Merfolk

Merfolk are a mysterious and enigmatic species, found within all the waters of Gaia. Owing to this wide range of distribution, Merfolk differ widely in coloration, sharing the distinctive characteristics of fish of their region.

Although usually seen at night out on the jetties or even sometimes on the soft sand of the beaches, they have been spotted in daylight, resting on rocky outcroppings. They have also been found trapped in tidal pools when the sea changes.

Merfolk are at their most helpless out of water. Even though their dual-function lungs can breath air, their silvery scales dry out with overexposure to the sun.

They are not to be confused with Makinara, a similar species that appears to be the exact opposite of a Merfolk - a fish with the legs of a man.

Physical Description
While the many different types of merfolk look clearly different from each other, there are some similarities that all possess. Firstly, the lower half (and sometimes more) of the creature resembles that of a fish. The utter half constantly often (but not always) resembles that of a human. There are tales from all over Gaia of sailors jumping overboard to save a drowning woman, only for them to discover that they were in no danger at all. Depending on the type of merfolk the sailor was attempting to rescue, this sometimes put the sailor in grave peril, a fact that some merfolk take advantage of to prey on land-dwellers.

Types of Merfolk

 * Costillian Merfolk
 * Nordic Merfolk
 * Ephonic Merfolk
 * Heimbach Bay Merfolk
 * Jiáotóng Lakedweller
 * Svartmyr Lakedweller

Culture
As stunningly gorgeous as they are dangerous, merfolk live in loosely structured kingdoms deep in the sea, but occasionally their natural curiosity causes them to near the shore.

Most Merfolk live in small family groupings of three to seven individuals, often swimming like a shoal of fish. The father of the family, sometimes referred to as a "Seaking" will function as the leader, and upon his death, the family will splinter - each of the children finding mates of their own. If a widow is left behind, she will seldom take another mate.

As with any culture, merfolk leave behind a significant amount of artifacts that can be found around their habitats. Small piles of discarded shellfish may well be evidence of a merperson coming ashore to dine. Sea people are unused to cooking, so there will be no sign of a fire and there may be some sharp object nearby that was used to pry the food open.

You may come upon sheets of seaweed drying along the shoreline. Merfolk weave a crude kind of fabric from it, called seaweed cloth, that is used for garments, rope, and even baskets.

Merfolk tools are made from bone, discarded land glass or metal, or the sharp teeth of sharks. These tools are often bound at one end with eel skin.

You may find shells or pieces of coral with small holes in them. These are from necklaces merpeople wear around their necks and sometimes loop along their tails.

Language
The Merfolk language is, as one would assume, a mostly silent language. Most communication is done through an elaborate sign language. This does have the added bonus of being easily learnt by surface dwellers. Occasionally, surprise, or other, similar emotions are emoted through sudden jets of water from the gills and/or mouth.

Relations with other races
Merfolk seldom come into contact with surface-dwellers, although the few experiences that they have had with them has not been especially fruitful. Often getting tangled in fishing nets, a misunderstanding is growing amongst all types of Merfolk that surface dwellers consider them a delicacy. Young fry are often taught about the dangers of the surface world.