Legends of Belariath
Merfolk
Half human half fish, the allure of a mermaid seems to surpass the likely possibility of any consummation of the urges engendered by the sight of such a creature. Still the fascination remains. Maybe because of the mystery of procreating with such a being....
Of course a mermaid having completed the transformation to bipedal so she can walk on land, is rather a different prospect to that same creature reverted to her natural form when visiting the Baths.
Which do you prefer?
Character Creation
Starter Classes: Mage, Druid, Cleric, Bard, Knight
Advanced Classes: Water Mage, Paladin, Warrior Mage, Monk, Seductress, Priest/Priestess
Armor: Merfolk are restricted to wearing Leather armor, as any sort of metal is too bulky for underwater usage.
Weapons: Merfolk can only use A and B 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, hardly going to the lands embrace only because their constant need for the element which, to them, birthed them. Living among the corals, 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 bi-pedal 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.
Special Abilities
Water Breathing: From birth onward, the Merfolk have had the ability to breathe underwater through a set of gills set along the ribcage, two sets of gills each. Through this, a Merman or maid can take the much needed oxygen from the water and breathe easily.
Penalty
Dehydration: Those of the Merfolk -must- return to water, fresh or salt, once every two days for the bare minimum of 2 hours. This is to keep their skin from drying out and cracking and to prevent them from dehydrating. Every hour after two days have passed inflicts 2 points of Damage till the Merfolk soaks his or herself in the blessed water, which slowly regenerates the damage done. (This only applies to damage from failing to get to water; any other damage has to be healed normally)
Society and Taboos
Culture
The Culture of the Merfolk is much akin to High Elven Cities. A great palace erected and implanted in the middle of a vast area of ‘land’ from which the Royalty rules. Through the application of intense heat to the sandy ocean bed, the Merfolk have been able to create beautiful works of glass art, and majestic buildings where glass makes up a great deal of the construct. Coral also makes a vast appearance in the Merfolk’s archeology, though it can literally take years to create a single building without the help of a well known ‘Druid’ to grow the living coral into the shape needed. In this fashion, the Merfolk keep their ties to nature and to Gaea without despoiling the oceans with unneeded waste.
As far as domesticated animals are concerned, often the royal guard can be seen atop great Dolphins that they have a sort of ‘bond’ with, the Dolphins intelligence greatly aiding where a Landriders Horse cannot. For traveling and carrying cargo, they rely on the gentle Manta Rays to get them from place to place, while not the fastest undersea animal, they are always reliable. Various animals can be used in aid of defending homes, from Sharks, Sea Urchins, Lion Fish... As for pets, Merfolk keep the strangest of pets, Sea Cucumbers, Otters (But only those who have precious air somewhere in their home, generally the better off Merfolk who can afford to add a glass bubble or two.), the list goes on and on.
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 wives or husbands. The Merfolk society is that of a polygamous one, where a single male can have many wives, or a single female can have many husbands. And slavery isn’t unknown either, however, since most landfolk cannot breathe underwater, only the Royalty can afford to have such slaves, since their great castles host many oxygenated Glass bubbles for the air breathers to live and stay within.
Taboos
It is forbidden for those of the Merfolk to despoil the waters they hold dear, any doing so is immediately renounced by the race as a whole and thus marked, usually a brand on the forehead or biceps.
Merfolk will not willingly go near flames, nor own any magic that deals with the fire sphere. The flames dry out their flesh faster, and most Merfolk that have been near flames feel an immediate need to drench themselves in water to halt the scaling process their skin goes through, which causes an intense pain and often bleeding.