May The Dark Hide Us

The original bloodline of merfolk has been dead for so long, none of the descendants that are alive can quite recall ever seeing one in the flesh. They've heard stories, of course, the same way humans knew that they came from primates, the way the humans know who and what came before them.

Now, there are three species of merfolk that remain. The Myrleon, the Solean, and the Kothes.

The Myrleon had always been closest to the humans, they had always drifted along their shores, even stepped upon their beaches, often too afraid to leave the quiet sounds of the ocean completely behind while they hid their true identities.

The Solean had stayed among their reefs, skin and scales the colour of coral, dancing with fish and helping their homes grow. They'd stayed as invisible as they could to the all-seeing eyes of the humans while staying in their homes. They had been careful, they had been secretive, they had been fearful.

They hadn't done enough.

The humans found them, of course they had, and in their misunderstood fear, the fear of the unknown, the humans had begun the hunt. The Myrleon's and Solean's fled, diving down into the depths, fleeing to the territory of their distant cousins, the Kothes, only to be met with hostility and disdain.

With the sting of fatal rejection still hot on their skin, and the burn of the fearful anger of the humans, the Myrleon's and Solean's set up a camp near the Kothes home, hoping that, if the war did follow them, their cousins may jump to their aid regardless of what they'd said.

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Links

‏Sign-Up Thread: [You Are Here]
Discussion: Click
RP Thread: N/A

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The Co-Lead for this RP is Tenebris Umbra. I expect her to be shown the same amount of respect that I am.

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Quite a rough plot this time, please forgive me

Species Descriptions

The Myrleon

The Myrleon species has the closest resemblance to the first, "classic" mermaids, with completely human upper bodies, and fish-tailed lower halves.

Features: Their ears, teeth, skin tones, and hair colours are all human-like, with the exception of their eyes, which can be any colour.
Tails: The tails of the Myrleon can be any colour, and they generally don't have any fins, especially not large ones or dorsal fins.
Measurements: The Myrleon, like the other two species, is rather similar to human height from the hips up, it's their tails that sets them apart from the other species. From their hips down, not including the fluke, they're 4-6ft long.
Figures: Myrleon figures, compared to the other two, are rather balanced and in the middle. A little stronger than a Solean, and a little faster than a Kothes, but slower than a Solean and weaker than a Kothes.
Powers: The Myrleon powers are able to move water and bend it to their will, the ability to hide among humans by making their bodies appear human, and better senses than humans in the water.

The Solean

The Solean are the next-closest living relative to their original ancestors, with human-like upper bodies and fish-tailed bottom halves, but with vibrant colors and some other additions.

Features: Their ears are pointed, with carnivore-like pointed teeth, and skin, hair, and eyes coming in a range, normally in bright colours, dulled or dark colours being rarer, however, their colours are always non-human.
Tails: The tails of the Solean can be in any colour, and generally they have fins on the sides, but rarely dorsal fins.
Measurements: The Solean, like the other two species, is rather similar to human height from the hips up, it's their tails that sets them apart from the other species. Their tails are smaller than the others, generally at only 3-5ft from the hips down, not including the fluke.
Figures: The figures of the Solean are slim and built for moving quickly with maneuverability in mind. They're quick and agile, not generally made for distance at speed or strength, they're made for short bursts of speed.
Powers: The Solean powers are the ability to move water to their will, the ability to go semi-translucent (not invisible, but their bodies become semi-see through so they can hide among coral), and better senses than humans in the water.

The Kothes

Some believe the Kothes are merfolk crossed with sirens long ago, living in the dark, being mean and aggressive on mass, but with a somewhat similar build to the other two.

