Seaborn
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Seaborn Profile
Life Expectancy: 250 - 6000+ years. Homeland: The Ocean, including the waters between Cenril, Rynvale Island and Chartsend. Average Height: Varies Average Weight: Varies (calculator) Preferred Classes: Bard, Thief, Mage Classes this race can be: Any Preferred Weapons: Allure, Brute strength Aggression Level: Extremely Aggressive Intelligence Level: Medium Magic Rating: Medium Strength Rating: Varies Weak Against: Fire, Intellectual Cunning Strong Against: Enchantment, Water magic, Physical attack Related Races: Human, Dragon Allied Races: None Enemy Races: All
The Seaborn live in the waters between Rynvale and Cenril. They've lived there undiscovered and unmolested for centuries, throughout much of Hollow's history. They have chosen to remain, for the most part, invisible to the humans who traverse the waters in which they thrive ... until now.
Seaborn Physiology
Seaborn creatures generally fall into one of the following species:
Where mer-people possess fish-like tails in place of legs, from the waist down cecaelia have eight octopoid limbs. They are most well-known for being superb artisans; their deep disdain for outward emotional expression leads them to find release in all kinds of crafting, architecture, mosaic-art and other creative endeavors.
Cecaelia may be male, female or any mixture of both and appear to be able to change genders at will. They are notoriously haphazard parents, leaving their offspring to sink or swim at an early stage of development.
Unlike the selkies, kelpies are seen as devious and dark creatures. While they assume a horse form and look like graceful, even noble beasts, they can never be tamed. The water horses always wear a bridle made of silver and when they lose their bridle, they are forced to remain in human form. Some rumours suggest that kelpies retain their hooves while in human form, but some would say that’s only a myth. The kelpies are, however, usually lean and dark haired with dark and cruel eyes; looking as though they are always scowling at something.
It is not uncommon to see kelpies on their own or to survive without the help of a group, as they can often be solitary creatures given their wild tempers and mean streaks. In their most natural of shapes, their hooves are reversed in comparison to a regular horse. Though it does not seem to impede their movement, as they are agile in the water. Unlike the selkies, they are cold and calculating: quick to anger and slow to calm. They would likely slay any who stood in their path.
Krakens are the great protectors of the seas. They are immense in size, almost immeasurable, and no two krakens are alike. Due to their great power and size, there are few krakens that share the Rynvallian sea due to the ocean’s limitations. To prevent disputes, the krakens do not claim any one area of the sea but roam where they will. Due to their revered age, along with their saurian cousins, krakens are exceptionally intelligent. They respect each other, and they defer to one another’s wishes. Sometimes a kraken may sanction a ship to pass unmolested through a particular body of water; other krakens are bound to this promise even though it has been issued by another.
Some, but not all krakens can assume a different shape, though it is with some difficulty that they undertake the transition. The transition frequently takes hours. It is never done quickly and requires a great deal of effort. Most krakens choose the human shape as it is the one with which they are most familiar in their encounters. In order to shift from a shape that is not their own back to that of a kraken, the kraken is required to be completely submerged throughout the entire transition. They are strong against all races and all manner of attacks, except fire. Krakens cannot fly, nor can they come ashore without shifting.
Note: As this is an unofficial race, admin approval is required. It is a race that we intend to keep limited in number. Approvals are not guaranteed, and will depend on the nature of the request, the history of the player, and the merit of the ideas presented.
Vicious creatures, mermaids lure their prey by their beauty and innocence. In a realm of beautiful creatures, few would argue that mermaids are one of the most heart-achingly beautiful creatures the world has ever seen. And they are well-aware of their beauty. Mermaids are incredibly vain. It is one of their few weaknesses. Seasoned sailors are able to resist their charms (be it song or beauty), but those encountering a mermaid for the very first time are frequently so spellbound by their very presence, they almost willingly become the creatures’ victims.
Mermaids have sharp teeth and fingernails which they use to attack their prey. They are very mercurial in mood, and they are almost cat-like in nature with how they toy with their prey. Mermaids can hail from anywhere in the water, and it is possible to tell where a mermaid is from by her coloring. Mermaids with pale skin and dark tails hail from the deep waters in the Rynvallian Sea, while mermaids with lighter-colored tails, such as gold or silver, are found in the more coastal areas, though they have been careful not to be spotted by outside forces. Some mermaids with more technicolor tails are from particular subspecies of local coral, so while they may be unfamiliar to the average observer, the sea born would be able to pinpoint her homeland with a great deal of accuracy.
Sea-gorgons look a lot like their counterparts on land but are intrinsically different in several ways:
In place of serpents where humans have hair, the oceanic gorgon has octopoid tentacles. In most other ways they resemble humans with a slight blue or greenish tint to their skin. Gorgons can survive out of water for longer than most seaborn, having an auxiliary lung for air-breathing and tougher, moisture-retentive skin.
