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JDTcreates — Sapient Races: Merfolk
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#fantasyraces #arcanerealm #aliens #amphibious #aquatic #biology #culture #demihuman #faye #history #mermaid #merpeople #technology #worldbuilding #monsterpeople
Published: 2015-08-24 00:06:19 +0000 UTC; Views: 6740; Favourites: 7; Downloads: 0
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Description
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Overview
Merfolk are an extraterrestrial sapient species of faye that originated on Kaf. Merfolk have well-built and attractive humanoid upper bodies and lower halves consisting of the tail and fins of a great fish or whale. Their hair and skin span a wide range of hues, with Merfolk in a given region closely resembling each other. Merfolk aren't as limited on land as some myths suggest; their tails will quickly reform into legs once they leave the water (and, likewise, their legs will quickly reform into a tail should they ever enter water). Communities exist in mountain lakes, coastal reefs, rivers, and even swampy wetlands.
Species Quick Profile
(Aquafata amphíbios) “water faye of both kinds”
Life Expectancy
Average: 100 years
Max: 500 years
Average Height: 213 cm (7 ft) long in aquatic form; in humanoid form 152-183 cm (5-6ft)
Average Weight: 91-136 kg (200-300 lbs) in aquatic form; in humanoid form 56-91 kg (125-200 lbs)
Creature Type: Faye Demihumanoid (Amphibious, Shapeshift to Humanoid)
Biology
Appearance
Hair: Blue, Green, White, Black, Red, Silver, Blonde
Eyes: Blue, Green, Blue-green, Hazel, Purple, Indigo
From the waist up, a merfolk's body resembles that of a human; members of others races sometimes experience feelings of desire due to the attractiveness of a merfolk's upper body. Like humans, their dominant skin is various shades of brown and beige with a short, fine, barely noticeable vellus hair covering. A merfolk's lower body, however, is comprised of a tail and fins similar to that of a giant fish or cetacean. In addition parts of their skin near their fins like their shoulders, arms, lower back, and lower limbs (legs or tail) have the coloration of local fish species. Although from a glance this aquatic skin may look like fish scales, the texture is smooth as hairless skin. Merfolk vary individually by color of their tail and fins, the former of which commonly matches the individual's hair color. By the time they are adolescents, they are able to transform completely into a terrestrial humanoid form with fish patterned legs and feet to move on land. They also have fins on their arms, and the ends of their tails in the water, webbed fingers, and webbed toes on land.
Physiological Traits
- Amphibious skin- portions of skin on their shoulders, arms, lower back, and lower limbs (legs or tail) resemble the look and color of local fish species. Despite the scaly look, the texture is smooth as hairless skin and is similar to amphibians in that Merfolk can breathe through it when moist. It is also what merfolk to breathe underwater in place of their lungs. This function is also in their human looking skin but less efficient. The special skin is also shed periodically more or less in one piece throughout their lives for new healthy skin underneath.
- Fish/Cetacean Mimicry: Their amphibious skin also resembles the color and patterns of natural fish, dolphins, or whales in their local environment.
- Slime Coat- a thin coating of slippery slime to help their skin stay moist in order to breathe through their skin underwater and on land.
- Pressure Resistance: The Merfolk are a hearty race, having lived their entire lives dealing with the constant pressure that living underwater can bring, having great natural fortitude and stamina.
- Swim bladder: While their skin collects oxygen in the water, their lungs are filled with air to now help a merperson control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at the current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming.
- Merfolk blood- The biomagical composition of a merperson's blood has the effect of dramatically increasing the lifespan of a natural creature that ingests it to roughly that of a merperson. The material basically stops most of the effects of aging for natural animals or humanoids, but not other faye, magical beasts, or spirits. Furthermore, because of the effect of the “mermaid’s blood,” it is treasured by merpeople and other faye who need it to increase the lifespan of their mate if they are a natural humanoid.
