Difference between revisions of "Mermaids"

Revision as of 18:12, 28 March 2008

A mermaid having a quick midnight snack...

Mermaids are half women, half fish. They can be found in the rivers, lakes and seas all across Felarya. They breath freely in or out of the water and can even move and land, albeit very clumsily. They are often extraordinarily beautiful with alluring voices. The average Felaryan mermaid tends to be around 100 feet in length, with the sea species being even longer.

Felaryan mermaids are naughty, voracious, and represent the main danger for swimmers and adventurers sailing the rivers or seas of Felarya. They use their sweet voices and some illusion spells to charm and attract their prey. If they are in a hurry, they can use their powerful tail to sink a ship and then devour the crew falling in water. Some Felaryan mermaids also possess a very long and sticky tongue they can extend to catch a prey, much like a frog.

Mermaids and merfolks in general can live both in salty or fresh water. They are extroverted beings, but speak surprisingly little of their life underwater. They are said to have a few large underwater cities in Topazial sea and they regulary go there to mate or simply spend time with their kind.

mermaid sunset

A cute mermaid resting on a rock on sunset. Picture by wnxgreek from his Deviantart gallery

Known Mermaids

Anko

Sophie

Royal Mermaids

under construction

Sea mermaid. Powerful water spell caster. also called "tideweaver"

Appearance : whale half

Leviathan Mermaids

The legendary leviathan mermaid is very rarely seen, and some say there is no more than one dozen of them in all the sea of Felarya. Like their name imply, they are absolutely gigantic ! It's difficult to get an accurate idea of their real size through all the tales that have been weaved on them, but one can assume safely that their total lenght easily go past the 500 feet.

Despite their intimidating size, leviathan mermaids are some of the most potentially benevolent giant creatures in Felarya. They feed mostly on fishes and very rarely on humans. Moreover, they are deeply aware of their surrounding, thanks to their keen senses, and won't sink a ship unawarely. They are usually surrounded by a school of much smaller mermaids swimming in their wake. Leviathan mermaids have acquired an excellent reputation and are viewed by sailors as kind guardians and guides who will often offer their help to a lost ship and transport it to the nearest island. Sometimes they will swallow small enough crafts, and store them in a second special stomach, a scary but perfectly safe way to travel.

They possess a very developped sense of navigation, stemming from an intimate knowledge of underwater terrain and ocean currents. Thanks to powerful muscles in their tail, and despite their massive bulk, they are able to move at a good speed. A typical leviathan mermaid can cover around 200 miles in one day's travel, better than most sailing ships, and not terribly slower than more modern vessels.

Though they are usually very kind, leviathan mermaids should not be mistaken as mindlessly benevolent giants. They are clever and fiercely protective of their schools, which they rarely leave unattended. Needless to say angering a leviathan mermaid is generally not very healthy ( ^^; ). Anyone foolish and suicidal enough to try, will most likely find themselves, their ship and their crew digesting within this giant mermaid's real stomach, to join her fat reserves for months to come.

River Mermaids

A smaller species of mermaids. Their average length is between 70 and 90 feet. River mermaids have a more elastic tail and prefer the shallower fresh waters of river tributaries.

They're fast and very agile and often catch prey stuck in the mangroves and other river vegetation. They can easily jump out of the water and can even climb trees for a short distance. They are also a lot less clumsy on land than other merfolk and can use their powerful tail to bounce along the ground in rapid succession.

River Mermaids are found in most places, anywhere from frigged mountain streams to jungle rivers, to swampy estuaries at the mouth of a river. Their color varies greatly depending on their location.

Crystal Mermaids

This unusual species of mermaid is mainly found in underwater caverns, though they have sometimes been spotted swimming in the Jewel river. Their name comes from the fragments of pure crystal and gems that seem to be embedded in various part of their body, both fish and human halfs. The amount of this natural decoration varies greatly from one mermaid to another. Some are almost void of it, while some are literally covered by crystal.

Crystal mermaids are mainly known and feared for their voice. It's sweet, though not entrancing like other mermaids, but they possess very powerful lungs that can blast a very high frequency sonic shock wave when they "sing".

This terrible attack can shatter glass for a mile in all directions, destroy the body of a ship, and even make your ears bleed if you are too close. Prey are usually utterly stunned and disoriented after hearing it, and the mermaid has just to stretch an arm out to pick them up. In a serious fight, the mermaid will focus her song on a single point, usually the heart or the brain of their enemy, turning their voice into a lethal and fearsome weapon.

Estuarine Mermaids

Estuarine mermaids usually prefer to stay close to the continental shelf and in warmer waters. They are often found in lagoons and in estuaries-hence their common name. However, estuarine mermaids will venture quite happily miles up rivers in search of prey and out of curiosity. They can also be found occasionally in deep water but usually only travel there in large numbers or in the company of a Leviathan, a variety they have a close friendship with.

Estuarine mermaids are among the smallest of the mermaid varieties on Felarya. On average they only grow to around twenty three to thirty feet for a VERY large specimen. They are a very long-lived people and take some time to reach this size. Most estuarine mermaids encountered are less than twenty feet long.

They have a sleek shape, well suited to fast swimming and they can move extremely quickly through water. They varies in coloration from region to region but are usually blue/silver with black spots like a Spotted Dolphin. When threatened however, they colors immediatly change to bright red or orange to warn potential predators of their highly toxic nature. For most creatures, eating an estuarine is fatal. Only a select few are immune to their poisonous flesh or are too large to be seriously affected.

Estuarines mermaids are great travellers and are a well known source of news for the inhabitants of the undersea realms, keeping on good terms with most intelligent races. They are fairly friendly with humans as well. Most of this is due to their great fondness of “bow-riding” in front of human ships-the faster the better! Some sailors have even managed to work with them to hunt fish and squid.

It should be mentioned that large estuarines have been known on occasion to eat people whole. While rare-it DOES happen!

Known Estuarine Mermaids

Aleski

• Credits goes to Wowandwas for the design and idea of River mermaids, to Jessicaelwood for the design idea of Royal mermaids, to Zoekin for the Estuarine, and to MukatKiKaarn for the design and idea of Leviathans.