!! IMPORTANT NOTE !!
Species/Website is still a work in progress!
The species are currently still in development phase.
Pages that are with passwords are a work in progress.
There might be links that still don't work or are broken,
but we are gradually working on everything so they work properly.
Thank you for being patient! ♥
The species are currently still in development phase.
Pages that are with passwords are a work in progress.
There might be links that still don't work or are broken,
but we are gradually working on everything so they work properly.
Thank you for being patient! ♥
the beginnings of the ashuri species
You can find the extended and more detailed lore here: 📚 Origin & Guidebook
Long before the existence of mankind, the mythical creatures known as ASHURIS roamed the earth. They were a special species of mammal capable of shifting into a partially human form while still retaining some animal characteristics and abilities. They were a civilized, peaceful society with deep connections to the natural world and their spiritual beliefs based on nature. Their connection to nature enabled them a high affinity for magic because they were able to access and manipulate the latent mana that dwells within the earth. This affinity, coupled with their insatiable curiosity for the universe’s mysteries, meant that ashuris constantly sought to better understand and develop their magical abilities to their fullest potential.
When humans came to roam the earth alongside ashuris, they were at first able to coexist harmoniously, even enjoying the company of one another and sharing cultures. However, over time, the ashuris grew resentful of humanity due to the much longer lifespan of humans, whereas ashuris lived no longer than 40 years. Ashuris deemed themselves worthier of a longer lifespan due to their magical ability and their wealth of ancient knowledge. In order to find ways to extend their lifespan, ashuris began branching into forbidden magic, known as black magic, which often involved human experimentation and even human sacrifice to the “goddess of life”, hoping to attain immortality this way.
This quickly escalated tensions between humans and ashuris until it erupted into an all-out war during the Edo period, ending their centuries-long peaceful coexistence and bringing decades of brutal warfare. As the bloodshed persisted, the god of death “Tetru” rose to the mortal plane to punish the ashuris for their greed. He intended to wipe their existence entirely, but the goddess of life pleaded with Tetru to allow them mercy. Although she did not condone the sacrifices they made in her name, she believed they were merely misguided and still deserved a second chance.
When humans came to roam the earth alongside ashuris, they were at first able to coexist harmoniously, even enjoying the company of one another and sharing cultures. However, over time, the ashuris grew resentful of humanity due to the much longer lifespan of humans, whereas ashuris lived no longer than 40 years. Ashuris deemed themselves worthier of a longer lifespan due to their magical ability and their wealth of ancient knowledge. In order to find ways to extend their lifespan, ashuris began branching into forbidden magic, known as black magic, which often involved human experimentation and even human sacrifice to the “goddess of life”, hoping to attain immortality this way.
This quickly escalated tensions between humans and ashuris until it erupted into an all-out war during the Edo period, ending their centuries-long peaceful coexistence and bringing decades of brutal warfare. As the bloodshed persisted, the god of death “Tetru” rose to the mortal plane to punish the ashuris for their greed. He intended to wipe their existence entirely, but the goddess of life pleaded with Tetru to allow them mercy. Although she did not condone the sacrifices they made in her name, she believed they were merely misguided and still deserved a second chance.
a centuries-long punishment and a lifelong curse
Tetru decided to make a compromise; rather than eliminating them all, he would instead curse them all. By placing a curse mark on their bodies, he gave them the immortality they all so badly yearned for - but, in addition, he also banished them to his underworld to forever suffer in their new eternity. The underworld was densely populated with powerful demonic creatures that the ashuris had to fend off by themselves or else suffer a slow, painful death when the monsters ate them alive. Because they were made immortal, they could never truly die; even when their bodies were torn to shreds, they were forced to resurrect in the underworld and endure the process all over again.
The monsters were vicious, insatiable creatures beyond reason, existing simply to devour everything in sight, even one another. Ashuris could defend themselves only by using the materials available in the underworld -- broken branches and rocks from the wasteland, crafting them into primitive weapons so that they had a fighting chance against the beasts.
The ashuris endured their terrible fate in the underworld for 300 years until Tetru finally deemed they were worthy of freedom. A servant of Tetru announced that the god of death would be freeing them from his realm so that they could dwell on Earth once more.
However, life would still never be the same for the ashuris, as Tetru sent them away with a new but comparatively lighter curse:
Firstly, they would be stripped of their immortality and their already-brief lifespans would be reduced to half.
Secondly, their souls would be separated from within to be housed inside of a flame known as a “Syoran”. The Syoran became the most essential part of an ashuri’s existence. Not only did it contain the soul, but it also contained the special soul weapon that an ashuri could summon to protect themselves. By storing the soul inside of this Syoran, it meant that an ashuri could be killed only if their Syoran is destroyed.
