Elemental Terata

"Monstrous" beings based on stories and legends with inherent elemental powers.

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Akh

Spirit folk who protect the gates of death. People of the Beyond.

• Lifespan: 2,000 years

• Diet: Mortal fare influenced by the animal features they bear

• Habitat: Tropical deserts and river valleys or the Beyond

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

On Shem, akhs appear to be humans with animal heads or other features. They take on different animal features every time their soul incarnates, but the commonest form among them is 7' tall with the bodies of humans and the heads of snakes. Other common animals include jackals, lions, bulls, vultures, ostriches, wolves, wild dogs, falcons, baboons, rams, and hawks, though any animal native to the central regions of the world are possible. In the Beyond, they appear to be white lights that guide the dead to through the afterlife.

Akhs can phase through solid matter once per year. They can return to the Beyond without dying. They use meditation to achieve this, sending their souls without their bodies, but still finding physical form.

Akhs can send undead if they are not in the Beyond, see souls while in the Beyond or not, and guide any souls in the Beyond to their destination if need be. They are powerful psychopomps in the Beyond. They can protect the souls of the Dead there by touching them and giving them part of their own soul. They have special knives made of mictlanium for fighting enemies of the souls of the Dead (or of akhs). They have the ability to calm the souls of the Dead in the Beyond with their touch as well.

Every akh has powers associated with their animal features. For example, snake-headed akhs have a deadly poisonous bite. They have keen senses of smell and kinesthetics. They sometimes have the ability to control snakes with their voices. Hawk-headed akhs have keen eyesight, sharp voices, and the ability to sense the finest of movements. And so on.

Their respect for the dead is what the world knows them for, and this is a significant part of their culture, but it must be taken in context - they respect the dead because of their reverence for life. Death is simply the defining moment of a life and a profound moment of transition, as they can attest, to what comes next.

The number four is considered auspicious among akhs. They try to incorporate it into their daily lives - four meals a day, never doing something for more than four hours at a time (work, rest, play, etc.), having four windows and four doors within a house, having four sets of certain household items, and so on. Communities are laid out in four-by-four grids.

Akhs have strict rules about which hand can be used for what purpose - left hands are for actions and right hands are for reactions. In multiple akh cultures, cleanliness is highly valued, and appearances are important. There is a cultural preference for being well-groomed, clean-shaven, and for wearing make up (for all genders). Clothing was usually linen or other simple cloths, undyed, and fashion was important. However, there were no class- or gender-based rules about clothing among them - anyone can wear what they want, including going nude. Children wear nothing until they reach puberty. In general, clothing is considered a symbol of wealth.

Children are raised by their parents until they are about seven or eight years old, at which time they are taken under the wing of a specific parent, often the one who shares their gender but not always. Whatever occupation their parent has, they are trained in. If their occupation requires intensive learning, the child is sent to a school.

All akh cultures have some version of the game senet and other sports and games are common parts of their daily lives. Wrestling, racing, hunting, archery, sailing, water-jousting (jousting in rowboats), and swimming are very common activities. Children are taught to swim from a very young age. While hunting is popular leisure, it is also sometimes part of their survival. At the heart of most akh homes is their gardens. They give birth in their gardens, burying the placenta there, believing that this will draw their souls back to their homes when they die. They tend their home gardens carefully

They are feared by ruling classes and often subjugated.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 8 AWA 8 WIL 12 PRS 8 STH 8

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Aluvar

Green beings of the riparian zones.

• Lifespan: 60-80 years
• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Riparian zones
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Aluvars are green fleshed beings with large dark green fines on their arms and backs. Their legs also have dark green fins, but their lower bodies can detach, leaving them with only a large tail fin. If they have legs, the tail fin is hidden. They do this to swim. Otherwise, they walk on land and stand about 5’ tall. Without legs, they are about 3’ long. Their faces are elongated, fanged, horse-like snouts with shocks of dark green hair. They tend to have muscular upper bodies.

Aluvar live in the riparian zones of the world, the areas where land and river or stream meet. They are amphibious and are able to live underwater or on land. They need water to survive, needing to submerge at least once a month as an adult (their younger lives are spent almost entirely in water).

Aluvar can speak to riparian plants. They are very strong if they have drunk fresh river or stream water recently, but they get weaker after an hour without drinking it.

If they have separated from their legs, their legs sit down and rest wherever they are left, waiting for their upper body to return. If attacked, the legs can respond by running away or kicking, but roll at PRO-6 to attack and cannot see where they are running. Most aluvars leave their legs in the shallows of water. Aluvars are very powerful swimmers without their legs and decent with them.

The fins of aluvars are sharp and poisonous. Their fangs can liquify that which they bite if it is flesh or phloem.

Aluvars live in small tribes in riparian zones, usually riparian forests, where they fish for food, keep their rivers or streams safe and clean, raise their children communally, and harvest local plants for various uses. They use mud huts, riparian caves, or homes built into tree roots along the bank of the streams or rivers.

Aluvars prefer quiet, and their arts are usually based on making things out of wood, reeds, grasses, mosses, and fishscales. They always have someone in their community whose job it is to keep watch on detached legs.

In the imperial areas, aluvars are oppressed, enslaved, and exploited. They are seen as monsters to be hunted and killed in the wild, and sometimes they are kept in zoos, where they usually die of dehydration.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Swim 11 Detached Swim 17 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 9

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Anzilaq

Worm-bodied terata of the deep deserts.

• Lifespan: 600 years
• Diet: Nutrients from the sands and sparse desert fare
• Habitat: Deserts
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

At birth and until they are about 100 years old, they appear to be swaddled fey babies (called pods), but their swaddling is made from a strong, fleshy shell. These grow into one of three forms: mon'tessaq, where they have the lower body of a worm and the upper body of a desert elf; zef'tessaq, where they have are anthropomorphic sandworms, standing about 7' tall, with golden skin that blends with the sands, and a massive golden crystal hook for their non-dominant hand; or taq'tessaq, a full worm form with a fey face.

