Merfolk (SofS)

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Mermaids, mermen, man-fish.
The most populous sentient race of the Inner Sea outside of dolphins, merfolk have dominated Serôs in appearance if not in truth since the beginning of recorded time. The merfolk of Serôs have learned hard lessons over the millennia, both as conquerors and as conquered. In the aftermath of the Twelfth Serôs War, the merfolk face uncertain times with new alliances forming in Myth Nantar that remind them of ages past, under elven rule. Still, despite any current turmoil, the merfolk believe that their god Eadro spurs them toward a great destiny.
==Physical Characteristics==
Merfolk possess human torsos atop a fish's rear torso and tail. Aside from some slight webbing between their fingers and gill slits along the neck, merfolk viewed with their tails hidden appear human.
Skin: Any Faerûnian human skin tones, though most tend toward pale pink or tan skin. Scales and fins range from a deep kelly green to a brilliant silver, though some Serôsian merfolk have exhibited brighter colors or even striped or speckled scales. In general, a few merfolk of the southern seas (the Alamber and the Vilhon Reach) off Turmish and Aglarond have darker skin and tails tending toward copper or golden scales.
Hair: Like skin tone, a mermaid's hair can vary as much as human hair, though common colors tend to be light brown and blond to better blend in with kelp forests and the like. The rarest hair colors are blue or silver hair, and merchildren born with hair like this are marked as having great destinies and are watched and raised by the entire clan.
Eyes: As with the hair and skin, the color of merfolk eyes is as varied as any human. The only minor difference is the ice blue or pale silver tone of their pupils.
Size: Mermen grow to eight feet in length on average. while mermaids are only slightly smaller. There are no overweight merfolk, and their musculature swims beneath their skin and scales like that of a dolphin. While males tend to broaden in the shoulders, all merfolk are stronger than their physiques often show, and lithe mermen can easily overpower surface-world immigrants nearly twice their size.
==Psychology==
Once, the merfolk of Serôs were as paranoid and isolated as those of the Great Outer Sea still are. When their great empire of Hmurrath fell, the merpeople were led out of the chaos by the oracle, Selana, and her teachings led to many of the beliefs and mindsets of the merfolk today.
Merfolk now ally with other races, though they are still bitter enemies of morkoth, sahuagin, and ixitxachitl.
They accept immigrants or lost souls from the surface- world and do what they can to protect them from the rigors of the deep, as Selana taught them to do.
While they are neither superstitious nor naïve about Faerûnians that drop into Serôs, they treat them with politeness in respect for the magic and knowledge they brought the merfolk in Selana's time. However, once crossed or betrayed, merfolk prove to have a ruthless sense of vengeance; "for if the overworlder refuses to follow Selana's customs and stabs at us as a sahuaein does, we shall remove Selana's blessings from him and leave him to the mercy of Eadro's sea."
The merpeople still carry one major prejudice from the days of Old Hmurrath. Of all the major races of Serôs, merfolk are the only ones with full fish tails.
While it is often unspoken, they pity those lacking one or feel superior to other races because of it.
==Social Characteristics==
Formerly a patriarchal warrior culture, the destruction of the great subsea empire of Hmurrath shattered the old ways and signaled a change. While the clan structures remain for each settlement, the old patriarchies are generations gone and a more egalitarian society has emerged, allowing mermaids to rule clans and settlements.
Merfolk culture retains much of the structure of its old empires (built after the elven model of Aryselmalyr), so the merfolk all claim fealty to the king at Voalidru, with dukes and barons aiding the king. While quite structured in terms of social and political expectations, most colonies and clans have a great amount of autonomy.
The dukes and barons are not the clan elders or speakers, but often the eldest child of the clan ruler.
While the King and his bloodline gained ascendancy over the clans by Selana's prophecies, he does not rule out of any ephemeral "divine right," as do the kings of Cormyr. The clans hold the true power and allow the king's rule only at their sufferance, the royal family acting as the chief clan of the merfolk.
Mermaids and mermen share the responsibilities for hunting, fish herding, the defense of the realms, care of the home, and every task commonplace above or beneath the waves. While mermen still dominate their military forces and the governments, mermaids populate and command the clergies and the wizard schools.
While there are exceptions, these new roles have become commonplace in merfolk society today.
==Notes==
Serôs has been home to these tribes of merfolk for over 10,000 years. Since the fall of Hmurrath, they have been adapting and changing their society to better their lives and their new roles in the undersea. The fall of Hmurrath, while disastrous in its loss of life, restored the merfolk 's sense of clan loyalties as opposed to the political loyalties imprinted on their culture by the elven Aryselmalyr Empire. Their revival of their original social structures (kept down in many ways during the rule of the elves) brought out the merfolk's pride and they are now as strong as they have ever been, although they do not rule Serôs as they once did. The only remnant the current merpeople kept from Aryselmalyr's rule is more organized and complex architecture and better weapon technology than their Outer Sea counterparts.
The merfolk of Serôs also have a major cosmetic difference from their kin of the Trackless Sea: their culture embraces tattooing as an art form. Every merchild gets a personal tattoo upon reaching adulthood, and the mark is as individual as a wizard's mark. Others get additional tattoos to mark someone's social status or military rank, to celebrate occasions such as a child's birth, a wedding, or the conquering of an enemy, and to mourn by taking on the mark of one deceased. Some warriors tattoo scales across their entire bodies to frighten their foes! Some Oghmans and other scholars suggest this social tattooing is a holdover from ancient times under the elves. The military of Aryselmalyr tattooed its officers, many of whom were merfolk, and this may have remained as a social remnant.
==AD&D Game Characteristics==
Changes have been made to the merfolk from the AD&D game MONSTROUS MANUAL standards to accommodate them as a major race for undersea adventurers.
The standard merperson was relatively primitive and power was limited to the males, but the merfolk of Serôs are a far different breed.
Classes Allowed (Level Limits): Fighter (12), Ranger (10), Cleric (12), Priest (10), Bard (U).
Multiclass Options Allowed: Cleric/Fighter, Cleric/Ranger Ability Adjustments: +1 Dexterity, -1 Constitution. Maximum Dexterity 19.
Preferred Armor and Weapons: No armor is worn beyond magical protection devices. Primary merfolk weapons are the trident and dagger.
Category:Sea of Fallen Stars