Where males simply do not exist among terrestrial gorgons, those of the oceanic variety are born and very occasionally do survive to adulthood-- but rarely far beyond that, as they tend to be so aggressive and combative that elder male gorgons are considered creatures of legend. Males are much larger and heavier of build than females, and physiologically cannot possess the matiasma, paralysis or second sight traits.
When a selkie assumes a humanoid form, they are equivalent to the average human height while having an athletic and sinewy build. The majority of selkies sport dark hair and large dark almost puppy-dog like eyes in addition to rather fair skin. While in human form, all selkies have rough and callused hands regardless of any occupation or lack thereof which serves as a tell-tale indicator of who might really be a selkie. While amicable and friendly, most selkies have a curious nature although they are wary about coming to land for too long in the fear that someone will find their seal-skin pelt and keep it: forcing the selkie to live on land and forever wish for a home they cannot return to.
All selkies have a natural love for their ocean home and devoted to the protections and preservation of all marine life, habitats and precious resources/relics. The selkies pride themselves on never taking more than is necessary; using every inch of what they do take in order to avoid being wasteful. Though they can be skittish, they are generally warm, kind and playful: just as seals can be. Yet with the local legends and rumors that surround them, they are wary of the two-legged folk who dwell on land as they know the wealth that can be made from their precious and magical seal-skin pelts. Although they regard those in land with healthy suspicion, the male selkies are given a little more freedom than the womenfolk.
Uyeer are large crustaceans resembling ancient sea predators, and dwell mostly on the sea floor and feed on other bottom-dwellers. Four strong legs support their segmented bodies, and two arms with huge claws and small tentacles help them to wield weaponry carved from bone and reinforced with metal. Maneuvering through the water is made easy with the row of paddles that runs down both sides of their backs, and their compound eyes give them great vision in all directions. Unlike the other seaborn, Uyeer don't have a human form they can take while on land. Instead, they've developed crude technological devices which give them a small trickle of water to keep their gills wet and oxygenated when away from the ocean.
While uyeer are commonly considered a lower form of seaborn than the others, due to their general aversion to higher forms of magic, they are surprisingly clever in their own way. They are masters of animal breeding and have domesticated many species for underwater use as beasts of burden or war mounts or even living weapons. Uyeer are extremely direct in their approach to life, respecting physical strength above most else. This means they can come across as brutish and violent, even though they are simply solving problems in the best way they know how.
Seaborn Psychology
Seaborns and landwalkers live in vastly different worlds, which has translated to them having extremely different cultures. There are many things about the landwalkers world that Seaborn do not have a deep understanding of, which has led to many humans judging them has not being exceptionally clever.
They are very protective of not only their territory, but also each other. It is this faithfulness that binds them as a society. If an attack or threat is perceived by one, it is addressed by all. Krakens are not the most aggressive subspecies, but once they go on attack, precious little can be done to stop them until their anger is sated.
They are highly aggressive against all races, though humans have been the race with whom they’ve had the most interaction. Having been hunted by them in the past, for pelts or scales, as trophies, they attack without provocation. Some seaborn who have allied themselves with the outside world have found themselves excommunicated from seaborn society and forced to live with their new allies, and away from their long-time watery homes.
Seaborn Society
The seaborn self-govern themselves. There is a hierarchy amongst the various races. All respect the kraken and see the kraken as a great protector of the seas. For a kraken to go after a human ship, it is to mark that ship as having committed a grievous sin against the seaborn.
Mermaids respect the kraken and themselves. They tolerate the other seakind, but understand themselves to be relatively high in the internal pecking order.
Selkies are generally known to be cautiously social and not as ruthless or vicious when it comes to interacting with races outside their own. They are more independent than the merfolk which is a bone of contention between the two races on occasion, but for the most part, they are the peacemakers of the sea.
Kelpies do whatever they want without rhyme or reason.
There is no governing authority in the sea, no king or queen, no reigning monarch. The sea is not claimable. Early on, the seaborn, having witnessed the wars over land and sky, swore that their new home, depthless and boundless as it was, would have no master.
Seaborn & Religion
Seaborn religion revolves around the goddess Selene, although some seaborn are fond of Cyela and Daedria, as both the lesser goddesses’ temples are within the bounds of the sea they call home. They are not especially pious creatures, but they have a deep reverence for the gods, along with the very sea itself. Any affront to the ocean is seen as a direct offense to the gods who created it, and the seaborn are swift to enact retribution for any perceived slight.
Places of Worship
- Selene – Holy Temple of Selene
Seaborn History
The seaborn have long been a mysterious force within the land. Very little is known about their history, which has only been communicated orally and never officially put to paper.
Little has been known up to this point regarding the emergence of the seaborn as a race. They’ve chosen to remain closed off from the rest of the world until now. From some estimates, they were born during the saurian empire collapse, when some creatures took to the seas for escape and solace.
Throughout the following years, they kept themselves completely cut off from the rest of population, content to only be known through legend and rumor. Even sailors report few interactions with the species. But any reports are not usually favorable ones.
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