Merfolk

Merfolk, sometimes referred to in literature as Mer, are a sentient hybrid species of creatures with the combined features of a fish and a mortal. They are believed to be one of the most wide-spread mortal races, and are known to inhabit shallow seas and oceans throughout Holos. Their unique anatomy and relative reclusiveness has led many mortal cultures to develop rich mythologies regarding the merfolk, ranging from benevolent ocean protectors to the savage drowners of sailors. In truth, merfolk are exceptionally diverse and make up a multitude of unique and individual cultures. The largest known merfolk settlement is Kicöshäekä, also known as Mercatch Anchorage or Kicotown in sailors' cant. It is surrounded by two currents that form the Whirlbend, a dangerous eddy that makes sailing through the region difficult The largest immigrant population of merfolk can be found just south of Kicöshäekä in Solstice, where they comprise much of Plinthbottom and the Underquays. Nomadic merfolk societies can also be found throughout the oceans of Holos. One notable example are the Briöluaglä'uü, a culture that is said to circumnavigate the whole world on the back of their great whale.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Merfolk have highly varied anatomies depending on the region and culture they hail from. Merfolk are hybrid creatures, combining the aquatic traits of fish and the terrestrial traits of mortals. Of all the mortal races, merfolk appear to be most closely related to elves and other fey-related mortals with gracile limbs and slender features. This fusion of traits occurs at what would be a mortal's hipbone, and extends the spinal column several additional feet to create a flexible tail.

Skeleton

The fusion of aquatic and terrestrial traits occurs at what would be a mortal's hipbone, and extends the spinal column several additional feet to create a flexible tail. Because of this unique fusion, merfolk spines change in function. The anterior regions of the spine designed to be rigid and support the ribecage and vital organs. The posterior regions of the spine are far more flexible and have wide neural spines that attach to the creature's powerful tail musculature. Unlike fish, merfolk move through the water with tails that move up and down rather than left to right (though some subspecies of merfolk utilize a more eel or serpentine form of locomotion.) The spine terminates in a caudal fin with a number of radial bones supporting the fin's structure. Merfolk bones are semi-cartilaginous allowing for added flexibility and plasticity in the water. Their skulls are connected to their spinal column via a unique pivot bone, which allows them to look forward while swimming and then reorient to face towards their ventral position as a mortal would when standing or sitting.

Limbs

Most merfolk have four limbs, two attached at the shoulder with mortal traits, and two attached to the hip. These two limbs take the form of pectoral fins and are used for added maneuverability in the water. The merfolk's anterior limbs both end in raptorial, five fingered hands. Small cartilaginous fins can sometimes be found on merfolk elbows and can be used to help manuever and sometimes as defensive weapons. Merfolk fingers are webbed and of different length proportions to mortal fingers, with the forth and fifth digits being substantially reduced. Additionally, these forth and fifth digits lack finger nails. Merfolk fingers have deeper grooves than the average mortal's, which helps them grasp things underwater.

Respiration

Gills
Merfolk have a unique respiratory system, even for aquatic animals. Merfolk have two sets of gills, and a set of reduced lungs. The first set, known as facial gills, runs from just behind their ears to beneath the lower jaw and are used to oxygenate the creature's brain. Facial gill sets contain three gill pairs. Their size also varies greatly depending on the oxygen content of their native range, with deepwater merfolk having far larger and deeply ridged gills than their shallow sea cousins. Facial gills can be somewhat damaged without costing the merfolk their life, though some cognitive functions may be slower or more frantic in these circumstances. These facial gills can be flared or collapsed and are often used as part of social displays. Merfolk also boast a second set of gills along their hips. These gills roughly correspond with the transition between mortal and fish as well, which is why they are often referred to as true gills. True gill sets contain five pairs of gills. True gills are connected to the merfolk's swim blatter and are used to oxygenate the majority of the body. A merfolk cannot survive underwater without these gills. Unlike boney fish, merfolk lack a bony operculum and so are somewhat susecptable to injury.
Lungs
Merfolk are unique in that they do in fact have lungs. These lungs located in the animal's ribcage and are quite large compared to the average mortal. Despite this, the circulatory system around the lungs is far less developed than other aquatic mammals like seals or dolphins. This is likely because they usually rely on their gills when underwater and only rarely pull themselves onto land. In fact, merfolk primarily use their lungs, not to breath but to communicate. Merfolk lungs are connected to the merfolk's trachia via their throats, allowing them to breath like most mortals. Unlike mortals, the glottis of a merfolk is thick and rubbery but connected to highly developed precision muscles. This allows merfolk to make sounds underwater without fully flooding their lungs. It also means that while merfolk can and do learn terrestrial languages, though they often find the manipulation of the tongue to be tricky. At the same time, mortals are almost completely incapable of speaking True Mermish without the aid of magic.

