Sirenia, Sirenian for singular, are the generalized name for the three aquatic races that live in the waters in and around Valmasia. Each have different magical abilities and disadvantages. A Sirenian must specialize in magics they have bonuses in and cannot learn magics they are weak against. Full mastery of sound magic is not needed, but all Sirenia are beautiful singers. As a quick cheat sheet, these are the following stat bonus and debuffs that each Sirenia race gets:
- Mermaid: -15 Fire Defense, -15 Lightning Defense, +10 Water Defense, +5 Sound Damage
- Anguill: -15 Fire Defense, -15 Earth Defense, +10 Lightning Defense, +5 Sound Damage
- Selkie: -15 Fire Defense, -15 Holy Defense, +10 Dark Defense, +5 Sound Damage
(Admin Cheat Sheet: The item is called a Sirenian headdress. Desc: A headdress made of tattered cloth and green coral, all Sirenia wear one in order to honor their Mother Deity).
For the Sirenia, they are often raised in situations where the idea of being eaten by something bigger is not uncommon. It is not that they are feral, but more emotionally detached from the concept of forming friendships or missing those who have died or vanished. They also have no qualms about eating the meat of any land based species, as meat is meat and they love meat. However cannibalism against other Sirenia is just plain wrong.
Subspecies
Each of the Sirenia is born with a 'water spirit'. They are viewed as their own personal guardian angel, and the Sirenian takes on personal and physical traits of the animal they match. Although they can sometimes manifest representations of their spirit via their magic, communication is purely done emotionally rather then through words. It is very similar to how cosmic magi have stars and can bond with them.
All Sirenia can mate with other Sirenia, but not with other species. The subspecies often match those of the mother. Due to physical differences between their land and water forms, a Sirenian cannot breed with any other species as they have to be in their true form to do it.
As for physical traits, all Sirenia have fragile sharp teeth that are serrated. It is not uncommon for teeth to break and grow back again within a few weeks. Lack of molars make eating land food / chewing somewhat difficult. A Sirenian may choose to either cut it into strips or unhinge their jaws to open their throat space to swallow it whole. They need a heavy meat diet to survive, and things such as to many vegetables or desserts can make them ill. Although their 'human' forms are all very similar, it can be easy to tell the difference as each subspecies has subtle cues.
Sirenian blood is green and thick. It has a more coppery taste to it then regular blood. Recovery rate is higher for the Sirenia, healing a quarter to a third quicker than humans. However injuries from fire and other magics they are weak to have double the recovery rate.
Mermaids
Children of Galene.
The most common of the Sirenia. They take on aspects of any type of fish, such as sharks, flying fish, tuna, that sort of thing. Mermaids are often the most social of the species, choosing to live off of coastal cities. They have translucent skin that has a greenish quality to it. Gills along either side of the neck, and ears are either pointed or in the shape of fins. Either or both fingers and toes are webbed. Their hair often has strange but bright coloration as well, which matches the color of their tails.
Anguill
Children of Scylla.
Sirenia that usually live in the deep sea. Their aspects are varied between eels, sea snakes, and in rarer cases, sea slugs. Their tails are long and flexible rather then finned. Their eyes are sometimes a little fair apart, and their skin seems clammy, a little sticky and somewhat moist. They also have very thin lips but wide mouths, with their ears are often smaller and more rounded than a humans. They also have longer and broader noses then most as well.
Selkie
Children of Leucothea.
Nearly all Selkie live inland, in rivers and mainly the swamp. Their creatures are of aquatic mammal nature, seals, otters, walruses, manatee. Sea Selkie often have traits of orcas or dolphins, and are the rarest of all Sirenia. They are considered blessed holy creatures personally chosen by the gods. They also are the only Sirenia who cannot breathe underwater. Their nails are colored black or a dark hue and very thick, with fur around the fingers, hands, and feet. Eye coloration tends to be pitch black, and their eyes have a glassy tone to them. Busy eyebrows and beards are also common. Those with whale spirits do not have any fur or hairy traits at all, but are prone to having annoying laughs. They blessed ones are also supposedly the most beautiful of the Sirenia as well. Their gift for dark magic is believed to have been formed when Leucothea drowned in the sea after her gift of water breathing was taken away. Her despair was so great, all of her children were affected. The gift of occult for them is the gathering of energies formed by her grief.
Transformation
The Sirenia were given the gift to walk on land by Yama, but it is not a gift to be abused.
Sirenia must return to their natural form once every few days. Children must do so daily. Otherwise they start to lose their connection with their water spirit, weakening, and eventually dying. They can only return to their true form when partially or fully submerged within water. They also have trouble stopping themselves from transforming when put under these conditions, though high level Sirenia (rpl 150+) can hold off transforming for a fight or two, but must eventually must transform as well. Magic mastery seems to be a get around for fighting while transformed, moving about with the aide of it, however they are often put at a disadvantage when fighting on land versus the water.