Anzilaq are very strong. In the deserts, they are swift and agile. They are empowered by the sand itself, and all anzilaq can control sandworms at will.

Anzilaq have different powers in different forms: The mon'tessaq can shape the sands at will, using their ashar and hamasat al-sahra. The zef'tessaq can extend their hook-hands like grappling hooks, and, if they have been fully charged by the sands, can surround their hooks with a small sandstorm. The taq'tessaq are mildly clairvoyant and can merge (permanently) with full sandworms.

With empowerment from the sands, all of their powers can become stronger. As they age, they gain more capacity, thus making it possible for a very old hul'tessaq to have stronger powers.

Because they cannot drink or bathe in pure water, they use salt water. It has become a central part of their lives. They choose their adult forms in the ceremony of bonding instead of a bonded animal. And they have abandoned their cities for underground warrens. The desert tribes mostly remain above ground - though they all build mountain warrens - but the city tribes have taken their whole wealth and civilization into warrens just below the dunes.

Their primary nation is the Hul’tessaq. Their societies are full of complicated ceremonies that convey the proper respect to the others involved. Because of this, even the smallest slight is reason for a feud, and intrigue dominates the Hul'tessaq courts.

Furthermore, because resources are spare, even amongst Hul'tessaq, in the desert, there is fierce competition amongst Hul'tessaq for dominance and control. This adds another layer to the intrigue in their courts, the constant conflict and backstabbing. Hul'tessaq are often seen as vicious and callous. Their communion with the desert defines their deceptions: they are a nation that honors the mirage.

Sandworms are sacred to them, and they possess the ability to ride them.

Anzilaqs are accused by imperials of being cannibals and killers. They are often enslaved, though they do not live long in slavery. Those living free in imperial society are shunned and hated.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 9 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 7

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Centaur

Horse people of the great plains.

• Lifespan : 400 years
• Diet: Normal mortal fare with more fiber
• Habitat: Grasslands
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

The upper body of a human, the lower body of an equine. They have the same range of appearance in both parts as equines and humans do. They are distinct from equine animal folk, who are extremely rare and have horse’s heads and human-ish bodies. Some centaurs have forelegs that end in human-like feet and ears that fold over the top; this is a rare condition called chironism.

All centaurs have the endurance, strength, and speed of the horses they resemble. Their blood is poisonous to other mortals and releases fumes if it sees the sun.

All centaurs wear clothing, though public perceptions of them often suggest they live naked amongst their tribes. Their clothing is usually a form of barding for their lower body and tunics for their upper body. Most centaurs do not wear horseshoes, but some who live in cities do so for practical reasons. Many centaurs view those who wear horseshoes as “soft”. They refuse to wear saddles, bits, or reins, which they view as emblems of enslavement.

Every centaur takes on new names as they grow older. At different stages of life, they take new names. At birth, they are given a name that all know will be temporary. By age 12, they will usually have chosen a name. At 18, when they reach maturity, they pick a new one. From then on, they pick a new one when they meet a major life event - having their first child, succeeding at an important task, fighting an important battle, reaching the ages of 100, 200, 300, etc.

There are several nations of centaur, each with their own powers, cultures, and forms:

• Anggitay: From the far east, Anggitays have horns on their heads. Anggitays have the power to repel evil with their horns. The Anggitay have a single horn in their forehead, a feature they developed as they moved eastward into the rainforests and mountains of their homeland and engaged in use of fey energies to survive. They have a great affinity for gemstones and jewelry and live amongst the diwata.
• Besta-fera: From far to the north of the colonies, Besta-fera have sharp fangs. Besta-feras have an aura of fear that emanates from the stampingof their hooves. The Besta-fera are a much-feared nation in their homeland. Unlike other centaurs, they have sharp fangs and eat diets heavy with meat. They dwell in tomb-like structures, ride in wild hunting parties, and keep hunting dogs. They use the clangor of their hooves on the forest floor to terrify people, and they prefer to hunt at night under bright moonlight. They wear masks as well which are designed to terrify people.
• Hogatar: From the far east, their lower bodies are that of onagers. Hogatars can petrify other mortals with their bites. The Hogatars developed lower bodies more akin to that of onagers than horses. They live in the mountains of western Dabusen and have a powerful affinity for this landscape. They are wielders of earth magic, which they use to shape roads and paths through the mountains, and they are known for their resilience.
• Ichthyocentaur: From the oceans near the imperial core, ichthyocentauroi are that of hippocampi (seahorses). Ichthyocenturoi can live underwater and can see relationships between people. The Icythyocentauroi have the rear body of a fish and the forebody of a horse with the torso of a human. There are many legends as to how they developed, but the truth is mostly that they evolved over many eons as amphibious and then as fully subaquatic beings.
• Inyedube: From an east-central continent, they have the lower bodies of zebras. Inyedube can give each other learned skills temporarily by touching each other’s shoulders. The Inyedube are respected locally as hunters, artisans, and precision workers. Their use of skill magic developed as they sought to survive on the savanna, matching the more powerful predators there.
• Ixionidae: The original, horse-like centaurs. Ixionidae have super-hearing. The original centaurs are said to be children of a fiery wheel and a glowing cloud, in their own mythology, which is a metaphor for the mortal use of technology and the power of nature. The culture of the Ixionidae focuses on their nomadic ways. They love to grow out their facial hair and to wear heavy manes. Women (often called centaurides) and men share equally in the work of the tribe, and other genders are respected. Marriage is not practiced in the original tribes. While they reject the practice of eromenos in the wider culture (the practice of using young boys for sex), they respect same-sex relationships.
• Mo'éhno'ha Vo'ęstaneo'o: From the plains to the northwest of the colonies, mo'éhno'ha vo'ęstaneo'o have the lower bodies of dinohippi. Mo'éhno'ha Vo'ęstaneo'os are immune to sharp edges. The Mo'éhno'ha Vo'ęstaneo'o developed lower bodies similar to the dinohippus horses of the area. They are a part of the local nation there.
• Onocentaur: From the central continent, they have the lower bodies of donkeys. Onocentauroi can hold up buildings even if they are structurally unsound for up to 10 days. They dwell in the mountains, where they are known for their defense of their homelands and intricate houses.
• Polkan: From the northern parts of the imperial core, they have the lower bodies of woolly horses. Polkans can speak to dogs. They are adapted to the cold steppes. They keep dogs, hunt lions, and are known for greeting people with rough housing as their way of making friends. They are much faster and stronger than other centaurs due to their cultural love of feats of strength.
• Siesorn: From the floating contiennt of Gyrah, they have wings. Siesorns can fly in space. They are known for their love of astrology and mathematics.
• Toynaklı: From the far east, they have the lower bodies of tarpans. Toynaklı share communal bonds. They are known for their communal living and refusal to accept assimilation into patriarchal cultures.