Teeth

Merfolk jaws contain more teeth than other mortals and are much smaller. In particular, their incisors and canines are quite sharp and narrow, allowing them to pierce tough scales. However, unlike many predatory fish, merfolk do have molars, which they use to break mollusc shells.

Scales

Most merfolk grow scales across their entire body, with only a few regions exposed by soft blubberlike skin. These skin regions are found mostly on their ventral sides, specifically the chest, face, and waist. Merfolk scales are at their largest and densest around their posterior; covering the tail, caudal and pectoral fins, and the pseudo-hip region. Shireen merfolk have far less scale coverage and more insulated skin, but these are limited to the anterior regions of the body.

Pigmentation

Merfolk skin and scales come in a variety of colors. Most merfolk display some kind of countershading with their dorsal regions being covered with darker and denser scales than their ventral bellies. Merfolk skin typically ranges from deep blue to a dark sandy complection. In general, merfolk scales typically resemble the coloration of other fish native to their range. This phenomenon is believed to be a kind of camoflague derived specifically from their mutable elemental origins.

Genetics and Reproduction

Merfolk give birth to live young and have a reproductive system similar to that of sharks. Male merfolk have a pair of claspers which are used to deposit sperm into the womb of a female merfolk. Mating involves swimming in tandem as the sperm is deposited and often appears to resemble a kind of dance. Female merfolk have a gestation period of about seven months and typically give birth to five or six offspring. Birth can be particularly dangerous for merfolk. Mermaid bodies prioritize giving nutrients to the fetuses over the mothers, often leaving them malnourished until the birth. Blood and placental fluid expelled during the birth can attract sharks and other predators. Because most merfolk give birth to multiple offspring, the chance of some kind of blockage or other complication raises the risks even further. This is believed to be the reason that infant merfolk do not resemble merfolk but instead the fish of their parents posterior. Mortals can breed with merfolk. However, only a male mortal can breed with a female merfolk because male merfolk claspers are incompatible with mortal reproductive anatomy. However, only about 20% of merfolk/mortal inseminations result in a viable embryo. Of those that are viable, about 30% of them result in the birth of another merfolk. These merfolk are called shir'ee and have notably more mortal features than merfolk. The other 70% of successful births result in tritons, a mortal/merfolk hybrid with more mortal features such as two legs instead of a single tail. However, those shir'ee and tritons that do survive the gestation period have a much better chance of surviving the dangerous infancy period of the pureblooded mer.

Growth Rate & Stages

Tlee

When born, infant merfolk—known as tlee—resemble fish, with their mortal form hidden within the fish's mouth. As tlee, they have roughly the same intelligence as the fish. This acts as a kind of defensive biological mimicry, allowing the infant merfolk to fend for itself while the mother mermaid recuperates after birth. In most contemporary merfolk societies, tlee are given sacred tattoos or piercings so that any merfolk that come into contact with them will know they are protected and not to be trifled with. Despite this, only 1 in 3 tlee ever grow into adult merfolk. After a six months in this form, the tlee will use its exceptionally enhanced sense of smell to locate their mother. Once the tlee finds the mother, its mortal head will emerge, allowing the tlee to suckle. If the tlee cannot locate the scent of their mother, they will remain in their tlee form indefinitely. These perpetual tlee are considered deeply tragic figures in many merfolk societies, with some believing them to have spiritual significance as guides or oracles.

Tlee'änlee & Ploänlee

This suckling stage—in which the child is known as a tlee'änlee—lasts for about a year. During this time, the mortal part of the merfolk's body develops more fully while the piscine region elongates. After this period, the child is considered a ploänlee, the equivalent of an adolescent. In this stage, the merfolk grows rapidly, reaching adolescence after three years and then entering the stages of puberty after about six years.

Skovätrawy

For merfolk, the hormonal shifts that transition a ploānlee to a myr also involve the absorption of the fish brain that governed their behavior as a tlee. It is a deeply confusing and sometimes painful time for young merfolk. Many merfolk societies banish their young for the duration. This will often take the form of an extended coming of age ritual, known as the Skovätrawy or Scaleshedding. During one's Scaleshedding, young merfolk must complete a task, travel a certain distance, or undergo a spiritual transformation in order to be accepted back into the community. The severity of the task varies across merfolk societies, as does the penalty for failing to complete such a trial. Some merfolk even believe that the sahuagin or merrow were once ploānlee that were banished from their tribe and turned to dark powers in their anguish. Merfolk typically complete their Scaleshedding around age 13 or 14 and are considered full adults at this point. Merfolk typically live around 70 years total, though some have been reported living up to a century.

