#azzrie

A term used over the centuries by the Asura to describe essentially any non-Asura based on old folklore long forgotten to the mists of time. Loud, Bellowing, and eye-wateringly stupid, it was commonly used  when we first reached the surface to describe surface-dwellers, mostly focusing on humans. These days, while still used commonly as a light-hearted insult, it can still be seen as a derogatory slur, especially since non-Asura wised up to its meaning over cultural integration and interaction over two hundred and fifty plus years. I personally rarely use the term myself, less because it can be taken so harshly, more because, well, it’s a vast generalization. Big, bellowing and loud can be described as any of our people, even other Asura, and the term can be used, but I’d like to toss my own gauntlet in the ring and describe my own views of each of the commonly traded/worked with races of Tyria.

 Charr: Most likely the race I personally enjoy the company of the most. Charr have a strong, militarized and efficient mindset, are strong willed, and are some of the most, technologically advanced races in Tyria in the form of non-magitech. While boisterous and at times, somewhat savage, depending on the Charr you meet, they tend to be the hardest to deal with from a business standpoint, due to them being wary of magic, but always willing to consider new military strategy or weapons.

The issue being their reliance on wartime to advance, while working up, they have little to advance outside of warfare. Competition drives their people forward, if they are no longer fighting the ghosts, the dragons, or even another sentient race, they may suffer from stagnation. At this time, no issue from that, but if they continue on this path, during peace times, I can see potential issues.

Norn:

Oh, I have a feeling this is where Bookah terms would be the most apt, Norn are definitely as you’d define the common term, loud, large, while stupid is a strong word, the Norn people tending to lean toward spiritual wisdom and knowledge for hunting, crafting and similar. Their people as a whole tend to have the issues of cohesiveness.

As a culture, they are a scattered and open minded people, just as likely to challenge you to a fight as buy you a keg of beer and chat the day away about their legends. On that, their technological skills also fall flat, not having any real racial aesthetic, though, as any, individuals can be exceptions to the rule. As a whole, it’s harder to say if you can get a group of Norn to agree with each other.

 Sylvari; Harder to judge from a long term view, due to their young age as a society.  Still fresh to the world of Tyria, these people are still learning much, and show a strong curiosity for the world around them. It’s endearing in some aspects, painfully obnoxious in others.

My opinion of them has not changed with the recent revelations of their origins in the Heart of Magumma, they are still the same race I have learned to tolerate over the past twenty-eight or so years.  Evening allowing a few to work with me in my workshop as apprentices.  The potential for their race is great, though they will have to continue to *ahem* grow a bit more before I can say how they will  fit in the grand scheme of things.

 Human: Now for the big one. Despite my personal dislike (understatement: closer to boiling seething hatred) of their social structure, cultural ideals, and priorities as a culture. They actually fairly tolerable as a race as individuals.

Culturally, I despise the concept of their nobility, the idea of your family being important allowing them to have a more proper education than less affluent people is sickening, not allowing the “Lower classes” to advance. Many other issues with their society abound, but that is a rant that I can write an entire essay on, and it’d be a waste of data to do so now. But, even with their once expansive empire being pushed back to a small corner of Tyria, they have proven a strong and resilient people, though still divided in ideology. (With the slow descent of the Inquest, it can be said similarly with our own people) the humans have shown an interest in advancing in both magical and technological means. While their focus on aesthetic beauty is by no means the most practical, they have shown to advance in technology the Charr have focused on while magically rivalling the Asura. (Who on both ends, realistically all races have had their niches of technology or magic, and cannot be directly compared in which is best).

While personally having an issue with their race socially and culturally, they are still a very powerful and strong race, if they manage to strengthen themselves after the two hundred year slow decline, they will likely still see themselves as a powerful force in Tyria.

 Asura:

 What, you didn’t think I would leave my own people out of a lense of critique? Glitch no! The Asura, while having to adapt to surface life over the past two hundred or so years, have proven to be an interesting addition to Tyrian culture and society.  The advent of Asura gates, Waypoint travel, and similar things have caused a lot of economic and cultural diffusion and assistance to most cultures in Tyria.  Basically without them, trade, our alliances with other races, we all have the designs of the Asura to thank for that.

This is though where the metaphorical ear stroking ends.  Magically adept, and taking the most practical and scientific approach to magic which allows for outside of humans, the highest ratio of magic to non-magic users in society. Asura tend to have a cross of interest and disdain for other races. Curiosity and insults go hand in hand, making them hard to deal with as a race, while also never truly sure of some will be only trying to con you out of a deal due to your lack of intelligence. That or will have their own already large heads inflated in their own egos so far they will miss something obvious.

Competition between their own race can be a boon and a detriment, the Asura people tend to have the most of this, while working for common goals of all Asura, it’s also just as likely to see Asura cripple themselves in order to get ahead.  

Now, I complained about human culture, Asura leadership, while a step up due to meritocracy, also tend to have the issue of excessive amounts of paperwork and busywork to get anything done. It also reeks of “I am doing my job,” even if they don’t agree with the ideals. (Why I left the Peacemakers half a lifetime ago to be honest).

On that though, the Asura have always had a strong sense for the economic and diffusion of culture, and as said, due to the trade routes opened by Lions Arch portals and the like, our societies wouldn’t be anywhere near the same as they are now without them.

 In summary, while this was a bit of a ramble and just a way to vent.

Every race has its flaws and useful points. Bookah is a vastly sweeping generalization though occasionally used.  Creative insults are more fun as well.