Other centaur nations are possible, but will require a different equine lower body.

PRO 9 ATH 10 Endurance 14 Speed 12 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 7

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Charybdan

Terata who make maelstroms.

• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Lots of water and meat
• Habitat: Straits
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Charybdans appear to have the upper body of a human (usually a woman-assigned person) with the lower body of a seaworm.

Charybdans can open their mouths wider than their faces and swallow vast amounts of water. If they are underwater when they do this, they create maelstroms so powerful they can sink ships. On land, they use this power to eat large animals.

If they swallow enough water, their bodies become bulbous, and they can choose either to absorb it and gain magic or release it in a massive flood, creating another maelstrom if they are underwater. They can do this also if they eat or consume something large.

Charybdans are weak to lightning and thunder, which they avoid by diving deep underwater. They are always hungry and thirsty. They can drink seawater.

Most charybdans have one of the following powers: make small islands shake, turn earth to mud with a touch, or speak to the currents. These powers are fuelled if they absorb the waters they drink in.

Charybdans live in straits, usually in a symbiotic relationship with scyllans. They live by capturing large amounts of water and fish for food, but they also take work as protectors of the straits in some cases, forming a toll system.

Charybdans have a culture of fishing, making tributes to the oceans and seas, and trading with nearby locals for food. They love music.

Most charybdans are not murderous and do not harm passing ships, but those who have have given the others a bad reputation. Usually, they just try to protect the waters and lands from poisons and toxins. They are usually hated by imperials.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Swim 11 STR 9 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 7 STH 7

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Fledanic

Amphibious species in the canals.

• Lifespan: 60-90 years
• Diet: Refuse and litter
• Habitat: Canal waters
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Fledanics appear to be slimy, bumpy-skinned toad-like hominids with flippered rear feet, bulging eyes, and small horns on their noses. They always have a series of spines on their heads, but the spines vary in color by region, nation, and even individual. They are usually about 3’ tall.

Fledanics are resistant to cold. They can breathe underwater and are resistant to poison, toxins, and disease. They are very good climbers, in spite of their flippers, as they can stick to the walls of the canals or other structures. All fledanics can walk briefly on the surface of water, and they can command waters to keep objects, people, or other things beneath their surface if it is their home canals (usually determined by which city the canal is in).

They eat refuse and litter from the canals to keep them clean.

Fledanics live in small communities, usually very territorial and resistant to change or outsiders, and very distrusting. They are led by the strongest and toughest, though there are usually a counterbalance to these leaders in the form of small councils of elders within the community. They are often scavengers in imperial cities, and many of them are driven into the sewers instead of the canals, which they hate and resent. They are viewed as monsters by the imperials, despite the fact that they keep the canals clean.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Swim 11 Climb 12 STR 6 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 9

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Forest Folk

Antlered folk who protect and embody the forest.

• Lifespan : 1,000 years

• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare

• Habitat: Forests

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Forest folk appear to be 9’ tall beings with antlers. They are covered in greenish black fur, have eyes white as clouds, sharp fangs, hooved feet, and clawed hands.

Forest folk are able to speak to the plants of the forest they were born in or have attuned to (needing at least a year and a day there). They can see in the dark.

If they kill someone for being a threat to their forest, they can fuse the body of their victim into a tree, feeding the tree and the forest, and thus themselves. When they do this, the blood of the victim is absorbed and gives the tree the ability to attack enemies of the forest.

All forest folk have different powers depending on the kind of forest they live in:

• Bloodwood Forest: no powers - they become cythreulig.

• Bluebell Wood: they can make flowers grow and refresh people.

• Boreal: they are immune to cold.

• Broadleaf: they can make their skin hard as bark.

• Cloud Forest: they can teleport within clouds.

• Cypress Forest: they can walk on water.

• Evergreen: they do not experience senescence before they die of old age.

• Faeriewood Forest: they can see into the dreams of those who sleep in their forest.

• Genesis Forest: they can unleash elemental magic that harms destroyers.

• Hemiboreal: they are resistant to cold.

• Jungle: they can become invisible.

• Laurisilva: they have higher AWA than average.

• Light Forest: they can see further than others.

• Lunar Forest: reflective fur coat.

• Montane Forest: they are skilled climbers.

• Needleleaf: they can make their skin rough like pinecones.

• Night Forest: they can speak to shadows.

• Petrified Forest: they can make their skin hard like stone.

• Pine Barrens: they are immune to acid.

• Rainbow Forest: they can empower others with a touch.

• Rainforest: they can speak to animals.

• Riparian Forest: they can breathe underwater.

• Sallowwood Forest: no powers - they become cythreulig.

• Silverwood Forest: they can heal with their blood.

• Skywood Forest: they can walk on clouds.

• Sparse Woodland: they are faster than average.

• Subterranean Forest: they have cave sense.