- Expert swimmer- Because of their fish tail and webbed hands (and webbed feet on land and shallow waters), merfolk are naturally adept swimmers. Their tail is strong enough that it can propel one several meters out of the water for high leaps.
- Echolocation-can use low or high pitched echoes to locate things far off in the water.
Biomagical Attributes
- Regeneration Factor: Merfolk can passively regenerate wounds in a short time via biomagical reactions speeding up the process. The extent of this regeneration can prevent the development of scar tissue and even regrow entire limbs within a few minutes however these actions do not set any broken bones on its own. In addition, this arcanist trait is significantly slowed in anti-magic areas or when the subject is increasingly exhausted.
- Negligible Aging: Merfolk lack measurable symptoms of aging due to their cell’s high regenerative properties. They do not have reduction in functional or reproductive capabilities past maturity.
- Amphibious Adaptation: Merfolk from adolescence can take either their normal, fish-tailed form, or appear as a land humanoid with webbed feet. Transformation occurs when submerged in either water or air reflexively and is not under their conscious control. Apparently, it operates based on two biomagical hormones: one that is made in the presence of water to fuse the bones and muscles to make a tail and one in the absence of water that separates them to make legs. Merfolk slowly develop them throughout their lives then a huge amount during puberty. Interestingly, an obstruction on their lower body (like clothing) can prevent the change from happening.
- Merfolk blood: The biomagical composition of a merperson’s blood has the effect of dramatically increasing the lifespan of a natural creature that ingests it to roughly that of a merperson. The material basically stops most of the effects of aging for natural animals or humanoids, but not other faye, magical beasts, or spirits. Furthermore, because of the "fountain of youth" effect of the mermaid’s blood, it is treasured by merpeople and other faye who need it to increase the lifespan of their mate if they are a natural humanoid.
General Diet
Typical diets are composed of local fish and aquatic plants. They will also partake of other aquatic animals such as mollusks, shellfish, and water fowl. Brackish merfolk also partake of large insects, reptiles, and are more likely to eat foods closer to land. Marine merfolk have the advantage of hunting large mammals on occasion. Fruit and nuts that drift in the waters to propagate are a delicacy and are sometimes grown by experienced farmers.
Reproduction
Copulation is internal sexual fertilization and can occur on land or underwater. Whether they are in their aquatic forms or terrestrial forms, the merfolk retain humanoid sexual organs. The males often have a sheath that remains hidden for a great part, only coming into view when sexually aroused, and the females is nigh invisible till they're aroused, then the area around the females vulva change hue, signaling their ready for sexual relations. A mermaid will gestate her baby for five months and return to the water to give live birth.
Lifespan and Growth
Larva: A newborn merfolk is born with the size and body of a large goldfish and a proportionate humanoid head. They are completely aquatic and breathe with gills on their fish body. In the first week, they lack a mouth and rely on fat stores until it develops and their body grows two flipper like arms.
Child: With their increase to the size of a human child, their upper body becomes more humanoid as they grow a torso and their flippers develop into arms with hands. Their gills know become internal lungs and they can now breathe through their skin in water. Although they retain their fish like tail on land, it is strong enough to let them stand up straight or maintain an upright structure like a seal.
Adolescent: Hormonal changes during puberty allow for their race’s signature metamorphosis for the first time if they leave the water. In addition, their bodies take on the secondary sexual characteristics common to many humanoids during puberty.
Adulthood: An adult merfolk is fully amphibious, at home in water or land. However most live either near bodies of water or very moist places.
Subspecies
- Marine
- Freshwater
History
The origins of merfolk likely lie in the chaos that was the Ghul Wars. Now even before these events, there were aquatic faye living in various places, some humanoid, others different body shapes. However the combination of run off pollution from both sides of the conflict, corruption of environmental magic and plant life that kept it in check, and invoked geothermal activity that were raising ocean temperatures at an unnatural rate. This wasn't particularly great for landing creatures either and many varieties of people's had to find refugee from the destruction. One group of elves were desperate enough to flee to a half-submerged caves in order to survive. The story goes that aquatic humanoids like sirens and nixies taught them magic that allowed them to create fish like forms and eventually mated with the elves, leading to the creation of the merfolk we know today.
