The Lord of the Seas and Oceans, the God of Water in all its forms, Hydros WaveCaller is the ruler of the underwater realms, his undisputed domain. The youngest of Shaltars children, he became known as the Laughing God, taking childish joy in almost everything he encountered. It was in this joyous way that he created the Mermen, the only aquatic race in Tal'Vorn, creating beings that were as at home in the ocean as himself, or any other creature. He laughed as he worked, and this mirthful nature is found in the Mermen today, who worship Hydros and all that he stands for, celebrating him in song and action.
Physical Description: Mermen are designed to live on both land and water. Gill slits to allow them to breathe under water, and lungs to allow them to survive on land. Strong legs and arms, ending in long, webbed digits to maximise movement through water with little effort, allow them to reach speeds of 10 knots. Their spines are more spaced out than that of other races, giving them great flexibility and manoeuvrability in pursuit of their prey, or fleeing from danger, bodies smooth and free of hair except for the dreadlock-like fins that grow like hair from their heads. Despite the Mermen having lungs, and being able to survive on land, they tend to dehydrate faster than other races, and as such are limited by their access to water. They must also return to water to breed, as the young require the nutrients and minerals present in sea water in order to develop and grow. It is not unusual for a Merman to remain in the ocean their whole life, never setting foot on land. Young and old often play in the rolling breakers near islands or coastlines, the young adolescents daring each other to see who would run the furthest from the water. Out of water, Mermen tend to have low dexterity, making them appear to be clumsy at finer motor skills, though they are quite agile otherwise, their speed rivalling the Red DragonLords, and their acrobatics contending with those of the Lar'K'Leth.
Personality: Mermen are inherently laid back and relaxed, probably a social quirk that stems from their ability to outrun everything else that lives, as well as the fact that the oceans are far safer then the land. They tend to get on well with most people, but their apparent happy-go-lucky nature can sometimes irritate.
Religion: The Mermen actively worship their god, though they are not fanatical as with some other races. They honour Hydros in many songs, referring to the joyous nature and caring way in which he regards the occupants of Tal'Vorn (How true to his nature these songs are is often speculated, as it is well known that whilst Hydros often answers the prayers of mortals, it is often not expressly what they hoped for). In creating their songs, they feel that they are labouring as Hydros laboured with their creation, and in respect, they will not cease to work on a song until they believe it to be perfect. Living within the God of the Sea's domain, their respect for their environment is immense, knowing that to bring harm to the oceans would bring wrath upon them. However, as always with the Mermen, they do not fear retribution, they simply insure that they do things in such a way it would be unlikely for them to cause such harm.
Relations: Mermen tend to get on effortlessly well with most of the other Races, especially Humans, Soulless, Fae and Elves. The hardworking Dwarves tend to find their joking and care-free attitude somewhat irritating, whilst Anvar and DragonLords find themselves utterly bemused by the small, laughing thing running around them and constantly talking.
Territory: The Mermen are Tal'Vorns only sentient aquatic Race in the East. As such, they have great freedom and safety in comparison to most other. Their primary capital is name Haltimeran and is located in warm, shallow and tropical seas midway between Tal'Vorns two largest landmasses. The city was carved out of a living coral bed by the finest artisans the Mermen had. Haltimeran was once open to the sea, but due to a miscalculation by those who had designed it, the currents did not flow through the homes, and water pooled in certain areas, becoming stale and stagnant, having to be removed manually to avoid the sickness that such waters caused. This was later modified into a large dome that keeps the water out and cycles it into air instead.
Language: The Mermen have the most pronounced accent of any of the races of Tal'Vorn, never fast talking and always rhythmic. It has been remarked by more than one land-farer that the Mermen speak and act as though under the influence of particular drugs. This observation comes from the laid back, carefree manner that many Mermen adopt, largely a product of the freedom and protection they receive in their ocean domain.
Names: Mermen naming conventions have been affected by the creatures that they live beside, many of them being given names similar to aquatic life. However, with Mermish nature being as gregarious as it is, they have also been known to adopt names from other cultures as well.
"In da oshen, we be free!"
Anon
© Joshua Binks (Paladin), Christopher Riley (Carnage), Brad Rumsey (Lithium), Alicia Rumsey (Escapist) and Vanessa Vaughan (Andanin) 2002 -