Asuan (As-wan)
The Asuan people are a bipedal boar-like race of intelligent mammals, not to be confused with the distant pair of Boarian and Skonort races from Taomika. They originated on a mostly water and earthen world of Plokahn, initially living in half-burrowed den houses in early days. They were scavengers that burrowed some ways into safety, but would still move out on land, eating on berries, foliage, mushrooms, and even carrion. Their wide pallet developed into a system that allowed them to even ingest heavy, raw toxic plants, and unusual fibers. However evolving quickly as a society, they formed strong guilds and special trade unions, which eventually leveraged them up into space from a heavy marketing and worker force set of ideals, surpassing much sense of government order and laws. The OA classifies them as a Comet on the CDAM system, having seen each of their two major factions warp around and arrange intelligent and peaceful dealings.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Bipedal boar-like people. They have elongated snouts ending in large pig-like nostrils. They lack true tusks of a large and swirling formation, however they do have large semi-dull lower teeth that grow out a little ways through the bottom jaw, but often stop short of passing over even the bridge of their snout. These two teeth are called tusks in a loose and broad sense, but their species more often refers to them as 'wind-bites'. Their fur most often grows short, in colors of brown, red, gray, off-orange, charcoal, and in rare cases more of a peach or blond. Fur tends to be mid-short, with a longer coarser side growing from the head, down to the end of the spine. Some groups grow extra scruff around the neck, and chest as well in colder climates, and males tend to shed and change a bit of their coats through seasons more than females. Tails are long and thin, ending in a bushy tuft. Internally, they also possess a distinct extra lung to hold and expel gasses based on their potentially toxic diet, as a defense mechanism.
Males are more distinguished by often having slightly bigger wind-bites, modestly shorter ears, bigger shoulders, and a short horn along their snouts. Their fur colors are often more solid in tone, but can possess patterns at an inconsistent or changing (molting) rate. Females more often have slightly larger ears, less burly shoulders, a bit more curvy, and possess more lasting fur patterns that can often have spots/freckles or simpler back-stripes. Between the two, there is no larger average size differences in height.
Genetics and Reproduction
Typically give birth to one piglet over a 7 month gestation, but twins and triplets aren't exactly rare. Young are actually born quite large (17% larger than an average human infant), but grow a bit slow and are blind and very short-haired for their first week.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Asuan are strong omnivores with a vegetarian bias. Many have a diet of 70% veggie, grain, or fiber matter. However most will still eat meat, or at least byproducts like eggs or dairy, and most even carry enzymes to ingest raw and half-rotting carrion if desperate. They have a long history of trying so many different minor bacterial and toxic substances, that they have actually developed an immunity to several poisons. and can expel or belch up fumes that may harm other races.
They have a strong historic bias in potatoes, foliage, eggs, and oddly enough, pork in the form of a giant feral swine creature known as an Oynk. Some of their favorite drinks include grains like whiskey, and ale, but they've also done 'grain water', cider, juices, and recently have a strong love of hot chocolate from foreign trade. However a recent heavy uptake of Nugget's Queen and Vyllkard meat has also taken hold because of outside associations. Much of the population now consumes copious amounts of fast food fries, lard shakes, and occasionally nuggets. Asuan are such big fans of NQ though that the local menu has altered to include things like special corn mixes, cheesy hashbrowns, and oynk burgers.
Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
A variety of exploits is possible to be observed. As a porkish race, they do tend to be found on the meat market. However they're more difficult to process with toxic lung and liver organs, but bacon & excess grease, chopped pork, ham/leg, etc are still valued parts. However they've been somewhat aware of their own market interest to mixed effect. Some profiteer off selling the naturally deceased or enemies in desperate and high priced trade, while others deflect from their meat properties entirely by heavily incentivizing vyllk or substitute meats from their domestic markets.
