Okay, might as well leave the usual lore tidbit here. This one is about the peoples that inhabit the country of Asmia.
Today's lore tidbit: The Asmians
Common Ethnic Traits
- Hair Color: Any Pastel Colors
- Eye Colors: Green, Blue, Yellow
- Complexion: Light skin, burns easily, rarely tans.
- Height Average: Asmians stand shorter than most other human races, with full grown adult males standing at about 165.6 cm (5 ft 5 in) and females at around 147 cm (4 ft 10 in). Taller Asmians exist, but are rare.
- Youthful Appearance: Asmians age about 2/3rds the rate of a half elf, and thus tend to keep their youthful traits well into their adulthood.
- Intuitive Magical Affinity: Asmians are said to be able to use magic as naturally as the high elves do.
- Potential Sorcerer Bloodlines: Arcane, Celestial, Elemental (Any), Esmari, Fey
Synopsis:
When the kingdoms of Falamore united under one high king, there was one magocratic society who wanted no part of the world beyond their lands. When the surrounding territories sought to push Asmia out of their self isolation from the outside world, they responded with one very clear and self exclamatory message. Around the entire reaches of the small country’s lands, a massive barrier was erected to keep the meddling mundane folks out. And for several generations, life inside that barrier was a complete mystery to the outside world. The Asmians had successfully escaped the world, bringing their entire country with them as they secured a safe place in the realm between realms. The world of the fey. Generation after generation, the longterm exposure to the timeless and dreamlike energies of the fairy world they dwelled in had conditioned the humans of Asmia, altering them, both mentally and physically. Life was but a poetic song in the fantasia. One that they thought would never end. Then one day, it did. To the surprise of the former neighboring kingdoms, one day without warning or reason, the barrier disappeared. And the inhabitants from within emerged. Brightly saturated eyes and unnaturally vibrant hair colors. Uncanny youthfulness and beauty. Were it not for their rounded ears and slightly shortened statures, the people who interacted with the returning Asmians would have thought them to be elves. The changed Asmians didn’t seem to share the disdain for the mundane mortals that their ancestors did. A life where many didn’t have access to magic? This fascinated them. And it didn’t take long before Asmians began to spill into the world. Not as conquerers or refugees, but as explorers, adventurers, scholars, anthropologists. They wanted to study this world and its people. For you see, the Asmians had lost part of their history in the world of the fey. The lore of the world they came from.
As a more magical human race than most, Asmians age a little differently than humans. Though their adolescence is not extended, their aging seems to slow somewhere in the early twenties, resulting in their youthful appearance, as well as their lifespans lasting longer than that of a normal human. Of course they are easily mistaken for younger than humans of most races, due to their short statures and soft, healthy skin, which seems to always retain its moisture, even in the driest of conditions. Asmians have a childlike nature in their demeanor. They seem to romanticize the world around them more than most humans. And they typically carry themselves almost as if they are living in a dreamlike state, drifting from one experience to the next. They are by nature an affable sort, making friends about as easily as the Mezzoramians. However, while not prone to boredom as easily as most mortals, their love for excitement tends to land them quite a few enemies as well. Asmians don't view certain things quite as personally as their victims in pranks might. They also aren't known to feel the weight of life as much as most mortals, including their own. Though this does not mean they can't form deeply empathic bonds with others. Most good Asmians find themselves more drawn to the happiness of an individual rather than living their life based on platitudes. As such, Asmians take life's problems as they come, choosing to let the little problems sort themselves out, while they find something more worth their attention. They may be less conscious of some of the minor gripes they cause, but good aligned Asmians tend to be able to read what people really want as opposed to the frivolous things they think they desire. Asmians are observed to be rather nosy, often breaking into the mundane lives of those around them in hopes of finding something emotionally inspiring to sink their minds into. They are just as comfortable living life vicariously through other people as they are being the one with the rapier in hand, gracefully swaying from the ropes, and springing onto unsuspecting pirates. Though despite this, they aren’t easy to deceive or to manipulate. For their time in the fey world has led to the Asmians to be weary of tricks, illusions, pranks, and bargains that only seem fair on the surface.
Introverted Asmians are not as common as they tend to draw their energy from the exciting world around them. But they certainly do exist. After all even the most extraverted Asmians may see the appeal toward the beauty they can find within their own souls. The world of their imaginations is perhaps more familiar to them. It’s just that most Asmians choose to bring as much of that world out into the real world as possible. For example, Asmian males and females are more often than not pushing the boundaries of fashion. Were a modern adventurer to travel back even a week before they returned to the mortal world, they may be shocked at just how conservative everyone's manner of dress was, or how scandalous their own outfit might be considered. This is all thanks to the many changes influential Asmians have had. Asmians are actually a minority race in comparison to the other Estelonian races. After all, they've only been around for about three hundred years, and due to their 120 average yearly lifespan, they tend to space out their reproduction with their mates. And speaking of which, due to their magical aptitude, Asmians are often idealized and sought after by noble families with magic bloodlines who are seeking to stock pile power. Asmians lured by such arrangements by choice are often quick to take high positions in such families, and are treated with value in magical courtly society. But Asmians are very stubbornly protective of their right to choose whether or not they will allow themselves to be constrained, even among the more lawful Asmians. They are prospectors by nature. And an Asmian will only allow his/herself to settle in when they are sure they have found their place in life. This perhaps is the reason why so many are drawn to the life of an adventurer.