Features: The ears of the Kothes are either pointed or finned, with their teeth all sharp like a piranha, sharp nails and webbed fingers + other webbing sometimes. Their hair and skin are generally dark colours, brighter or light colours rarer among their species. Their eyes, however, can be any colour.
Tails: The tails of the Kothes are generally dark colours, and are long, strong and powerful. They often have fins and dorsal fins on their tails and spines.
Measurements: The Kothes, like the other two species, is rather similar to human height from the hips up, it's their tails that sets them apart from the other species. The tails of the Kothes, from their hips down, not including the fluke, are 6-10ft.
Figures: The figures of the Kothes are not built for speed. They're not exactly slow, but the other two species are very, very likely to outrun a Kothes if it came down to a chase. They're strong, stronger than the other two physically.
Powers: The Kothes have the ability to move water to their will, the ability to make the water solid while under their control, and have better senses than the other two species.

Needed Universal Knowledge

Habitat
The Myrleon's lived close to the shore of a human-inhabited land, living among seagrass, animals and making little huts underground to rest in if they desired it.

The Solean's lived in a reef nearby, often having communication with their Myrleon cousins.

Now, the two of them live only a little ways away from the edges of a trench in the depths of the ocean, doing their best to get by and create a new life for themselves. Their camps are directly next to each other, and, while somewhat self-sustaining, their leaders are also working together. The area they're on is the "Abyssal Plain".

The Kothes live inside this trench, using pre-existing caves and caverns and making new ones. Every family/person has their own cave to live in that they can decorate how they see fit, and training and meetings etc. are held in caverns.

The beginning of this trench is a little higher than normal, at 5,000m, and it stretches all the day down to a depth of 10,000m. The Kothes live in the 6,000-7,000 area, space being taken up by large caverns for meetings, trainings, and other communal things, as well as homes large enough for families. If humans ever explore their trench, as humans are growing more and more curious about the ocean, there is a long tunnel at around 9,000m that the Kothes have dug out over time.

This tunnel is long and only big enough to fit two adult Kothes side-by-side, but ends in a large, dug-out cavern that's more than big enough for the whole clan, and it gets expanded as their population grows.

Language
The three merfolk have different languages, but also a common language between the three of them. (Please "Talk normally like this" when speaking the common tongue, but do something like "Bolding" the text or "Underlining" the text when talking their native tongue, or somehow specify what you're doing.

The Myrleon language is gentle and soft sounding, kind on the ears, and those outside the language often feel as if they're being nice, even when they're not.

The Solean language is quick and flowy, each word seemingly perfectly paired with the next word to make a continuous sentence.

The Kothes language is brutal and harsh-sounding, filled with consonants. It makes them sound angry and aggressive, even when they aren't being so.

Every kind of merfolk also has animal-like sounds (hisses, growls, etc) at their disposal. Among the Myrleon, this is generally seen as only used in times of annoyance, or highly disrespectful. The Solean mainly use hisses, growling at the height of their anger. Meanwhile the Kothes are known for being animalistic, snarls coming to their tongues as easily as words.

Lifespan
Each species has their own lifespan, however, two things remain the same. For the first 20 years of their lives, they are growing until they stop aging, in which case they appear about 20 years old until they begin to deteriorate. For the last 20 years of their life, the merfolk take a very severe and quick downturn, the aging their bodies had stopped catching up to them all at once until they die.

The Myrleon live for about 200 years.

The Solean live for about 150 years.

The Kothes live for about 500 years.

Other Appearance Facts
Most merfolk have bioluminescent markings on their body. They are born with these markings, and although they may change a bit over time, they don't change completely. Some don't have them at all, others have lots of them.

Solean merfolk are the famous for having the brightest markings, and Kothes were thought by the other species to not have them for a while, until they found out their darker cousins simply cover them when leaving the trench.

All merfolk have the ability to dim them at will for periods of time, but they cannot remove the glow completely.

And yes, they do have gills, as they're breathing underwater.

Offspring
All merfolk have offspring. In this RP, they produce live young (like sharks do), and raise those young for however long they need. They can have the same amount of children that humans can, but the higher the number, the lesser the chance.

Merfolk can reproduce as soon as they stop aging, and can continue to until they die. However, in the last 20 years of their life, the birth runs a much higher risk of costing them their life.