Shir'ee & Triton Growth Rates

Merfolk born as shir'een go through much the same growth stages as those with two myr parents, but their development often takes longer. By contrast, triton infants have very different growth rates. They do not have a tlee stage and instead behave more like other mortal infants. This can be a mixed blessing—on the one hand, triton infants do not have to try and survive as a fish for the first few years of their lives and the process of locating their mothers. One the other hand, triton infants do become an immediate burden for their mothers, who may be too drained by the ordeals of pregnancy or birth to properly take care of them. They can even endanger the mother by extending the period in which she is vulnerable to predators due to their dependence on her. Additionally, societal belief surrounding the importance of the tlee and the pressures of not having a father on hand to assist in raising the infant can lead to prejudice towards tritons, and in some cases, infanticide.

Ecology and Habitats

Merfolk inhabit a wide range of aquatic biomes. They can be found throughout tropical equitorial regions and have been reported as far north and south as the subpolar regions.

Depth

Within their ranges, merfolk typically settle within the Sunlight Zone, or between 30 and 200 meters below the surface. Some merfolk communities can be found within the Twilight Zone, a region of between 200 and 1000 meters below sea level. These communities are considered by the merfolk to be the frontiers of their territories, as the environment is more hostile and physically oppressive than their home ranges. Merfolk that call these regions home are typically larger, paler, and have reduced fins to help them retain heat and endure the increased water pressure. Most merfolk refuse to enter the Bathypelagic or Abyssalpelagic Zones, both because the water pressure in these regions can be itself life threatening and because the region is frequently considered the domain of monsters. A few merfolk communities maintain outposts in the Bathypelagic or Midnight Zone for security but these locations are often supported with magical technology that makes them more habitable to personnel.

Survival Without Water

Despite their lungs and mortal features, merfolk are thoroughly aquatic creatures. They can only be out of the water for a short time before they begin to dehydrate. After about one hour on land, merfolk become fatigued and their skin blisters. After two hours, they become delirious and their internal organs go into shock. After three hours, their skin starts to flake off and their internal organs begin shutting down. Within four hours, most merfolk will die if they do not submerge themselves in water.

Salinity

Merfolk are primarily saltwater creatures, with no known merfolk inhabiting freshwater regions year round. They are capable of living in freshwater conditions, though most find it uncomfortable and there is some evidence to suggest that merfolk that spend a significant amount of time in freshwater are at a greater risk of illness and other health conditions.

Environmental phenotypes

One of the arguments for the fey merfolk hypothesis draws upon the fact that merfolk frequently appear like animals that inhabit their home territory. Merfolk in tropical shallow seas resemble the brightly colored fish of coral reefs, while merfolk living in temperate coastal regions have more silvery scales like the schooling cod and tuna that call the dogger home. This also has an impact on body shapes, with merfolk from colder or deeper regions growing much larger. These merfolk also have reduced fins and having larger deposits of blubber in their anterior regions, which help keeping them protected in the colder environments. Conversely, equatorial merfolk or those who reside in shallow water have brighter, more saturated pigmentation with defined countershading to allow them to endure the refracting light of the blazing tropical sun. Their skin is darker and they frequently have more fins or frills. This is especially true of shir'ee, who are almost always darker skinned than their deep-water piscine ancestors. Merfolk communities can be sedentary, nomadic, or semi-nomadic depending on their culture and food source. Nomadic merfolk, often called current myr, follow currents along the coast hunting or sometimes herding migratory sea creatures as they make their way from their feeding grounds to their breeding grounds. These current mer often consider their home territories to be located in more temperate regions, only entering the warm barren oceans of the equator when their animals need to breed. When merfolk do settle, they typically do so in shallow seas near a rich source of renewable food, such as a coral reef, sea grass bank, kelp forest, or shoaling grounds. Their structures are made from the materials in the environment, typically coral, limestone, or kelp. Even in the largest of their aquatic metropolises, merfolk usually keep their livestock or crops near them at all times, with each household raising a school or keeping a garden as part of the wider community effort.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Merfolk diets vary greatly based on their home regions. Most merfolk are omnivorous, eating a variety of sea creatures and aquatic plants. Kelp farming merfolk consume large amounts of kelp and other aquatic plants, including sea grasses and algae. This is often supplemented by the many other creatures that make up the kelp forest ecosystem, including starfish, shrimp, fish, and even some marine mammals. Reef gardener merfolk have perhaps the most varied diets of all merfolk. While they do consume a small amount of algae and aquatic plants, most of their diet consists of sea creatures which they raise in reef gardens: stunning, three dimensional stuctures made of coral that support a vast assortment of animals. Reef gardeners subsist on everything from mollusks to shellfish to fish to marine reptiles and mammals. Statistically, most of their diet is centered around mollusks, as these are easy to raise and important to keep in check for the health of their reef ecosystems. Nomadic merfolk often travel more frequently through vast stretches of open ocean, meaning that gathering food from the sea floor is a dangerous task. These nomadic merfolk often go long stretches without food, and are often entirely carnivorous. These merfolk are often the ones associated with fishwives' tales of man-eaters and seductive sirens. Though many of these stories are unsubstantiated, these merfolk have been known to raid mortal ships or ally with sahuagin in times of extreme hunger.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Hearing