Sudden and unexpected transformation is rather painful and can lead to the Sirenian being stunned for a few minutes from the shock alone. Although they can transform quickly by exposing themselves, it often takes some mental preparation to prevent a sudden physical ceasing.
Gaining legs is a slow process, as moisture must be removed from the person either with magic or by drying. It can take up to an hour to gain motor functions on land again, and even then they are a bit wobbly at first. Their human bodies, despite subtle differences, are near identical to human ones. Anything that is worn over the legs, underwear, pants, shoes, can tear through the flesh as it reforms into a tail. Thus most Sirenia choose to wear dresses or skirts. Footwear is usually sandals that have straps that easily snap apart to prevent such injuries.
Religion
Nearly all Sirenia worship Yama as their deity, though festivals to Leucothea, Scylla, and Galene are often held by their respected tribes. Priests of Yama are known to sacrifice their enemies or volunteers to the deity. The ritual forces the victim's soul to travel to Yama where they must help him gather stones and weigh the sins of others for a hundred years before they can rejoin the lifestream. They do this to ease Yama's workload and so he is never lonely. It is a simple ritual that involves singing the song of Yama as the living heart is carved out of the body, before being swallowed whole while it still beats.
There is no strong concept of marriage for Sirenia. (No that does not mean that they go around sleeping with everyone). However birthing religious rights are considered to be very important. A thanks is made to the water spirit born with the child, and a blessing is asked of the Mother deity of the Mermaid, Anguill, or Selkie born. Burial rights are also nearly non-existent. Often it is just a song that asks for the stones Yama uses to weigh the sins of that who has passed are light in weight.
As there is no written word or records for Sirenia, their religion can be summarized with a single story that is passed on to every child at a very young age to memorize.
The Story of Inki and Yama
In the beginning, Kraus granted parts of the world to be crafted to lesser dieties into whatever it was their desired.
Among them was the whale Inki, who looked down at the flat land and saw what could be. He dug his tail into the ground and created mountains and valleys. His brother, Yama, who had been granted the same space, mocked his efforts but Inki continued until his world was shaped. But there was still nothing. Just mounds of mud and holes in the earth.
Tired and worn, Inki laid in a trench and cried. Years passed, and eventually his tears flooded over him to create the oceans and seas. Yet he was still lonely so he gathered the salt of his tears mixed with mud and formed life. Nearly all creatures of the water are of Inki's design.
Yama came to mock him again. His brother had spent most of his energy to craft such useless things and still felt nothing but pain and suffering. So he in turn took the salt and the mud and crafted a creature that somewhat bared their image, the Selkie. The first of the Sirenia, named Leucothea who was gifted with an ivory porpoise tail. A creature with a beautiful voice who could sing away any worries that Inki felt.
But all he felt was jealousy.
Inki fled to the land and created the lakes and the rivers, and the creatures that live in them. Yet he was unable to create anything that sung as beautifully as Leucothea. Meanwhile, Yama created the first Anguill, Scylla, and the first Mermaid, Galene, so that Leucothea would not feel lonely. And he gifted them each with their own water spirit so that they will always know he loved them.
While Yama enjoyed his time in the seas, Inki began to grow jealous. The seas he loved had been overrun by the children of Leucothea, Scylla, and Galene, and the lands had been overtaken by other gods. Even though he had helped craft the world through his body, he found no place for himself in it.
In short, his wrath was turned on Yama, the one who mocked him and stole his place as a worshiped deity. Inki traveled to the land and convinced those there to rage war with the sea. The land creatures built boats and poisoned the waters, the Sirenia in return sunk the boats and poisoned the water on the land. Yama gifted his creations with the ability to walk on land to attack the people there. In return Inki captured Leucothea, most loved by Yama, and her children. He robbed them of their ability to breathe underwater so they could never return to their true home. Inki then altered their forms to grow fur so they more closely resembled the land creatures they had grown to hate. Leucothea blamed herself for what had come to pass. She attempted to return to the ocean to seek out Yama, but drowned in her attempts. Scylla took her Anguill and fled to the deepest parts of the ocean to hide out of fear of something similar happening to them, and only Galene with her Mermaids remained to fight at Yama's side.
Yama succeeded with negotiating with the land gods to stop the war, greatly pained by what had happened to Leucothea. He challenged Inki to one on one combat. Inki agreed, resulting in a giant storm that plagued the oceans for many years. It is said Kraus harnessed the power of the storms to create the peace barriers that lay between each continent.
In the end, Yama was triumphant. However Inki had anticipated such and destroyed himself casting a terrible curse that launched Yama into Atmos where he could only meet again with his beloved creations in death. It is said he guards the coral gates that all Sirenia must pass before they go to meet Azrael, and gathers stones for which to weigh the sins of all life with.