Azrais

00:57, April 30, 2010 (UTC)Spirit hastings

"[Azrais] remember everything no matter how recent or long ago. I distinctly remember my childhood starting at my first birthday." -Austin on Azrais

The Azrais are a humanoid species native to the planet Azrais Prime, located in the star system Balatir, a red giant. They are a very militant empire, with over 5000 types of starships, and over 640 planets in their empire, known as the Great Estain. They have been in a war with almost every alien species within 500 light years of their main star system, including the Silerians, Ilganians, and the Alto-Moreignis. Even though they've been in so many wars, they also have the biggest exploration project in the known galaxy, even more than the Ilganians.

Physiology
Azrais resemble humans in appearance, but inside they are a much more complex creature. Azrais have two hearts, one used as a back up in case of injury of the other. This second heart is located in roughly the same position as a human appendix would be located. Azrais also have three lungs. The third lung is much smaller than the other two, and located next to the prime heart in the cardiac notch. Along with this, the vertebrae of Azrais is much thicker than a humans, providing better protection to the spinal cord. Azrais also have more blood vessels throughout their body, but they are on average smaller than the biggest blood vessels in a human body. The last defining internal Azrais characteristic is their white blood. This is because it isn't iron based, but lontarin based (a rare element found in Balatir and its nearby systems).

Azrais display a wide range of skin colors, from the palest of cream to the darkest of brown. Some Azrais, though rare to find, are born with a slight purple tint to their skin. These Azrais are sometimes referred to jokingly as "Ilzrais", alluding to the Ilganians and their dark violet skin. The most common skin color among Azrais, however, ranges in the dark tan, to light tan. As Azrais are reproducing with other species, the genetic variation for skin color is increasing greatly. For example, one Azrais-Vierndil displayed torquoise skin.

Azrais women gestate for 7 months. The side effects of being pregnant, however, are not like human effects. Azrais women seem to experience: frequent bloody noses, growing pain-like feelings in their limbs, cold hands and feet, and dry eyes. One woman was said to have gotten ten bloody noses in one day. There are also include a few rare side effects that include: temporary fits of blindness, lack of taste buds, and short-term memory loss. If an alien were to have a hybrid Azrais baby, for example, a human-Azrais hybrid, she would only gestate for 7 months, even though she is a human, because Azrais babies don't need the extra two months to grow, even in a human body.

Azrais have a lifespan of about 150 years. The oldest on record was 182, but the woman was barely breathing for the last 10 years of her life. Doctors have discovered it is dangerous to go beyond 165 years, as it wears on the body exponentially and causes horrible pain for as long as the individual is still alive. Though many people oppose using the drug anepta (like lethal injection, in a way) when they reach the age of 165 or higher, doctors still recommend it, and people still use it as not to live a life of excessive pain.

Probably the most distinguishing feature of the Azrais is their violet eyes. Each person has their own specific shade, whether it's a little on the lavender side, has a little blue or pink in it, or if it is really dark. There is quiet a large variety of different colors. Sometimes you will meet a person with the same shade as yourself, but generally the shades are all different, even if off by only a few shades.

Early History
The Azrais civilization evolved around the time of Earth's creation. Though the people in the beginning were highly barbaric and primitive, they evolved much quicker than humans did, as they learned to use their empathic powers as a way to connect more easily with people, creating peace earlier on. In only about a thousand years after the first Azrais, the peoples of Azrais Prime has created a vast empire across the large continent of Estain. Their next boundary to overcome was the ocean. For about one hundred years progress was stalled until the first wooden boat able to cross the treacherous ocean was built. This opened up new opportunities for colonization, followed quickly by trade, and the ability to get more raw materials that perhaps did not exist as abundantly on Estain, or even materials that did not exist at all on Estain. This was quickly found to be so, as were a few primitive tribes of Azrais found on the other continents. They quickly joined into the empire and helped found multiple colonies by supplying their own people that were already there. That didn't stop people from Estain from sailing over and creating a home there, however.