Though merfolk appear to have ears similar to other elvish fey, their anatomy is actually quite different. The long, cartilaginous fins on either side of their heads are not actually used to hear as much as they are to pick up other sensory information, such as vibrations through the water and the flow of currents. Sound vibrations move much faster underwater but dissipate differently depending on the water pressure. As a result, merfolk ears are encased within their skull and are specifically tuned to higher frequencies that travel better underwater. Merfolk often find listening to sound above water to be a dizzying experience and are sensitive to loud noises.

Sight

Merfolk have larger eyes than most other mortals and can see underwater quite well. They typically have brightly colored eyes with yellow and green being the most common. Other colors, such as scarlet, orange, purple, and indigo are also known. Rare glossy black eyes can be found in deeper water populations.

Touch

Merfolk fins and scales are especially good at discerning changes in the directionality, temperature, and pressure of the water around them. They often feel naked outside of water, as the air around them doesn't seem blanket them in the same way that water does. Some populations have elongated tail fins or ear fins or even whiskers which help them perceive the currents of the water around them. Merfolk hair is also more sensitive to touch and vibrations than mortal hair. Some merfolk are purported to have ampullae of Lorenzini, much like sharks, which allows them to sense the movement of other creatures in the water around them.

Olfactory

Adult merfolk are essentially blind to smell outside of water. Within water, merfolk are highly attuned to certain smells, specifically the scent of rotting fish, blood, and salt. Interestingly, merfolk actually have the strongest sense of smell just after infancy when they are about to exit their tlee stage of development. During this time, the merfolk locks onto the scent of their mother, specifically their mother's mammary glands. They will swim up to hundreds of miles to reconnect with their mothers if need be, though this has become far less common in the more sedentary, industry-based mer kingdoms.

Civilization and Culture

Gender Ideals

Merfolk societies are almost entirely matrilineal. Historically, there were more patrilineal mer societies, but continued exposure to mortals and the rise in shir'ee and triton populations meant that mermaids became the focal point for the mer family unit. Mermen are smaller than mermaids, with the degree of sexual dimorphism varying between haplogroups. Many prominent merfolk societies view this sexual dimorphism as an expression of the superiority of mermaids and have matriarchal social structures. In these communities, mermen are tasked with farming, shoal herding, reef gardening and other domestic tasks while mermaids are in charge of the family's finances, as well as forms the ranks of the communities' militia and exploratory corps. Mermaids are also often considered superior singers, as they can create a wider range of tones and sounds than mermen.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Mermish

With the sheer number of merfolk communities in Holos as well as the often vast distances between such communities, it should come as no surprise that there is no universal merfolk language. Mermish, as it is often known to sailors, is in fact a dozen different languages, many of them completely unrelated to one another. However, they are all constrained to the physiology of the merfolk and the underwater realms in which they dwell, and so do have some similarities. Mermish languages are believed to be derived from Aquan, the language of the Primordial Plane of Water. Much like cetaceans or pinnepeds, True Mermish languages consist of many high frequency clicks, trills, whistles combined with low frequency thrumming and bellowing. Because of the position of their lungs, merfolk can create two tones at once. Some of the highest frequency clicks are often inaudible to non-merfolk, and many require the speaker and the listener to be underwater in order for the phoneme to be spoken and heard properly. This, combined with the unique anatomy required to voice all the sounds that go into Mermish means that it is nearly impossible for other mortals to replicate. Most Mermish languages do not have a written component. Some scholars have theorized that this is because merfolk are attuned to more frequencies than mortals and can communicate over longer distances. In truth, it likely comes down to a lack of easy ways to transcribe information underwater. Ink cannot survive underwater and carving symbols into rock or coral takes time. Moreover, because few mortals can speak a Mermish tongue, the means of transcribing it for a surface-dwelling reader is limited. Most merfolk communities that interact regularly with surface-dwellers do so either through sailor's cant or another mortal language. Interestingly, many words in sailors' cant are actually derived from Mermish languages. Signed Mermish
Many Mermish languages not only have a spoken component but a somatic or signed component to them. This is because it is difficult to speak softly underwater as sound travels a greater distance and many tones travel distances at different speeds. This can result in the meanings of words or phrases becoming changed depending on the proximity between the listener and the speaker. Signs in Mermish languages do involve manipulating their hands, arms, and facial expressions to convey meaning but they also can involve moving their pectoral and caudal fins as well, particularly the tissue between the radials of their fins. This can make speaking even signed Mermish difficult for surface dwellers.

