Merfolk
Names
Merfolk, Merfish, Merman, Mermaid
Location
Underwater
Variants
Any type of fish
Population
Largest
The merfolk take pride in being the most diverse and largest population in the world. Each merfish is incomparable with the other, with millions of subspecies, traits, and colors unapologetically splashing the palette of this species' makeup. It would be impossible to detail the scope of each and every subspecies, as every merfish has a little something that makes them unique.
Details
Origins
Merfish came to existence in conjunction with the land dwellings, though they were fated with being followers of the sea emperors. Each merfish took claim to their own bodies of water, birthing large varieties of sub species over the dynasties.
History
Merfish have always been the followers of sea dragons, relying on their protection to live peacefully in the oceans. Some created their own cultures and languages, adding to the diversity of the ocean.
Culture
All cultures of Asia are represented in the merfish.
Design
Universal design is as follows:
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Gills on neck or blowhole on forehead
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Water is main habitat
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No breasts
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Noses are slits (but stylistically omitted)
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Typical merfish have fins on side of face, back, parts of tail, and end of tail
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Fish are cold-blooded
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Mammals are warm-blooded
Terms
Suffixes:
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-folk = plural
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-fish = plural, genderless
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-man = male
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-maid = female
Examples: Mermaid, Octomaid, Shellmaid
Habitat
Underwater in any aquatic terrain
Behaviorisms
Varies
Diet
Depends on species, but mostly omnivores
Reproduction
Depends on species, but mostly through 1-3 eggs.
Any merfish can mate with another no matter the subspecies (example, a sea turtle can have children with a lion fish).
The child will always have a mix of both parents' traits, even if from different subspecies.
Communication
Any Asian language.
Hostility
Due to prejudices of certain predators and venomous species, there are cautions to certain species. Reasons being:
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Sharks = predators + violent
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Octopus = Emperor Takara's order
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Sea Snakes = being both land and sea + too similar to sea dragons
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Freshwater fish = being both land and sea
Merfish are also not that kind to any land creatures due to differences in the environment. They are protective of the sea and its resources.
Threats
The biggest threats to merfish as a whole are:
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Dwellings
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Winged Dragons
Possible Traits
Common
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Any fish design
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Vertical fish tail
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Fins on face
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With hair
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Average size
Uncommon
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Horizontal tail
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Multiple limbs
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Specific subspecies design (for example, crabs or swordfish)
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Air breathers
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Born no hair
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Shell or exoskeleton
Rare
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Highly venomous species
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Very large size
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Can survive on land and sea
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Can survive on salt and fresh water
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Deep sea species
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Hybrids (for example, mermaid/sea dragon)
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Sirens
Magic
Abilities
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Merfish do not have innate magical abilities. Magic must be learned.
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Will have easier affinity to water-based spells
Weaknesses
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No known species specific weaknesses
Limits
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Merfish have limited supply of magic
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Can only do significantly strong spells once every few days
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Smaller spells are not as taxing
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Recovery time is a few days or weeks
Species Specific
In and Out of Water
Merfolk who fully escape the water and enter land will naturally turn into a Dwelling form, with natural colored patterns similar to their original (example, striped tail can have tiger stripes).
When in contact with large quantities of water, they will revert back to Merfish form and need water to breathe. Reverting back to Dwelling form requires a long adjustment period.
Sirens
Deep undersea merfish are called Sirens. They have black eyes, razor sharp teeth, and dark green-blue skin resembling deep sea fish. Some can glow in darkness.
Sirens can shapeshift into beautiful mermaids and lure Dwellings into the water with their songs. There, they will devour Dwellings. Sirens seem to be an evolutionary branch-off from Merfolk, as a Merfish cannot become a Siren.
Demons
Cursed or dead merfish who escape Underworldly punishments. They often have powers in par with Sea Dragons, controlling dark magic. These Merfish may look ghostly or hellish-like. Specific designs will depend on the culture they hail from.
