Legends of Belariath

Merfolk

Much legend and myth surrounds the Merfolk, that strange and fin-tailed race who dwell in the great waters of Belariath, but very little actual fact in regards to just who and what they are exists in the public mind. This isn't because these facts aren't available, many Merfolk who have chosen to walk the land are ready enough to explain their past, their culture, and their history... but such tales are rather dull in comparison to the wild yarns the other races tend to weave, and most of them prefer being entertained to being informed.

What is known of them is that while immersed in the waters their hips are scaled, and those curves end in a long and flat-finned tail of varying and often beautiful coloration. They can swim near as swift as a lean-built porpoise, but rarely reach such speeds for anything but joy's sake, the Merfolk having no natural predators in their waters, able to both outstrip and outsmart even the Sea Serpents of legend, or so it is said. When Merfolk find themselves on land, their scales gradually recede, their long tails forming a pair of long and usually delicate legs.

Character Creation

Starter Classes: Mage, Druid, Cleric, Bard, Knight, Healer, Warrior, Artisan, Entertainer, Laymen

Advanced Classes: Water Mage, Paladin, Hierophant, Warrior Mage, Monk, Seductress, Priest/Priestess

Armor: Merfolk are restricted to wearing Leather armor, forearm and hand armors, robes and circlets, as any sort of heavy chest piece is too bulky for underwater usage.

Weapons: Merfolk can only use A and B and C style weaponry, anything else is too large and bulky for underwater use.

Starting Stats:

	STR	INT	AGI	RES	STA	SPL	LFE
Basic Stats	4	3	4	4	5	3	4

Appearance

Creatures of the waters depths, the Merfolk live a great deal of their lives under the oceans and lakes caress. The Merfolk tend to keep to themselves,rarely leaving the water's embrace to risk the open land, the burdens of dry and grounded living heavy to those used to the weightless and fanciful flight of undersea life. Living among the corals - where no ship usually dares to sail, sea life and fauna, they hold quite open lives with those about them.

The Merfolk are a hearty race, having lived their entire lives dealing with the constant pressure that the undersea can bring, having great natural fortitude and stamina. Their flesh has a silken sensation to the touch and often appears in hues ranging from dark blue to light sea foam green when in their merfolk form. This is believed not to be their actual skin color but rather a protective coloration they adopt under water. When in bipedal form, they take on the appearance of a normal human being, with skin tones ranging from pale to a dark rich tan. Their hair color varies from the light blue of the sky to black, depending on the region the merperson was born. The heights of these creatures tend to vary from region to region; however, they never are shorter than 5'0", or taller than 6'4"

Its often said that the Merfolk were given a blessing due to the undying love of one mermaid to a elven or human male that went away on land for extended periods of time, that, while underwater a Merfolk has the bottom half of a fish, fin and all, making them faintly similar to the Sithians in appearance. However, while on land, the Merfolk go through a dramatic change where the fins are replaced by legs for better travel.

The Transformation from "fish' to human is quite remarkable, but the question remains, how exactly do Merfolk reproduce under the waves? Well, prior to the transformation from Sea to Land, the Merfolk keep their 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 scales around the females vagina change hue, signaling their ready for sexual relations. Often times the coloration ranges from Intense Reds to fiery oranges or other 'loud' colors. As for the males and females anal cavity is a bit more extensive in their mer-form, leading down the tail to where the flipper/fin is and ending there.

Advantages

Sea-born:
To most mortal races the sea is a dangerous expanse... as risky to cross as any barren desert, if not more-so. To the Merfolk, it is quite simply home, and while in its waters they are in their element. As such, Merfolk are fully capable of both casting spells and engaging in combat while underwater, and suffer no 'man overboard' effects or penalties during Naval combat.

Natural Navigation:
Merfolk have an extremely close relationship with sea and star, moon and tide... able to naturally gauge distance and direction with uncanny ease while in the water, a requirement for a race of peoples which can and often do travel hundreds of miles in a single day's leisurely swim. All Merfolk may choose to begin with Journeyman skill in Navigation at no cost. .

Disadvantages

Dehydration:
Those of the Merfolk -must- return to water, fresh or salt, once every two days for the bare minimum of two hours. Though a dip in the bathhouse will suffice in this regard, a land-locked Merperson who finds themselves in captivity is in serious danger of lasting harm. Though Merfolk who have gone more than two days without immersion in water do not necessarily die, they do begin to dry and wither, which will very much resemble rapid aging. This process can be reversed, but only with time and care.

