Post by coffee on Oct 10, 2016 8:47:22 GMT -6
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[attr="class","sitetep"]Sirens
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Sirens are a bit of a tricky subject for most magicians, mostly because until just recently no one's been able to communicate with one and return alive. Stories in Greek Mythology typically labeled them as "dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island." Roman poets placed them on some small islands called Sirenum scopuli, though in reality Sirens were found nearly all over the world on many remote islands, and even on some more known islands where they blended in with the locals, though they favored locations bordered by towering cliffs and rocks.
Sirens were known as daughters of the river god Achelous, with Terpsichore, Melpomene, Sterope, or Chthon (the Earth). Although they lured mariners, the Greeks portrayed the Sirens in their "meadow starred with flowers" and not as sea deities. This is the first instance where someone nearly got it right, the Sirens weren't just confined to the sea, but with their adaptable bodies they were also known to roam the lands, high in the sky and away from prying eyes.
Sirens were known to combine birds and women in various ways, with a varying amount of differences between them. All versions appear to be correct from what magicians can tell, as there's never one "true form" for the beautiful but deadly race. In early Greek art, Sirens were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments, especially harps. The 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda says that from their chests up Sirens had the form of sparrows, below they were women, or, alternatively, that they were little birds with women's faces.
In reality all of these forms are correct representations of Sirens, but what they didn't know was that Sirens also have human forms. Sirens later on in most art were depicted only as beautiful women, whose bodies, not only their voices, were very seductive.
As of late Sirens have been known to control their gifts, and walk on land to integrate themselves with society. Many have settled down and abandoned their solitary lifestyle and have even birthed half-breed children.
Merfolk:
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There are many different species of mermaids living within the oceans, though most mermaids can not be found by any normal means. All mermaids are masters of hiding and disguising themselves to their own advantage beneath the waves, and for good reason. Though they used to be more prominent in the world and legends they slunk beneath the waves and vanished for hundreds of years after pirates nearly hunted them to death or forced them into marriage. Mermaid scales were used in medicines to help aid in diseases, their tears were harvested to cure plague and used as devices to navigate through treacherous territory, as a mermaid’s tears were sacred and notoriously hard to obtain. A mermaid will never cry out of sorrow, and will only shed tears of joy.
Mermaids are recognized for their long elegant tails, being half human half fish. Mermaids are categorized by different species holding different habits, and the coloring of their tails as well as scales. Though mermaids by type typically travel together in pods, it is not uncommon for several mermaids of different species to settle down in a mutually desired area and make a home. They are rather domestic creatures, disliking their homes to be disrupted or having to move under threat of discovery. They accumulate partners, lovers, companions and pets and display a larger range and understanding of emotion than humans do.
Being unable to speak underwater they are left to communicate with tones that fluctuate and clearly display emotions, much like a whale call. This makes it nearly impossible for merfolk to lie to others as they also share a telepathic link, which they are taught to veil their thoughts at a young age. Though they retain the ability to quickly and efficiently learn any language they hear, most choose simply not to. However as an initial defense mechanism they retain the ability to produce a sound that is nearly incomprehensible to human ears, called a “siren’s cry” that based on the strength of the merfolk who uses it can seduce, or even kill someone.
Mermaids live in a female dominated society, considering for every 500 females there is 1 male born. Though they do not treat their male counterparts all that differently, they are rather possessive and protective of the males, who are typically sickly and frail. Human gender roles do not exist in their society anyway, considering some merfolk can be born intersexed, and at a much faster rate than males are born. It is for this reason that if a merfolk does not feel as though they fall into a traditional gender role, it is widely accepted that they are not forced to. They are treated no different and are simply called out to in a different tone.
Mermaids are a peaceful race who attack only when provoked, and whose mating rituals historically have been mistaken for drownings. Some mating rituals have evolved to actually walking on land in order to obtain the necessary component, though there are some mermaids (deep sea mermaids) that can not form legs on land and would shrivel in the sun. Many mermaids don’t sweat properly and in order to not dry out their skin will constantly produce as much fluid as possible to keep their skin wet. Though this dehydrates them very quickly over time they can learn to control it properly.
Mermaids can breath in water, their lungs being able to take in liquid and absorb the oxygen, pushing out the rest through gill like appendages on their necks. Newborn merchildren need to breath in oxygen from above water after they are born, and tend to hover near the surface as their gills develop fully over the course of the first 3 months of their lives. Due to their connection with sea level they also can not ascend into the air, or the lack of plentiful oxygen levels will cause them to become seriously ill. Many Air Pirates have tried and failed to take mermaid wives, lamenting the slow deaths of the merpeople as they suffocated.