Common Dress Code

Most merfolk cultures wear little to no clothing. This is because traditional clothing creates drag if not tightly secured to an individual's body. Moreover, clothing provides little temperature control underwater, negating the practical purpose of developing such techniques such as textile manufacturing. While sea grasses and kelp can be woven into things similar to cloth but these are usually used to create basketry, netting, or other essentials. However, while clothing as we understand it may not exist in most merfolk cultures, ornamentation does. Merfolk create many dress pieces out of shells, coral, sea glass, stones, pearls, and other materials. Most of these pieces are small so as to not obstruct their movement, adorning the creatures' arms or fins, and are what many mortals might consider jewelry. Larger pieces are worn during special occasions, when the need to move unobstructed is lessened. Some merfolk, particularly those with ties to the surface, do create and wear armor. Shell scale, a scale mail-like piece made from mollusk shells, is perhaps the most common but is limited in its use. Merfolk scales are often tough enough to deflect most glancing blows, with only piercing strikes being a concern. Shell scale does offer some protection from such attacks but most merfolk consider outswimming your foe to be a more practical defense.

Body modification

More common than dress in merfolk societies is body modification. Piercing, tattooing, and scarification are all found to a certain extent in merfolk societies.

Piercing

Piercing exists in nearly every documented merfolk culture. Piercings are usually performed with urchin or pufferfish spines, or sharpened a sharpened pieces of bone in more remote areas. Some merfolk will pierce almost every part of their body, though not at the same time, with different piercings coming into fashion at different times of year. Some piercings are used to denote life stages or socials statues. The navel piercing, for example, is worn to signify marriage.

Tattooing

Merfolk are some of the most prolific tattooers in the known world, with many communities tattooing some if not all of their body by the time of their deaths. Merfolk tattoos typically use a combination of squid ink and bioluminscent bacteria and algae to create the ink. The injection of bioluminous algae allows merfolk to cultivate bacterial cultures within their body. Some merfolk are said to even be able to control the illumination of the microscopic creatures in their tattoos through meditative training.

History

Many stories claim to explain the origin of the merfolk. There is no scholarly consensus as to their origins.

Mythic History

The merfolk themselves believe that they are in fact the children of Takuroa, the Primordial Titan of Water. In some accounts Takuroa created the merfolk allow through parthenogenesis, a rare occurance that can sometimes happen to mortal mer. Other accounts claim that he created them with another individual. Ancient sources¹ suggest that a figure known as Yammaula helped Takuroa create the merfolk when he combined his semen with Takuroa's waters. These accounts treat Yammaula as a powerful god on par with the deities of the Heavenly Council. However, over the centuries, Yammaula has gone from a deific figure to more of a legendary hero, like Senaka or Khaghatan the First. Contempory merfolk regard Yammaula as one of the first merfolk or at least a very powerful mer sorcerer that lived during the Dawn Era. These oral histories assert that the merfolk originally resided in the Plane of Water and that they existed before the Material Plane and Holos even came into being. In this primordial period, the merfolk lived with their creator, Takuroa, who was both a physical being and the Plane itself. Specifically, they lived within an underwater paradise known as the Coral Castle.²

Celestial Tradition

Another line of merfolk legend claims that they were begotten from the union of Takuroa and Lacorré, the Celestial goddess of the sea. This tradition is maintained by followers of the Heavenly Council who also worship the Sea's Lover as one of their pantheon. A version of this account can be found in the Heavenly Codex story "Lacorré Steals The Heart of the Sea." Corruption of the Merrow
At some point durin the Dawn Era, a group of merfolk³ came upon a passageway to the Underworld. These merfolk entered and found themselves in a realm of terrible horrors and were corrupted by their experience. They pledged fealty to Zaguna, the Daughter of Death, and returned changed. They returned only to attack and mutilate their fellow mer until they were driven into the deepest trenches of the Plane of Water.

The Deep War

During the Dawn Era, the Great Old One known as Kahré reemerged and tried to escape the confines of the Lower Realms. To do this, Kahré forged an alliance comprised of many horrors beyond reckoning, most notably aboleths, Sahuagin, merrow, and Kuo-Toa.³ She set her monsters upon the Plane of Water, scourging the seas to break the seal that held their mistress in what is known today as the Deep War. Every merfolk culture tells their own epic cycle recounting the events of the Deep War. Many merfolk tribes revere certain characters from these sagas as ancestral heroes and trace the foundation of their lineage to them. These tales vary greatly but all agree that Kahré's legions nearly succeeded in opening the Swallowing Abyss and flooding the young Material Plane with the waters of the Vast Sea. It was thanks to an alliance between the Merking, Takuroa, Lacorré, and Telerashi that Kahré and her abominable creatures were defeated. The Swallowing Abyss remained trapped below Takuroa's realm where she resides to this day, biding her time until the world forgets the leaking chaos beneath its feet.