Sub-Offspring - Crossbreeds

Crossbreeds between the species are rare due to all the complications involved, and the parents and child get cast out when crossbreeds occur. These complications may cause the female parent to die if the baby is larger than their own species, grow infertile, or for the baby to die or be infertile.
(Yes, I know these may not be realistic, but it would make sense for crossbreeds to have a chance of happening and this is meant to make it harder.)
For all crossbreed pairings, I will be rolling a dice/doing the random number gen. Make sure to message me about doing this stuff. Thanks guys.

Weapons + Humans
The merfolk don't have weapons like guns, harpoons, or anything like that. Most of their weapons are spears or spear-like objects, or their natural weapons for close combat (teeth and claws), however only Kothes have training specifically in battle, other tribes only have hunters.

The humans are modern humans, with, yes, a very real chance of following the merfolk if they find them and further endangering the Kothes.

Ranks Explanation
Some will be self-explanatory. For those I will simply put "self explanatory" or "see [other rank]".

Myrleon Ranks

King & Queen
One is the child of the previous rulers. Whoever is made first can decide if the other spot is open or closed. They lead the clan and make all the decisions, but, of course, they may ask the other members for opinions, for no royal is a royal without a kingdom. They, although being the leader, may aid their clan in duties.

Princes & Princesses
There is no patriarchal or matriarchal, the oldest out of the bunch is the one that takes over after their parents. The King and/or Queen may choose if this position is open or locked.

Nobles
The nobles are the relatives of the current royal family. Grandparents/retired Kings and Queens, cousins, uncles, aunts, siblings to the King and Queen, children of the Princes and Princesses, etc.

Healer
The healer of the clan, responsible for all medicine, and at times, although rare times and often only in times of need, may recieve prophecy's from the gods.

Healer's Apprentice
A Healer in Training. They become this rank from the age of 16 onwards, until their trainer dies and they take the role.

Hunters
Hunters are the rest of the clan, other than elders and children. They are hunters and gatherers, responsible for feeding the clan and, if requested, patrolling or helping the healer gather resources.

Trainees
Those aged 16-19 that are training to become hunters. They age out of this role at 20 years old, and become full adults in the clan.

Children
Those 15 and younger. At age 16, they become trainees.

Elders
Those in the last 20 years of their life, with bodies that have started showing signs of age and reaching the end of their lives.

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Solean Ranks

Chieftan & Chieftess
The current leaders of the clan. One is the child of the previous Chieftan and Chieftess, and whoever is made first may choose if the other is open or locked. They, although being the leader, may aid their clan in duties.

Heirs
The children of the Chieftan and Chieftess. The parents choose who takes over after they step down.
If the Chieftan/Chieftess has no children, this position is taken by the sibling(s) of the bloodline holder, as a sibling would take command with no offspring present. The siblings vacate this position once they have a child, though.

Healer
See Myrleon Healer.

Healer's Apprentice
See Myrleon Healer's Apprentice.

Hunters
See Myrleon Hunters.

Trainees
See Myrleon Trainees.

Children
See Myrleon Children.

Elders
Mostly the same as the Myrleon elders, however Solean elders are shown high amounts of respect, as they as a species have the shortest lifespan.

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Kothes Ranks

The Sovereign
The "True Ruler" of the Kothes Clan. The Sovereign has complete control, and their word is final above all else. To go against their wishes is treason, and unforgivable. The Sovereign can be any gender. They, although being the leader, aid their clan in duties.

The Consort
The Spouse of the Sovereign. While typically not holding much power among the Kothes, the Consort is extremely well respected. They hold whatever power the Sovereign gives them, and it can change per ruler.

Crowned Heir
The heir that the Sovereign has personally chosen to take over after they step down. Although they are an heir, they're expected to still aid the clan.

Heirs
These are children of the Sovereign and Consort that are not currently the Crowned Heir. Despite being heirs, they are expected to aid the clan and fulfill their duties.

Elders
The elders in the Kothes clan are extremely well respected, and make up a council that the Sovereign and whoever they choose to have meetings with.

