Asegai

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Description

The Asegai, or Maw Walker as it is referred to as, is a creature measuring roughly two meters in height, the body consisting of a semi-amorphous cadaver grey surface dotted with purple vein like patterns, which is due to their naturally purple blood, the skin is additionally mildly wrinkled and covered with a thin layer of hydrating mucus. The Asegai, while devoid for conventional arms or features save for legs, which for the whole are near smooth and featureless, it houses the ability to shape and form itself into forms which it would deem 'acceptable' for survival. The creature itself internally however, contains no bones, instead housing sacks of sorts, which can be pumped or inflated with fluids to give density, or rather, collapsible and removable pseudo-bones which allow for easily manipulated body structures of varying length and features. This is highly apparent in the creature's ability seemingly produce limbs out of what seems to be the skin layer, the truth being that beneath the skin are large coils of muscles and fluid bone sacks which allow the Asegai to form limbs of varying length and complexity over any surface of its body.

Additionally, internally the Asegai has what would be able to expect for respiratory organs, however, instead of what one might expect, it has three lungs, two dedicated to breathing air, one dedicated to the propulsion whilst underwater, being able to intake water and exhale it at high speed in order to function as a sort of water jet propulsion. In combination to the lungs, the creature has the ability to breathe through the skin, similar in fact to that of an amphibian.

Whilst lacking any notable features that one would class as eyes or other sensory organs, the Asegai does have such organs in the form of small sensory glands all over the surface of the body, protected by the previously noted mucus layer. These sensory glands can be easily muffled through being covered by cloth or metals. The glands additionally offer a form of natural camouflage and color mimicking, being able to blend extremely well in with the surrounding area, to the point of near invisibility. This camouflage ability in combination with their ability to shift their form allow the Asegai to form themselves and shape themselves into near perfect replicas of creatures or people they have in their memories, the hair being produced from near needle thin muscle pulses which simulate hair, the truth being that the hair however, is little more than colored skin protrusions willed on by the Asegai.

One notable and dangerous feature about the mouth of the Maw Walker, the 'mouth' begins at where the nose would be on the 'head', finishing around where the navel would be on a human equivalent, the opening being able to stretch and open wide enough to swallow and consume close to anything within reason. The stomach inside housing a multitude of tentacles, typically eight in number. These are roughly equal in strength to that of the average human. The tentacles in question typically attempt to restrain, disarm and strangle their prey as it is pulled inside, at which point the 'mouth' seals behind them and digestion begins.

For natural defensive abilities, the Asegai have their internal muscular coils, which can be extended and retracted at high speed in what can only be described as a barrage of sorts, the blows easily faster than the average eye can track, the range up to a maximum 'stretch' distance of around two meters. However, one flaw with this seems to be that those close to the maw walkers (physically) are often safer than those further away when it comes to these high speed blows, the theory being similar to that of a cow kicking when it comes to avoidance.

Oddly enough, Asegai are similar in genetic nature to Syrien. This may be due to a common ancestor, however it's unclear what would cause such a dramatic deviation.

Distribution

The Asegai can be found anywhere that there is a feast to be held, although they are not often seen far from their massive tomb-cities where they and their enslaved Syrien dwell. To those scant few who recall the Asegai, to venture into one of their cities is an inevitable death sentence. They are often rarely seen on land, but never in their natural forms. Instead they walk disguised among Aversia's newcomers, learning how to best launch their inevitable war of reclamation.

Habitat

Native to the dark depths of the central ocean, the Asegai are not a race frequent to the land of the world. Instead, these abyssal folk dwell within the darkest reaches of the ocean where not even Syrien dare tread. Less like their Syrien cousins, these creatures do not dwell in scattered locales. Instead, the majority of them dwell within their massive tomb city, endlessly forcing their slaves to raise their homes and tombs ever higher.

Diet

While the Asegai are capable of eating any living creature, they particularly favor the taste of sentient species. It is in fact vital to them and their sentience that they continue to feast upon intelligent races with depressing regularity. Much of their wisdom is only sustained by consuming the minds, thoughts, and personalities of any creature that have them. That does not mean, however, that they are entirely forced on to such a diet. They are unique in their ability to consume almost any living thing and endure off of its flesh.

Relations

An Asegai is content in its own perceived racial superiority, and it does not view any other race as anything but a servant. They legitimately believe themselves to be superior, the rightful rulers of the world, and nothing so far about their physiology has done anything to discredit their faith in their inherent superiority. So intent on their own capability to eventually outsmart any obstacle in their life, the race scorns the worship of the gods. They consider it nothing more than a temporary fallacy on the behalf of the infinitely more foolish younger races.

Mechanics

• The creatures have natural camouflage abilities which near rival that of invisibility.
• The creatures lack eyes, instead the surface of the creature has heat sensing glands along the extremities of the body.
• No bones, only muscles and liquid bone sacks.
• Mouth stretches from torso to 'head'
• Body is able to form pseudo limbs which are articulate enough to be viable as limbs, the pseudo limbs are sort of stretched out of the skin due to muscles and internal manipulation.
• Oily mucus coated skin, semi-permeable and can breath through the skin, amphibian style.
• Ability to rapidly uncoil and recoil their muscle coil to pummel at extremely high velocities.
• The mouth, which goes directly to their stomach, has four to eight tendrils within it that emerge outwards to either strangle, restrain, or disarm. They aren't strong enough to lift anything but a dagger.
• The creature senses through tiny sensory glands embedded throughout its skin that detect light, allowing it crude, but imperfect all-around image. Clothing impairs this. These glands remain while it 'shifts.'
• Asegai have three lungs. Two are organs used for underwater breathing and living, the third serves as a functional lung on land.

Material Properties

• The skin of an Asegai can be used as an extreme adhesive much like present day duct-tape, both waterproof and extremely strong for temporary repairs.

Alchemical Properties

• The Asegai, while lacking in most functions one might typically use, their tentacles from inside the stomach or 'food sack' have properties which make them desired by alchemists, the tentacles in question having an unusually high osmosis content, meaning they extract liquid water from liquids, meaning one could, if successfully harvested, use them to reduce liquids and purify them of their water content, thus concentrating the alchemical.
• The purple blood of an Aesgai can be used to alchemically create water breathing and water pressure-immunity potions when mixed with other ingredients.

The World of Aethius • The Multiverse of Aethier