In other avenues, there's been rare cases of cheap labor slaves, and skinning Asuan for pelts, horns, or even 'good luck' ears or odd hoof or teeth collections.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Growing up with a half-subterranean past, they have honed in on an acute sense of smell, and keen hearing. Their sight is fine, but not as sharp as their smell. As a result, despite the stereotypes, they are actually a very clean and hygienic creature that detests bad odors or unclean species in a social environment.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
Kahnis Justice Union:
The KJU is the "legal" front of the Asuans. They try to hold justice and law over the Kahnis solar system and pretend to represent all of their race, even if it has mixed results. They are the professional face, and the lawmakers on the planet of Plokahn itself. However they are a slow and somewhat inept force. They wish peace, but are violent rivals with the Confederacy of their own people, and sometimes host prudish or condescending opinions against other federation groups or systems like The Vanguards.
Liberation Cosmos Confederacy:
The LCC was the long-term result of guilds and trade unions going awry after so much progress. Once space-faring, their companies suffered difficulties with organization, and found the government trying to spar with them. In the end, a reformation happened where various colonies and people claimed they could operate better in ignoring the governmental entity merging on Plokahn. The unions mostly fell apart from their main duties, but became somewhat of a secondary government option off-world that some seek as a hub to discuss ideals, seek help, or odd sponsoring. Yet there is a lack of serious regulation, and some of the groups outright fell into crime while still wearing the mask of 'just a sovereign organization doing its own business'. The LCC hosts both freedom groups and an innovative history, but also now shelters space pirates, black market dealers, and generally holds a sense of rebellion against the Plokahn world union.
Relationship Ideals
Partners is heavily defined in a legal sense, but treated very open in a pragmatic state. Asuans live in an odd sort of paradox common in their kind, where they are largely and legally monogamous in disclosed status. A couple will bond, and live together with a household name as a pair, legally recognized, taxed, and given a legacy under that shared union. However its very common after mating that the pair is actually open to other relations, and very common for asuans to seek out others married pairs for affairs, yet its all accepted under the pretense they still come home and have a good standing with their married partner. Females may have another set of children that technically came from elsewhere, but its held under her family name, giving importance to a father's first-born son as the most genuine to carry his legacy.
Its been long standard to a point this seemingly 'cheating' behavior is actually just welcome for all to participate in, and in return has some odd effects of making their people seem very hospitable and welcoming - sometimes because they were just sleeping with their guests, and won't exactly seem boastful of it, so they seem impeccably gleeful around everyone. Likewise a male accepting household offspring that isn't his own, while impregnating another female living elsewhere, they tend to hold a sense of respect for all children with the desire their own less seen kin are being treated the same dignity. By contrast, the grave taboos follow in the wake of behavior and spite in a couple. If a couple loses their joy and companionship, or even dare to ask for a divorce, its considered a large mark of shame and upset to an Asuan's pride.
Common Dress Code
Quite adaptive and fairly standard in many situations. Will be seen wearing cloth, silk, and some wealthier may possess access to smart-gear and augmented accessories. Most tend to be more modest though, and even within armed forces, its more rare to find those in expensive heavy equipment like power armor - however their militaries do make 'Walker tank' mech suits in place of a heavy infantry format. Females very rarely wear jewelry and are discouraged, and its perceived as more of a masculine thing they find disagreeable with some other races. Leather is a bit rare, as they favor more of a native grown mushroom material that has long been a craft alongside their culture, but in practice its mostly identical in form to good leather.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Vyllk: Once trade was made, they heavily invited vyllks in. In a short time, Asuan decided between friendliness and meat industry, they wanted to help overproduce vyllk meat to sell instead of having their own bacon on the line. Vyllks are essentially second-rate citizens common on Plokahn now, and incentivized to eat fattening foods at half price. Their usual customs in stuff like Color-dancing is less popular, but they've still found some service in local television entertainment and similar sectors.
Tikerins: Numerous tikerins accept trade across either group, and may have had some positive associations within some of their colonized societies and worlds.
OA / ERA / SSE: Tend to be distrusting, and wary of them. Not entirely shut-off, but given the piracy, shady dealers, and more casual civil conflict, these unions tend to look down upon the Asuans. Asuans also
Lifespan
85 Years
Average Height
1.6m (Often varies as far as 1.3 - 2m)
Average Physique
Somewhat limber and hardy athletes for a swine race, but still easier for the common to plump-up
Related Organizations
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