Triton

Ah yes, the Tritons. Imagine if Elves spent centuries far beneath the sea, where their arrogance and pretension could grow undisturbed. At least the tritons spent that time fighting sea devils and worse, so you know you can count on them in a fight. -Sea captain

Orginally hailing from the elemental plane of water, Tritons guard the ocean depths, building small settlements beside deep trenches, portals to the elemental planes, and other dangerous spots far from the eyes of land-bound folk. Long-established guardians of the deep ocean floor, the proud and noble tritons have gradually become increasingly active in the world above.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

All Tritons are born with retractable fins on their forearms and legs, these features, along with their webbed feet and slender design, allows Tritons to swim at incredible speeds, and perform astonishing acts of agility beneath the waves.

With the aid of their gills located on their necks, Tritons are capable of breathing both above and below the water. Breathing with complete ease above the sea takes experience however, and young Tritons are known to be taken to the surface of the water to practice this so they can achieve it with ease.

Tritons have a silvery tinge to their light blue skin. Triton youths are born with incredibly light, almost white skin, which gradually darkens with age. Triton hair can vary wildly, some have ebony or brown toned hair, while some Triton hair grows to be a bright green.

In a similar fashion to an Orca or whale, Tritons can vibrate their gills underwater to create a limited sonic pulse that booms through the ocean. This trick takes time to perfect, and can be likened to that of a human learning to whistle. Tritons are known to hold contests to see who can create the loudest sound pulse. In practical use, the pulse can be used to ward away the simpler ocean predators, or to call trained sea creatures to their side. Triton battle formations have been known to simultaneously create a sound boom at the same time before charging, as an intimidating but powerful warcry that can be felt for miles around.

Ecology and Habitats

Although tritons can freely exist out of water, they feel uncomfortable when they do so. Tritons are born of water, and flourish when within it.

Tritons build grand structures out of stone from deep within the sea, and make use of coral and shells to decorate there homes. A Triton settlement or outpost is typically built vertically in a tiered system, allowing them to freely swim to different tiers as they require.

Different Tritons are known to have different preferences on water temperature, but generally prefer colder waters, as this is more familiar to them.

While the Tritons construct many small outposts and watches, the largest of their settlements by far is the mighty and beautiful underwater city of Zunimassa .

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.

Male first names

• Corus
• Delnis
• Jhunas
• Keros
• Vodos
• Zunis

Female first names

• Aryn
• Belthyn
• Duthyn
• Feloren
• Otanyn
• Shalryn

Surnames

• Zuhnarath
• Ahlorsath
• Pumanath
• Vuuvaxath

Major Language Groups and Dialects

• Aquan
• Primordial
• Common (Rare)

Culture and Cultural Heritage

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. 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.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

When they are not patrolling the seas, Triton's adore competition. In the city of Zunimassa, great arenas have been built, where Tritons will fight honorable duels, battle released sea creatures, and furiously race giant seahorses around a circuit as a numerous crowd of all ages cheers them on.

At the edge of Zunimassa lies the Deepsong Amphitheatre. Where the most talented vocal artists produce a song that can be felt through the waves, with the aim of enticing whales and other sea creatures to sing along in harmony. This performance has been mastered and practiced for generations amongst the Triton people, and is truely a sight to behold.

History

Millenia ago, tritons entered the world in response to the growing threat of evil elementals. Tritons waged many wars against their enemies on the Plane of Water, driving them into the Darkened Depths where they escaped into the crushing pressure and utter darkness.

In time, the tritons noticed that their ancient elemental foes had grown quiet. Expeditions to the depths revealed that Krakens, Sahuagin, and far worse foes had fled the Plane of Water for the Material Plane. The tritons, driven by a sense of duty and responsibility, would not allow their foes to escape so easily. A great conclave of tritons chose skilled volunteers as part of an expeditionary force to enter the Material Plane and seek out their enemies.

Those volunteers founded the first Triton settlement on the material plane, the great city of the depths known as Zunimassa.

They defeated their foes when they found them and drove the rest into hiding. With their foes banished to the deepest reaches of the sea, tritons settled in to watch for any sign of their return. Over time, the tritons extended their stewardship over the sea floor from their initial settlement and built outposts to increase their effective patrol area. Despite this expansion, few folk know of them.

Historical Figures

Jhunas Zuhnarath

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The triton's have long endevoured to avoid the surface folk as much as possible, instead focusing on their self-appointed task of guarding the oceans. The average Triton feels uneasy when not around his own kind, so Tritons that are sent to the surface world are often carefully trained agents or diplomats.

When Tritons are seen at sea, they are almost always accomponied by a variety of sea creatures. They are known to tame and breed giant seahorses, orcas, and dolphins as steeds, as well make use of smaller, more placid sea creatures to act as their eyes and ears.

The people to have the most frequent encounters with the rarely appearing tritons are the Bankei , with their vast shipping lanes and naval activities, as well as close proximity to Zunimassa , the Tritons keep a watchful eye on these seafaring people.

The tritons ancient enemy is the Sahuagin, which they have battled with for millenia. They also actively hunt down Krakens and other leviathans of the deep to prevent them from growing too powerful and threatening the balance of the seas.

Tritons have been known to work with, and protect other seadwelling races in times of crisis, such as the Merfolk and Locathah.

Lifespan

200

Average Height

6"

Average Weight

114–238 lb