Shaman
Although similar to a healer, the Kothes Clan believe the shaman has more constant communication with their gods

Shaman's Apprentice
Learning to be a shaman. They become this rank at 16 onwards, and take the shaman role when the shaman dies.

Warriors
Kothes is the only clan to have warriors and hunters. In fact, every member of their clan must serve as a warrior at some point. Once they age out of being trainees, young Kothes members are allowed to choose if they become hunters or warriors first, but will spend 10 years in both ranks, and choose what rank they remain in after.

Hunters
Hunters feed the clan and help collect resources, however, every member of their clan must serve as a hunter at some point. Once they age out of being trainees, young Kothes members are allowed to choose if they become hunters or warriors first, but will spend 10 years in both ranks, and choose what rank they remain in after.

Trainees
Young Kothes members training their bodies to keep up with the more experienced members of their clan.

Children
Young children not yet old enough to serve, and so are protected and nurtured.

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Outside Ranks

Outcasts
These are members of any species that did something wrong and got cast out of their clan for it. Depending on the clan and the leader, they may be forgiven and/or welcomed back, but that may also depend on their crime.

Outsiders
These are members of any species that were born to parents outside the clans. They have done no wrong, not really. This is the only rank that may be crossbreeds, as their parents would have become outcasts for having them, but the infant themself did no wrong.

Roles List

Myrleon Roles

King
Jubal | Male | Freedom, Pg. 6

Queen
-

Princes
Zyaire | Male | Sir Froggington, Pg. 8

Princesses
Calypso | Female | The Bewitched, Pg. 6

Nobles
-

Healer (1)
Selene | Female | Shadows in the Mist, Pg. 2

Healer's Apprentices (2)
Doris | Female | Lost_Griffin, Pg. 8
-

Hunters
Ianthe | Female | the Wayne pack, Pg. 8

Trainees
-
-

Children
-
-

Elders
-
-

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Solean Roles

Chieftan
[Locked for Now]

Chieftess
Aurelia | Female | Shadows in the Mist, Pg. 2

Heirs
U'ilani | Female | Imperial Sands, Pg. 3

Healer (1)
Fialova | Female | Spellbound, Pg. 4

Healer's Apprentices (2)
Namid | Female | Polly, Pg. 5
Armitox Jagar | Male | Determined_Wolf, Pg. 10

Hunters
Loki | Male | The Bewitched, Pg. 6
-

Trainees
Vesper | Male | the Wayne pack, Pg. 3

Children
-
-

Elders
-
-

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Kothes Roles

The Sovereign
Tethys | Female | Polly, Pg. 1

The Consort
Kukulcan | Male | Tenenbris Umbra, Pg. 2

Crowned Heir
[Locked For Now]

Heirs
Morgan | Male | the Wayne pack, Pg. 2
Okeanos | Male | Spellbound, Pg. 2
Kallan | Male | Tenebris Umbra, Pg. 6
Naoko | Female | Polly, Pg. 9
Viridian | Female | Moose, Pg. 10

Elders
-
-

Shaman (1)
Qazir | Male | High Hills Pack, Pg. 8

Shaman's Apprentice (1)
Tohunga | Male | Spellbound, Pg. 4

Warriors
Tiamat | Female | Shadows in the Mist, Pg. 3
Samaki | Male | Matunda, Pg. 4
[Reserved | Ravensrun]

Hunters
Alcmene | Female | Imperial Sands, Pg. 3
Mélusine | Female | Moose, Pg. 8

Trainees
Aalto | Male | La Push, Pg. 6
Eris | Female | The Bewitched, Pg. 9

Children
-
-

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Outcasts (5)
-
-
-
-
-

Outsiders (5)
Nahoa | Male | Tenebris Umbra, Pg. 3
Aigean | Female | Demon-Tree, Pg. 10
-
-
-

Quick Guide: Ranks that are obviously only for one person (King, Queen, Chieftess, Chieftan, Sovereign, Consort and Crowned Heir) don't have an indicator of how many members are permitted there. I feel as if this is obvious. Other ranks, however, if they don't have an indicator of (1), (2), etc., it's safe to assume they're fairly unlimited until otherwise stated.

