Triton

It is said that triton have a strong heritage to Poseidon and consider themselves his children. They almost rival dwarves and elves for longevity. The pride themselves on their heritage as well as guard the ancient civilizations within the deep. Very few land bound races have even been able to see these vast civilizations. Though after the Great Divide, where they surprisingly joined in in the battle, they have become more curious and open minded about coming onto land and being one with other races. Those that have chosen to stay on land they tend to mainly populate port cities and towns close to or settled near a body of water. The city of Riverton is a great example of Triton and mortal forces coming together to create a unifying society, as Riverton does not necessarily belong to any region, to tritons it belongs to the sea. Before becoming land bound, they have been involved in waged wars against the evil water elementals. As they drove them within the dark depths of the ocean, they kept watch to make sure they stayed there. Over time they extended their watchposts even to land to inner bodies of waters such as the various large lakes within Luneacia in case another portal for the elementals is opened. 
Despite their off-putting manners, tritons are benevolent creatures at heart, convinced that other civilized races deserve their protection. Their attitude might grate, but when pirate fleets prowl the waves or a kraken awakens from its slumber, they are among the first to take up arms to protect others. Tritons readily sacrifice themselves for the common good. They will fight and die for humans, merfolk, and other creatures without question. Their self-absorbed nature makes them overlook the history of other creatures, but they also endure a sense of guilt over allowing the evils of the Plane of Water to enter the Material Plane and threaten its inhabitants. The tritons believe they owe a debt of honor to the world, and they will fight and die to pay it.
At times their fervor and ignorance of the world can lead them astray. Tritons encountering other creatures for the first time can underestimate them, leaving the tritons vulnerable to deception. With their strong martial tradition, tritons can sometimes be too eager to leap into a fight.
Given their isolation, most tritons have never been to the surface world. They struggle with the idea that they can’t easily move up and down out of water, and the changing of the seasons mystifies them. Tritons also find the variety of social institutions, kingdoms, and other customs bewildering. For all their proud culture, they remain innocent of the surface world. The typical triton protectorate is tightly regimented, organized, and unified around a common cause. A triton on the surface becomes easily confused by the bewildering array of alliances, rivalries, and petty grievances that prevent the surface folk from truly unifying. Because of this, those that do travel the surface world stay clear of Ostrenand Apleau.
At its worst, a triton’s arrogance compounds the tendency for the triton not to understand the ways of the surface world. It’s easy for a triton to blame baffling social practices on what the triton perceives as the barbarism, weakness, or cowardice of surface folk.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

• Their "hair" is actually external gill fragments used to extract oxygen from the water. Some triton who are influenced by land dwellers tend to style their "hair" to the latest fashions and may sometimes adorn it with pearls and shells to give it more originality. Though these gills still need to be groomed 
• As they have no hair on their bodies, most "body hair" is just markings used to mimic humans
• Triton have the ability (like fish) to transform their gender, called protogyny. This allows the society to thrive when necessary. 
• The coloration of triton differ widely depending on the region. Triton sporting more vibrant colors live directly closer to the southern regions for example.
• "Nixies" though few and far between consider themselves the guardians of their body of water and their coloration and likeness is akin to the freshwater fish relative to it.

Ecology and Habitats

There are instinces of triton living in various lakes and rivers but many tend to stick near Riverton. They despise dry climates and tend to steer clear of mountains. There have been noted on rare occasions, triton living in fresh waters. Those have been given the nickname "Nixies"

Additional Information

Social Structure

Triton live in structured kingdoms.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Most triton names have two or three syllables. Male names typically end with a vowel and the letter s, and female names traditionally end with an n. Tritons use their home protectorate as a surname, with the name formed by adding a vowel followed by a “th” to the end of the protectorate’s name.

Major Organizations

The city of Riverton houses the Triton Land Dwelling Alliance, that unifies the world of tritons below ad mortals as well as other races above on land. Though they don't live in the buildings above the water, the city is much larger beneath, housing a huge triton population.

Beauty Ideals

Triton tend to adorn themselves with multiple findings and treasures, the more they adorn themselves with the better. Their clothing is usually amde from fishing gear as well as materials found beneath the surface. As such, tritons very much like jewelry and never pass up the opportunity to shop.

Gender Ideals

Stunningly gorgeous as they are dangerous, triton

Courtship Ideals

To mate with a triton one must sing to them in primordial. The song must be good enough for the reciever to accept your courtship. In some other instances, finding the largest pearl and giving it to your lover can also suffice.

Average Technological Level

Triton have the same technological advancements as elves and humans but unlike them they have the disadvantage of being underwater so their tech is altered.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Common and Primordial.

Common Taboos

Disgracing/disrespecting any body of water.

Historical Figures

• Yoladen Solazath: Noble diplomat that first lead some tritons onland to negotiate with land dwellers.Wrote the alliance for the Land and Sea Treaty. 
• Ciris Pubaxath: helped create and build the city of Riverton. 

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

As a result of their isolation and limited understanding of the Material Plane, tritons can come across as haughty and arrogant. They see themselves as caretakers of the sea, and they expect other creatures to pay them deep respect, if not complete deference. This attitude might grate on others, but it arises from a seed of truth. Few know of the tritons’ great victories over dreadful undersea threats. The tritons make little allowance for such ignorance and are delighted to expound upon the great debt others owe them.
Tritons also have a tendency to emerge from their isolation under the assumption that other folk will welcome them as respected allies and mentors. Again, distance drives much of this attitude. The tritons’ limited view of the world leaves them ignorant of the kingdoms, wars, and other struggles of the surface world. Tritons readily see such concerns as minor events, a sideshow to the tritons’ role as the world’s true protectors.

Lifespan

200 years

Average Height

5 ft

Average Weight

close to human average.