Merfolk
Once a nation of seafaring humans, the merfolk’s island nation was sunk by a nation of sorcerers with whom they’d made war. Shalimyr saved them from death by transforming them into people will gills, able to survive in the sea.
Merfolk live in every ocean of the world, infinite in their variety and awe-inspiring in their majesty. They consider themselves, not without some merit, the rulers of the sea. Among the tropical reefs of the Foaming Sea, merfolk build temples and palaces of brightly colored corals. Beneath the ice floes of the Shivering Depths, merfolk hunt seals and whales for food in small, standoffish clans. In the Emerald Ocean, merfolk populate the great trading city of Aloh, built into the shell of a titanic snail that crawls across the ocean floor.
Though merfolk’s everyday lives aren’t all that different from those of the surface dwellers above, they have a much more intimate relationship with magic. In the aquatic environment of the open ocean, much that relies on fire and metal is impossible. Instead, merfolk shape sound and water with magic, using them as both tools and weapons. Such skills are widely distributed throughout all merfolk communities, even among those without formal magical training.
If you want to play a character who embodies the grace, wonder, and danger of the sea, you should play a merfolk.
You Might... • Consider magic a normal tool, something common and useful, rather than a sublime mystery.
• Have a sense of superiority when it comes to the water, whether that be arrogant disdain for anyone who swims or sails or parental concern that they might hurt themselves.
Others Probably...
• Are impressed by your musical and mystical talents.
• Assume that life beneath the waves is vastly different than life on the surface.
Merfolk are among the most distinct ancestries on Boardrinn; one can’t really mistake a merfolk for anything else. From the waist up, merfolk have the bodies of humanoids with powerful bodies and sharp, aquadynamic features. Their eyes are a little larger than those of a human, and many have slightly pointed ears, similar to those of aiuvarins. Below the waist, merfolk have the bodies of great fish, each with a long, scaled tail ending in a fin or pair of fins.
Merfolk come in every color of skin and scale imaginable. Most often, their human bodies have skin tones similar to those of humans or elves living in the same area—the merfolk of The Shattered Isles, for instance, bear a certain similarity to the Lirgeni, while those who live in the Shivering Depths somewhat resemble their Ulfen neighbors. Merfolk who dwell farther from land take on colorations closer to fish tones of blue, gray, or even green. Deep-sea abyssal merfolk have dark gray, midnight blue, or even translucent skin.
Merfolk fish tails are colored similarly to local fish populations. In the temperate zones where most merfolk live, they have iridescent, silvery bodies with traces of gray or blue; tropical merfolk might display patterns of brilliant colors, while those born in the depths might have translucent scales or faintly bioluminescent stripes.
Merfolk can be found in the corners of every ocean, but the largest concentration lives in sprawling aquatic kingdoms on continental shelves, usually in temperate waters teeming with fish. Merfolk look at the deep water in roughly the same way that surface dwellers look at mountains or deserts: some people can live there, but it isn’t exactly ideal terrain. Merfolk territories consist of several settled villages and cities, sometimes organized under aristocratic families with courtly politics to rival those found in any land monarchy. These political entities pursue active diplomacy with one another, making alliances and trade treaties. Many tend to be more standoffish toward surface dwellers, but some are fascinated by the surface and actively seek to learn about it, whether by using specialized water-filled mobility devices to come onshore or through ancient transformation magics.
Merfolk value magic very highly, and any merfolk hoping to rise to a leadership role is expected to have a powerful grasp of the sorcery of wind, wave, and song. Merfolk kings and queens aren’t necessarily the most powerful mages in their territories, but they’re usually not far from it, as they have access to a wealth of teachings and artifacts passed down from one generation to the next.
Merfolk have as many naming patterns as there are merfolk cultures, but a few tendencies predominate. Dolphin-like clicks and whale-like groans punctuate mellifluous merfolk names, and variances in pitch and tone help distinguish similar names from one another. Merfolk who regularly deal with surface dwellers often adopt names borrowed from local surface cultures, especially since merfolk names tend to sound strange and awkward to their own ears when pronounced in air rather than water.
Sample Names: Aloori, Iri’kik, Ouliette, T’konaa, Uathanak
In general, merfolk follow the morals and customs of their parents and the communities in which they were raised. These vary greatly throughout the world. For instance, some merfolk are expected to live harmoniously with nature, while others follow a rigid set of laws ordained by their ancestors. Many merfolk believe that acts of altruism raise a community as a whole, even if they don’t immediately produce beneficial results for the one who performed the deed in the first place. Merfolk worship unique in that it is universal. It is rare, or even unheard of to find a merfolk worshiping another god more than Shalimyr.
Popular Edicts aid one’s neighbor whenever possible, bring the beauty of music to the world, protect the seas from threats within and without
Popular Anathema fight the current head-on, use magic to harm innocents or hoard wealth
Merfolk live in every ocean of the world, infinite in their variety and awe-inspiring in their majesty. They consider themselves, not without some merit, the rulers of the sea. Among the tropical reefs of the Foaming Sea, merfolk build temples and palaces of brightly colored corals. Beneath the ice floes of the Shivering Depths, merfolk hunt seals and whales for food in small, standoffish clans. In the Emerald Ocean, merfolk populate the great trading city of Aloh, built into the shell of a titanic snail that crawls across the ocean floor.
Though merfolk’s everyday lives aren’t all that different from those of the surface dwellers above, they have a much more intimate relationship with magic. In the aquatic environment of the open ocean, much that relies on fire and metal is impossible. Instead, merfolk shape sound and water with magic, using them as both tools and weapons. Such skills are widely distributed throughout all merfolk communities, even among those without formal magical training.