• Taiga: they can teleport to other taigas.

• Thorn Forest: no powers - they become cythreulig.

• Tugay: they can go longer without water.

• Voidwood Forest: they are resistant to esoteric powers.

• Woodland: they have better hearing than average.

Forest folk are protectors of the forests and thus make that a central part of their culture. They are allies of the native nations, but they keep to themselves. They are very good hunters and trackers, and they live in harmony with the forest. The imperials hate and demonize them.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 11 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 8 STH 8

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Khuurai

“Monsters” of the arid regions.

• Lifespan: 60-90 years
• Diet: Sparse mortal fare
• Habitat: Arid regions
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Khuurai are 5’ tall hominids with chitinous shells over their bodies. They have antennae on their heads, bulbous cheeks covered in black fur, and bulging frog-like eyes. Their bodies are reddish and orange, and they have huge, sharp fangs. Their feet and hands are clawed.

Khuurai need no water at all. They can communicate and sense via their antennae, and they are able to spit acid a long distance. They can jump very far. All khuurai can cause the winds to shift at will.

Khuurai communities are small, communal, and closed off. They communicate silently via their antennae, though they can also speak, and they tend not to be very welcoming to outsiders. They are seen as demons by many in imperial lands, but in their own cultures, they are worshipers of desert and wind elementals which teach them beautiful silent songs, poetry, and other verbal arts. They have a complex writing system that communicates sounds and the silent, chemical communication of their antennae.

PRO 9 ATH 8 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 6 STH 8

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Lake Folk

Tall, ichthyoid folk living in or around lakes.

• Lifespan : 200 years

• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare

• Habitat: Lakes

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Lake folk have fish-like faces, pale blue and green bodies, and webbed hands and feet. They stand about 6’ tall.

Lake folk can breathe underwater, are resistant to cold, and are not affected by changes in pressure. They can survive on land, but they need to return to lake waters once per week at least, usually once per day. If they are from a salt lake, they must return to a salt lake, otherwise, it need be a freshwater lake.

All lake folk can speak to the fish of the lake they were born in. They can restore themselves by sleeping at the bottom of the lake for a full day, even if they are near death by disease or injury, but not from aging. Some diseases are more difficult to heal than others.

Lake folk have the power to return to their lake of origin once per year, no matter how far they are from it, by diving into any body of water deep enough to entirely cover them.

Lake folk are a major part of certain native communities, protecting the major lakes of the area. They are hated by the imperials.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Swim 11 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Magma Folk

Folk made of molten rock.

• Lifespan: 100 years
• Diet: Stone and rock
• Habitat: Anywhere with magma or lava
• Socioeconomic Status: Native or Oppressed

Magma folk are 7' tall hominid beings made of magma. Their faces ripple with the molten rock, but they are mostly consistent, with discernible facial features. They have no hair or flesh, only magma. Their hands and feet are disproportionately large for their bodies.

Magma folk are immune to heat. They can control their own body temperatures, making themselves capable of interacting in low-temperature settings, but still very warm for anyone near them. If they do this for too long, they will freeze solid, so they must spend at least an hour per day at full temperature or begin suffering penalties to ATH. If they hit 0 ATH, they are frozen solid as statues. At full temperature, everyone within 10' of them is affected by the heat; within 20', they face the heat at 4/5 temperature; at 30' at 3/4; at 40' at 2/3; at 50', 1/2; and they would be safe at 60'. Full temperature is 2,600 degrees (F).

They live in remote, isolated egalitarian cultures near the volcanoes of the region.

PRO 9 ATH 8 STR 11 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 6

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Merfolk

Part-fish, part-human legends of the seas.

• Lifespan : 200 years

• Diet: Augmented underwater fare

• Habitat: Any body of water

• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

Typically, merfolk have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. The type of fish varies by region and nation, but they are almost always oceanic fish or mammals (like dolphins). Freshwater fish are much rarer, but do exist. Some common variations in their form include the following:

• Those with two tails

• Finned arms, legs, neck, back, and/or head

• Fish-like facial features

• Facial features such as antennae or other bumps or even horns

All merfolk have gills in their necks.

Their human half can have the appearance of any sort of human or metahuman, as well as some variations with blue, green, or violet skin tones and hair colors. Sometimes their noses take a reddish hue when they leave the water. Some have more fish-like skin, resembling local aquafauna.

Some merfolk have sexual features associated with both patriarchal genders.

The fish part of a merperson molts every three years or so.

Merfolk have the power to interact with magical currents and combine them with currents of water. This can be used in many different ways which vary by culture and individual. Most merfolk will only know how to use these powers in a small number of ways, usually no more than three, at most six.

Merfolk can read magical currents by singing into the waters around them. This only works while they are submerged in water. This is commonly used to predict upcoming events. Different merfolk have the power to read currents about specific things, including weather, disasters, epidemics, the quality of a harvest or fishing season, whether someone will have a child, whether someone will fall in love, how individuals are connected to one another, whether someone will get something they want, what secrets someone is keeping, and random knowledge or lore.

Merfolk can also direct this power inward, using the blending of magical and marine currents to alter themselves or others who are attuned to either kind of current. Common uses for this power include changing their own size, taking a water form, taking different fish or marine animal forms, healing diseases, visiting someone’s dreams, altering someone’s luck, sense and communicate with spirits, influencing underwater animals, keeping objects dry underwater, grant protections against specific energies, retain youthful appearance, or even control or influence the bodies of others. If a merperson uses a conch shell to amplify their voice, they will have stronger influence over physical currents.

Those merfolk who attune to moonlight will resonate with a special light that allows them to control and ride waterspouts, sense and follow rainbows, be healed by moonlight, and control currents directly.

Attunement is always united between narrative and physical, water-based currents. Merfolk attune to them by combing their hair within these currents; if they do not have hair, they will comb where hair would be. As they comb, they sing or speak stories that are connected to them somehow - these connections are usually because the stories are passed down in their families or through their local cultures, but they are sometimes more abstract.

