Nymphs
Within the oceans of Earth and connected to the original natural elements of the realm, Nymphs are a race comprised mainly of biological females, living and being found within springs, oceans, and other various pools of water throughout the world. While known for their beauty, Nymphs are an extraordinary species, able to survive the cold depths of the ocean and display amazing feats of strength.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The anatomy of a Nymph is quite similar to that of a human. The main differences 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. A major detail externally, however, is the fact that Nymphs have gills along their neck, allowing them to filter oxygen out of water.
Internally, their lungs are larger than that of a human's, allowing them to hold their breath for much longer. The combination of both the gills and expanded lung capacity means that a Nymph can stay underwater for extended periods of time. The eyes of a Nymph has a protective film over their corneas, protecting them from freshwater and seawater and allowing them to see for extended periods underwater.
Their hair color tends to range from either natural human hair colors or the following: green, dark blue, light blue, pink, and red.
Genetics and Reproduction
Much like humans, they will reproduce via mating with a human. Commonly giving birth to twins, a Nymph's offspring will differ depending on the genetics of the human 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. This is the most common outcome.
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
Some Nymphs, depending on how social they are, where they live and other such factors, will tend to live within water, rarely coming up to the surface. Other times, Nymphs will spend their times living in areas along shorelines and such; their homes ranging from either just living within a cavern, or a genuine furbished home. It's not uncommon for Nymphs to be seen further on the mainland, however they will tend to stick near to where rivers or huge pools of water will be. It's based on a more psychological need rather than a requirement, few Nymphs tend to live without being in the water for a large part of their life, but a large chunk find comfort within the vast waves of the ocean, or the gentle pools of underwater caves and flowing rivers.
Alongside that, some Nymphs have made small villages, living in forests, swamps, at the side of lakes, underwater, on mountains and what have you-- And they tend to be rather protective of their homes, doubly so if they live with multiple people.
Typically, Nymphs are referred to with different names rather than just being called Nymphs, usually indicative of the region they originate from.
- Meliae ~ Of Forests and Jungles
- Dryad ~ Of The Swamps
- Naiad ~ Of Lakes and Rivers
- Nereid ~ Of The Sea
- Sirens ~ Of Hell
- Oread ~ Of The Mountains
- Huldra ~ Of The Tundra
Of note is that Sirens originate from Hell, their bloodline being that of Queen Lilith-- indirectly making them Cubi.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Due to the innate Mana that resides within their body, Nymphs are able to see in the dark thanks to the Mana enhancing their eyes, and they 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. This tail allows for better control underwater, more efficient swimming and such for those whom wish to do so.
A natural ability of a Nymph, suggested to be thanks to the Mana within them alongside the evolution of their bodies, is the quality and beauty of their voice. When they are mature, a Nymph's voice will have a certain kind of hypnotic allure to the inner nature within a human, which allows them to charm people with their voice. As a side-note of this, some Nymphs have often taken to singing as either a hobby or a career, thanks to how wonderful their voices can be.
Post-Withering Effects
Due to the effects of the out of control magic within the air now, Nymphs have had struggles with the manifestation of their tail. Some have had struggles summoning their tail, while others are unable to have their tail disappate. In extreme cases, Nymphs will develop multiple tails, which can act erratically-- though most have managed to gain control over these multiple tails, using them as extra appendages after a few years of effort.
Another oddity is that 15% of the population of Nymphs across the realms have lost the ability to speak. They have been rendered effectively mute. A prevaling theory by ARC suggests that The Withering's effects have latched onto their voices and severed the connection between their speech and the magical quality of their voice, causing a psychological effect that renders them mute.
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
As of the present, the largest groups of Nymphs can be found in the City Of Styx floating off in the Sargasso Sea east of Amerigo, Excalibur's Grotto off of England, and within Atlantis beneath the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.
CITY OF STYX
A REFUGE FOR HERWithin the Sargasso Sea (30°47'20.8"N 74°20'24.1"W), the City Of Styx lies. Originally an Oil Platform that had dried up, it found itself under new ownership by Nyx Shepard, whom sought to turn it into a refuge. It became a large city, with hundreds of civilians living upon it and expanding it into a multi-platform, interconnected structure.
EXCALIBUR'S GROTTO
WHERE AN OLD KING LIESOn a small island located far away from what remains of England (55°25'15.3"N 1°19'39.7"E), is a single island that is rumored to hold the corpse of King Arthur. Established around the grotto his grave lies in is a village inhabited mainly by both Humans and Nymphs.
ATLANTIS
THE CITY OF MYTHContinually abandoned and rediscovered, Atlantis is a city found deep underwater between the three uninhabited islands of Kalogeroi. Originally, Atlantis had rose up alongside Greece before First Mithridatic War resulted in it's loss. However, during World War I, it was rediscovered, and subsequently inhabited by Nymphs whom were escaping from The Central Powers.
Gender Ideals
Similarly to humans, some Nymphs will feel uncomfortable with their bodies and experience gender dysphoria, which has resulted in some opting to transition-- either identifying as male or nonbinary . Oftentimes, these Nymphs will rely on Arcanists whom are skilled in the art of altering one's body for assistance. Although they have faced stigma from society for their desire and often-times success with transitioning, Nymphs as a whole do not see a problem with being transgender or nonbinary, with some groups of them even pushing to help those who wish to transition.
Relationship Ideals
Public displays of affection are common amongst Nymph societies, and sometimes, they will have relationships that will go beyond standard relationships that follow monogamy. There can be triads-- a trio of partners, or a quad. Some Nymphs will often accept relationships that separate romantic pursuits with sexual pursuits-- for example, a Nymph may have a partner at home they live with and have a romantic relationship with, while they may also go down to the pub nearby to have sexual relations with those there.
Common Etiquette Rules
In Nymph culture, hospitality is considered a serious thing by them, in a similar fashion to ancient Greek concepts. If you come to a home, you are expected to either have been invited in already, or to ask first if you can enter a home, and you are not to disrespect the home belonging to the Nymph. The host is expected to be hospitable, providing their guests with food and drinks at the very least; and in the event of them eating-- it's considered rude to ask them questions before the meal is finished. As for the guest, they must be respectful to the host, not being a threat or a burden as well as expected to share news and info from outside of the world.
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. Like many things, this has changed somewhat after The Withering, understandably so-- most Nymphs have cared less about beauty after it.
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 environment best.
Common Myths and Legends
Due to the long history of Nymphs before a massive amount of them began popping up after The Bloom, there have been plenty of claims of what Nymphs were up to back in the early days of history. Of note of particular claims that are true or not:
- Some Nymphs in the Greek era-- whom were known as Sirens due to their nature as part Nymph, part Cubi, were common at the time, indeed trying to take men off of boats for various purposes-- some of which were to mate, others for the purpose of drowning them, and some others for a cult that had existed at the time.
- The Odyssey, where Odysseus was tied to a mast to hear the sirens sing while his crew was deafened, that part happened-- albeit the group of sirens that were trying to lure Odysseus were part of the aforementioned cult.
- The myths about them dying if someone escaping from them singing are false.
Terra Eclipsis: 2,001,284
Land Of Nod: 92,105
Fractus: 52,592
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