Merfolk

Summary

True Merfolk

• Difficulty To Work With: Usually Beginner; Merfolk have some intricacies to their culture, however, much of their difficulty would depend on their humanoid parent— a Human-based Merfolk is generally manageable for the average new writer, although they do require some religious or regional knowledge sometimes.
• Permissions: Merfolk in and of themselves do not require permission, however, if they are specifically descended from a Humanoid species that requires permission, then they will require permission from staff.
• Activity: Depends on the Protean they are descended from.
• Languages: Lidaire, as well as usually any language spoken by their Humanoid ancestor.
• Major Faiths: G'hira is the most popular faith, however, some Merfolk have been known to take on faiths like Arikar as well.
• Regions: Although True Merfolk have high populations in Aloernarch, Fydrassi, and Barasaire, Merfolk can consistently be found in bodies of water throughout Asla'nir with the exception of Tir'anor.
• Courting: True Merfolk oftentimes predominantly take up relationships for the sake of rearing children and may or may not choose partners out of love. They can be monoamorous, polyamorous, or ambiamorous depending on the variant, however, establishing a long-lasting relationship is generally unusual— in spite of that, when they do form, these bonds are very difficult to break.
• Major Cultural Notes: True Merfolk form tight-knit clans that care deeply for other members of the community— they value self-expression, however, and oftentimes express themselves through the arts and craftsmanship. True Merfolk can lean slightly towards being patriarchial or matriarchial, however, they are generally somewhat patriarchial, with one leading figurehead of notable wisdom and power serving as the leader of their clan, with various spiritual leaders serving as guidance. Siyokoy are notably hostile towards many other outsider species, however, Ningyokoy are amicable and friendly towards others, oftentimes being curious about travellers.

Siren

• Difficulty To Work With: Usually Beginner; beyond their non-standard morality, their balancing is generally easy to manage (outside of Greater Magindara) and their culture is generally manageable.
• Permissions: Only Greater Magindara require permission from staff.
• Activity: Depends on the Protean they are descended from.
• Languages: Lidaire.
• Major Faiths: G'hira is the most popular faith, however, some Sirens have been known to take on faiths like Arikar as well.
• Regions: Although Sirens have high populations in Aloernarch, Fydrassi, and Barasaire, Merfolk can consistently be found in bodies of water throughout Asla'nir with the exception of Tir'anor.
• Courting: Magindara rarely take on partners, however, when they do, they generally are those they consider potent enough or intelligent enough to not be better suited for a meal instead. Usually, partners are taken on purely for the sake of having children before being promptly abandoned, however, Magindara do sometimes have more lengthy relationships— they may be monoamorous, polyamorous, or ambiamorous depending on the variant, however, Magindara are notably territorial and overprotective partners.
• Major Cultural Notes: Sirens do not form extensive social dynamics usually, although some may reside amongst True Merfolk clans or with other Protean. When they do form groups, they are usually led by the strongest female within the group (or the mother, if a family unit), who establishes her dominance with shows of physical strength and mystical prowess— they are small and are generally loosely-knit unless spawning from family units, being predominantly focused on hunting larger prey.

Other Names

Other Names
Variant	Name	Region	Nature	Origin
[Insert Variant]	[Insert Name]	Insert Nation (or Universal)	Is it a derogatory term, the race’s ‘True Name’ (aka the name they call themselves) or a common name?	Discuss where it potentially spawned from! Feel free to say ‘Unknown.’=

Classification

True Merfolk

Siyokoy

Protean, Humanoid, Dependant on Humanoid Parent

Ningyokoy

Protean, Humanoid, Dependant on Humanoid Parent

Magindara

Lesser Magindara

Protean, Humanoid, Uncommon

Greater Magindara

Protean, Humanoid, Rare

Lifespan

Lifestages

(Feel free to remove if it is inapplicable.)

Body Variations

Siyokoy

Traditionally those who are an eighth or a sixteenth in Protean blood, Siyokoy are the descendants of humanoid races who intermingled with Protean and intermixed further with other humanoids. Siyokoy have some features as a result of their Protean heritage, however, they predominantly resemble their humanoid heritage— they do, however, generally have smooth, hairless skin or scales; webbed digits; fins; gills; and other features that might indicate their heritage, such as one descended from an Odvou having the tendrils of their Kraken ancestors. Siyokoy are far more aggressive and territorial than Ningyokoy, sharing very few of their interests in life above land unless it's particularly useful to them or related to their governance.

Ningyokoy

Sometimes referred to informally as Merkin, Ningyokoy have considerable Protean blood, however, Ningyokoy, unlike Magindara, are generally part humanoid. Ningyokoy traditionally come in forms akin to Siyokoy, although, instead of featuring webbed legs, Ningyokoy generally have a lower body akin to their Protean relative— for example, a Ningyokoy related to a Fotjarian, for example, may possess a fish-like tail instead of traditional humanoid limbs. Some Ningyokoy, instead, have legs, however, they appear akin to an anthropomorphic Protean instead, although this is generally somewhat uncommon and more often found amongst those with mixed Merfolk heritage. Although the results are contested, some argue that consuming the flesh of Ningyokoy enhances one's lifespan due to Ninyokoy recovering from simple wounds faster than most, however, Ningyokoy do not have a remarkable regeneration and consuming sapient races does not inherently grant you their mana. Ningyokoy generally have access to the same magics as the Protean ancestor they hail from, much like other Merfolk, however, Ningyokoy in particular have a distinctive specialisation in Statuaria— they have the ability to manipulate their magic to behave in certain fashions, imbuing even perfectly ordinary spells with Viva Caelatura to great effect. Producing a wave of water may suddenly fling foes with arcane forces and those with a knack for a magic that would normally be negatively affected by their home environment will find that their magics function quite well despite that— for example, a Ningyokoy related to a Leweje might have a natural knack for Ignis or Vulca that would be put out by water for most users, however, Ningyokoy can produce flames that ignore environmental water, albeit not inherently the magic of another. Ningyokoy are generally quite amicable and sociable— many claim that the Ningyokoy use their latent talent for Imperium Mentis to give them an aura of charisma, rather than utilising it for the same purposes as their Merfolk brethren.

