Merfolk, Underwater Civilization

Beneath the rolling waves dwell the merfolk, a people as diverse as the seas they call home. Though all share the shape of aquatic humanoids, their features mirror the wide variety of marine life itself, sleek, finned forms reminiscent of dolphins, armored scales like reef fish, or even the trailing tendrils of cephalopods. This diversity is celebrated among their kind, much as humans admire the many hues of their own races. Most merfolk make their lives in scattered communities nestled along the seafloor, hidden grottoes, coral citadels, or villages built into the sides of undersea cliffs. There they thrive in harmony with the ocean’s rhythms, navigating ancient currents, weaving seaweed into homes, and guiding bioluminescent creatures to light their halls. Just as land-dwellers form nations and cultures, merfolk civilizations are bound together by currents of kinship, trade, and song, their voices carrying through the deep like threads binding the scattered pearls of their world.

Because of the vast array of underwater communities around, there are numerous varieties of merfolk. But below are a few kinds well enough known to land dwelling races.

Sirelina Merfolk

The Sirelina Merfolk, patterned after the vivid forms of saltwater fish, dwell in The Reef—a sprawling, coral-built community anchored just off the coast of Suna’s capital. Unlike many of their kin who prefer the deep seafloor, these merfolk live in constant contact with the surface, trading pearls, coralcraft, and sea-silks with the landfolk. Generations of interaction have made them the most acclimated of their kind to life above the waves, their speech, customs, and fashions often reflecting a seamless blend of ocean and city.

Sirens

No one knows the origin of the Sirens, but sailors’ tales of their deadly songs stretch back as far as seafaring itself. Some say they evolved from merfolk with dolphin-like echolocation, others that they are the sea’s defense against surface dwellers. Sirens inherit varied tails, scales, and colors, and many can shift between an aquatic form, with the lower half of a swift marine creature, and a terestrial humanoid guise, with the most skilled able to pass as human. Their true power lies in their voices. Some dedicate time to developing a hereditary magic used to charm, heal, or harm with practice. Most Sirens live in migratory pods, claiming and defending territories as they cycle between hunting grounds. When bearing young, pods retreat to deep birthing grounds before resuming their wandering.

The Pale Divers

The Pale Divers were a merfolk militia hailing from the cold northern waters of Suna, their silvery skin earning them their name. They rose to fame over 2000 years ago in 15DR, playing a decisive role in defeating the pirate tyrant Captain Morshay’s bid to seize Suna. Once a clan-based force, the title now lives on in a special naval task unit whose members—regardless of lineage—adopt grey paints and garb in honor of the originals.