Thirdly, in order to give them the strongest possible chance of survival, their mortal bodies would be purged of many vulnerabilities that other living creatures are normally subjected to. They would no longer have a necessity for most vital organs, meaning they had no heart that a sword could pierce through nor lungs that could fill and drown with water, as well as many other organs.
Finally, in order to regain the years of living that Tetru had seized from them, they must either fight one another to earn back years of their lifespan, or they must share their life essence with another ashuri. Regardless of the path they chose, each ashuri was granted by Tetru the ability to summon their own weapon, which they would use either to protect themselves or to fight.
The monsters were vicious, insatiable creatures beyond reason, existing simply to devour everything in sight, even one another. Ashuris could defend themselves only by using the materials available in the underworld -- broken branches and rocks from the wasteland, crafting them into primitive weapons so that they had a fighting chance against the beasts.
The ashuris endured their terrible fate in the underworld for 300 years until Tetru finally deemed they were worthy of freedom. A servant of Tetru announced that the god of death would be freeing them from his realm so that they could dwell on Earth once more.
However, life would still never be the same for the ashuris, as Tetru sent them away with a new but comparatively lighter curse:
Firstly, they would be stripped of their immortality and their already-brief lifespans would be reduced to half.
Secondly, their souls would be separated from within to be housed inside of a flame known as a “Syoran”. The Syoran became the most essential part of an ashuri’s existence. Not only did it contain the soul, but it also contained the special soul weapon that an ashuri could summon to protect themselves. By storing the soul inside of this Syoran, it meant that an ashuri could be killed only if their Syoran is destroyed.
Thirdly, in order to give them the strongest possible chance of survival, their mortal bodies would be purged of many vulnerabilities that other living creatures are normally subjected to. They would no longer have a necessity for most vital organs, meaning they had no heart that a sword could pierce through nor lungs that could fill and drown with water, as well as many other organs.
Finally, in order to regain the years of living that Tetru had seized from them, they must either fight one another to earn back years of their lifespan, or they must share their life essence with another ashuri. Regardless of the path they chose, each ashuri was granted by Tetru the ability to summon their own weapon, which they would use either to protect themselves or to fight.
developing law, cultivating order, spreading chaos
Tetru imposed one final condition: ashuris are not allowed to kill their opponents, but only fight them until they are too weak to fight back. They would then be able to absorb a portion of their weakened opponent’s life essence through the use of their hands or their weapon. This condition became what constituted an honorable battle for most ashuris, as the pleasure of fighting and instinct to survive that ran in their blood encouraged them to duel one another, but not to kill.
As such, ashuris chose to honor this law imposed by Tetru, but some were enticed by a large amount of life essence and power they could gain by killing other ashuris. Against Tetru’s will, these ashuris would attack their opponents and forcefully separate the Syoran from their tails in order to kill them and absorb their life essence and their weapon.
These merciless ashuris came to be known as Slayers. Tetru’s servants, the Oniri, also classified as Executioners, are highly skilled demon fighters from the underworld and are dispatched to the mortal realm to down these slayers. Upon capture, the slayers are taken back to a purgatorial realm in the underworld, where they are given a second chance at life only if they can survive against the powerful, monstrous creatures that lurk in purgatory’s depths. If they are successful in serving out their punishment, then they are released back to the mortal plane. If they perish in purgatory, then they will cease to exist.
Alongside the slayers and executioners, different groups of ideologies began emerging among the ashuris, and they would soon be classified into four other ranks. The Peaceful ashuris wish to live without fighting, instead opting to share their life essence among like-minded ashuris and often promote the idea of a peaceful life for ashuris, which is typically seen as an outlandish view among other ashuris. The Fighter ashuris actively seek out battle, whether out of desperation to simply survive or because they enjoy the thrill of it, but Fighters always conduct their battles without lethality. In contrast to these opposing sides are the Neutral ashuris, who neither promote peace nor fighting among their fellows for their own reasons. Finally, the Guardian ashuris voluntarily choose to protect other ashuris from those who seek to do them harm, particularly from Slayers, and are usually part of a collective of Guardian Guilds.
As such, ashuris chose to honor this law imposed by Tetru, but some were enticed by a large amount of life essence and power they could gain by killing other ashuris. Against Tetru’s will, these ashuris would attack their opponents and forcefully separate the Syoran from their tails in order to kill them and absorb their life essence and their weapon.
