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Description

IARAS
There is a breed of mermaid in the Amazon Rainforest named for it's first member, a fierce female warrior named Iara, or sometimes Yara. She is not the first fish-tailed being in South America, but the multitude of aquatic beauties that mysteriously showed up after her are the first generalized race of the region.
ORIGIN: Iara was the daughter of a chief of a tribe of warriors, and the strongest one of them all. Her two older brothers grew madly jealous of the praise she received, but knew they couldn't take her in a fight, not even two against one. They plotted to kill her in her sleep, but even then her warrior instinct kicked in and she murdered them both before fully coming to. No one in the tribe believed her story of self defense and her own father was forced to sentence her to death to appease his angered people. At this point the story varies, but ultimately Iara winds up with a small slit cut at the back of her neck and falls into the Amazon River where her dead body is reawakened by Uldred the river king who stole her soul and her legs, the fish of the river presenting her with a tail like their own, and the hole cut into the back of her neck now serving as a blow hole.
HOME: The Amazon River is now home to a bevy of iara mermaids.
TEMPERAMENT: Somehow, the original Iara multiplied into an entire species of vengeful spirits. They drown men frequently, sometimes to eat them, sometimes to give their souls to King Uldred, and sometimes they chose to keep them as lovers whom they will grant almost any desire so long as they stay in their undersea kingdom. Though these are happy times for both the iara and her mate, eventually her companion's mortal lifespan comes to an end and the iara will eventually move on to another lover, though she spends the majority of her life alone.
REGIONAL KIN: The Inca told stories of an assortment of specific fish-tailed beings as well. The King of the Sea married a human woman, and she bore him three children, Pincoya and Pincoy, a sister and brother couple who are sometimes depicted as fish-tailed and sometimes not, and their teenaged sister, Sumpall who is always in mermaid form. The older pair were golden bodied images of perfected physique whose main tasks where to make music and dance to send the fish toward or away from human fishermen depending on how cheerful they seem to be (for this reason, it was always recommended to go fishing with a friend so as to be seen having fun) and guiding the souls of drowning victims to a phantom ship called Caleuche where they can live on in a second life spent partying all the time. Their little sister, Sumpall was more malevolent than the other two, seeking revenge for damaged waterways, and drowning people she deemed to be evil. Other fish-tailed maidens from the region get lumped under the Spanish word “sirenas,” and are often, like Iara, women who fell and died in the river, only to get resurrected in a new form. Another creature of note from the area is the boto encantado, or “enchanted river dolphin.” Botos are a real species of pink colored dolphins that live in the Amazon River. Some have the magical ability to take the shape of an attractive and well dressed man and woman to attend festive parties on land nearby during the night. Their main goal here is to have a sexual encounter with the local humans, sometimes involving a strict set of customs that must be played through, and creating plenty of illegitimate children. One way to be extra sure that the stranger you're getting extra friendly with isn't actually one of these mischievous sex fiends is to remove their hat or other head covering and check for a blow hole, which never goes away, even when they appear otherwise human.

Description

IARAS
There is a breed of mermaid in the Amazon Rainforest named for it's first member, a fierce female warrior named Iara, or sometimes Yara. She is not the first fish-tailed being in South America, but the multitude of aquatic beauties that mysteriously showed up after her are the first generalized race of the region.
ORIGIN: Iara was the daughter of a chief of a tribe of warriors, and the strongest one of them all. Her two older brothers grew madly jealous of the praise she received, but knew they couldn't take her in a fight, not even two against one. They plotted to kill her in her sleep, but even then her warrior instinct kicked in and she murdered them both before fully coming to. No one in the tribe believed her story of self defense and her own father was forced to sentence her to death to appease his angered people. At this point the story varies, but ultimately Iara winds up with a small slit cut at the back of her neck and falls into the Amazon River where her dead body is reawakened by Uldred the river king who stole her soul and her legs, the fish of the river presenting her with a tail like their own, and the hole cut into the back of her neck now serving as a blow hole.
HOME: The Amazon River is now home to a bevy of iara mermaids.
TEMPERAMENT: Somehow, the original Iara multiplied into an entire species of vengeful spirits. They drown men frequently, sometimes to eat them, sometimes to give their souls to King Uldred, and sometimes they chose to keep them as lovers whom they will grant almost any desire so long as they stay in their undersea kingdom. Though these are happy times for both the iara and her mate, eventually her companion's mortal lifespan comes to an end and the iara will eventually move on to another lover, though she spends the majority of her life alone.
REGIONAL KIN: The Inca told stories of an assortment of specific fish-tailed beings as well. The King of the Sea married a human woman, and she bore him three children, Pincoya and Pincoy, a sister and brother couple who are sometimes depicted as fish-tailed and sometimes not, and their teenaged sister, Sumpall who is always in mermaid form. The older pair were golden bodied images of perfected physique whose main tasks where to make music and dance to send the fish toward or away from human fishermen depending on how cheerful they seem to be (for this reason, it was always recommended to go fishing with a friend so as to be seen having fun) and guiding the souls of drowning victims to a phantom ship called Caleuche where they can live on in a second life spent partying all the time. Their little sister, Sumpall was more malevolent than the other two, seeking revenge for damaged waterways, and drowning people she deemed to be evil. Other fish-tailed maidens from the region get lumped under the Spanish word “sirenas,” and are often, like Iara, women who fell and died in the river, only to get resurrected in a new form. Another creature of note from the area is the boto encantado, or “enchanted river dolphin.” Botos are a real species of pink colored dolphins that live in the Amazon River. Some have the magical ability to take the shape of an attractive and well dressed man and woman to attend festive parties on land nearby during the night. Their main goal here is to have a sexual encounter with the local humans, sometimes involving a strict set of customs that must be played through, and creating plenty of illegitimate children. One way to be extra sure that the stranger you're getting extra friendly with isn't actually one of these mischievous sex fiends is to remove their hat or other head covering and check for a blow hole, which never goes away, even when they appear otherwise human.