Asren-Asheir

"An interesting people, the Asren-Asheir. You don't look at them or their lifestyles, and think that they're a particularly philosophical or deep species, and then you talk to them for a few hours, and you realize that they have an understanding of the universe that makes you think. I suppose it says something about their history, and how much it affects them to this day. "

The Asren-Asheir are a humanoid avian species native to the tropical planet of Lazenteiyre, located in the Verpletter region of Via Aylathiya. They are members of the Commune Federation, and were one of the Federation's original founding members.

Despite appearing to be a very calm and non-confrontational species, the Asren-Asheir have historically been an intensely confrontational and savage people, exceptionally concerned with petty issues such as the color of one's feathers. This is a great point of shame for the species, and it is one that they have sought to learn from in as deep a manner as possible. This has given them a very passive 'live and let live' attitude towards general differences. They have been noted for their in depth considerations into philosophy, which they consider to be a cornerstone of their society, having developed a great deal of respect for the philosophical considerations of both their actions, their place in the universe, the Federation, and their own history.

As a founding member of the Commune Federation, the Asren-Asheir are well respected throughout the nation. In spite of their generally relaxed culture on their homeworld, they are still very capable of fighting ferociously, seeking to defend the Federation from the acts of those who still maintain their barbarism that defined their society not long ago.

Appearance and Biology

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An Asren-Asheir, launching an aerial attack

The Asren-Asheir are a humanoid avian species. They have hard beaks, which they are able to use to break open many types of hard plant matter such as nuts, fruits, and even trees. Additionally, the beaks resist the stings of insects, making this chief food source easy to devour. Originally an exclusively insectivorous species, they since diversified to include many types of plants in their diets.

In place of arms, they have wings, which allow them to fly if they so choose to use them. Their bones are quite hollow and can easily break, but is what allows them to fly. They do not possess hands or fingers of any sort. Instead, for their handling of technology and other hand-based things in other species, they use their highly dexterous talons to manipulate objects. This is particularly useful while flying.

They have a wide range of colorful feathers. These feathers cover their entire bodies, and in the past, related primarily to a series of archipelagos. Asren-Asheir from different series of islands would have differently coloured feathers. These feathers range from reflecting primarily in the ultraviolet to near infrared.

History

Asren-Asheir history is often simplified into two sections: their time before the Commune Federation, and their time after joining the Federation.

Before the Commune Federation

Before the arrival of the Commune Federation, the Asren-Asheir were confined to the thousands of islands that make up their tropical world. They evolved to adapt to the various conditions of their various islands, including developing various colors of feathers. They would form various communities, which they would refer to as Tasasats. Tasasat is the same word they use for non-intelligent groups of avians, hence its most common translation, "flock."

The interactions between various islands, and the discovery of various Tasasats who had different patterns of wings and feather colours led to many to see other Tasasats as some sort of alien creature. The general attitude was immediate xenophobia despite only small differences between Tasasats. While there were many peaceful Tasasats, they were by far the minority. Hostilities began as soon as contact did and many Asren-Asheir were wiped out.

This led to a period which the Asren-Asheir call the "Tasasat T'kanza" - roughly translating as the "Tasasat Conflicts". This period of three hundred years, starting immediately after inter-island travel became practical with better boat designs, is defined by hundreds of subsequent genocides taking place on their homeworld. Much of this period was defined by, in addition to its brutality, a complete technological stagnation. Much of the fighting was done using very basic tools such as spears, swords, and axes.

The end of the Tasasat Conflicts came from the Yuutak'Xaneski archipelago, where various Tasasats had been fighting for control over the territory. At one point, however, the conflict stopped, and the various Tasasats stopped fighting for a few days to celebrate the Passing of the Comet, one which passes by Lazenteiyre every few decades. During this period of peace, the various Tasasats interacted with one another, in some cases even exchanging gifts. When they were scheduled to fight again, many of the Tasatats simply refused, and turned against their commanding officers who ordered them to fight. Together, these Tasasats formed the 'Republic of the Tasasats', a nation where all Asren-Asheir from any Tasasat were welcome.

Though slow to expand, it soon became a global power, and began to radically change the many outlooks that the Asren-Asheir had towards one another. The nation focused on politics, science, historical understanding, and philosophy among its educational lines. This led to a great number of the Asren-Asheir seeing the Tasasats and their conflicts as increasingly pointless. Eventually, the prejudice based on the colour of feathers was more or less obliterated within the Asren-Asheir population. Various fields of study began, and technological progress also began to increase at rapid rates. Philosophical minds began to preach the concept of Xanan'Xaxan - a philosophy based around providing material goods to as many living beings as possible. This would set the stage for the future of Asren-Asheir society.

Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Humans arrived at Lazenteiyre. Having eliminated all their social prejudices, the world was now a tropical paradise. The Asren-Asheir welcomed the Humans to their world, and became close trade partners with them. Many would travel to worlds such as Marx and Engels, and would see the society that Humans had built for themselves. They were also introduced to species like the Oswaihr, whom they also became close allies with, despite their many cultural differences. They were one of the founding members of the Commune Federation, which many of their most esteemed philosophers were in favor of.

After the Commune Federation

After forming and becoming a member of the Federation, the Asren-Asheir sought to expand their influence and reach throughout Verpletter, beginning a series of colonization efforts. They would colonize their home system, as well as bring in at least a dozen more solar systems near them into the Federation by settling them too.

However, where they truly excelled was within the internal structure of the Federation. They became well respected philosophers and political theorists, using their wealth of knowledge and history that they brought from their home-world to contribute to the method of thought within the Commune Federation. Many took to spreading various philosophical texts throughout the Federation, and giving seminars about the various philosophical fields of thought. They became well known and well respected throughout the Federation for their contributions to the field of thought.

They would also contribute to the arts of the Federation, with a great many artistic exports coming from the world, such as books, plays, and other such media. Many murals came from the world, with a great number of people also opting to visit their home world to learn from their philosophical schools of thought, and artisan schools.

After the approval of the Casorians into the Federation, the Asren-Asheir became something of a rival towards the ocean-bound species, constantly seeking to contribute more and more work to the Federation. While this is not done in malice, many do think that were it not for them both being allies and members of the Federation, the two would actively despise one another.

Culture

Asren-Asheir culture is, like many species, very diverse, and dependent on where they are located. Their species shares no unified culture, even on their homeworld of Lazenteiyre, with each island having its own various customs and unique flavor. There are some general values and tendencies that the Asren-Asheir seem to hold however, which is present within nearly all of their settlements.

Relaxed Attitudes

The Asren-Asheir are noted for being a particularly calm people, often giving the impression of being eternally laid back and relaxed, even in stressful situations. There have been many reports of life-or-death situations that provoked panic in other species, but that the Asren-Asheir reacted calmly in.

This does not make them emotionless; they are simply predisposed to calmness. As the only megafauna on their homeworld, they lived free of predators and thus have only maintained a small fear response. While they embrace the pleasant side of life, in the face of the dark sides of it, they seem to be very calm.

Philosophy

The Asren-Asheir are noteworthy for their incredible aptitude in the realms of philosophy. There have been thousands of great Asren-Asheir philosophers throughout their own history, and throughout their history as members of the Commune Federation. Many educational institutions teach Asren-Asheir philosophy within the Federation, seeing it as an incredibly valuable subject.

The primary philosophy of the Asren-Asheir is called Xanan'Xaxan, which is a concept similar to that of the philosophy of utilitarianism. They seek to create the maximum positive utility for as many sentient beings as possible. This seems to be a cornerstone of their society.