Tritons

Tritons are one of the most prominent Oceanic Races, falling behind only the Merfolk in numbers and influence. Unlike merfolk, who possess generally aquatic-only anatomy from the waist down, the tritons actually appear rather similar to most land-dwelling species below the waist, with the exception of webbed feet. Triton hands are not webbed, however, which allows them to make use of tools and grasp objects much more efficiently. While the triton atatomy is quite similar to a human, there are several other notable differences, none more important than their large external gills. These gills take the form of several hanging stalks (generally 3 pairs, but occasionally 2 or 4) with many fine filaments branching off the main stalks. These generally protrude from the skin just below the Triton's jawline, and do have muscles in them, making them mobile. When underwater, tritons are known to use this musculature to display different types of emotion, often absent-mindedly or without thought. These gills can die out when not kept damp, so tritons need to be careful in regions with very low humidity, like deserts. Usually, the ambient humidity in coastal regions, especially in the morning, allows the tritons to breathe fine above water, and they are quite hardy in general.

Trialso have notably different skin tones to any surface races, ranging between a cool silver and dark midnight blue, depending on the region. Some tritons are also known to have brown motting or splotches on their skin, which can significantly change the perception of their skin tone due to contrast. Tritons generally possess dark eyes in green or blue, though this can be difficult to differentiate for most races which don't have excellent contrast perception. They, themselves, have vision largely focused on this blue-green spectrum, thus making colors like red difficult for them to distinguish. Tritons have an overall mammalian eye structure, with their pupils able to change shape to focus both above and below the surface of the water. This allows them to see effectively above water, though not as well as races like humans and nowhere close to an elf. It's similarly effective at night and in other low-light environments, such as the ocean. However, as high as 50 meters below the surface, Tritonic eyes begin to fail, only being able to make out shapes and movement.

Tritons generally prefer to stay in the shallows, between 10 and 40 meters below the surface of the ocean, as this range allows for their eyes to function effectively without strain, but also protects them from boats. They are often hostile towards fishermen who carelessly overfish or drop debris into their territory, especially if they start dragging anchors through their homes. Between fishing and the drop off of continental shelves, tritons typically live within a fairly narrow band of water, and therefore in many instances their poor are shunted to the fringes. Sometimes, their buildings may even protrude above the surface of the ocean, where the top floors become trading halls or slums, depending on the region's prosperity. Although tritons are able to function in deeper waters and on the surface, their physical characteristics make them disadvantaged in these regions.

Tritons still make use of deeper regions, which serve as sources of food, mining camps, and outposts. Coral reefs which stretch into these deeper waters are the most commonthe site of advanced fortifications to protect their valuable hunting grounds against interlopers. This is because reefs are immensely productive environments with diverse species which, properly managed, can provide valuable resources and food to tritons. Since coral reefs are rarely found outside of merfolk territory, those few which are held by tritons are jealously guarded. Non-coral reefs and kelp forests are also known to be heavily guarded despite occuring as deep as 150 meters below, far outside tritonic vision. These are similarly productive and valuable grounds for both hunting and aquaculture. The yields from these environments are immensely valuable because the tritonic diet consists mainly of seaweeds, fish, and crustaceons. While species such as whales, otters, and even things like sea serpents are known to be consumed by tritons, these are often rare outside of the elites.

Tritons are very much a warrior race, making use of a variety of specialized weapons ranging from the familiar trident to strange barbed spears. In the making of these weapons, tritons frequent thermal vents and underwater volcanoes, primarily using iron for the blades. Unlike weapons on land, tritons cannot make use of wood in their weapons, so they tend to either use bone or make entirely metal weapons. The former is generally used for lighter weapons and when tritons are expecting conflict with land-dwellers, while the latter is more reliable for ocean fighting, but less advantageous on land. Tritons make use of hippocampi as horses, and hippocampi racing is a popular sport for them. As hippocampi are similar to horses, tritons actually translate well to riding horses on land, though they have a tendency to forget that you cannot go up when on a regular horse.