle stress, allowing a greater degree of flexibility. Askions have the ability to convert light into energy, with photosynthetic patches of skin, effectively giving them unlimited stamina. Askio typically stand 1.25 meters in height and weigh 79 kilograms.

The Askion's head sit on top of a longer than average neck. Askions have three eyes that can come in yellow or blue colorations. Askions lack any nostrils, breathing exclusively with their mouths. The mouth lacks any teeth, instead Askions possess a thin yellow-colored beak. The back of the Askion's head extends into an elongated crest. This crest helps to collect and store extra energy. The Askio have specially evolved lungs for breathing the chlorine atmosphere of Paskion. Elsewhere, on oxygen-based planets, they have to wear specialized gas masks that allow breathing.

The Askion's four hands have three fingers, with one large thumb, and two flexible, skinny digits. The two longer fingers have six different joints, allowing them to curve and grasp almost anything. The Askion's stubby feet has three toes. Both the feet and the hands lack any kind of claw or nail. The skin of the Askio has a pebbly texture and comes in a mossy green color. Rounded oval-shaped patches with purple colorings are on the crest and stomach, and absorb light for energy.

Young Askio are identical to one another upon hatching from their eggs only developing their sexual differences upon reaching maturity. Askions typically only lay one or two eggs at a time. Askion young mature at the age of 16 years. Adult Askions live for around 65 years. Like most species, the Askio have two genders that are assigned at birth, male and female. For the Askio, these genders are even more split, with a large number of physiological differences creating a patriarchal society. Askio males are larger in size with a more developed crest. Askio females have a more rotund shape for laying eggs.

## Society and culture

For the Askio, the split between their main sexes creates a patriarchal society. In Askion society, the females are only seen as good for laying eggs, with their culture mandating that females spend their entire life indoors at one location. Males are allowed outside, and are typically allowed to pick and choose any number of females to mate with. Females Askions who "misbehave" are dragged to a public gathering where all of the males in the community commit to a "fixing" in which they perform sexual actions to the chosen female.

Outside of their mates and nests, Askio males have a deeply religious warrior culture, with many of the males training for life to become adept at hand to hand combat. Askion warriors who are successful at attacking nearby villageships are awarded with a special "victory mate", a select group of females who are groomed from birth for this specific purpose. Beyond nests and warriorship, Askio males who train as warriors have another option to become monks, voluntarily forgoing their misogynistic lifestyle for a life spent meditating in the Askion temples.

For Askio that integrate with other races, this patriarchal culture is mostly abandoned in favor of a more modern lifestyle in which the males and females share a culture led by Askion councils.

The Askions mainly speak Paskian, a language first developed on Passa, the moon of Paskion.

## History

The Askio first evolved on the planet Paskion from a reptilian species that spent their time sunbathing. The Askion culture began to develop when males began to make the females stay in their nests to protect their young. This eventually developed into the culture seen with the Askio to this day.

Paskion and it's many moons were first discovered by OGC near the end of the Western Expansions at 1,801 YAO. Despite their initial hostilities, the Askio were emitted as members of the OGC shortly afterwards. Upon joining the OGC, the Askions were exposed to the rest of the galaxy. The intergration of modern culture with Askion culture has caused several civil wars amongst the Askio ranging from the small Passa Civil War to the large-scale Paskion Storms.

Despite the multiple wars, the Askio remain a member of the OGC, with a Rector representative. Many Askions have embraced modern sensibilities and spread across the OGC.

## Askio in the galaxy

The Askio are a rare species in the galaxy. Paskion and it's colonies embrace their tradition, resulting in them beign mostly closed off to the galaxy. Other facets of Askions have shunned their patriarchal society and embrace a culture with equality. These "modern" Askions are much more open and have spread across the OGC.

In traditional Askio culture, the females are practically stuck in one nest for their whole lives whilst the males have careers as either breeders, warriors, or monks. Contemporary Askio culture has the males and females take on a whole variety of jobs thanks to their four arms and limitless energy.