Even freshwater merfolk need to submerge in saltwater periodically to survive. They cannot survive on land for very long without returning to water.

There are many, many nations of merfolk around the world. They are the most common subaquatic mortal species:

• Adaro: in the southern Island Bridge, the Adaro nation is known for taking a form with high placed gills (usually behind their ears rather than lower on the neck) with a shark’s dorsal fin worn like a horn. They will have a swordfish or sawfish spear in their heads as well sometimes. They are belligerent toward outsiders (because of years of attacks against their territories). They use poisonous fish as darts. If they hear people in boats above their homes, they will attack them, so local sailors avoid paddling in some areas. The Adaro are adept at dream magicks and will visit people in their sleep.

• Apkallu: the Apkallu nation is ancient and powerful. They are mostly fish-herders, but they have special castes of sages (who wield sceptres), weavers (who use spindles), warriors (who go naked), and hunters (who wear land-based foliage) who have significant roles in their culture. Their leaders are seen to wear mural crowns. They also revere inventors, and they are known to have invented underwater appliances to use in their homes. Special underwater fruits and cereals are commonly eaten or land-based ones taken as tribute from landdwellers who ask them for safe passage over the seas. Fertility rituals are common among them.

• Aycayia: in the Reever Sea, the Aycayia nation is known for their shared wealth, their communal lifestyle where they make sure they all have what they need. Local landdwellers say they take “beautiful” forms because of the colorful fish they emulate, and they often use hibiscus flowers in ornamentation. They are often attacked because of their use of gold and silver.

• Balıkhalkı: the Balıkhalkı is a nation who dwell more in freshwater regions, in rivers and lakes. They wear their hair long and green, keep their skin pale, and go about dancing in the moonlight. Landdwellers often go to them to learn of impending disasters. (Based on the Susulu.)

• Bhaual: the Bhaual nation dwells in the deepest seas. They are very feared by all who know of them. Called the Deep Ones by landdwellers, they are more fish-like in facial features than other merfolk nations. They raid on land under the dark of new moons for victims. They prefer forms with greyish green skin, white bellies, and ridged backs. Their eyes are large to help them see in the dark. They are usually bigger than most other merfolk, partly because the seas they dwell in are suffused with Eldritch energy. This also grants them longer lives. They eat fish whole and alive. They keep magical golden jewelry in strange forms that landdwellers often seek out. Their massive city with cyclopean walls is called Yhuathnagh, and it lies in the depths of the Red Sea where few landdwellers have ever been.

• Ceasg: the Ceasg nation commonly take a body with a grilse (salmon) tail. They move between sea and freshwater often, because they protect landdwellers they have taken a liking to. It is said they will swallow landdwellers whole if they are angered by them. They love the music of harps. They have one of the strongest relationships with landdwellers. They are known for their skill at helping sailors avoid storms, guiding them to good fishing grounds, and taking on feminine forms the landdwellers are attracted to. Women among them are sometimes called maighdean na tuinne ("maid of the wave") or maighdean mhara ("maid of the sea"). They are fond of eggs of any kind. It is a common practice among them to offer three “wishes” (uses of their powers) to landdwellers who please them.

• Chernava: the Chernava nation dwells in a massive river. They are a feudal nation who are subject mostly to the Vesturian crown and assimilated into their culture. Those in Colesh sometimes have a more nature-based religion and often take watery forms. Their leader is a princess of Vesturia.

• Hairen: the Hairen nation take forms with webbed hands and drooping skin. They have mastered the art of keeping a coat of saltwater when they leave their undersea homes to protect themselves. This causes them to collect dirt and plant material on land, giving them a gross, slimy appearance, which does not bother them. They are assimilated into Unbulese society otherwise.

• Havfrue: The Havfrue are considered the original merfolk nation who live in a feudal society. The ruling noble classes control vast stretches of the oceanic plain and coasts, but by tradition, the upper reaches of the seas are open to the whole population. The Havfrue live mostly near the coasts and therefore deal with landdwellers quite often. They use their powers and knowledge to make alliances with different landdwelling countries, companies, or communities. They often trade with them, and they will help their sailors or ships. They use passwords and codes to know which sailors and ships are their allies. Fishers will often provide them with materials they can’t get under the sea in exchange for good fishing, sailors will ask for predictions about the weather, and explorers will even trade for locations of sunken treasure. It is not uncommon for them to kidnap and drown landdwellers whom they are in conflict with, though their reputation for doing this is outsized. It is true, however, that younger merfolk aren’t always aware that landdwellers cannot breathe underwater, which has led to tragedy in the past. Octopi and dolphins are never hunted or killed. It is considered a grievous crime. Like blue whales, they are considered sacred. All three are considered equally intelligent. Octopi are revered by esotericists, especially. Orcas are not eaten, but they are feared enough that sometimes they are killed if and only if they are posing a threat to a community. All children are assumed to have some connections to the lunar positions they are born under. Music is the most important art and entertainment among the Havfrue (and most merfolk). It is part of their magical powers. Songs always tell stories; those that don’t are considered unpleasant and even rude. Because merfolk can control their forms somewhat, there are common trends amongst them for how they appear.

• Iara: the Iara nation is led by women. They bask in the full moon, take river dolphin and manatee forms if not fish, dwell in the vast rivers of the rainforests, and wear their hair long. Their singing attracts everyone, and local landdwelling men fetishize them sometimes. If they are angered, they perform ritual mutilation of their enemies, removing their mouths, noses, fingertips, and genitals, which has led to unfounded accusations of cannibalism.