Living beneath the sea, mermaids are protected from the interference of the other land-based races and as such have been free to establish their own civilization beneath the oceans of the world. Since the guilded age, the mermaid civilization is one of the larger sapient species civilizations. During this time size of this range grew from a single monarchy to a number of cooperative kingdoms known as the Mer Federation. Merfolk have been noted as trading with terrestrial species near the shores or in swamplands in the past, and from the global industrialization movement onwards, magic infused technology enabled ways for land races to visit the ocean settlements for periods of time.
For merfolk of inland wetlands, their access to land races and cultures was much more common. As such for these merfolk, they commingled with the majority other races much more often but were typically smaller scaled societies. Most of these settlements were expectantly near bodies of water or built on small floating islands on large lakes and wetlands.
Culture
Ethnotypes
- Brackish
- Coral
- Polar
- Coastal
Architecture
Merfolk structures often incorporate unique materials and features which results in distinct a architectural style. Wooden materials are uncommon due to the effect of woodworms. Instead, Merfolk make use of a variety of durable marine building materials:
Kelp, Seagrass – Many merfolk buildings are made by weaving living kelp into a hollow ball that floats in the water while anchored to ocean floor. There can be several rooms arrayed in a daisy chain, one above the other, all constructed from only a few plants.
Coral Reefs are common places to settle, large structures providing shelter for marine merfolk. They have also developed techniques to cultivate, and reshape coral by extracting of segments or larva of live corals from a reef and growing them in a nursery until adulthood.
The bones of giant sea creatures such as whales and sea serpents are large and strong enough to be excellent building materials.
Freshwater brackish merfolk can use wood to build their structures, because woodworms do not live in freshwater.
Hydraulic cement is a building material imported from other races known for its ability to harden underwater. Hydraulic cement is combined with sand or other materials to create concrete structures, or is used in mortar to bind stone and brick buildings.
Spirituality
Many merfolk followed deities that had dominion of the seas and tides. After the collapse of divine pantheons, groups transferred faith to nature itself or the idea of an living force in magical energies or “wild magic”. As an extension of this idea, certain animals were sacred and culturally treated with respect no matter ones belief or lack thereof. Frogs and newts are this for the brackish, and dolphins and whales for the marine community. Most of their folk-stories are framed around marine animals. Various animals are viewed in different ways. Octopi are considered clever tricksters; Sharks are powerful hunters to be admired from a safe distance; Dolphins are playful, yet capricious and unreliable; Whales are dignified and very, very loud. Stories usually focus on the interactions of various animals, or how-this-came-to-be type stories. Why The Whale Sings, and such.
Gender/Family
Mermaids far outnumber mermen. As such in merfolk culture, mermaids typically hunt. They also, by virtue of vastly overpopulating their male counterparts, tend to rule merfolk society. Mermen, by contrast, tend to be "soldiers" to their "queens", traditionally to protect their mates and children and operate various tools and labor for them. While promiscuous outside of their race and, in fact, known for their loose sexual attitudes, merfolk nevertheless often choose to mate for life with each other. When couples marry, the man leaves his mother’s family and goes to live with the bride's family. Married men often have two surnames, their own and their wife’s, while women only ever have one. The duties of a husband are to be a partner and aid to his wife, including doing all the physical work that needs doing in the family group and also helping to raise their children. Since most merfolk live & travel in pods of up to 12, once children are added into the mix, raising them is a group effort. A merperson is culturally considered an adult once he or she copulates. This may sound strange to other cultures, but the merfolk see it as a sign that the now adult merperson is responsible enough to conceive children of her own and to be responsible for their lives .
