Have there ever been any non-hyur Ascians? (Might be spoilers inside.)

[Cleretic]

Yes, one. Travanchet, a black-masked Ascian in Limsa's 1.0 storyline who got a reappearance in Alexander, was a Wildwood Elezen. Also if you count them, Emet-Selch masqueraded as a Garlean and Fandaniel was once an Allagan (who are a different race known for being Tall As Hell), but I get why you wouldn't.

Which basically says that they're mostly hyur by choice. Take whatever reading you want on that, charitable or otherwise.

[Anonymoose]

Yes, one. Travanchet, a black-masked Ascian in Limsa's 1.0 storyline

The Encyclopaedia threw Corguevais, another Elezen from 1.0's Ul'dah, under the "black-mask" tier bus, as well. It may have been the intent all along, though, because I've heard tale that not every shadow that should have been disabled in 1.0 actually was disabled.

Which basically says that they're mostly hyur by choice. Take whatever reading you want on that, charitable or otherwise.

Generous (More Likely) Theory: If they're all the bland bread loaf race, they'll always look believable and fit right into cutscenes. (Remember Asahi going eye-to-eye with a Lalafell?)

Ungenerous (But Funnier) Theory: Hyur most resemble the Ancients (aside from Garleans, arguably) so if you took that form you were less likely to trigger yet another rant from one of the Originals. You're all proud of the work you've done to tweak this new bunnyboi up for some subversive havoc-wreaking and Emet-Selch just walks away shaking his head, "... <mumble mumble> malformed creatures <mumble> pitiful, disturbing, depressing..."

[Cleretic]

Generous (More Likely) Theory: If they're all the bland bread loaf race, they'll always look believable and fit right into cutscenes. (Remember Asahi going eye-to-eye with a Lalafell?)

Ungenerous (But Funnier) Theory: Hyur most resemble the Ancients (aside from Garleans, arguably) so if you took that form you were less likely to trigger yet another rant from one of the Originals. You're all proud of the work you've done to tweak this new bunnyboi up for some subversive havoc-wreaking and Emet-Selch just walks away shaking his head, "... <mumble mumble> malformed creatures <mumble> pitiful, disturbing, depressing..."

Yeah, these were kind of the two kicking around in my mind, albeit probably with less generous phrasing. At least, in-universe.

Out-of-universe I think the devs just made that Ascian Roundtable scene because a cabal of identical robed figures in a circle of chairs is a pretty solid look for a 'villain group' (works like a dream for Kingdom Hearts, after all), and then had to reckon with the consequences. Turns out that doesn't quite work so well when the setting has multiple races with highly diverse body types that the rest of the game otherwise does represent.