Arrival in Holos

At some point during the Mithril Era, the merfolk claim they were expelled from the Coral Castle. Some legends assert they were banished along with the Merking Yammaula when he tried to bind Lacorré and steal her for himself. While the Merking met his end devoured by Lacorré's ghost sharks, the merfolk themselves were driven from their constant union with Takuroa. Some still reside within the Plane of Water, but the location of their mythical paradise has been lost.

Natural History & Scholarly Explanations

Merfolk are hybrid creatures, meaning that their existence likely derives from some kind of divine origin or the mysteries of Old Magic. However, their relation to other mortal species has long been the subject of scholarly debate. Merfolk are highly suited for their environment and yet display traits that point to genetic relationships with other intelligent species. The Feywild Theory
Recently, some scholars have come to argue that merfolk actually originally hail from the Feywild and have fey ancestry. Several studies have revealed that merfolk are more closely related to elves than any other mortal ancestry, which would explain how some tropical merfolk populations have such a minimal amount of blubber for an animal with partially mammalian blood. Reports of merfolk residing in the Feywild do exist, though like all inhabitants of the Fair Realm, their physical forms defy many of the anatomical conventions of the Material Plane. The Sahuagin Theory
Merfolk are not the only intelligent aquatic creatures that show a high degree of morphological environmental adaptability. The sahuagin are a lineage of monstrous sentient creatures known for developing strange mutations as the result of environmental stresses. These mutations can be induced through ritual, but they do also appear naturally. Followers of the Heavenly Council claim that the sahuagin were created when the blood of either Oheilion, the Bloodied Lord; or the devil legions of Rheseldar, the Kiss of Lies; fell into the sea during the War of the Dawn. This, however, does not follow the timeline of the Deep War, which is believed to have happened prior to the War of the Dawn. The sahuagin theory postulates that sahuagin and merfolk are in fact related, with sahuagin being descended from an exiled or lost population of triton merfolk. Sahuagin are bipedal but have more piscine features than shir'ee mer. These features may have been rapidly developed to help them survive in the deeper parts of the ocean in which they live. It could also have been influenced by their proximity to the Far Realm in which the Swallowing Abyss dwells. Sahuagin biology is not as well understood and so further research on this topic is required.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Though merfolk are perhaps the most well known of the aquatic peoples, they are by no means the only intelligent species found beneath the waves. Merfolk share the seas with aldani, Kuo-Toa, koalinth, locathah, merrow, and sahuagin. The specifics of their relationships with each group varies by merfolk community. Generally, merfolk are hostile towards, kuo-toa, koalinth, merrow, and sahuagin.

Aldani

The aldani are a monstrous ancestry of lobster-like creatures scattered throughout Holos. They are jealous and xenophobic and rarely interact with outsiders. Most merfolk have little interaction with aldani and consider them strange and inhospitable.

Kuo-Toa

Merfolk rarely interact with Kuo-Toa, as they typically live either in fresh or brackish water. However, merfolk regard them with considerable revulsion, seeing them as twisted mockeries of true mer. They regard their religion as a dangerous cult and work to root out kuo-toa settlements wherever they find them.

Koalinth

Koalinth are a rare sight, even among the most widely traveled merfolk. It is said that they sided with Kahré during the Deep War and were nearly obliterated as a result. Still, legend tells of their aggressive nature, and most merfolk agree they would treat them with great trepidation if they were ever to come into contact with them again.

Merrow

Nearly all merfolk hate and fear the Merrow. Legend claims the merrow were once true mer who came upon an underwater entrance to the Underworld. Some accounts claim they entered the Court of Mists, while others assert it was the Burning Labyrinths. Regardless, the mer who entered the Lower Realms were set upon by all many of fiends and though they fought them off, they became twisted and corrupted by dark magic. When they returned, they made war on their own people, slaughtering thousands of merfolk, sacrificing many of them to their new masters. Reports of a merrow raid summon the full strength of a merfolk community, who in turn leave no merrow alive, lest they return to the Abyss with a larger invading force.