Sign-Up Sheet

My Sovereign

Name:

Tethys

Meaning: The name of an Ancient Ocean, and the Greek Goddess of Freshwater.

Age:

250 Years Old

Gender:

Female

Sexuality:

Bisexual

Species:

Kothes

Rank:

The Sovereign

Desired Rank:

Content

Thoughts On The Other Clans:

The Sovereign despises their distant cousins, believing them to have brought their war to their doorstep. Should the humans have followed the Myrleon and Solean people, she will do nothing but order her people to part ways with their long-time home, and curse the bloodlines of the Myrleon and Solean for forcing them out of their home. She strongly believes that there is no winning against humans - there are too many, and their weapons too great.

Appearance:

[Wonderful art made for me by Tenebris Umbra <3 The character is mine.]

Tethys is a woman of an almost haunting beauty, with a face full of sharp, defined features. Her cheekbones are high and defined, with a defined jawline and medium-plump lips, hiding sharp piranha-like teeth, her cheeks lacking much plumpness at all. Her ears are long and pointed, while the womans eyes are a feature that many seem to remember long after they meet her. Her sclera is pitch black in both eyes, with irses of a deep crimson colour, almost seeming to glow in certain lightings.

Tethys' hair is onyx in shade, darker than midnight, with a few locks framing her face. However, most of her thick hair reaches around her hips in length, and, at times, the woman has it bound in some way to keep it out of the way. Her skin is a dull shade of grey, slightly on the darker side, stretching across her body mostly unblemished, only a few scars littering her body. One or two on her back, one curving along her right hip, and a couple on her tail. Her tail is scaled like a fish, and is a dark shade of grey, a mix of her skin and her hair, gradually taking over for her skin at her hips. It isn't a sharp change or handover, but a gradual introduction of the scales until they cover what's left of her body.

The womans upper body is powerfully built, not quite blocky or over bulky, but covered in obvious muscle. Strong, but not a show-woman. Her hips are a little pronounced, with powerful arms, back muscles and muscles around her hips leading into her tail. She isn't slim or petite, and certainly doesn't have a build that says she'll be quick in the ocean, but Tethys' build is powerful. Webbing the same dark-grey colour as the webbing in her dorsal fin is situated between her fingers, transitioning smoothly to fingertips, and then long, sharp talons.

Her tail is long and powerful, being about 9ft long, definitely on the longer side for her species. Her fluke is large, and, for three quarters or so of it, it's tough, similar to a whales fluke, used to push her forward as fast as her body will allow. However, on the outsider edges on the sides and bottom of the fluke, it transitions into a texture more like a fish's tail, bendable and movable with the ocean, compared to the more rigid nature of a whales tail. The shape is similar to a whales tail, but slightly less forked.

Along her spine, Tethys has slightly curved black spikes protruding out, travelling from just below her shoulder blades to the end of her tail, just above her fluke. Between these spikes are webbing, a shade of grey only a little lighter than her tail. The spikes change size along her tail in some places, and follow her spine throughout her whole body. Part of her muscular physique is put to controlling this spikes, allowing them to sit almost-flat against her body, or for the spikes to shoot up as straight as they can.

With the way her body is built, the fins that just out of her body would technically be pelvic fins, paired along each side of her body. The first are a bit below her hips, being a similar appearance to her dorsal fin, and with the same ability to be pressed close to her side or jutted out. They travel about a foot and a half down her tail before ending, leaving about three or so feet of room before a smaller pair begin, this pair lasting only around a foot or less before ending, leaving an additional two feet of room before a much smaller pair, and then her fluke begins. The last pair cannot be moved by her, has no spines, and is in between the side of her tail and underneath.

