Asari

### Common Names

Aethyta, Aleena, Alestia, Batha, Nassana, Lidanya, Liselle, Mallene, Nelyna, Rana, Seryna, Sha’ira, Tela

### Common Family Names

Dantius, T’Soni, Calis, Thanoptis, Vasir, Iallis.

The Asari are native to the planet Thessia and are often considered the most pwoerful and respected sentient species in the known galaxy. They were the first race, after the Protheans, to achieve interstellar flight and to discover the Citadel. They are extremely long-lived with lifespans reaching millenia.

### Asari Racial Traits

* Physical Characteristics: **+2 to Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma. -2 to Strength and Constitution.** Asari are graceful, wise and beautiful creatures but their bodies are weaker.
* Size: Medium
* Normal Speed: 30 feet
* Diplomats: All Asari start with +2 bonus to Diplomacy
* Natural Biotics: Asari do not suffer penalties from not using Biotic Amplifiers. An Asari that choose a class without Biotic Powers always gain the Simple Biotic Training feat at level 1 and only 1 other feat at level 1. Asari always have the Biotic skill as a class skill.
* Melding: All Asari can attune her nervous system with another creature, willing or not. Through this ability, they can share memories, thoughts, feelings, and reproduce (if willing). No Asari can keep melding for longer than a number of minutes equel to her Constitution score. Pushing beyond that limit forces the Asari to make Constitution checks each minute (DC 10 + 1 for each additional minute) to avoid being fatigued. After each melding, the Asari must make a Fortitude Save (DC 12) or become fatigued. Once fatigued, the melding ends and the Asari cannot use this ability again until she recovers. Both the Asari and the target can break the Melding at will during their own turns.

An Asari can force a Meld unto an unwilling creature as long as she maintains physical contact. The creature must succeed a Will save DC 10 + 1/2 Asari HD + Asari CHA Mod. In addition, during the melding (willing or unwilling), The Asari can force the creature to act in a certain way as if controlling its thoughts. To avoid this, the creature must succed a Will save (DC 10 + Asari HD + Asari CHA mod) or is compelled to act according to the Asari's wishes. This form of mind control is limited to the time that the creature and the Asari are melded; as soon as the Melding is terminated or physical contact is broken, the mind control ends. The creature is fully aware of the Asari's mind control (attempt or successful)

## Asari Biology

Typical Asari has blue to purplish skin tone and some have facial markings, either of tattoos or genetic (usually representative of the father species). Instead of hair, the Asari have wavy folds of sculpted skin.

The Asari are considered attractive by almost all species, which is useful considering their method of reproduction. Some scientist believe this attraction may be neurochemical in nature.

While the Asari only have one gender, they are not asexual. An Asari provides two copes of her own genes to her offspring that will always be another Asari, regardless of father species. The genes become altered in a process with the father species called Melding. During the Melding, the Asari continuously attunes her nervous system to her partner's, sending and receiving electrical impulses directly through the skin. In essence, the Asari and her partner become one central nervous system. The partner of the Asari can be any species and any gender; however, since meeting other species, non-Asari mates are preferred for the diversity they provide not in terms of DNA(since the Asari provides 100% of the DNA to her offspring) but rather the genetic heritage that the Asari can pass down from the father species during Melding. During the Melding, an Asari can share thoughts, feelings, emotions with her partner and vice versa. It is possible to Meld without reproducing. An Asari can force her thoughts into another being against their wishes if that being cannot withstand the mental intrusion of the Asari.

This unique means of reproduction is also the reason the Asari make great biotics. Their evolved ability to consciously control nerve impulses is very similar to biotic training.

Asari have 3 lifestages that they all achieve:

* **The Maiden Stage** begins at birth and is marked by the drive to explore and experience.
* **The Matron Stage** begins around the age of 350 though it can be achieved earlier. This period is marked by a desire to settle and start a family
* **The Matriarch Stage** begins around the age of 700 or later. The Asari becomes active leaders in their community and are rarely seen outside Asari Space.

Asari Height tend to be between 4'5" and 6'0". Asari Weight tend to be between 75 lb and 135 lb.

