Triton (Try-tun)

Tritons were a humaniform race, notable in their many underwater adaptations that render them visually distinct from other humanoid races. Their skin was most commonly a deep-blue, but had also been known to appear as pearl, light green, or in rare cases, other mutant colors. Their hands and feet were webbed, and they had minor dorsal fins that run from their mid-calf and end at their ankles. They were notably shorter than humans, averaging around five feet tall.
Triton hair tended to be dark blue or dark green, and were worn in the form of long, flowing ‘manes’. Triton men typically cut their hair around five inches past their shoulders, braiding it to keep it out of their eyes. While triton women occasionally followed this rule, they have also been known to let it flow free. Triton hair did not grow within two inches of the base of their pointed ears, giving the appearance that it had been shaved there. When heading into combat, they often bound their hair into styles such as tight ponytails, so as to maintain visibility. They were also known to weave pieces of coral or metal into their hair for emergency use as bludgeons.
Triton eyes typically seemed to vary between brilliant shades of green or blue. If seen in standard lighting (typically within 200 feet of the surface of the sea or near a typical torch), their eyes appeared similar to a Human’s. In dim lighting, their pupils expanded greatly to allow for better sight in the dark, sometimes turning the entire eye black. Their eyes also possessed a nictitating membrane, which protected them from sudden changes or flashes in light. All of this allowed for them to have normal vision even up to depths of 1,000 feet under the sea, though the triton were known to be able to safely swim down to 3,000 feet.
Tritons were one of the earliest inhabitants of Iosoth that came from Éadrom after the Bursting of the Elemental Planes. Alongside the Staipir, they quickly built a city deep in the ocean near the Toldare Archipelago but this angered the Titan Vysteth. In 49 A.A. the city was destroyed and many tritons alongside it. They would then migrate throughout the oceans until a group of these tritons arrived on Kahtl Island and created the city of Folkane in the center of the Trei Sea.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Tritons have blue or silvery-blue skin and deep blue or blue-green hair. They usually have fins and crests along their arms, legs, and sometimes their heads. Big flowing fins and short hydrodynamic sporty fins are common across all tritons. They’re typically dressed in light clothing or armor made for ease of movement from oceanic materials.

Ecology and Habitats

Typically tritons have no problem in underwater environments as they understand the language primordial and can speak to most elementals that inhabit their oceans. Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with their people. Tritons can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of their words, though Tritons have no special ability to understand them in return. Shallow Seas Tritons are notably adept at swimming through reefs and kelp forests. Their understanding of local underwater habitats gives them great affinity in the typical hunter-gatherer style of life. Near underwater cities, Tritons have developed a form of underwater farming though not too understood by scholars of the land.  Deep Sea Tritons use the walls of trenches to build their homes but have little ecosystem to explore so much of their hunting is done towards the surface.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Tritons are mostly pescatarians but a significant part of their diet comes from plants. This has made it difficult for Deep Sea Tritons to have healthy tribes, but through the cultivation of a chemosynthetic algae known as Tinbulb Algae, recent generations are healthier than ever

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Tritons tend to inhabit the southern oceans of Iosoth. Most notably they can be found in their capital city of Folkane where the Staipir preside. A northern tribe of Dundaik live along the border of Ananiel's Depths in a collection of smaller villages.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The typical triton can see in darker environments in grey-tinted color. Tritons also possess a thin layer of retractable, clear aqueous humor that gives them perfectly clear vision underwater (so long as light is present). This aqueous humor can be shifted in and out of place when needed by the Triton.

Lifespan

200 years

Average Height

5 ft (1.52 m)

Average Weight

100-160 lbs (45‒70 kg)

Geographic Distribution

• Ananiel's Depths
• Kahtl Island

Related Ethnicities

• Dundaik - Deep Sea Tritons
• Staipir - Shallow Sea Tritons