The Azrais developed the steam engine about 200 years sooner than Earth did. This allowed them to industrialize. It started in Estain and then spread to all of its colonies. Soon, better ships were being built, ships made of various metals. A few years after the invention of metal boats, no boats still had wood in them. After this invention, the Azrais wanted to try a more ambitious project: space travel.

Space Travel
For a long time, the Azrais had looked up to the sky and named constellations, just like humans had. They wondered what it was like to soar through space and be able to meet those constellations face to face. After the invention of the metal boat, this dream was not far off. The entire population of Azrais Prime dedicated themselves to the construction of a space program, clearing as much as space, using as many people, and spending as much money as was necessary to make it a reality. First, scientists studied nuclear fusion, hoping they could find a source that way. However, that was not the answer. About 50 years later, the scientists finally found a device that could allow a ship to travel faster than time by "bending" and "contracting" space. The first space shuttle was launched 5 years after the discovery, holding the two Azrais who would become heroes to the Azrais population; their names were Angaki Lopa, a direct descendent of the first Azrais king of Estain, and Urulu Bolinarilsu, a scientist who had aided in the discovery of the "bent space" project. They reached one of Azrais Prime's seven moons, called Nearda while the rest of the world was watching.

After this amazing feat, many more shuttles were launched, each one better than the one preceeding it. Soon, the Azrais were building their very first starships, and all this was happening while Earth was just discovering the steam engine. When the first spaceship, the NAS Nargotha, was completed, the peoples of Azrais Prime decided it was time to create a stronger, more united world government. This was the beginning of the Great Estain--the Great Estain as referring to the Azrais Empire, the Great Estain as referring to the capital city of Azrais Prime, and the Great Estain as referring to the council of leaders who aided the First Orinn, Jagudi Smetz.

Ilganian War
The first race to meet the Azrais in space were the Ilganians. They didn't hit it off very well, and the Ilganian warship ended up destroying the NAS Nargotha. When the Great Estain found out, they were outraged and declared war on the Ilganians although they knew that their firepower was considerably inferior to that of the Ilganians. Taxes were raised, but the Azrais people didn't mind in this instance. The money was all put for making a space fleet, and for upgrading those warships. In its entirety, the money was equal to about 58.4 trillion American dollars. The fleet was completed in 6 weeks, and consisted of 80,000 upgraded warships. Though the firepower was still inferior, the number gave the Azrais the upper hand. The Ilganian fleet was crushed within 3 months, and they surrendered, calling a meeting to talk with the First Orinn about a peace treaty, and a possible alliance. The meeting went well, the peace treaty was signed, and the two races did indeed become allies.

Silerian War
The war with the Silerians has been going on since five years after the end of the Ilganian War. It started when Azrais started to colonize on Silerian planets. The Azrais apologized for the mistake, but the Silerians never forgave them. For many, many years they have been fighting on and off. Neither race is ready to back down. The Silerians are bent on completely destroying the Azrais, but since the Azrais have such strong allies, and many of them, the Silerians will probably never get their chance. Still, they try to do as much harm as they can do without going full force on any particular place.

Government
The location of the Great Estain (empire) is on the largest continent of Estain, in the capital city of Great Estain, where the Great Estain (council) meets and discusses many economic, social, political, and military issues, most concerning improved space travel and funding for the exploration program. The Great Estain (council) is made up of 12 orinns, or counsilors. The lower the number, the higher the rank. The first three orinns are sometimes blended into one individual called the "Head". When there is a decision to be made, they have the final say.

Religion
The Azrais were a deeply spiritual people until the tragedy of Hennenshau, when Seivois, almost like their religious members of the community, betrayed the Azrais when they destroyed an entire Azrais populated city on Earth without any good reason. Since then, the Seivois have been looked upon as nasty, filthy, and evil.

The Azrais, like humans, have a concept of a God, naming him Letora, and also of a Satan, naming him Tuvu (sometimes getting mixed up with the word "Tavu", the second day of the Azrais week, by aliens.) In addition, they have a heaven and a hell, called Aeraen (heaven) and Escu (Hell). Most Azrais believe that they will either go to Aeraen or Escu depending on what they have done in their life, if they did good or did evil. Since the Hennenshau tragedy, many Azrais believe that all Seivois will go to Escu, but it is shown in Eternity's Gift, that not all Seivois are corrupted and/or evil, but are good, and thoughtful, and moral.