Dress/Modesty
Nudity is a non-issue for children and is also the case for nomadic and uncontacted clans and tribes. Although some merfolk lightly decorated themselves with shells, pearls or pigments, the concept of clothing was introduced from terrestrial races. Even for those who adopted foreign ideas of modesty, being a female dominant society, bare feminine breasts and hips are not seen as taboo. Freshwater merfolk are more likely to wear a type of clothing, partially for protection on land and partially to prevent tension/show status to more prudish races. If they can’t obtain clothing material via trade they may weave a crude kind of fabric from aquatic plants like seagrass or common plants like hemp. Their clothing tends to be simple, loose and only cover the bare minimum like loincloths or short sarongs and tunics. On their own they are likely to forgo clothing entirely.
Marine merfolk tend to be isolated in the oceans and thus even less likely to dress. Shells or pieces of coral with small holes in them might be made into necklaces the merpeople may wear around their necks and sometimes loop along their tails. A few might even make fabric from seaweed drying along the shoreline, called seaweed cloth, that is used for garments, rope, and even baskets. Shells or pieces of coral with small holes in them form necklaces the merpeople may wear around their necks and sometimes loop along their tails.
Socialization
As a merfolk ages, they are given a sort of tutelage. This tutelage consists of all the necessary skills to live in the harsh aquatic environment. They learn to hunt, communicate in their language and a set of other useful skills for survival. Due to encroachment of industrialized nations, a similar set up is made for merpeople who are training in a society that adopts specialization and division of labor.
Magic Use
The merfolk population is pretty split on being better in either sorcery or spellcraft. Their active sorcery in the form of endowments obviously revolves around life underwater, so they usually don't develop powers that can't be used while submerged in water. However some unexpected abilities can develop such as a mermaid gifted with heat manipulation, allowing them to freeze or boil the water around them. If she goes on land and learns to use it in the air, she might even be able to heat it enough to briefly make fire.
As spell casters, they tend to be quite good in specific areas. Their affinity with water makes it easier for them to use or develop spells related to liquids and gases. Many mermaids are also taught mind altering incantations that are expressed through various songs.
Science and Technology
Transportation
Most merfolk are capable of traveling in water and even land under their own power. For marines, some types of large fish, sea turtles, dolphins or whales, can be tamed to the point where they can be ridden around. Either by themselves or with these riding companions, big ocean currents can be ridden on to get across vast distances like ocean highways. The upside of using currents is that the big ones are reliable and always present. The downside is that they are often one way in a very big loop, making it slower to sail in the opposite direction and infeasible for short or medium-distance trips to go all the way around. Freshwater merfolk use a similar concept for riverways, though instead of animals they are more likely to use sailboats when carrying things, that they learned to make by observing other races.
Weaponry
Many weapons suffer reduced effectiveness under water due to hydrodynamic drag. Merfolk therefore use weapons that are specially designed to eliminate drag and increase ergonomics for submerged use. Some weapons are unchanged but the techniques for their use underwater is radically different.
Mermen commonly employ tridents and javelins as weapons, although spears, daggers and harpoon guns are also common.
The Merfolk have developed their martial arts strongly on thrusting and grappling, since those are the most efficient ways to fight underwater. They therefore prefer pole arms and short swords above all other weapons, though they have also been trained to use longer swords quite well.
Traditional Weaponry
- Partisan – A partisan is a pole-arm similar to a spear but it has a much larger spear point and prongs on either side of the blade. it could accurately be described as a sword on a pole.
- Great trident – This trident has 3 large bladed points and is capable of delivering grievous wounds.
- Mersarissa – A very long spear for use in underwater army formations. it has a large blade and reach.
- Chain Net – A net made of fine chain links or cable instead of rope. It has small barbs that cut a trapped creature as it struggles.
- Katar – A short sword that attaches to the forearm instead of being held by the handle
Armor and Shields
There are several considerations to make when using armor underwater, drag and buoyancy. Merfolk armors are usually form fitting and flexible. Medium and heavy armors usually use some form of buoyant material for padding such as kelp pods or cork. Shields are designed to have as little drag as possible when moving them laterally and also have small buoys distributed to the inner surface. Tower shields are extremely rare in the underwater world because they are simply too unwieldy and the reduced danger from ranged weapons. They have been reduced to specialty applications or for merfolk fighting on land.