Mermaids are far more dense than the typical humanoid, and their density increases the further from the surface they live. While a shore dwelling mermaid will weigh twice what a typical human does, their density can be so great that they crack the surface of what they walk on when they have legs.
Selkies:
Portrayed as seals who swim around the water with a removable seal skin to transform into humans, selkies are typically seen in Irish, Scottish, and Faroese folklore, with traditions from Iceland. Very similar to the myth of swan maidens, male selkies are described as being very handsome in their human form, and having great seductive powers over human women. They typically seek those who are dissatisfied with their lives, such as married women waiting for their fishermen husbands. If a woman wishes to make contact with a selkie male, she must shed seven tears into the sea. If a man steals a female selkie's skin she is in his power and is forced to become his wife. Female selkies are said to make excellent wives, but because their true home is the sea, they will often be seen gazing longingly at the ocean. If she finds her skin she will immediately return to her true home, and sometimes to her selkie husband, in the sea. Stories told about selkies are more often than not romantic tragedies, though in modern times selkies are known to willingly marry humans and remain on land though close to bodies of water, and can even gift their skins to a lover as a sign of trust.
Sirens are a bit of a tricky subject for most magicians, mostly because until just recently no one's been able to communicate with one and return alive. Stories in Greek Mythology typically labeled them as "dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island." Roman poets placed them on some small islands called Sirenum scopuli, though in reality Sirens were found nearly all over the world on many remote islands, and even on some more known islands where they blended in with the locals, though they favored locations bordered by towering cliffs and rocks.
Sirens were known as daughters of the river god Achelous, with Terpsichore, Melpomene, Sterope, or Chthon (the Earth). Although they lured mariners, the Greeks portrayed the Sirens in their "meadow starred with flowers" and not as sea deities. This is the first instance where someone nearly got it right, the Sirens weren't just confined to the sea, but with their adaptable bodies they were also known to roam the lands, high in the sky and away from prying eyes.
Sirens were known to combine birds and women in various ways, with a varying amount of differences between them. All versions appear to be correct from what magicians can tell, as there's never one "true form" for the beautiful but deadly race. In early Greek art, Sirens were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments, especially harps. The 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia Suda says that from their chests up Sirens had the form of sparrows, below they were women, or, alternatively, that they were little birds with women's faces.
In reality all of these forms are correct representations of Sirens, but what they didn't know was that Sirens also have human forms. Sirens later on in most art were depicted only as beautiful women, whose bodies, not only their voices, were very seductive.
As of late Sirens have been known to control their gifts, and walk on land to integrate themselves with society. Many have settled down and abandoned their solitary lifestyle and have even birthed half-breed children.
[attr="class","tempadd"]attributes
- Irresistible voices (to a fault)
- Sharp claws
- Wings
- Sharp eyes
- A magical affinity for water
- An affinity for battle magicks
- Sharp teeth
- Shape shifting between forms
- Flawless skin
- Bright eyes
[attr="class","tempadd"]powers
- Sirens Song: The ability to use their voices as a veritable net. Their voices are irresistible to those who hear it when using a specific set of vocal cords and when used to a high enough pitch can cause bleeding from the orifices and even hemorrhaging.
- Transformation: Any basic mermaid can transform between forms. Every mermaid has a human and a finned form, and can with each transform between the two.
[attr="class","tempadd"]weaknesses
- Bronze: This metal is especially toxic to Sirens and merfolk, and any tool made with this metal is a surefire way to kill and torture a Siren. The metal is known to burn their flesh and poison their blood, slowly eating away at their cells.
- Beeswax: Beeswax in your ears is the only real way to completely block out a Siren's voice. While normal wax won't really work as a substitute, 100% beeswax is a complete and trusty method to making sure their voices can't get to you, and has been used by sailors for centuries.
- Heights: The farther they are from the ground the worse it is for them. The thinner the oxygen levels get the harsher it is on their lungs, until their bodies can't take how thin the air is. Get them too far above sea level and they easily collapse.
- Mermaids curse: As weird as it sounds, all mermaids have their feet to blame for most of their problems. When walking on land, as told in older stories, it feels as though they are walking on knives at all times. Most who are used to walking on land are used to the sensation and much like digestion in humans, their bodies are used to ignoring the pain.
