Nymph

Some people assume that Nymphs are just like the mermaids and sirens of old tales. Of course, this is far from the truth. For one thing, they don't have a large tail instead of legs, not without using magic anyway. They also have morality like humans would, so they don't tend to drown people.
They are hot, though.

— Cherlynn Oliver, Lead Researcher of ARC

Nymphs are a subspecies of the human race, existing within the oceans of Earth. Named after the nature deities within Greek folklore, Nymphs are a female-only race that is found within springs, oceans, and other various places of water throughout the world. One would assume at first that they are known for their beauty. However, that would only be part of the story, as they are an extraordinary race able to survive the depths of the ocean and display powerful feats of strength.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The anatomy of a Nymph is quite similar to that of a human, with two arms and two legs, an up-right body form and such. The only main differences that occur in a Nymph that separate them from humans are that their ears tend to be sharper and that certain parts of their skin will have fish-like scales, typically around the hips, elbows, and neck; all of which can either be a color similar to or separate from their hair color.

Due to the innate Mana that resides within their body, Nymphs are able to magically conjure up a tail. The appearance of the tail, without any modifications made to it magically, will resemble the scales that exist on their body.

There are two notable differences with Nymphs that allow them to breathe underwater. First off is that they have gills on their neck, which allows them to filter oxygen out of water. Second off is that their lungs are larger than that of a human's, allowing them to hold their breath for much longer.

Genetics and Reproduction

Much like humans, they will reproduce via mating with a male human. Commonly giving birth to twins, a Nymph's offspring will differ depending on the genetics of the male they've mated with and the Nymph herself. This has resulted in one of three possibilities:

A fully human male that commonly lacks the features a Nymph would have.

A half human, half Nymph female that has subtle Nymph-like features, such as scales on their skin.

A full-blooded Nymph female.

Growth Rate & Stages

A Nymph's lifespan and growth rate is similar to that of a human, with one being a child for around thirteen years of their life, being a teenager for around five years after that, then reaching maturity between eighteen and twenty years old. After that, they will age until they are around thirty years old, upon which their body will age very slowly. How long it takes for a Nymph to begin showing signs of old age is not typically well known, however some predictions suggest that the point in which they begin to age normally again is at-least around one-hundred, fifty years.

Ecology and Habitats

Typically, whether it's a wooden cabin on the edge of a river, or an undersea cave located deep in a lake or ocean, a Nymph will feel right at home when they are living in or near a body of water. They tend to enjoy the environment they live in very well if it's unpolluted. While some Nymphs are fine with either warm or cold water, others will oftentimes travel down to the equator during the winter time. This is often called the Aquatic Migration, which has become a time of celebration and leisure for those Nymphs.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

The color of a Nymph's hair will often be one of five different natural colors: dark green, dark blue, light blue, pink, and red. It can grow to be rather long, able to hang down from the top of their head to their lower body if they let it grow out.

Average Intelligence

Their intelligence tends to match-up to humans, being measured with an IQ test that can range from between 85 and 115. For the longest time, due to an existent stigma against Nymphs and other magical creatures of the time before The Bloom, it was uncommon for Nymphs to be allowed to achieve an education, which has often led to them learning in secret. After the large influx of Nymphs being born across the planet after The Bloom, however, Nymphs were gradually able to publically begin to go to schools and such to learn.

A natural ability that is given to them, suggested to be thanks to the Mana within their blood and it's growth over the years; is a quality of their voice. When a Nymph reaches maturity, their voice will have an alluring quality to it, a beautiful voice that appeals to the inner nature within a human. As a result, they are able to charm people using just their voice.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The eyes of a Nymph, upon first glance, may seem similar to that of a human. However, their eyes are significantly different internally and externally. For one thing, the cornea has a protective film over it that protects the eye from freshwater and salt-water, allowing them to keep their eyes open for extended periods underwater. Alongside that, the Mana in their eyes allow their sight to see better in the dark, which has allowed them to go deep underwater.

A Nymph's body has a natural field of Mana around it that reacts in response to pressure. The deeper a Nymph goes underwater, this field becomes more and more physical, hardening and protecting them from injury.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Their names tend to be somewhat similar to that of Greek naming convention albeit with a Matronymic name rather than a Patronymic name. As a result, it will be the first name, Mother's given name, and then their last name. It is rare that a Nymph would not use the Matronymic name they are given.

Major Organizations

The largest groups of Nymphs are found either in the City Of Styx near the shores of the American Wasteland, living under the leadership of Nyx Shepard; Hydro-Tenochtitlan off of the coast of Mexico, or Excalibur's Grotto within the Farlands. Smaller, scattered groups of Nymphs exist throughout the planet.

Alongside believing in religions such as Starism, one of the most popular religions that Nymphs tend to believe in is the Following Of The Division Bell.

Beauty Ideals

Beauty is a high standard held to Nymphs, which a majority of them will manage to keep up well. Of course, they tend to realize that beauty can be a subjective thing, which has often started fights between members of their species over history. After the occurrence of The Withering, however, some Nymphs have begun to care less and less about beauty, attributed to the state of depression that they feel.

Gender Ideals

Although they are primarily a female race, they do have a lax view on gender as a whole.

While it's uncommon that a Nymph will desire to identify as either a male or nonbinary , there have been various instances of this occuring.

Average Technological Level

It is thanks to the abilities of a Nymph, being able to dive deep into the water and surviving the dangerous depths, that Hydraline was discovered in the 1900s. As a result, both Nymphs and Humans as a whole are able to make use of it's unnatural water-repellent ability, creating various gliders and floating cities using large quantities of Hydraline.

Common Dress Code

A Nymph will typically not worry too much about showing off skin, often wearing revealing types of clothes while maintaining a sense of delicate beauty doing so. This has often resulted in them wearing robes similar to that of greek clothing, beautiful dresses, and other such items. Of course, this is all dependent on where the Nymph lives; so oftentimes they will wear whatever clothing suits their enviroment best.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human

Lifespan

Est. 150 Years

Average Height

5.6 ft | 1.7m for Men
5.3 ft | 1.6m for Women

Average Weight

136.7 lb | 62.0 kg Worldwide

Average Physique

Typically, a Nymph will have a slender physique due to their nature as a water-faring species, which has allowed them to swim fast underwater.

Geographic Distribution

• Arctic Ocean
• Atlantic Ocean
• Indian Ocean
• Pacific Ocean

Related Ethnicities

• Naiads
• Nereid
• Oceanids

by Joshua Edwards

Nyx Shepard, a well-renown half-Human, half-Nymph whom rose to prominence partly due to her connection to the esteemed pirate Richelle Rivers and her ownership of the City Of Styx.