Sahuagin

The Sahuagin are the perpetual foes of the merfolk. Sahuagin consider themselves the only ones worthy enough to rule the seas and seek total dominion over the ocean. They consistently raid merfolk settlements, killing and sowing as much destruction as they can before retreating into the depths. They sometimes demand tribute, but much of the time, their attacks seek to only expand their territory or to handicap trade between merfolk and other mortals. Most merfolk militaries are largely, if not entirely, dedicated to fending off sahuagin attacks. Moreover, some sahuagin are known to gain special mutations which allow them to pass as merfolk. These shape shifters, known as malenti, are greatly feared by most merfolk societies, acting as both a boogey man-like figure to scare ploänlee, and a practical threat against the community. Trade between the two ancestries is practically non-existent and most mortal settlements consider it in their best interests to assist merfolk in this constant conflict to keep these deep warriors from attacking the surface. Some merfolk claim the sahuagin once lived among the mer as tritons, but they came to forsake Takuroa. These legends claim that they broke a sacred covenant of Takuroa and ate of one of his sacred whales. So grievous was this act that they were transformed into their current form and became consumed by an endless hunger.

Locathah

Merfolk do have positive relations with one intelligent aquatic species. The locathah were once slaves to the kuo-toa and are believed to have at one point been related to them. Mercilessly subjugated for centuries, they eventually managed to overthrow their rulers. Many were killed in the struggle and the rest were forced to flee from the deep trenches they called home. Only a handful of surviving communities have been documented, most located in brackish river deltas and swampy shoreline regions. Merfolk have great sympathy for the locathah and some locathah can often be found in merfolk settlements as a result. However, they also regard them as potential liabilities, as locathah are generally pacifists and their mere presence can draw the ire of kuo-toa clans.

Mer & Mortal Relations

Merfolk have had a long and complicated relationship with surface-dwelling mortals. On the one hand, their biological confinement to the ocean has served to isolate them from most events in mortal history. But with this isolation comes misinformation and miscommunication. Isolated mortal communities often view merfolk as nightmarish creatures. Tales of seductresses singing siren songs and stealing children can be heard in every seaside tavern across Holos. These stories rarely make distinctions between merfolk, sirens, and sahuagin, and frequently involve male sailors being taken advantage of by female mermaids. Anti-mer fervor can reach fevered pitches in some circumstances, resulting in mortals attempting to raid merfolk settlements as retributions for perceived wrongs. These raids almost always result in a merfolk victory, further creating divisions between the two groups. At the same time, many mortal sailors have romanticized or lustful views on merfolk, particularly mermaids. A great deal of nautical art and culture revolves around tales of true love between the stalwart sailorboy and the fickle mermaid. This trope is aided by the reality of merfolk-mortal reproduction. Sailors that do form relationships with mermaids rarely see their own offspring until many years later when they have completed their Skovätrawy. However, mortal communities in relative proximity to a major merfolk settlement typically have friendly relationships with those merfolk. This can result in trade, communication, and military assistance between the two cultures. Often, these settlements will both have concerns about sahuagin or other maritime threats and will assist each other in defending their mutual interests. Some degree of cultural misconception does still exist in these communities but they do see each other as fellow mortals rather than mythical creatures.

Animal Relations

Merfolk are often stereotyped by mortals as having an exceptional connection to all aquatic life. This presumption stems from the wide array of marine animals that various merfolk communities have successfully tamed or domesticated to a certain extent. On a basic level, merfolk have done a great deal of selective breeding when it comes to their primary food sources. Molluscs and bivalves such as clams, cockles, barnacles, sea snails, and sea urchins have all been bred to be larger and have softer shells to allow for easier and larger harvests. Some groups also keep crabs and lobsters, though their lifecycles often require them to travel between shore and deep water to breed and grow successfully. Even corals, which often form the living building materials of merfolk settlements have been domesticated. Many merfolk communities have developed a strange fusion of agriculture and mining known as coral quarries, where coral colonies are grown and selectively placed to create robust building materials. In addition to the more easily trapped and raised invertibrate farms, many merfolk communities also raise fisheries as a source of food. The species of fish varies greatly between cultures, but most are schooling fish that keep to a relatively limited home range. Large schooling fish like anchovies and mackarel can be difficult to keep, but those that keep closer to shore can be more amenable. Many coastal merfolk communities have also domesticated pinnipeds, such as seals and sea lions. These animals are quite trainable, with intelligence on par with some dogs. In these communities, sea lions are used as herding animals, keeping shoals of schooling fish from escaping while also warding off medium-sized predators like barracuda. These animals are less useful at fending off larger sharks or jawed eels though, and so in those instances must be trained to flee to safety. Seals can be raised to herd but are also occasionally raised for their pelts, which though useless to merfolk, fetch high prices among mortals.