## Asari History

The Asari were the first race to achieve interstellar flight and discover the Mass Relays. When they found the Citadel in 580 BCE, the Asari also encountered the Keepers, a mysterious race of insectoids in charge of maintaining the Citadel. The Keepers acted as a relay between the Asari and the Citadel, helping the Asari settle into the station and exert their control. Sixty years later, the Salarians made first contact and the two species agreed to found the Council.

## Asari Culture

Because of their long lifespans, Asari tend to have a "long term view" of things that are uncommon in other races, especially Salarians. When they encounter a new species or situation, they are more comfortable with long term passive observation and study rather than immediate action. They are unfazed if some of their investments or decisions do not pay off for decades or centuries. They can take a rather long time to form decisions and Asari Matriarchs tend to view diplomatic relations in the long term benefit rather than short term gains.

Traditionally Asari spread their influence through cultural domination and intellectual superiority. They invite new species to join the galactic community fulling knowing that their ideals and beliefs will inevitably influence that species' culture. That being said, the Asari tend towards communal, consensus attitudes among themselves and their allies. For example, they prefer to live in shared spaces aboard starships even if they are alternatives available.

Asari believe their offsrping aquire the best qualities of the father species from the melded genes, which of course depends on the specific Asari's view of what is the ideal qualities. They frown on intraspecies conception since genetic traits and cultural insights cannot be gained this way. Asari mating with other Asari are considered "Purebloods", which is a great racial insult among the Asari. A genetic defect known as the Ardat-Yakshi, which makes the Asari destroy their partner's minds during Melding occur much more frequently among the daughters of Pureblood Asari.

The Asari know very well that the universe considers them very attractive to other races and they exert that influence in their every day lives. During the Maiden stages, many Asari take the job of erotic dancers, for example. Because of this sexuality and natural sensuality, as well as the ability to mate with any species, the Asari have been falsely claimed as overly promiscuous. Most Asari mate for the lifespan of their partners and since most Asari will outlive that partner's lifespan, they resign to the fact that they raise their daughters alone.

## Asari Economy

The Asari possess the single largest economy in the galaxy. They have extensive trade and social contacts. Asari mercantile guilds, such as those in the cities of Serrive, and Armali, hold a virtual monopoly on advance biotic technology. Given their political influence, an embargo by the Asari would prove disastrous to any race.

## Asari Religion

The main Asari religion is Siari, which roughly translates as "All is One". It states the universe is a consciousness, every life within it is an aspect of the greater whole, and death is a merging of one's spiritual energy back into the greater universal consciousness. Siarists don't believe in reincarnation; they believe that the spiritual energy returning to the universe will eventually be used to fill new mortal vessels. The religion became popular when Asari discovered they could meld with all species and took that as proof of their religious beliefs.

## Asari Government

Aside from their council representative, the Asari have no politicians or elections; rather they have a free-wheeling, all-inclusive legislature that citizens can participate in at will. Policy debates take place at all hours of the day, in official chat rooms and forums moderated by programmed VI. In any given debate, the Asari tend to lend the most credit to the opinions of Matriarchs.

The Asari councilors act as the Diplomatic arm of the Citadel council.

## Asari Military

The Asari Military resembles a collection of tribal warrior bands with no national structure. Each community organizes its own unit and elects a leader to command them. Units from populous cities are large and well-equipped while those from farming villages and small towns may be only a few Asari strong with small arms. There is no uniform.

Those who serve in the military are full-time professionals. The average Asari Huntress is in the maiden stage of her life and has devoted 20-30 years studying her martial arts. Asari choose to be warriors at a young age and their education from that point on reflects that choice, sharpening their mind and body.

Bioptics are a requirement to enter the Asari military, meaning that an Asari must have developed her innate biotic talents before enlisting.

Huntresses fight individually or in pairs, depending on the tactics preferred by their towns. But while fluid and mobile, Asari can't stand up in a firefight the way a Krogan, Turian, or even a Human could. Since theur units are small and typically lack heavy armor and support weapons, they are incapable of fighting conventional warfare, particularly defensively. Thus Asari units typically undertake Spec Ops missions such as ambush, infiltration, and assassinations to demoralize and defeat their enemies through intense and focused guerrilla strikes.