Guild Wars 2

We know very little about Asura culture. Their general disregard for history makes me wonder if they have many traditions. They obviously celebrate Wintersday and the festival of the Mad King, but these feel like acquired holidays they’ve picked up since fleeing to the surface. There doesn’t seem to be any reference at all to Asura holidays.

Which makes me wonder if they have any traditions?

For example: marriage. Do they marry? Progeny recognize their parents and forebears, obviously, but I don’t recall if there’s references to husbands or wives. Do they form official unions, or are they just casual associates for as long as they deem it profitable and logical to remain so?

Tonn (from my personal story) has a wife. You could tell they really loved each other. They must have some kind of marriage tradition.

There is also an npc in Rata Sum that talks about her partner wanting her to spend less time at the lab and more time with her at home. This hints that they also have same sex relationships.

Another npc comments on the fact that she is hiding from her crew because she doesn’t know how to tell them that she and her husband decided to separate.

The Asura don’t disregard history, their buildings are covered in it. All that writing on the wall textures is their general history.

I think Asura treat their children like Charr do. They’re raised in an organization while the parents are free to research and watch from afar with pride or disappointment in their achievements.

Arkengel RaF knows what’s up.

Guru.1582:

For example: marriage. Do they marry? Progeny recognize their parents and forebears, obviously, but I don’t recall if there’s references to husbands or wives. Do they form official unions, or are they just casual associates for as long as they deem it profitable and logical to remain so?

Tonn/Ceera are a married asuran couple you meet if you picked the “let an innocent die” option at the conclusion of the pale tree/vision quest. And there are lots of assorted NPCs who refer to their spouses.

They definitely have marriage. If you’ve played GW1, in Eye of the North, Vekk comments (during a Norn wedding) that asuras have much better weddings. He reveals that the major part of the ceremony is, apparently, calculating just how much love is in the air.

And yes, asura genuinely fall in love. If you choose the college of dynamics as your background, the first leg of the personal story revolves around a couple, the male of whom is extremely loving/adoring/doting. If you pick the order of whispers route in Orr (capture the navy), you actually do get to watch two asura as they fall in love.

Khyron.8735:

I think Asura treat their children like Charr do. They’re raised in an organization while the parents are free to research and watch from afar with pride or disappointment in their achievements.

The game itself + That Old College Try (pretty much the canon cornerstone of asura lore) establish that this isn’t the case. As soon as they’re able to, progeny assist their parents with their projects/lab work. After a certain point (or during the stage of working alongside their parents: this part I’m unclear on), they’re sent to their equivalent of elementary school. If you talk to the NPCs in Splorge Metamystics in Metrica Province, you’ll learn that your asura character went to school there.

After that, when an asura is approximately in their early/mid teens (TOCT uses the term “adolescent”), they apply for a college. They study under a master (as an intern) until they graduate.

These are some great responses guys. Thanks!

On a whim, I brought up Asura death rituals.
Humans have graveyards, I suspect Norns do ships, cairns, or burn their dead, and Charr probably a sky burial where they place the corpse on a scaffold or tree to let the birds take them… or possibly just kick a little sand over them so they don’t stink up the place. Sylvari? Woodchipper for sure, mulched and returned to the Grove.

Ausurans, initially living underground and having limited farming options (and apparently no molars) have Meatloaf Monday, and occasionally Taco Tuesday. Waste not, want not, and hey quality protein is quality protein from a logical standpoint.

Suitably grossed out the other RPers, so I am sticking with it.

Another “disturbing” ritual for Asura: Birthing.

I have postulated that they hatch from eggs, but do not lay eggs themselves.

Instead, they collect eggs from larger creatures such as Moa, River Drakes and Raptors and… ah… replaces/consumes the existing embro/yolk with their own genetic material.

The Asura then develops and hatches normally in a four month period. I suspect in the past the Asura hatchling would then make a meal of it’s raptor/moa/drake nestmates. Now they are raised in an incubator and tended by golems.

I suppose the sort of egg used might have an effect on the outcome of the Asura hatch-ling. =)

Snowblind.6754:

Another “disturbing” ritual for Asura: Birthing.

I have postulated that they hatch from eggs, but do not lay eggs themselves.

It’s stated on the wiki that they give live birth similar to humans. I can’t even imagine how painful that must be, considering how large progenies heads are.

I don’t know about the hijacking eggs theory purely because you have female and male asura, both with appropriate “parts”, and that in itself implies how they procreate (although the live birth vs egg laying is down to speculation because we’ve never been given confirmation).

Also, on the cannibalization theory: while I think it’s possible, almost all asura traditionally cremate their dead.

Asura do have bellybuttons, so they’re born like all mammals

Orissa.1872:

Asura do have bellybuttons, so they’re born like all mammals

Whoa! Their models do have bellybuttons!

Alright, awesome, so it’s confirmed.

I am sticking with egg theory so I can disturb people in RP.

Or I could just be pulling their leg…

Snowblind.6754:

On a whim, I brought up Asura death rituals.

Asura cremate their dead.

We see this in GW1 EotN when Vekk scatters Gadd’s ashes, and in the book Edge of Destiny when Zojja angrily orders Eir to put down Snaff’s body so she can cremate him.

Orissa, how did you get your asura naked ….

There is another thread that confirms asura babies are born like humans, though there is some concern about the size of the head :P

There were some codes for town clothes impossible to obtain in game. They were universal among all races and genders. Then devs changed it and split between races. After splitting clothes were appearing correctly, as pirate outfit. For now I don’t know any way to get character completely naked

That’s an amusing bug, which they fixed pretty quick I guess lol

Mif.3471:

Snowblind.6754:

On a whim, I brought up Asura death rituals.

Asura cremate their dead.

We see this in GW1 EotN when Vekk scatters Gadd’s ashes, and in the book Edge of Destiny when Zojja angrily orders Eir to put down Snaff’s body so she can cremate him.

Nah… he was just a little over done.

Asura definitely give live birth to their progeny. There was a female Asura in Rata Sum during Wintersday talking about how seeing her progeny join a prestigious college was “worth the agony of childbirth”. I even took a screenshot of the dialogue as proof, although it’s on my home computer.

Oh, I am sure it is true….
I have altered my suggested method to incorporate the stated lore:

They give live birth to a very small “joey” like a marsupial. The Joey is deposited into the egg, where it consumes the occupant and/or the yolk and white depending on the stage of the egg.

The Asura Progeny then break free after developing the characteristic sharp teeth.

In the distant past before Asura were fully sentient, the egg was probably left with the other eggs in the nest, providing the Progeny a handy first meal when the Progeny broke free from the egg.

Much less boring, and does not conflict with the lore, and explains the lack of developed mammary glands on female Asura.

I know this is extremely late, but most mammaries on animal aren’t pronounced like a human’s. Charr aren’t marsupial, and they lack mammaries as well.

Though my favorite theory is that they have milk patches like an echidna. The lactic fluid just sort of oozes through specialized places in their skin. Nature is funny like that.