If you want to play a character who embodies the grace, wonder, and danger of the sea, you should play a merfolk.
You Might... • Consider magic a normal tool, something common and useful, rather than a sublime mystery.
• Have a sense of superiority when it comes to the water, whether that be arrogant disdain for anyone who swims or sails or parental concern that they might hurt themselves.
Others Probably...
• Are impressed by your musical and mystical talents.
• Assume that life beneath the waves is vastly different than life on the surface.
Physical Description
Merfolk are among the most distinct ancestries on Boardrinn; one can’t really mistake a merfolk for anything else. From the waist up, merfolk have the bodies of humanoids with powerful bodies and sharp, aquadynamic features. Their eyes are a little larger than those of a human, and many have slightly pointed ears, similar to those of aiuvarins. Below the waist, merfolk have the bodies of great fish, each with a long, scaled tail ending in a fin or pair of fins.
Merfolk come in every color of skin and scale imaginable. Most often, their human bodies have skin tones similar to those of humans or elves living in the same area—the merfolk of The Shattered Isles, for instance, bear a certain similarity to the Lirgeni, while those who live in the Shivering Depths somewhat resemble their Ulfen neighbors. Merfolk who dwell farther from land take on colorations closer to fish tones of blue, gray, or even green. Deep-sea abyssal merfolk have dark gray, midnight blue, or even translucent skin.
Merfolk fish tails are colored similarly to local fish populations. In the temperate zones where most merfolk live, they have iridescent, silvery bodies with traces of gray or blue; tropical merfolk might display patterns of brilliant colors, while those born in the depths might have translucent scales or faintly bioluminescent stripes.
Society
Merfolk can be found in the corners of every ocean, but the largest concentration lives in sprawling aquatic kingdoms on continental shelves, usually in temperate waters teeming with fish. Merfolk look at the deep water in roughly the same way that surface dwellers look at mountains or deserts: some people can live there, but it isn’t exactly ideal terrain. Merfolk territories consist of several settled villages and cities, sometimes organized under aristocratic families with courtly politics to rival those found in any land monarchy. These political entities pursue active diplomacy with one another, making alliances and trade treaties. Many tend to be more standoffish toward surface dwellers, but some are fascinated by the surface and actively seek to learn about it, whether by using specialized water-filled mobility devices to come onshore or through ancient transformation magics.
Merfolk value magic very highly, and any merfolk hoping to rise to a leadership role is expected to have a powerful grasp of the sorcery of wind, wave, and song. Merfolk kings and queens aren’t necessarily the most powerful mages in their territories, but they’re usually not far from it, as they have access to a wealth of teachings and artifacts passed down from one generation to the next.
Merfolk have as many naming patterns as there are merfolk cultures, but a few tendencies predominate. Dolphin-like clicks and whale-like groans punctuate mellifluous merfolk names, and variances in pitch and tone help distinguish similar names from one another. Merfolk who regularly deal with surface dwellers often adopt names borrowed from local surface cultures, especially since merfolk names tend to sound strange and awkward to their own ears when pronounced in air rather than water.
Sample Names: Aloori, Iri’kik, Ouliette, T’konaa, Uathanak
Beliefs
In general, merfolk follow the morals and customs of their parents and the communities in which they were raised. These vary greatly throughout the world. For instance, some merfolk are expected to live harmoniously with nature, while others follow a rigid set of laws ordained by their ancestors. Many merfolk believe that acts of altruism raise a community as a whole, even if they don’t immediately produce beneficial results for the one who performed the deed in the first place. Merfolk worship unique in that it is universal. It is rare, or even unheard of to find a merfolk worshiping another god more than Shalimyr.
Popular Edicts aid one’s neighbor whenever possible, bring the beauty of music to the world, protect the seas from threats within and without
Popular Anathema fight the current head-on, use magic to harm innocents or hoard wealth
Heritages
Abyssal Merfolk
You live far, far below the surface of the ocean. Your fish tail might resemble a viperfish or anglerfish, and you might have luminous eyes or translucent skin. Abyssal merfolk have an uncanny reputation, but they can exist in even the most lightless realms. You gain darkvision and are immune to the crushing pressure of the oceanic depths.
Carcharodon Merfolk
As a fearsome shark merfolk, your lower body is similar to that of one of the apex predators of the ocean. Like a shark, you can smell blood from quite a distance. You gain scent as an imprecise sense with a range of 30 feet. However, you can smell spilled blood at a range of 120 feet in the air and 500 feet in the water.
Pelagic Merfolk
You’re a merfolk of the open seas. Your tail is patterned after the silvery tuna and herring that school by the million in your hunting grounds. Water obeys your will, and with a quick word, you can draw a sheathe of it around you. You gain the Shielding Wave action.
Reef Merfolk
You were raised amid colorful corals and schools of tropical fish. Compared to most merfolk, your body is vividly hued with stripes, spots, and patterns like a clownfish or angelfish. You’re used to the occasionally toxic denizens of your home and are bothered little by stings or petty poisons. You gain poison resistance equal to half your level (minimum 1), and each of your successful saving throws against a poison affliction reduces its stage by 2, or by 1 for a virulent poison. Each critical success against an ongoing poison reduces its stage by 3, or by 2 for a virulent poison.
Sailfish Merfolk
The lower half of your body resembles a powerful sailfish, complete with a large dorsal fin. Using this fin, you can move through the water faster and leap farther. Your swim Speed increases to 30 feet. When you attempt a High Jump or Long Jump, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to the Athletics check, and you can Swim instead of Striding before attempting the jump.
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