Merfolk

Singular Meri
Singular Masculine Merman
Singular Feminine Mermaid
Denominative Mermish
Endonym Meari (pl. Moari, den. Mari’i)

Merfolk inhabit the shallow seas and coastlines of the world, usually ignoring and ignored by those above the waves. Although unlike the older and even more reclusive tritons who inhabit the deeper and more distant parts of the ocean, merfolk are able to shed their tails and walk on the land, they rarely do so. A merman or mermaid that fails to continually rehydrate themselves will dry out not unlike a fish and perish a horrible death. The most that these creatures usually do is sunbathe upon rocks, or walk onto the docks to haggle wares in person. They are shrewd traders, and in ancient times learned the secrets to farming pearls of great size and lustre. When trading along coastlines, it is sometimes considered more reliable to simply give the trade goods to the merfolk, who will transport and sell the products to other coastal towns faster and more safely than a ship could. They do, however, usually take a sizable cut of the profits.

Merfolk are stronger, haler, and faster than Men, but cannot leave the seas for extended periods of time without discomfort, sickness, and eventually death. Even when kept healthy, their musculature does not translate well, and they become slightly weaker than Men on land, though they retain their robustness. Some merfolk, about one in every three, are born with the ability to grant the gift of water breathing to a handful of land-dwellers at a time. There are always stories of mermaids who abduct beautiful sailors to live forever underwater. It is curious that none of the stories mention the threat of immediate drowning hanging over any man so “blessed”.