• Jengu: the Jengu nation (sometimes called Liengu or Bisima in different regions, called Miengu in plural) wear their hair long and have gaps in their front teeth. They dwell in any body of water in the region, and they are known for their complex rituals and relationships with landdwellers. They often take up a religious role in local cultures, being intermediaries for spirits. They farm crawfish, work as healers, and are led by women. They are a major part of the landdwellers’ pirogue races. They also often keep objects the landdwellers give them underwater, using their power to keep these things dry to hide them from those who might steal them.

• Kataw: the Kataw nation wear long, wavy or curly black hair and have black eyes. They have beautiful underwater houses. They are known for their sad story songs.

• Kulilu: the Kulilu nation is mostly known for their destructive nature, their constant attacks on ships, coastal towns, and other underwater settlements. They are terroristic and dominant, a warrior nation bent on conquest.

• Kymatistís: the Kymatistis are a patriarchal culture that is assimilated into various local cultures. They use their powers to control the seaways there.

• Mataikan: the Mataikan are assimilated into the local cultures in various ways, usually as either protectors or raiders of ships and coastal towns. They are fish-herders and hunters.

• Marmennill: the Marmennill are known for their senses of humor, laughing loudly at foolish antics. They are stereotyped as being incautious and get caught in nets often. In these instances, they trade a use of their powers (predicting weather or good fishing) in exchange for release. Also called Marbendill, the Havfrue think of them as stupid.

• Mintuci: the Mintuci nation are often confused for yokai. They are often bald, very short, and dwell in rivers. Their faces are purple or red, and they take on sea turtle features. They mimic local yokai like kappa by distorting their bodies such that their arms are connected in a way that means tugging on one will shorten the other. They go on land more often than their cousins, being sometimes found in montane bodies of water. They use their powers to grant luck in hunting and fishing, creating amulets to protect people. They like puppetry and land-based livestock.

• Morgen: the nation of the Morgens (or Mari-Morgans) are a powerful, woman-led nation who use their vocal powers often. They dwell near the coast in caves or at the mouths of rivers. Their love of gold makes them targets for landdwellers, whom they ably defend against with their magicks. They are known to flood whole towns in revenge for acts of theft. They prefer youthful appearances and are sometimes considered vain.

• Muldjewangk: in the southern Island Bridge, the Muldjewangk nation dislike industrial development in their area and are known to destroy more modern boats like steamboats. They will take larger forms to terrify landdwellers, but prefer the standard merfolk form. They will sometimes use their powers to cause bloody blistering on enemies. Sometimes they ambush folk by hiding in clumps of seaweed. They are a hostile nation due to the constant invasions of their territory.

• Narandan: the Narandan nation are assimilated into the local culture and serve as protectors. They warn fishers of bad weather by singing or throwing rocks.

• Ngal-kunburriyaymi: also called yawkyawks, the Ngal-kunburriyaymi in the southern Island Bridge are known for taking on saltwater crocodile forms, wearing seaweed in their hair, and keeping dragonflies, snakes, and swordfish. They are servants of the rainbow serpents.

• Ngeụ̄xk: the Ngeụ̄xk nation live near bridges, which they see as encroaching into their territory. They are otherwise fond of landdwellers. They hold races and revere underwater speed.

• Njuzu: the Njuzu are very solitary, preferring to keep a single body of water per Njuzu. They are known to like alcohol, which they take as tribute from landdwellers, whom they offer healing. They live in freshwater but go back to the sea often. They are also known for their willingness to use their powers to cause problems for landdwellers who displease them.

• Nommo: the Nommo nation lives near desert coasts. They are shamanic and assimilated into local cultures as teachers and protectors. Local legends say they came from the sky “with fire and thunder” and created a water reservoir. It is said they lived on a planet circling a distant star, but this is probably a myth. They practice endocannibalism.

• Owu Mmiri: the Owu Mmiri river merfolk nation are part of the local cultures in a massive southern-central continent.

• Pezvare: they look very similar to landdwellers and share a lot of ancestry, leading to rumors they are the ghosts of those lost at sea. They have white skin, red hair, and scaly bodies, commonly. Otherwise, they are assimialted into Danuan culture. The Havfrue view them as creepy.

• Pincoye: the Pincoye nation (Pincoy - male, Pincoya - female) are divided by gender. The men take on sea lion features. They have bright golden skin with handsome and manly human faces and long golden hair. They sing to attract women on land and in the sea. Women have long blonde hair and are considered beautiful by local landdwellers. The women perform fertility rituals for the local fish herds and dance to bring abundance (by facing the sea) or scarcity (by facing the mountains). All Pincoye practice the funerary practice of carrying the dead - their own or that of the locals - to a special “ghost” ship kept off the coast. A third gender, the “sirena chilota”, are women who have golden scales and hair. They are fish-herders. They have large flukes and strong tails that help them swim long distances. It is said their tears have special magic.

• Sakanahito: also called ningyo, the Sakanahito nation live in fresh and saltwater. They have either red hair or a red cockscomb, and some of their more mystic members will take a form with no torso - just head and fish tail. They sometimes wear golden horns. Their bellies are red and they have carp tails, and their hands are webbed. Some rare ones have snake tails instead, or even have a third eye. They are sometimes confused for yokai, and they are largely assimilated into yokai culture. The oni believe that eating a Sakanahito will bring them a long life.

• Siyokoy: the Siyokoy nation have webbed hands and large fins. They are green or brown in color and even sometimes have tentacles. They prefer to take squid, ray, eel, or octopus form and often have these animals around them. They are hated by the Havfrue as monsters. They are known to use their powers to possess landdweller bodies.

• Suire: called merrows, the Suire are a powerful nation with a relationship with the fey folk. Tradition says their magical caps (cohuleen druith or cochaillín draíochta) that glimmer in moonlight allow them to switch between land and water, and if they lose their cap, they are stuck wherever they are. They are green haired and scaled, have red noses, stubby arms, and green eyes. Also called muirgheilt (women) or macamores (men), they have complicated relationships with landdwellers. They like to change their forms often. Salmon skin is commonly worn, and on land, they use fey glamours to take on landdweller forms like hornless cows and pigs. They use lobster pots to store esoteric powers and even souls. Their music is called sambuga.

