Half Mer

The Landborn

History

The History of the Half Mer are directly tied to that of Syrien and those of the land. A direct mutation of landwalkers and Syrien breeding, these people are said to be some of the most advanced sea-fairing race that remains above land. Instances of their births have become more common over the ages, and most Half Mer hold their own history and culture, dissimilar to the Half Elves who are more commonly found on the fringes of society. Half Mer are found most commonly in Mediterranean or coastal areas where water temperatures remain rather warm. In all eras since their birth, they have been renowned as amazing shipbuilders, and have become infamous for piracy. These coastal towns tend to be rather wealthy from the plundering of others, thus making them quite commonly found in the foreign continent of Belinard.

Half Mer do tend to stay away from other humanoids, but not to the point of recluse. Most stay within their own settlements, trading with the nearby Humans, Elves, and even Syrien or other races. Half Mer are known to be rather greedy at times, and are commonly referred to as swindlers. With other races, these scummy tactics have made them known for cheating others out of resources should they not be smart. Their knowledge of sea-based wares are unrivaled however, which makes them trading partners of necessity rather than pleasure.

Physical Description

Half Mer vary widely in their appearance and stature, being their own enclosed society compared to others. Their skin ranges from pale to rather tan, most working within constant sunlight of Mediterranean or tropical shores. Their eyes are said to come from the Syrien blood, leaving them most commonly colors of the sea. Another unique facet of the Half Mer, is that the non-Syrien and Syrien's appearances are almost entirely disregarded, instead making an almost always different looking child. In this way it matters little whom the parents are, as the child will also take upon its own appearance. The ears of a Half Mer tend to be lightly pointed no matter the parentage.

The clothes which Half Mer vary widely, though most are sea-bound fabrics, remaining lighter, and more able to be utilized in swimming in water should one be required to do so. Appearance-wise, they do seem more more humanoid in their garb than some other races, most commonly trying to resemble other sea-based cultures. This is by no fault of their own, and more so from them acquiring clothing through trade and plunder.

• Common Height:
  • Male: 5'1" - 5'9"
  • Female: 4'11" - 5'6"
• Common Build: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, Endomorph
• Common Eyes: Aquamarine, Sea Green, Blue
• Common Hair: White, Blue, Platinum Blonde
• Common Skin Tone: Pale, Tanned

Culture

Half Mer settlements exist spread across the lands of Aversia, though can mainly be found within the islands of Belinard, as well as Mediterranean climates. Their settlements are built close to shores and feature expansive docks with many boats used for trade, fishing and plundering. From a young age, Half Mer are taught their association to the sea, and are some of the best swimmers of the landwalkers. Their settlements tend not to be too expansive in buildings, some men even opting to sleep on their ships. They are also not known for gathering much of their own metals or resources, much more preferring to live off the trade of others. This is to not say they do not harvest the ocean's bounties, only that they do not mine and farm as much as other races.

Common religions within the Half Mer are the deities Venti and Bahari. Some of the sailors pray to Venti for good winds, and for Bahari to give them a lack of harsh waters. While these two faiths can heavily contradict each other, they are both common within the Half Mer, even tending to divide their culture some. Those who wish to remain closer to their underwater heritage offer their praise the the Lady of the Ocean, while those who revel in their landwalking heritage offer their own to Venti. Once a year in the winter, a festival is held of competition between these two religious sects, where they seek to best one another in the tasks of sailing, swimming, running. Overall it is an athletic sport, and Half Mer factions coalesce into larger areas to watch the sports and fanfare take place.

The Half Mer's diet as aforementioned is mainly derived from fish and greens. It would be quite rare for one to care for livestock or other land-based food products. Half Mer are known to have small gardens which provide their greens, often made up of vegetables which grow in more neutral climates. Fish is rather healthy for their people, and provides them with enough nutrients to remain strong and healthy.

Mechanics

• Lifespan: 225 years old on average.
• Half Mer are able to store more oxygen within their lungs from each breath, therefore allowing them to be able to hold their breath for longer periods of time. [i.E where a human can hold their breath for 2 minutes, a Half-Mer can hold it for 10.]
• Half Mer are immune to the effects of 'Decompression Sickness', able to emerge from deeper in the water with less side effects, and able to reach much deeper.
• Half Mer have slightly webbed feet and hands, which allow them to swim faster than humans, though are still nowhere near comparable to Syrien in speed or efficiency.

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