Sharks

In general, most merfolk look at sharks the way those on the surface regard wolves—dangerous predators that prey on them and their livestock. The most feared sharks lurk in the merfolk's frontier, the open ocean, and so their presence in their shallow domain is cause for alarm. There are some sharks that merfolk tolerate or raise for specific tasks. Hammerhead sharks, which are actualy somewhat docile, have been reported being used similar to bloodhounds, being able to track prey or intruders over long distances. Nurse sharks and wobbagongs have also been noted as a kind of pest control in kelp gardening circles. However, both of these creatures are not common and many merfolk avoid using them for fear that they will turn on them, as sahuagin are known to have an ability to communicate and ally with almost all sharks. Rarely, merfolk blessed by Lacorré may gain a special connection to these sharks and tame them to become animal companions. However, most of these animals are naturally solitary, preferring to hunt in wide territories. This makes them difficult to keep in a sedentary society, and thus those granted Lacorré's boon must live a life as a blue ranger, charting the vast open seas or defending the community's frontier.

Cetaceans

Perhaps the most well-known bestial companion to the mer are the cetaceans. Even in the most coastal and urban merfolk communities, cetaceans such dolphins and porpoises serve an important role for the merfolk. Whales are sacred to the merfolk's prime deity, Takuroa, and are considered both animal harbingers and manifestations of his will. Dolphins act as herding animals, keeping schools of fish safe from other aquatic predators. Some dolphins and porpoises are also used as guard animals and can be found in merfolk militaries. Two species of porpoise have actually been fully domesticated and are now considered separate species from their wild counterparts—the sparwhal and the riding whale. These porpoises are used as mounts by many ocean going merfolk and develop strong relationships with their masters. Some merfolk cultures have domesticated larger cetaceans as well. The most well known of the whale nomads are the Briöluaglä'uü, who swim along the Grand Zephyr sea route each year. The Briöluaglä'uü have two domesticated whale species; the harvest whale and the cattle whale; as well as the sparwhal. Yet they are most famous for their connection to the great white whales, a species which is not truly domesticated. The Briöluaglä'uü use the white whales, known to them as the virshicioa, as a traveling village, constructing small structures from the barnacles and oysters that grow on its vast dorsal region. The Briöluaglä'uü live off the whale as it circumnavigates the world, and use their other cetacean livestock as both sources of food and transport. Harvest whales forge ahead of the main pod, using alchemical bait developed on the white whales to attract huge swarms of krill. These krill are consumed by the white whale and the cattle whales, who in turn, provide the merfolk with shelter, food, and transport. The merfolk defend their pod from the backs of their sparwhals, though they are also known to raid mortal ships and even other merfolk settlements for supplies, should their krill gathering fail to sustain the pod. Merfolk do not domesticate orcas, as they seem too intelligent and to aggressive towards merfolk livestock. Many merfolk communities consider it taboo to kill an orca, viewing them as manifestations of Takuroa's sometimes fickle and often wrathful nature. Many mortals have theorized that dolphins and whales can actually speak Mermish. This is not exactly true—while dolphins and whales do communicate using similar anatomical features to merfolk and their calls often sound similar to Mermish languages, they lack the linguistic complexity to truly learn and understand concepts through a developed language like Mermish. However, many Mermish phrases and words can be understood by trained cetaceans, who will repeat them to convey their intended meaning to the merfolk in their community.

Merfolk come in many forms and often appear to mimic the aquatic species in their environment

Genetic Ancestor(s)

Fey spirit

Origin/Ancestry

Disputed—Fey, Elemental (Aquan)

Lifespan

60-70 years

Average Weight

~95-1045 kilos (210-2300 lbs.)

Average Length

2.5- 4.3 m (8.5-14 ft.)

Geographic Distribution

Related Ethnicities

Placidian

Merfolk anatomical study.

Merfolk have deposits of blubber that helps keep them warm though the amount of blubber is notably less than other marine mammals in their environment.

Merfolk are exceptionally muscular, far more so than most land-dwelling mortals.

by Michele Tolo

Merfolk mating rituals often involve coordinated swimming that appear to look like dancing.

After entering their tlee'änlee stage, merfolk begin to display their mortal features.

by /u/Lamingtons

Tritons often appear like mortals with aquatic features such as finned ears, gills, and fish scales.

Merfolk native to deepwater regions often have more alien adaptations to cope with their environment.

by Lake Hurwitz

Shir'ee mer can survive outside of water for longer periods of time but still must regularly submerge themselves in water.

by Syllie

Tropical or Fey merfolk often have brightly colored fins and scales that match the vibrancy of their coral homes.

Some merfolk communities grow oyster farms as a sustainable source of food.

by Aldrich Hezekiah

The Briöluagläu'luü culture subsist entirely on krill and barnacles that grow on their great whale and their pods of cattle whale.

The fins that surround a merman's head are used both to detect vibrations in the water and as a display structure.

Mermaids comprise the majority of warriors in many merfolk societies.

by Aaron Miller

Merfolk, much like cetaceans, can communicate over long distances with high frequency sounds.

by Gretlusky

Contrary to many fables and legends, merfolk often struggle to communicate with mortals, particularly if they do not or cannot speak a mortal language.