Merfolk

Of the Tides and Those Beneath

They say, when the world was young, Umbra gazed down upon the sea and felt it surge and move beneath her and wondered what secrets it contained beneath its multitudes. While she could pull upon the water by moving closer or further away, she could not see beneath its depths for it reflected her light.

And so, one night when the moon was missing from the sky, the Goddess of the Moon traveled to speak with the Goddess of Life and the God of Death within Death’s Realm. No one knows of what they spoke, but the Legend says that after three days Umbra flitted back into the sky and Vivia walked alone to the sea shore and the God of Death remained within his hall. Vivia cupped her hands into the water and raised it up towards the sky before letting it fall back into the water. Each droplet grew into one of the first Merfolk, born of sea and moonlight. Umbra reached down, causing the seas to swell, and touched each of the Merfolk, blessing them with an ancient secret that allowed them to turn their tails to legs, ensuring that the secrets of what lay beneath the tides would never be hidden from the Folk of the land.

In modern days, Merfolk are one of the most populous of the Aquatic races. Most can walk freely between land and sea, making them envied by many other Aquatic races who are not so lucky. They are frequently sought out as diplomats between the Sea and the Land. Some accept this duty graciously while others see themselves as superior, the chosen children of Umbra. Others become merchants trading the goods of both worlds back and forth between them.

Regardless of their path, the Merfolk are always called back and forth between the surface and the sea. Too long on either without other sends out something of a siren song, and they grow increasingly uneasy until they return to whichever they have not yet returned to. In this duality, they tend to find common ground with many who come to Ariath from other worlds, as they understand the difficulty of feeling pulled to two different worlds.

Common Characteristics

Many Merfolk have pale blue, purple, or green tinted skin or scales. Many retain vestigial gills when walking upon land, although some have mastered the ability to hide their aquatic origins completely.

All Merfolk are Aquatic, although some amongst them also come from Fae origins and many that walk between land and sea are Sylvan. Most Merfolk have at least one alternate appearance, and some even have more. Their racial abilities vary. Water and Cold are common attack traits and many Merfolk are particularly resistant to attacks based from the same. There are Legends of Mythic Merfolk rising again from a pool of water if they are slain, as the Legends say the first Merfolk were created.