All across Tethys' body are pale blue markings, giving off a faint glow. They've never been overly bright, not enough to make her a star or grab attention to them, but enough to be noticable. Lines, swirls, circles and dots, some paired together to make other markings, are all across her body. Her face, her chest, back, torso, and her tail. Specifically on her forehead is a marking that looks like a third eye.

On top of that, the Sovereign is rather jewelled. Her long, pointed ears are covered in percings, and around her throat are two distinct rings. Her arms have arm bands around them in various places, and her wrists are jewelled as well, although the webbing between her fingers stops her from having any rings.

Personality:

Strict || Selfish || Short Fuse at Times || Confident || Intimidating || Aggressive || Cold to Most || Stubborn || Protective || Persuasive || Calculating || Resilient || Tough || Cunning || Gentle, Kind, or Warm With Only a Few || Self Assured || Quick Thinker || Very Well Trained || Extremely Loyal || Intelligent

Tethys is an extremely complex individual, handling each situation differently, and acting different, even if only slightly, per her company. Across the board, the female a very intelligent and loyal person, putting those she loves and trusts above all others in practically every situation. In other cases, Tethys is known to put those that she is duty-bound to above any others, especially enemies or unknown people. She's calculating, with her mind going a mile a minute, always mulling over recent events or a current issue at hand.

To get what she wants, she can be incredibly persuasive, and it comes into her calculating and stubborn nature. She knows what she wants when she wants it, and if she can't outright take it, which she will more often than not try to do, she's more than prepared to work for it. She's cunning, and both stubborn and resilient enough to keep getting back up after getting thrown down. Also true to her resilient and tough exterior, Tethys can handle many things, and take on a lot of mental weight before she lets herself break.

With those under her command, the woman can often be described as strict and cold, expecting the best and accepting practically nothing less. Some look at her and see an aggressive, intimdating, well-trained woman who knows how to use her natural weapons, and others may see an extremely protective, self-assured and confident female. True, Tethys is very confident in herself and her abilities, having trained long and hard for many years to be the best she can be, but she tries not to lose her temper with those under her protection often.

With enemies, or those threatening her, her family, or those she is duty-bound to, the dark female is a new kind of beast. She has a very short fuse, aggressive down to the very fibre of her being and soul, cold like frigid tundras, seemingly selfish in putting her family and wards first above strangers. But regardless of what she gets called, a beast, selfish, or any other manner of name, Tethys remains true and loyal to her people, putting them above any others in absolute fashion, no question in her mind of who she would choose.

Her family, however, see a differnet side fo the woman. With her family, she can be gentle, braiding hair and nursing wounds. She can be kind, soft words, sung lullabies, and offered food. She can even be warm, with a new light in her eyes and soft smiles on her lips. But even with her family, even with her warmth, she can be rather strict. She expects the best out of others, and expects similarly from her family.

Crush:

Her spouse.

Spouse:

Her Consort, Kukulcan.

Children:

Open. However, they'd all be 100 years old at most. Tethys is also not a carrier of the albinism gene, meaning none of the kids can be physically albino. They can be carriers of the gene, but they can't be albino.

Kin:

Somewhat open.

[Name], Her Nephew [Tenebris Umbra]

Affiliations:

TBA/Open

Kukulcan | Her Consort, Her Love

Kukulcan is a male that Tethys has been in love with practically since she met him. They grew up training at the same time, and his aggressive way of handling those that tried to pick on him immediately got her attention. He didn't let himself get walked over, so to speak, and it made him absolutely enthralling to the young heiress. He was even more curious to her when his loud, playful nature seemed to grow quiet and nervous in her presence. Sure, she was a notorious flirt in her teenage years, but when her and Kukulcan began dating, Tethys had grown immensely loyal, and has never wanted or needed another.

Other:

Some of the kothes may believe that Kukulcan isn't "normal" or "pure" enough for Tethys, as her parents did so when she was young. She made it extremely clear that she would choose no other, so they either let her have Kukulcan, or they got no heirs from her.

Spellbound said:

Reserving Kothes Shaman Apprentice & A Heir - For Now