Selkies

Before the establishment of the Lazulite Empire, Selkies and other non-human creatures lived freely across the lands that would later become the Empire. As the Empire expanded and became more human-centric, other species were forced to the edges of the realm, or reduced to living as second-class citizens among humans. Selkies became highly sought after - their sealskins which allowed them to shift into their aquatic form and return to the sea became prized, both as trophies and a method of ensuring loyalty from the selkie whose skin you possessed.   Selkies, while having always been a curious and friendly people who would often marry humans and have children with them, began to withdraw and hide themselves away. Previously content to live freely among humans in coastal towns and villages, many chose to return to the sea or seek new lives abroad. Those who could not bear to leave their families behind would hide their sealskins away and attempt to pass as human, for fear of discovery.   Many selkies had some level of empathic ability, often able to read the psychological and emotional state of a person as easily as their facial expression. Some selkies also possessed other gifts - and as the presence of selkies became rarer, so the stories of selkie abilities became exaggerated into legends often far more grand than any truth.