Undersea Skillset:
Though merfolk often excel at trades surrounding their natural element, from navigation to angling to harvesting rare materials from the sea-floor, they are exceptionally inept when it comes to trades that would prove impossible underwater. Blacksmithing, glass blowing, horsemanship, carpentry, even cooking and baking... your average Merperson is positively terrible at them all. Merfolk cannot reach expert or master skill in any of the above listed ranked skills. )

Society and Taboos

Merfolk society is for the most part a very relaxed affair. Though they do keep 'kingdoms', great castles of coral erected over decades by druids and Heirophants who specialize in the craft, the 'rulers' of these keeps claim no dominance over those around them, expecting to be addressed neither as leader or royalty. These keeps are rarely more grandiose than they need to be, considering the time construction takes, and are erected simply to facilitate the larger Merfolk Families. Merfolk can survive at extreme depths, but rarely make homes of places deep beyond the sun's influence. Though seeing no better in the dark than the average human, they can navigate darkness with surprising skill using lilts of song in a basic, but still functional form of sonar.

Family units are an interesting subject within the Merfolk’s culture. In a single household, there usually is a single dominant male or female, since there’s little difference between the genders, and several if not dozens of wives or husbands. The Merfolk society is a polygamous one, where a single male can have many wives, or a single female can have many husbands. As such a family of Merfolk can become a community in and of itself, eager to invite those of other families to 'marry' into their household.

The seas and oceans of the world are far too expansive and plentiful for conflicts over space and resources to arise, but there are still threats to their safety which require a certain level of militarism. Many of the Sea's larger creatures are willing to attempt the folly of making food of Merfolk, and though rarely to never successful they can often irreparably damage coral communities in the attempt. There is also the Sarenheits and their Three Day War to beware, a conflict in which the Gods themselves are rumored to rouse to battle each year at the sides of their faithful, a subject of much fancy and song with the Merfolk who benefit from it, and a source of carnage, grief and pain for those who participate.

Domesticating sea-creatures is a difficult prospect, but the Merfolk do have very close bonds with certain specimens, dolphins in particular. Though Merfolk make no effort to 'herd' or 'tame' them, a close companionship and co-existence between them is hardly uncommon. Its even said that Dolphins are willing to act as couriers between Merfolk households, carrying news, warnings, sometimes even goods. They also frequently keep smaller sea-creatures as pets, and some families of Merfolk are rumored to have domesticated sharks for their protection.

If there is one thing that Merfolk despise, it is the use of their waters as a dumping ground by the land-locked mortal races. Armed conflict with Merfolk nearly erupted in the early days of Nanthalion when sewage from the city began finding its way down the river Thalis and out to sea, where a community of Merfolk happened to be living. After some tense diplomacy and many seemingly sincere apologies, the Merfolk agreed to relocate, but incidents such as this are not at all uncommon, and have lead to many of the less than pleasant myths surrounding them.

One such Myth, and one that very much irritates the Merfolk who hear it, is that Merfolk in general not only hate all land-locked races, but actually -eat- those whom they lure or drag into the water. The truth is there are next to no recorded incidents of Merfolk attacking the other races, and most of the few such reports were in relation to Merfolk defending their territories from overly aggressive fishing, dolphin poaching, or waste-dumping. "Besides," some Merfolk might muse tongue-in-cheek, "..land-walkers taste terrible." Still, not all the dark tales told by weathered old deckhands in the booze steeped night are false. Much like any other race, even the Merfolk have their share of dirty secrets.

Combat Modifiers

Disabilities and Their Mechanics

Type:	Attack				Defense				Init
	CloPhy	RanPhy	CloMag	RanMag	CloPhy	RanPhy	CloMag	RanMag
Sight	-30%	-100%	-30%	-100%	-30%	-30%	-30%	-30%	-50%
Hearing	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	-25%	-25%	-25%	-25%	-25%
Speech	N/A	N/A	-100%	-100%	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hands/Arms***	-25%	-25%	-50%	-50%	-25%	-25%	-25%	-25%	-20%
Legs/Feet***	-25%	-10%	-25%	-N/A	-25%	-20%	-25%	-25%	-25%
* Attack/Defense Enchantments are not effected, penalties apply to base stats. * Those temporarily blinded in one eye will receive half penalties for blindness to all attacks. ** All penalties are cumulative. *** Penalties are cumulative per limb.