Merfolk Lore

Merfolk spend 80-90% of their lives underwater, in secluded cities similar to Atlantis. You can occasionally find them above ground in small cities and towns but rarely will they stay unless they have very good reason to.

Merfolk can live for thousands of years but more recently they have been dying quicker due to poisoning of the ocean. You can often tell where a Merfolk is from by looking at their tail as it will be similar to the area they have grown up in, i.e. tropical tails with bright colours indicate a Merfolk from a warmer climate, a darker tail means a deep sea Merfolk, etc.

When Merfolk are in human form, the simple touch of water to exposed skin will be enough to transform them back into their underwater form. This form consists of long gill-like ears, gills on the neck, webbed fingers, pointy canines, flattened more streamline nose, loss of legs and addition of a long fish-like tail. Some Merfolk are known to have different tails but these are rare and usually only found within Merfolk royalty.

Merfolk are able to control small bodies of water (the older they get the more water they are able to control), learn some weak seer magic (if trained there are some who are oracles for the underwater cities and towns) and talk to some undersea creatures and have them vaguely understand what they want them to do. Some are born as sirens and they are able to lure sailors and other creatures into their domain or have control over their feelings and emotions (kind of like the calm emotions dnd spell or charm person).

They can live up to 1000 years, though it is very rare, reaching adult age around 120 years old. Most Merfolk live till around 600 years old due to water toxicity and pollution. Oceanicfolk:

Oceanicfolk are a subrace of Merfolk, and generally act quite similar to those they are closely related to. Oceanicfolk do not inherently live in cities or packs- especially depending on what oceanic creature they’re based on. Unlike Merfolk, it is common to find Oceanicfolk living in above-water settlements, boats and more.

These creatures also have a human form. Human status and appearance may differ depending on species, however their main characteristics are: gills on the neck, back, sides or legs along with fins somewhere on the body (often acting as ears). Oceanicfolk may also transform if they are touched by water, though not a simple drop. Extra features should be discussed between player and staff.

Oceanicfolk live until about five-hundered years, and can control a minor amount of water depending on their physical strength.