Races/ADU-Merpeople

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ADU Merpeople

Merpeople have human-type torsos and five to six feet long, scaled, fish-like tails instead of legs. They tend to have a certain amount of scales on their torsos and faces as well, but this, as well as their coloring and the morphology and number of their fins varies widely across the race. Since their colonization onto many new planets, each colony has adapted to the particulars of their ocean environment, and developed into their own subspecies. Even on one planet, however, a substantial amount of variation exists.

They do have hair on their heads, but they keep it short or consistently tied/braided back. Though it may look more romantic to have tendrils of hair flowing through the water, it is a lot easier to see and swim without it. Their intake gills are located in the nose on their face, and the outflow gills are located on the sides of their neck. A merperson's lungs do serve to distribute oxygen, but also double in purpose as an air bladder. They have a greater degree of elasticity and can be consciously expanded and contracted to aid in diving and surfacing. Merpeople also have wide fin-shaped ear fans, in order to gather vibrations passing through the water and direct them towards the ear. Like fish they also possess a lateral line of vibration-sensitive cells going down each side of their tail, with which they can also "hear." These are actually more sensitive and can detect sounds and movements that are smaller and/or farther away than the ears on their heads.

Merpeople are, as expected, deeply in tune with their marine environment. They view themselves as guardians of the seas, and spend much of their time lovingly tending to aquatic life. They enjoy working in tune with above water civilizations to ensure that the ocean is respected and that its resources are used with care. Though lacking the technology themselves to colonize new planets, they have happily been spread across the Dracounus by other races, to serve as stewards of the waters of civilized planets. They also greatly increase the productivity of an ocean, as they farm nearly every bit of the ocean floor, from the rich diversity of shallow coastal waters, to the deep ocean plains. Flora and fauna that normally would be unable to grow in such stringent conditions flourishes under their tender care. The Merpeople keep tabs on the natural cycles of aquatic creatures, and if overfishing or illegal hunting of any kind begins to take place, they will find out. The guilty fishermen will suddenly find that their quarry is nowhere to be found whenever their ships take to the sea.

Naturally, Merpeople have a very strong magical/telepathical control over water. They are especially talented when it comes to manipulating currents and wave/vibration forms. They can also adapt their skills for use in the air and even sometimes the earth; a war against them could prove very costly if they chose to send tsunamis onto the land or incite earthquakes in the continental bedrock. In fact the Merpeople have a legend of a very primitive earth-bound race attempting to make war on a Mer-city that lay just off the coast. According to the legend, their retribution was so complete that they wiped out every member of the race. Whether or not this actually happened is still uncertain - it would not be beyond the Merpeople's power to cover up any archaeological evidence with more earthquakes, or even gather their powers together to generate a volcanic eruption. However, they have yet to make any significant display of violence towards other peoples in a several thousand year recorded history, and have always made it clear that cooperation and peace is their preferred way of life.

Merpeople are also particularly adept at long distance telepathic communication. Their home planet was one of extraordinary size, with at least 75% of it covered in water, and any Merperson can easily mindspeak with another even if they are separated by half the planet; and it turned out that this was only a tiny sample of what they are capable of. Though most Merpeople do not enjoy long shifts in space, those that are willing are almost always employed in ensuring instant communication between far distant space going ships. The current record for maximum mindspeaking range stands at around 103 light years, and it is held by a Merperson.


Links

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  • Races of the Alvarunus (will contain brief descriptions and necessary information; done with the permission of K. Anderson)
  • Ihreakin (will contain brief descriptions and necessary information; done with the permissin of K. Anderson)


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