These merciless ashuris came to be known as Slayers. Tetru’s servants, the Oniri, also classified as Executioners, are highly skilled demon fighters from the underworld and are dispatched to the mortal realm to down these slayers. Upon capture, the slayers are taken back to a purgatorial realm in the underworld, where they are given a second chance at life only if they can survive against the powerful, monstrous creatures that lurk in purgatory’s depths. If they are successful in serving out their punishment, then they are released back to the mortal plane. If they perish in purgatory, then they will cease to exist.
Alongside the slayers and executioners, different groups of ideologies began emerging among the ashuris, and they would soon be classified into four other ranks. The Peaceful ashuris wish to live without fighting, instead opting to share their life essence among like-minded ashuris and often promote the idea of a peaceful life for ashuris, which is typically seen as an outlandish view among other ashuris. The Fighter ashuris actively seek out battle, whether out of desperation to simply survive or because they enjoy the thrill of it, but Fighters always conduct their battles without lethality. In contrast to these opposing sides are the Neutral ashuris, who neither promote peace nor fighting among their fellows for their own reasons. Finally, the Guardian ashuris voluntarily choose to protect other ashuris from those who seek to do them harm, particularly from Slayers, and are usually part of a collective of Guardian Guilds.
moving forward in the modern age
There is a variety of differing feelings and opinions among ashuris regarding their history. Some ashuris experience loathing towards their own kind, decrying the actions of their ancestors and the fighting that continues today, wishing to instead live as humans. Some experience feelings of resentment towards humans, as many still blame them for their curse. But there are also plenty of ashuris who have tried moving on from their past and are much kinder towards each other and towards humans as compared to their ancestors.
Despite some ashuris’ hatred for humans - even going out of their way to hurt humans in their rage - the curse mark that Tetru branded onto all ashuris long ago also prevents ashuris from killing any humans. Any attempt to do so will result in the curse instantly paralyzing them until a Guardian is able to escort them away and question their intentions.
To sate the ashuris’ thirst for fighting, Tetru created the “Ashuri Tournament” in which every ashuri could participate if they so desire. The matches vary between one-versus-one or team matches, and the tournament itself occurs once every red moon. Upon winning a match, the victors receive two times the amount of life essence they would normally receive when lawfully defeating an opponent. Unlike normal duels, the losing opponent does not have any of their life essence taken; all life essence is provided by Tetru himself. Tetru promised that the ashuri who wins the “Grand Tournament” will be granted one wish, between two options: to revive an ashuri that has been killed or has received a permanent purgatorial sentence or to relinquish their existence as an ashuri and instead become a human, freeing them from a lifetime of fighting.
Several centuries later, the ashuris learned to adapt and live alongside humans once more. The dark history of the ashuris is, for the most part, merely folklore to humans now, with many arguing that they have proof that ashuris still exist while others dismiss it as an old wives’ tale. Therefore, to protect the ashuri species, Tetru granted ashuris the ability to automatically glamour themselves so as to hide their animal features and make them appear completely human to the human eye. As such, only other ashuris can see one another’s true forms. And now, ashuris exist everywhere in human society, even taking on everyday jobs and happily working alongside normal humans. Not every ashuri is content to stay in peace, however…
Despite some ashuris’ hatred for humans - even going out of their way to hurt humans in their rage - the curse mark that Tetru branded onto all ashuris long ago also prevents ashuris from killing any humans. Any attempt to do so will result in the curse instantly paralyzing them until a Guardian is able to escort them away and question their intentions.
To sate the ashuris’ thirst for fighting, Tetru created the “Ashuri Tournament” in which every ashuri could participate if they so desire. The matches vary between one-versus-one or team matches, and the tournament itself occurs once every red moon. Upon winning a match, the victors receive two times the amount of life essence they would normally receive when lawfully defeating an opponent. Unlike normal duels, the losing opponent does not have any of their life essence taken; all life essence is provided by Tetru himself. Tetru promised that the ashuri who wins the “Grand Tournament” will be granted one wish, between two options: to revive an ashuri that has been killed or has received a permanent purgatorial sentence or to relinquish their existence as an ashuri and instead become a human, freeing them from a lifetime of fighting.
Several centuries later, the ashuris learned to adapt and live alongside humans once more. The dark history of the ashuris is, for the most part, merely folklore to humans now, with many arguing that they have proof that ashuris still exist while others dismiss it as an old wives’ tale. Therefore, to protect the ashuri species, Tetru granted ashuris the ability to automatically glamour themselves so as to hide their animal features and make them appear completely human to the human eye. As such, only other ashuris can see one another’s true forms. And now, ashuris exist everywhere in human society, even taking on everyday jobs and happily working alongside normal humans. Not every ashuri is content to stay in peace, however…
— Lore revised and edited by Shibacom ♥