Language
The Azrais have a complicated and harsh language. It is usually described as a masculine language because of its many hard consenants and rough intonations. There are many odd rules whose origins have been totally lost. Many Azrais are torn between whether they want to change the language, or preserve it, keep it the way it is. The government has never really fully addressed this issue, angering many Azrais, and pleasing others. It is unknown whether any change will be issued. One man from Chesso even declared that "changing our people's language would be like completely changing our culture! Inconceivable!"

Unlike the English language, Azrais has no homophones, and few homonyms. There is an individual word for every person, place, thing, or idea, though many words may be spelled nearly identical. This usually means that the words are related, but in some cases, these similarly spelled words are completely different and have no relation to each other in meaning.

Names
There are so many names in the Azrais language, that is would be a once in a lifetime thing to meet another with your first name. Surnames are very common, however. More than 100 people in one, small area could have the same last name (and not be related to each other). The concept of a surname is only used in matters of politics and the military, though on gravestones, or other documents or records, the surname of an individual would be listed. Other than that, most surnames are ignored, and first names are used, even between strangers. Ex. If someone goes in for a job interview, they would not call their boss by their surname, or vice versa. Both persons would acknowledge each other by their first names. Some first names are identical to Earth names, such as Azalea or Bello. Some names, like Austin, would be used by parents who either lived on Earth, or had a fascination with Earth. Many Azrais believe this is a sign of inferiority when a member of their race is named after a human name, which is why human-named Azrais must try hard to earn the respect of the community. Ex. Austin Cosparin is a respected man because of his honors and achievements in the military and also because his parents were the heroes of Hennenshau.

Funerary Customs
When Azrais die, like humans they are buried underneath the ground, but about 15 or so feet into the ground. They are given rectangular or trapezoidal tombstones with epitaphs, usually quotes said by them at one time, or an epitaph chosen by them before they died.

During a funeral, a song will be sung by the family of the deceased. This song is usally in a low key, and very sorrowful. Most of these funeral songs are about the deceased joining Letora in Aeraen. Never will they sing about the deceased going to Escu, even if they strongly believe that that is where the deceased is going to go. They sing about the journey from the moment the deceased died, to the moment when they accept heaven as their new home. After the song is over (which can take from 5 minutes to 1 hour), there is a funeral feast where all those who attended the funeral eat fruits and bread and water. When everyone is finished, the leftover food (if any) is taken around and given to other people of the city who did not attend the funeral feast. When the food is all given up, the funeral attendees waltz down the streets in no particular order for about 5 hours. After this, the funeral rite is over and life can return to "normal."

Music
The Azrais aren't as big on music as most species of the galaxy. However, there are multiple musical organizations, including YML (English acronym) which is Young Music Lovers. The Azrais are more about singing than instrument playing. In fact. there are only about 5 different kinds of Azrais instruments, and all of them are extremely difficult to play, requiring a lifetime of practice to achieve near perfection. In the singing category, Azrais usually prefer soft, peaceful melodies with either extremely happy, or extremely sad lyrics (called Lontor music) As with humans, most of the songs are about love. Another popular type of singing is a kind of opera singing, but with a dash of musical theatre (called Ricta music) Both kinds of music have traveled to many species of the known galaxy and become big hits. In fact, some Ilganian music is actually based off of the soft, peaceful melodies of Azrais music.

Holidays, Festivals and Important Events

 * Black Dance Festival (August 3)
 * Tall Sky Festival (April 12)
 * Festival of Falling Rain (March 30)
 * Magertha's Day (October 3)
 * Angaki Day (July 22)
 * Day of Fascination (May 28)
 * Blood Roses Festival (June 3)
 * Onira (December 14)
 * Shetuay (September 9)
 * Vancliwalsilks (January 11)
 * Gor'am To (Veliscu 3)

Food And Beverages

 * Eggalifon
 * Cloudarinyin
 * Rill-Water
 * Non-Alcoholic Rill-Water
 * Grey ration paste
 * Mortar beans
 * Mortarensi