Southern sirens are smaller than their northern counterparts, and their pods are arranged in a complex web of interlinking relationships.
The government of the southern sirens appears at first to be similar to the government of their northern neighbors, with bands of sirens led by a matriarch. However these matriarchs are not instated by challenge, as was originally thought by non-seafolk. There exists an organization known to the sirens as the Iron Hand that claims to serve as an intermediary between the sirens and Tukra, goddess of the sea. It is unknown to any outside of the organization which sirens are part of the group. New matriarchs are instated by a siren who appears to give advice to one of the members of the group, who then challenges the current matriarch, or if the matriarch has died without an heir, a siren who takes the place of that matriarch.
Southern sirens spend their time in pods of 20-30. Their idea of "family" typically entails a group of siblings, rarely including parents. Sibling groups bond with other groups within the pod, and oftentimes leave together if the pod gets too large. Children gain independence around age 12, though stay within the pod until at least age 16, when they go onshore for the first time as a rite of passage.
Personal relationships come second to family bonds in siren culture, and the pod is the blood that runs through a siren's veins. Individuality is second to the good of the community. One is expected to perform whatever role they are told to by the matriarch.
Southern sirens are covered in tattoos from their time onshore, frequently a blend of a variety of cultures' styles. It is not uncommon for a siren to have both bold Zemirian linework and Elysian dot art on their body. They keep their hair short in opposition to the merfolk's extravagance.
They carry few personal possessions, most having a map, a knife and holder, and a few decorative accessories. Siren maps are nearly impossible to read for anyone but the siren who made them and their pod, since they track the migration patterns along coastlines and open ocean using beads, both handmade and traded for. Major ports will be represented by beads obtained in that area, and coastlines will be tracked by different sizes of beads roughly in the shape of the coast, with plain glass beads representing the ocean in between.
Southern sirens are the most likely to go onshore during their time, since their migration cycles often overlap with prominent trade routes and go along coastlines. Since they have contact with traders, they have access to a wider variety of foods, trading fish and tools for inland meat and occasionally produce.
Competitive games are a huge part of siren social life, with groups often dividing into two teams for capture-the-flag type chase games. Smaller groups play chase or wrestling games. Young children play games that have to do with reflexes, often involving pebbles and other small, heavy objects dropped to chase and dive after.
Honesty, honor, and adaptation are highly valued among southern sirens, leading to strict punishments when one breaks a social code that can range from temporarily shunning a member of the pod, withholding resources, or abandoning them entirely.