[attr="class","tempadd"]subspecies
Merfolk:
SUGGESTED SITE TO DETERMINE SPECIES
There are many different species of mermaids living within the oceans, though most mermaids can not be found by any normal means. All mermaids are masters of hiding and disguising themselves to their own advantage beneath the waves, and for good reason. Though they used to be more prominent in the world and legends they slunk beneath the waves and vanished for hundreds of years after pirates nearly hunted them to death or forced them into marriage. Mermaid scales were used in medicines to help aid in diseases, their tears were harvested to cure plague and used as devices to navigate through treacherous territory, as a mermaid’s tears were sacred and notoriously hard to obtain. A mermaid will never cry out of sorrow, and will only shed tears of joy.
Mermaids are recognized for their long elegant tails, being half human half fish. Mermaids are categorized by different species holding different habits, and the coloring of their tails as well as scales. Though mermaids by type typically travel together in pods, it is not uncommon for several mermaids of different species to settle down in a mutually desired area and make a home. They are rather domestic creatures, disliking their homes to be disrupted or having to move under threat of discovery. They accumulate partners, lovers, companions and pets and display a larger range and understanding of emotion than humans do.
Being unable to speak underwater they are left to communicate with tones that fluctuate and clearly display emotions, much like a whale call. This makes it nearly impossible for merfolk to lie to others as they also share a telepathic link, which they are taught to veil their thoughts at a young age. Though they retain the ability to quickly and efficiently learn any language they hear, most choose simply not to. However as an initial defense mechanism they retain the ability to produce a sound that is nearly incomprehensible to human ears, called a “siren’s cry” that based on the strength of the merfolk who uses it can seduce, or even kill someone.
Mermaids live in a female dominated society, considering for every 500 females there is 1 male born. Though they do not treat their male counterparts all that differently, they are rather possessive and protective of the males, who are typically sickly and frail. Human gender roles do not exist in their society anyway, considering some merfolk can be born intersexed, and at a much faster rate than males are born. It is for this reason that if a merfolk does not feel as though they fall into a traditional gender role, it is widely accepted that they are not forced to. They are treated no different and are simply called out to in a different tone.
Mermaids are a peaceful race who attack only when provoked, and whose mating rituals historically have been mistaken for drownings. Some mating rituals have evolved to actually walking on land in order to obtain the necessary component, though there are some mermaids (deep sea mermaids) that can not form legs on land and would shrivel in the sun. Many mermaids don’t sweat properly and in order to not dry out their skin will constantly produce as much fluid as possible to keep their skin wet. Though this dehydrates them very quickly over time they can learn to control it properly.
Mermaids can breath in water, their lungs being able to take in liquid and absorb the oxygen, pushing out the rest through gill like appendages on their necks. Newborn merchildren need to breath in oxygen from above water after they are born, and tend to hover near the surface as their gills develop fully over the course of the first 3 months of their lives. Due to their connection with sea level they also can not ascend into the air, or the lack of plentiful oxygen levels will cause them to become seriously ill. Many Air Pirates have tried and failed to take mermaid wives, lamenting the slow deaths of the merpeople as they suffocated.
Mermaids are far more dense than the typical humanoid, and their density increases the further from the surface they live. While a shore dwelling mermaid will weigh twice what a typical human does, their density can be so great that they crack the surface of what they walk on when they have legs.
Selkies:
Portrayed as seals who swim around the water with a removable seal skin to transform into humans, selkies are typically seen in Irish, Scottish, and Faroese folklore, with traditions from Iceland. Very similar to the myth of swan maidens, male selkies are described as being very handsome in their human form, and having great seductive powers over human women. They typically seek those who are dissatisfied with their lives, such as married women waiting for their fishermen husbands. If a woman wishes to make contact with a selkie male, she must shed seven tears into the sea. If a man steals a female selkie's skin she is in his power and is forced to become his wife. Female selkies are said to make excellent wives, but because their true home is the sea, they will often be seen gazing longingly at the ocean. If she finds her skin she will immediately return to her true home, and sometimes to her selkie husband, in the sea. Stories told about selkies are more often than not romantic tragedies, though in modern times selkies are known to willingly marry humans and remain on land though close to bodies of water, and can even gift their skins to a lover as a sign of trust.
[attr="class","tempadd"]created by staff