Magindara

Believed to be Protean that shrunk over time and mixed with humanoids as they lost access to resources, Magindara are not considered true Duyukan— they are not believed to have substantial humanoid blood nor are they considered entirely a 'hybrid species.' Rather, they are oftentimes labelled Duyukan due to their similarities and the fact that Magindara are not true Protean. Despite that, Magindara native to Aloernarch and Udoxa are larger and are on par with Kjir in size due to usually possessing Giant blood and/or larger Protean as ancestors. Those native to regions with greater ambient mana are usually referred to as Greater Magindara, whereas those native to regions without ambient Vis Stellae are referred to as Lesser Magindara. Otherwise known as Sirens, this particular variant of Duyukan is incredibly aggressive, oftentimes luring travellers across coastlines and sailors through the usage of Sonus and Imperium Mentis— Sirens have beguiling songs that put people into trances, encouraging them to seek to come closer to the Magindara should they not have the will to escape or a natural resistance to the magic. Magindara are denoted for ability to shapeshift, which they do so with ease. Through the usage of Umbra et Lux, they can produce convincing illusions that further sell their disguise and enables them to pose as something far more harmless. When their prey is lured into a sense of ease, the Magindara transforms into their true form and strikes, usually crushing, strangling, or drowning their prey before consuming them— this true form is generally akin to a smaller form of whatever Protean ancestry they hail from. Oftentimes, however, Magindara take on the shapes of other Duyokoy and many spend time within Duyokoy and Protean communities, as Magindara are entirely passive towards them, as well as a few select races, such as Fae and Primordials. Magindara are peculiar for their offspring generally being Magindara as well, with the trait for being a Magnidara seeming to linger for a few generations— most hatched Magindara, additionally, are female, although Magindara have been demonstrated to be capable of changing sex at will.

Dukarahn Variations

Fotjarikan

Fish

Odvou

Non-sessile mollusks.

Pāplusi

Echinoderms and other sessile marine animals

Ulānkarkos

Arthropods

Sisquir

Serpentine (Eels, sea snakes, lampreys, oarfish, so on and so forth)

Pleokau

Marine reptiles

Hypokailea

Hippocampus

Ilcau

Sky-based— remarkably reptilian or avian, usually considered Draconic.

Seiholā

Marine mammals

Cnedusa

Cnidarian

Leweje

Floating magma cetaceans and fish

Diet

Hierarchy

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Social Attitudes and Etiquette

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Common Faiths

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Common Magical Attributes

Mana
Variant	Innate Magical Potential	Magical Resistances	Magical Weaknesses
All	Chaos Much like their Protean relatives, Merfolk have a natural aptitude for foresight— although it is much weaker and not inherently correct, Merfolk have the capacity to sense incoming disasters such as shipwrecks, storms, and tsunamis and chaotic events in regions close to them. Admittedly, however, in the cases of most Merfolk, their ability to use foresight is rather limited and it is mostly something used by their seers and by older Merfolk. In many cases, this is particularly informative in giving them information on places that they can scavenge for resources, supplies, and perhaps something to eat, as well as an idea of when a disaster might occur for their clan.	Elementum Creo Merfolk have some natural resistances to certain things due to their heritage— beyond their ability to resist higher pressure than most land-based creatures, Merfolk have the innate ability to breathe underwater, making them unable to drown traditionally, although they generally need to take the time to acclimate between different types of water, such as fresh, brackish, salt, or lightwater— lightwater, in particular, is nonideal for non-Udoxan Merfolk to attempt to inhabit. Merfolk are also notably resistant to loud noises, however, sonic screams can generally still affect them as can most sound magic— they simply handle loud noises better due to their own ability to generally control sound.	Nonspecific Merfolk, as a whole, do not have any notable magical weaknesses, however, their lacklustre magical resistances essentially ensure that most magic types can harm them with relative success.

Common Physical Attributes

Strength
Variant	Deadlift / Drag Weight	Carry Weight	Striking Force	Bite Force
Variant (Insert Form)	Insert lbs Insert kg	Insert lbs Insert kg	Insert psi	Insert psi

Agility
Variant	Running Speed	Flight Speed	Swim Speed	Reaction Speed	Striking Speed
Variant (Insert Form)	Insert mph Insert km/h	Insert mph Insert km/h	Insert mph Insert km/h	Insert ms	Insert mph Insert km/h

Typical Appearances

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Credit

(Put your username here, as well as anyone who helped you come up with the concept. E.G. Primarily contributed by: W Original concept by: X Adjustments made by: Y (Minor, Major, Moderate) additions made by: Z You get the picture.)