• Taong Isda: the Taong Isda are the third merfolk nation in a distant southeastern continent. They are vicious to landdwellers due to the invasion of their territories. They protect their territories more ferociously than most, using their voices to drown and control landdwellers. They keep dugongs, sea turtles, and small cetaceans like dolphins. Their flowing hair that is often curly or wavy is used to commune with the currents, and they are attuned to the moons and speak to moon spirits.

• Triton: the nation of Tritons (male is triton, female is tritoness) is world famous for their golden palaces. They are the greatest performers of conch shell music. They live in the depths. They keep their shoulders barnacled with seashells. Their skin is cerulean in color, their hair green or gold, their eyes blue, their nails like the shell of a murex, their tails delphine, and their skin sharklike. Wrestling is a common sport, and dolphins and hippocampi are kept as steeds. Powerful Tritons might have wings or claws, and some have double tails.

• Vittorian: the Vittorian nation have duck and frog features. They explore deep into land and sometimes even have feet - duck feet. They collect lost treasures from the sea and trade with landdwellers. Their eyes are always reddened. They are assimilated into the local cultures.

• Zitiron: a warlike nation known for wearing armor as a knight on their upper bodies, they are a feudal nation constantly at war with the Havfrue.

Among the original merfolk, the nobility try to enforce a binary, patriarchal view of gender. Men wear beards and are encouraged to appear menacing and fearsome to landdwellers, women are encouraged to stay “beautiful” by local and landdwelling standards. Women wear seaweed in their hair and keep clouds of foam around themselves; men go topless and try to look fierce.

Those who defy gender binaries are frowned upon but not necessarily banned - if and only if they take up esoteric or faith-based occupations. Anyone trying to be of different genders outside these roles is ostracized. Among other nations, non-binary views of gender may be more common, as the power to take on different forms leads to a great deal of variance in appearance.

Merfolk are often seen as kidnappers, murderers, cannibals, bringers of misfortune, and wreckers of ships. They are hated by many landdwellers, but also fetishized and worshiped. A local legend about a figure called Cola Pesce, a human transformed into a merman, is often told to scare people about interacting with them.

PRO 8 ATH 9 STR 8 AWA 9 WIL 9 PRS 10 STH 9

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Mgeli

Wolf-headed hunter folk.

• Lifespan : 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Forests, mountains, and grasslands
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Wolf-headed hunting folk. They stand about 6' tall and have fur-covered bodies. They have lupine fur, tails, and heads, but they are otherwise human in appearance.

Mgelis have supernatural hunting abilities. They have keen senses of smell and hearing, and they can howl to communicate over vast distances. They can see in the dark, and they have the ability to bond with others in their "pack" that allows them to communicate silently and see through each other's eyes. The other members of their pack must also be mgelis.

If they violate one of the laws of the hunt, they lose one of their powers. If they lose all of their powers, they die.

The rules of the hunt are to never kill a pregnant animal, to never kill a child animal unless it is in unhealable pain, to never kill a breeding adult, to never kill more than is needed for the pack, to never use poison, to never over-hunt an area, and to never leave an animal with a debilitating injury.

They live in nomadic, egalitarian tribes. They honor the hunt as a force of nature. They are protectors of their territories, which they tend closely.

Local mgelis are popular among the native nations.

In the empires, they are stereotyped as aloof, murderous, and animalistic, and they are extremely oppressed.

PRO 9 ATH 9 STR 10 AWA 9 Smell/Hear 10 WIL 8 PRS 8 STH 9

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Morwynian

Contradictory animalistic folk with weather magic.

• Lifespan : 200 years

• Diet: Common mortal fare

• Habitat: Anywhere

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Morwynians stand about 5’ tall. They have animalistic features, always of two different animals, always in these broad pairings:

• Fish and reptile

• Bird and mammal

• Worm and arthropod

• Amphibian and mollusc

• Novotheria and pluribi

Morwynians all have the power to influence the weather. They do this by using the elements around them - a fire can bring sunshine, a bit of water will bring rain, a stone can bring clouds, a bit of metal can bring thunder and lightning, and so on. They just take them in their hands and smash them together. They can, however, only do this for contradictory forms of weather - sunshowers, thundersnows, and so on.

They live either among the native nations or in their own small communities. They hide their powers for fear of being exploited.

PRO 8 ATH 8 STR 8 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Napash

Fire-breathing tusked folk.

• Alignment : Elemental
• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Mountains and rock flats
• Socioeconomic Status: Privileged oppressed

They are 7' tall and have porcine faces. Their skin is red and orange, and their eyes are blood-red. They are often confused with the baleful, though they are fierce enemies. They have large tusks.

Napash breathe fire. Their fire breath is fueled when they eat hot coals. Other than being strong, they have no other special powers.

The original culture of napashes is a warrior nation on a southern continent. They are enemies of the baleful, magically created beings whose blood boils and gives them tusks and other porcine features. This rivalry for territory and resources has them locked in a long, brutal war, and the napashes are often on the losing end of it.

They worship volcanoes as powerful nature spirits and believe in fire as a symbol of their ferocity and strength. They are led by war-leaders chosen in trials by combat. They have great ceremonies around bonfires where they dance and throw themselves into the fire to gain strength. They paint themselves in ash and enter battle screaming and spitting fire.

An enemy defeated but unburnt is not defeated. They mark their prisoners of war with burns and scars, and enemy leaders are sometimes sacrificed to volcanoes.

Those who do are not warriors are still considered vital parts of their nation. They are expected to contribute to the community, and they are not lesser than the warriors.

In empires, they are treated as a privileged oppressed group. They are stereotyped as monsters, conscripted into the military, but also courted for their skill in battle.