- Sharkskin leather armor – Basic leather armor has the same properties as land based leather armor.
- Padded – This padded armor uses aquatic fibers to give its wearer some protection.
- Chain shirt – Chain shirts built by merfolk smiths tend to be tighter fitting than those on land to reduce drag.
- Scale mail – Scale mail is more popular with merfolk than chain because it has less drag.
- Breastplate – Breast plates are very popular in in the underwater world for their ease of manufacture, good protection, and freedom of movement
- Lorica Plumata – This armor is a combination of chainmail and scalemail. It consists of metal scales that are attached to a backing of tight fitting chainmail. It is expensive but gives excellent freedom of movement, low drag, and good protection.
Communications
Below the water they communicate in a series of whistles, fluting sounds, sub- and super-sonic pulses which humans cannot hear. It is thought that whales, dolphins, and other large fish may also hear and comprehend this language. When underwater, mermaids "sing" their messages in a special language whose pitches and tones aren't distorted by water, allowing communication. It sounds a bit like whale song, but more modulated and of a higher pitch, although it also depends on the individual mermaid who sings it. Of course, that language doesn't work above the water. Those songs appear to be just as rich and complex as regular language, with differences in pitch, tone, tempo, and structure helping to convey different, intricate meanings. This also means that mermaids possess extremely precise hearing, and are very skilled at controlling the sounds they produce. It's probably the main reason why mermaids are so famous for their beautiful singing voices; it's simply one of their natural methods of communication.
Energy
A majority of marine countries energy comes from geothermal energy from deep sea vents. As more cities rise, the use of mana engines and fuel cells that rely on oceanic environmental essence has been increasing as well as hydrogen fuel cells for domestic technologies.
Brackish merfolk societies mainly rely on firewood and vegetable oils and grasses for domestic power. Larger brackish run civilizations are switching to supplement with offshore wind turbines and hydroelectric plants.
Medical Treatment
Herbal and medicinal baths are a popular home remedy for common physical ailments for Freshwater merfolk. Most of these would have the physician infuse aquatic herbs and minerals in the water to absorb into the skin. Marine medical treatment mostly involved the secretions of various sea life that was traditionally used for relieving pain. Lotions made from corals are still commonly used, such as mushroom coral which produces a sunscreen. An amazing discovery made by marine merfolk was a surgical procedure were coral can be used as scaffold for broken or missing bones. The body can use the minerals within the coral to slowly rebuild their skeleton. After the Medical Revolution, liquid and pill form medication became prevalent for the freshwater ones as well. Injections were introduced to the marine merfolk due to them being effective underwater.
Manufacturing
Merfolk have various uses for naturally obtained substances in their environment, such as using mushroom coral secretions as effective sunscreen.
Traditional Merfolk tools are typically neolithic, made from bone, discarded land glass, or the sharp teeth of sharks, but most lack metals. Larger settlements often learn metallurgy from terrestrial races and even develop their own version. Commonly used materials:
•Bronze - A poor quality but inexpensive metal that resists corrosion
•Stellite - A common type of metal that resists corrosion and is similar in strength to steel
•Byssus/Sea Silk-Strong fibers from mollusks that are immune to water degradation and can be woven into fabrics to make clothing, rope, nets, and other tools.
•Sharkskin - Leather made from the skin of sharks and is very tough.
•Orichalcum- A rare and mysterious metal dug from out of Seamounts, Orichalcum has a golden or coppery color. Orichalcum shares many properties in common with iron such as strength and magnetism, however it does not rust in salt water. The only thing preventing it from being more widely used, is that it is rare and expensive. Large Orichalcum (and iron) deposits can be found by observing where Hammerhead sharks congregate due to their magnetic senses, the large number of sharks also makes extracting the ore difficult at best and further increases the rarity of this much sought after metal.
