Merehaffru (Mare-Haf-roo)

The core of Merehaffru society is their water-clans. They are extended families, or houses, of water elementals and elemental-kin. The structure inside a water-clan is unusual as viewed by surface-folk since the Merehaffru believe in communal families of four adults to a central water-family. Each adult takes a share of responsibility for the immediate care of their children, called droplings. But for raising? Education? That falls under the domain of the extended water-clan. This is because the Merehaffru firmly believe that to help a dropling come into their own current, it takes the combined tide of a water-clan. Where elder and adult elementals instruct the younger ones in the ways of the water, tide, and sea.

Part of this instruction is about the ‘self’ and ‘knowing your own water’. Merehaffru elementals often form a human-like body when on land, such as summoned by a mage or dealing with a land-dweller. They believe it makes collaboration as smooth as possible, if at all. But with regard to gender, it’s considered fluid and up to the individual. This is one of the many things the water-clans help droplings determine. Specifically, the ‘shape of their water’ and how that individual feels is correct for themselves as they grow into their own person.

Long considered monsters by overbearing mages with little patience, understanding, or too much greed for power, the Merehaffru are nothing of the kind. They’re a quiet, contemplative people with a gentle nature and great capacity for spirituality. But despite this, they are also capable of extreme violence when threatened. Sadly, those acts of extreme violence are what they’ve become known for over time. This is in no small part to wizards and sorcerers summoning a Merehaffru, then using them as a guard or ‘weapon’. Effectively enslaving the Merehaffru to the wizard’s will as a tool, with no thought that is a thinking individual and not an enchanted killing machine. That is one of the many reasons that Merehaffru are slow to trust, and even slower to forget friends, allies, or grievances.

Like any culture, this has resulted in a series of unspoken rules for their society. Respect for others and for a person’s own self is high on that list. Merehaffru maintain a deep respect of a person’s own self-determination but also for community, viewing each as an extension of the other. This is best emphasized by the Merehaffru principle: “Flow Together, or Not At All.”

Merehaffru people understand there are greater beings and divinities that nurture the world. Most are observed by land-dwellers, and vary between regions. But belief and spirituality are different for the Merehafffru, as is the nature of their gods. They follow ancestor worship but also revere gods based on the seasonal currents. As the currents shift, one god passes on and a new god rises. One dramatic event in the ‘changing of the god-guard’ is the seasonal monsoon currents. Most current-gods are benevolent, and expected to protect the Merehaffru against the ravages of nature such as undersea volcanoes, another Great Collapse, and other upheavals. Most Merehaffru believe the Great Collapse was in part because the current-god at that time was abducted—possibly by a wizard. This, in turn, meant there wasn’t a current-god to quiet the natural disasters that broke the world.

The typical idea of a water elemental is of a violent, shapeless blob of water. It’s slander from narrow-minded mages at best. Merehaffru do wear clothing, but it differs when on land versus in their own native realm. On land, Merehaffru will use their natural ability to pull water-based magic threads to ‘summon’ or spin land-dweller type clothing. Something they feel is suitable for the region they visit. This is simply to fit in and be respectful. But once at home, their clothing is vastly different, and better suited to their environment.

Clothing and garments for Merehaffru are considered a sign of personal expression but can be for protection. Most clothing resembles the partially transparent skin of jellyfish, lined with glowing motes of magical light. These are woven into flowing gowns, robes, tunics and more. While expressive with naturally glowing patterns, they also aid the Merehaffru in navigating water channels and currents. When in danger, this partially transparent, jelly-like clothing can be quickly shaped into a tough hide. One that’s able to withstand some measure of magical or physical assault. While durable, it isn’t perfect, and can be broken or burned away.

One odd item that the Merehaffru consider a garment is their floating sigils. These are enchanted tattoos partly formed of a person’s essence that represent an important concept. This concept could be a feeling, idea, or even a clan-mark for a given Merehaffru.

No mention of the Merehaffru would be complete without a mention of their language. Merehaffru elemental-kin and water-elementals do speak. It just isn’t a language that land-dwellers could understand or pronounce. Their ‘spoken’ language is musical, closer to the running sound of a babbling brook or whale song. Sounds that work best when submerged in water. To communicate with land-dwellers, a deep and complex sign language was developed called Unaru’Sellai—the Water-Word Bending. It’s a language of flowing gestures using one or both hands as a sign language. This way, a land-dweller could ‘speak’ and ‘talk’ to any Merehaffru.

Unaru’Sellai is more that just letters fashioned with a person’s hands. It has an alphabet, but so much more. This sign language also has flowing hand gestures and motions that can convey a literal phrase, a full word with a gesture, contractions, emotion, context, and more. According to some records, it was commonly taught during the time of the Ancient Order. But in the thousand years since the Great Collapse, most on land don’t know this language exists. Only scholars with extreme patience or with an elemental affinity tend to learn it. But even then, most land-dwellers only learn a small percentage of the rich language unless tutored by a Merehaffru.