PRO 10 ATH 8 STR 14 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7

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Scyllan

Dog-headed beings of the straits.

• Lifespan: 200 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Straits
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Scyllans appear to be dog-headed hominids with sharp fangs. There are statistically more scyllans assigned female at birth than is common in other species, but they are not akhoata. All scyllans have fins on their arms and legs.

Scyllans can jump extraordinary distances. They have keen senses of smell and can especially smell blood.

As beings of the straits, they are able to walk on water if in a strait. They can live underwater and breathe there, but deeper depths may cause them problems. If they dance upon the waters, they make them more turbulent.

Unlike most species, if an akhoata has a child by a scyllan, the child will be a scyllan, though assigned female at birth.

The main scyllan culture is a dangerous warrior nation living in straits in imperial lands. They are one of the few not conquered or colonized in the area, but they have done this by developing a powerful military which rules their people. Thus, their culture is very martial, with a focus on martial arts even in dance and sculpture. They make everything about fighting back against the constant threats to their ways of being, but in doing so, bury some of their original culture, including their former love of music and fishing culture.

Imperials accuse them of being cannibals.

PRO 9 ATH 9 Swim 10 STR 9 AWA 8 Smell 10 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 8

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Servulian

River people.

• Lifespan : 300 years
• Diet: Fish-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Rivers
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Servulians are ickthyoid figures who dwell in rivers. They have blue-green scales all over them, bulbous eyes, and webbed hands and feet. They stand about 6' tall.

Servulians have the ability to breathe under water and on land. They can swim against current without penalties, and they can hear the words of the currents as they swim against them. This brings them information from around the world.

They also bond to any river they live in for more than a year and a day. This bond allows them to teleport within the river system anywhere within three miles up or down stream if they are in the waters.

In the city-states, they are oppressed and discriminated against.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Swim 11 STR 9 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 8

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Tupqar

Cliff-dwelling, small, bat-like folk

• Lifespan : 200 years

• Diet: Insect-heavy mortal fare

• Habitat: Cliffs

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Tupqars appear to be 4’ tall beings with bat ears, noses, eyes, and wings. Their wings are attached to their arms. They are a little hairier.

Tupqars have echolocation, bad eyesight, and can fly. They sleep upside down, hanging off the side of cliffs, and they can disguise themselves as part of the cliff if they do so. They gain bonuses to ATH and flight, echolocation, and hunting or PRO in canyons, near cliffs, or similar terrain. A tupqar in danger can lay against the side of a cliff, shriek, and unleash an avalanche, though this will weaken them and require much rest.

Tupqars live in small communities in villages built into the sides of cliffs or canyons. They are partially integrated into the wider native community, but they are have their own traditions and culture that is somewhat distinct. The most important tradition to them is an annual cliff-climbing race, wherein they are not allowed to fly.

Imperials view them as pests.

PRO 8 ATH 9 Flight 11 STR 7 AWA 8 Sight 3 Echolocation 10 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 9

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Utakan

“Monstrous” folk of glaciers and tundra.

• Lifespan : 200 years

• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare

• Habitat: Tundras and glaciers

• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Utakans are 7’ to 8’ tall beings with white and blue flesh, hair like thin ice crystals on their heads (but none on their white bodies), and huge black claws. Their faces are apelike with dark blue skin. They have disproportionately long arms that run along the ground.

Utakans are immune to the cold. Their shaggy ice crystal hair shimmers in moonlight and makes them hard to see on snowy fields or icy glaciers. Their claws are good for climbing on ice. They can see temperature, and they can unleash a blast of icy air with their breath. If they scream, they can cause snowslides or split glaciers.

Utakans live in sprawling clans in the coldest parts of the world, cousin to yetis and friends to animal folk in the polar areas. They are protectors of the tundras, and they are feared by imperials who seek to destroy or despoil their homes.

PRO 9 ATH 8 STR 12 AWA 8 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7 In Snow 9

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Yeti

Sasquatches.

• Lifespan : 400 years
• Diet: Meat-heavy mortal fare
• Habitat: Mountains
• Socioeconomic Status: Oppressed

Yetis stand between 5’ and 15’ tall. They are ape-like but stand upright. They have sharp teeth and larger than proportional feet and longer than proportional arms. Their fur can be brown, reddish brown, grey, black, white, or in rare cases, green.

Yetis are heavily resistant to the cold because they can regulate their body temperatures through releasing or storing heat via their fur. They can walk on snow, climb sheer cliffsides, and jump extraordinary distances in the mountains. Their whistling can start and stop snowslides. They are always stronger in the colder months or deep in the night.

If they migrate to warmer areas, their temperature regulation works the same - they can survive in high heat despite their fur. They do often develop a musk in warmer areas. Regardless, they still have greater strength when it is cooler out.

Yetis in other parts of the world go by other names, distinguishing their different nations: almas, amomongo, barmanou, chuchunya, esti captaki, hibagon, joogabinna, kalanoro, mande barung, mawas, nittaewo, nyalmo, rang shim bombo, sasquatch, sisimito, or yeren. Their original nation, in the high mountains of the southeastern continent, are called the Chuti. The locals are called woodwoses.

Woodwoses are known to live remotely in the forests, carry bludgeoning weapons when they interact with strangers, and being among the animals. Most live in the mountains.

Their homeland is a series of city-states atop the highest peaks, snow-covered secret cities. In the highest mountains, they craft cities of ice, stone, and bone. They form walkways between peaks of solid ice that only they have the sure-footing to walk, and they build solid-stone dome houses with windows of thin, clear ice. They form great statues from rock and bone that are said to capture heat, glowing frosty blue, and the walls around their cities are carved straight into the mountains. They live communally as hunters and foragers.

Other nations have some variations on their cultures, but they are almost all hunter-gatherers.

PRO 10 ATH 9 Climbing 15 Jumping 15 STR 15 AWA 9 WIL 8 PRS 7 STH 7