Ascomanni is the name given to tribes of Obsidians that had left the spheres and live their lives as pirates in the Asteroid or Kuiper Belt.
Belt Ascomanni[]
"They've not so much left the Ice, as they've brought the Ice to the stars."[1]
Inspired by the Core legends of forefathers that had escaped the culling of Obsidians after the Dark Revolt, and their newfound freedom due to The Rising's success,[1] or simply tired of Darrow's war effort, some Obsidians left for the stars, becoming pirates. To instill fear in their opponents, these Obsidian pirates named themselves after the Ascomanni of legend.
They are first seen in Iron Gold, but Cassius, Lysander, and Pytha had been saving innocents on the borders of the Solar Republic from raiders and pirates.
Kuiper Ascomanni[]
"Night vision. Berserker psychoactives and pressure-sealed skin. Someone had a fun time making you ugly f*cks."[2]
The Ascomanni in the Kuiper belt stem from Obsidian groups who escaped the Society's genocide of their color following the Dark Revolt, hundreds of years before the Red Rising timeline. They were hunted by Olympic Knights and kill squads, and were pushed farther and farther from the Core as a result. They remained on Neptune and Pluto as a legend to the Core.
Appearance[]
Likely carved to fit their new environment after departing for the Kuiper Belt, the Obsidians that survived the Dark Revolt are now monsters.
They have earth-red, pressure-sealed skin, more similar to hide, and covered in white scars. They are capable of night vision, with pure black eyes, and amphibian-esque folds that cover the eyes, ears, and nostrils. They also have unnaturally large heads, shaved except for a strip of long, coarse, black hair. They do not wear any form of clothing and are best suited to low or entirely null gravity. They are cannibals and receive pleasure from extreme pain.
They carry their weapons in long, pale, leather sacks on their backs, and use spears, axes, and hammers made of metals from the Kuiper Belt, with runes painted on.[3]
Berserkers[]
Around the height of Lyria's collarbones and powerfully built, the Berserker Ascomanni are able to fit into smaller spaces than their taller counterparts. Like the tall versions, they specialize in Zero-G and are said to "scuttle[s] along the floor like a demon crab". Fig compares them to Baboons.[4] [5]
Culture[]
Prior to being united under Volsung Fa, the Ascomanni were divided into multiple different tribes, all of whom hated each other. Many tribes held grudges against each other for so long that the original reason for their feud had been forgotten.
The centuries in the Kuiper belt taught them that poverty and starvation can only be staved off by violence.
Involvement[]
The Dark Revolt[]
- Late 3rd Century PCE
Lead by an Obsidian known as King Kuthul Amun, the Obsidians nearly toppled the reign of Golds from the Society. In response, The heart of King Kuthul was pierced onto the Dawn Scepter, and nine-tenths of Obsidians were culled, technology was stripped from them, and were forced to treat Golds as living Gods. Their paternal, Mongol based culture was replaced with a maternal, Norse based culture, and the language of Nagal replaced that of Tetkjr. They were banished to the Ice.
Some of the Obsidian Warlords of the Dark Revolt escape to the Kuiper Belt, where they individually conquer the dwarf planets of Pluto and Charon, Haumea, Makemake, Eris and Ultima Thule, and enter over four centuries of tribalism and fighting for territory in the Kuiper Belt.
The Arrival of Volsung Fá[]
Iron Gold[]
Dark Age[]
Light Bringer[]
Notable Ascomanni[]
- Ur, the Eater of Joy. Spear to the throne of Ultima Thule.
Trivia[]
- The term Ascomanni is derived from the German for "Ash Men."[6]