Askia

The most dispirit and least unified population in the Skies, the Askia were the first travelers of the Fractured Age, and did so long before the invention of Sky Ships. It is not known from which island or Jagged Belt this ethnicity originated, as the written records were not kept, and populations quickly splintered and settled different locations across the known world.
Asksia seem to be the people who adapted fastest to the new world order, both culturally and physically. Many Askian storytellers posit that the races of the Serpent Riders and Akoran developed within the space of a single generation, allowing both to easily traverse their new environments. While the Akoran could use their own wings to explore the skies, the Serpent Riders relied on their unique connection with the Sky Serpent to travel between islands and Jagged Belts.
Most Askia exist in small communities, some nomadic, and others created more permanent settlements. Small populations even exist as minorities on islands such as Skyhome and Dovin, Minor. The greatest known settlement of Askia are found on Yorvo's Blades, a Jagged Belt.
Askian cultures are noticeably disparate in terms of wealth. Some exist as nomadic traders who move along the different trade lines that connect islands, others are poor scavengers who rely on piracy to survive, while others still are extravagantly wealthy due to the exploitation of their Source Crystals as well as other resources unique to their island.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

All Askia speak Auran, the language of the wind. Cultural drift has caused many unique dialects to form, particularly among those settlements that are either extremely isolated or those which frequently interact with other cultures, but most Askia can mostly still understand each other.

Culture and cultural heritage

Askian history is not written, rather it is passed down by oral storytelling. Storytellers memorize hundreds, if not thousands of tales which are unique to each different Askian settlement and subculture. All knowledge is passed in this way, as the written word is rejected by many Askia as something incomparable with their understanding of language.

Shared customary codes and values

Askian culture is as fractured as its population, spit into disparate factions with competing interests, allegiances, and belief systems. Still, there is connective tissue in shared cultural ideals which permeate Askian societies. Generally, Askians prize freedom and autonomy. Whether this manifests as freedom of movement, personal liberty, or the ability to do as one wishes without consequence varies from Askian to Askian. Likewise, whether this love of liberty extends to other peoples across the skies is also a point of division in Askian culture, as some tribes of Serpent Riders raid other islands and take their residents as slaves.

Art & Architecture

Askia art focuses on sound and movement. Dance is paired with song, buildings are designed so that the air whistles as it moves through them, and chimes are everywhere.

Common Taboos

The murder of another Askia is the greatest sin imaginable in Askian culture. Life is considered the ultimate expression of freedom, and so to deprive a fellow Askia of that life is tantamount to clipping their wings. Being found guilty of murder results in expulsion, shaming, and rejection by not only their immediate community, but by every Askia in the fractured skies. Those found guilty are branded with the mark of a bird or serpent's skull on their face, as to make them easily identifiable.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Askian beauty standards skew towards the lithe, the willowy, and the tall. Ornamentation and status symbols are seen as attractive, such as fine clothes, jewelry, and particularly golden finery.

Encompassed species

• Akoran
• Serpent Riders