The jaszkurs are an aquatic Kin species native to the deep seas of Sigzlor, capable of surviving depths that even other aquatic or semi-aquatic species may struggle to endure. Far from being isolated from the rest of the Ealdremen System, however, jaszkurs have historically taken a keystone position in interplanetary trade and in the development of technologies using Chrono, as Sigzlorian seas uniquely teem with the magical substance, and, following the Watershed and the end of the Millennial Calm, jaszkurs are often the only ones capable of retrieving artifacts lost to the deep fathoms. In the modern day, they represent a crucial niche in politics, as in spite of being affiliated with the Nazdrovie Pact, other major powers such as the Gerualdi Union retain trading routes with many jaszkur consortiums and organizations. It is no understatement to claim that the Nazdrovie Pact's financial well-being as a prominent faction relies on the jaszkurs; many nations and other powers that join the Pact do so knowing that they will have a privileged position as an ally of the jaszkurs.
Overview
Jaszkurs have elongated, limbless lower bodies that blend into what would be their torso on a typical bipedal species. On land, they "slither" akin to a snake to move about and tend to be relatively slow, particularly with how sensitive their porous skin can be to environmental irritants like dirt and gravel. Their dark eyes have a thin transparent membrane over them that can keep the organs safe without limiting vision, with a thicker one allowing for further protection but limiting vision while in use. A jaszkur's face is generally rounded towards the front, giving their heads the impression of having a "snout" similar to many other species in Ealdremen. In water, their streamlined bodies allow jaszkurs to move about with great accuracy and speed, capable of changing angles with ease. Their webbed hands further assist them in steering and making precise movements while underwater, and they have long fin-like membranes extending from their arms that can be flared outwards to slow down. A jaszkur is capable of swimming — albeit at a slower pace — even with their hands occupied by something else, such as holding an object, just with the propulsion from their tails. However, while they do have hands that can grasp and hold things, the webbing between their bulbous digits limits the strength of their grip and how tightly they can close their hands. Furthermore, these digits are not especially flexible compared to those of many land-dwelling species with comparable anatomy. Most jaszkurs have three true digits on their hands, with the fourth being an extended bone that protrudes perpendicularly to the rest of the hand and is further limited in movement.
Societies for jaszkurs tend to gravitate towards two forms — roaming courts that are transitory and migrate throughout the oceans of Sigzlor and stationary courts that entail permanent or mostly-permanent settlements in a set location.
Sociology
Unlike the tiaquìn, Ealdremen's other deep sea-dwelling Kin, jaszkurs are typically social and live in large groups. Due to being entirely aquatic and unable to survive outside of water for extended periods of time without intervention, jaszkur societies historically did not develop many "advancements" that other societies often view as natural or even necessary elements of societal development. The most prominent example is the lack of anything resembling a printing press or uses of resources such as electricity, and many jaszkur cultures did not have advanced writing systems prior to heavy contact with land-based cultures. Instead, it was more common for their writing systems to be limited to methods of accounting and other number-keeping, often by use of fibers made from aquatic plants and reeds, or through chemical odors for conveying simpler but crucial concepts such as ownership or areas of danger. Though modern-day jaszkur languages often have a corresponding writing system, only jaszkurs that will interact with "outsiders" tend to learn to write or sometimes even read at all.
Broadly, jaszkur societies tend to come in two categories — roaming courts and stationary courts — though some cultures may incorporate elements of both types, and some sociologists feel that these categories are overly-simplistic in describing the forms jaszkur societies can take. Roaming courts often orient around a leader, typically a hereditary monarch of some kind, and do not stay put for long. They hold vast swaths of riches throughout the oceans passed down through generations that only they know the location of, and they regularly visit these sites to honor customs such as ancestor reverence or make sacrifices to deities, to add or remove objects from the sites, or simply to check on them and make note of their standing. Some roaming courts' sites are claimed to be so vast and spread out through the oceans that it takes a lifetime to see all of them.
Stationary courts, unlike their roaming court relatives, have more permanent settlements. Archaeological evidence suggests that such settlements may have originally been transitory in terms of the individuals that lived there — such as roaming courts only making temporary stops in a given location to rest or recover from an injury or sickness. It is theorized that such settlements eventually grew to become governing bodies in their own right as increasing numbers simply opted to stay put, especially as interactions with land-based cultures increased. In the modern day, stationary courts are the most common hubs of what the outside world experiences as "jaszkur culture". Many of the most well-known stationary courts are built near or even sometimes in the harbors of land-based port cities, many of which are built out as extensions of the nearby jaszkur stationary court, though there are a rare few jaszkur courts that are governed by the land city as opposed to the other way around. Independent stationary courts are typically found deeper in the waters, often in natural ravines or chasms sheltered from currents. Governance over stationary courts is often ruled by a council of individuals who have lived in the location for minimum number of years, typically ten or more, though some stationary courts remain ruled by monarchs of hereditary descent similar to roaming courts.