Mermaids

Mermaids are one of the 6 types of PARA, and generally the type that blend best into society.

Underwaterfication

To be turned into a Mermaid is to be Underwaterfied. After being bitten, the individual finds themselves very thirsty, and no amount of water will quench their thirst. They are unable to sleep until they are fully submerged in the ocean: as soon as they do so, they sink to the bottom of the ocean they are in, and fall into the three day sleep, and awaken with a tail where their legs used to be.

The colour of a mermaid's tail is determined according to the PARA Colour Chart above. The colour of a mermaids hair is the colour that their eyes were before being Paraformed. The colour of a mermaid's eyes is the former colour of their hair.

Angels (due to their weakness to water) are unable to become mermaids. Fairies are able to become mermaids, however their wings are instead tranformed into fins, enabling them to swim up to twice as fast as a regular mermaid. The colour of an ex-fairy mermaid's skin is generally the same as that of their original skin colour, unless they become a Strompet, in which case it becomes a very dark blue.

Mermaid Culture

Mermaids are unable to breathe or speak underwater: just like terranean persons are unable to breathe or speak underwater. Again, like terranean persons, a spell can be cast enabling them to both breathe and speak above water, however as all PARA are unable to use magic of any kind, they rely on others for above-water communications.

Perhaps as a result of this, mermaids tend to cut off communication with above-water beings completely. Occasionally, when they have had a war with another underwater city, they will "recruit", by sending their most attractive up to the water, and "convincing" pirates of both genders to jump into the water and get bitten. This job is known as being a "Siren" to the mermaid communities.

There are three major mermaid "tribes" - Leira, Dofluner, and Sastia. Though these mermaid tribes have many cities, there are many more mermaid cities which are completely independent of any such affiliations, and there are several other, minor "tribes" as well, most noteably the Stromputs, those who work for whoever is in charge of the Fairy city of Strom at any given moment.

Both male and female mermaids are referred to as "Mermaids". "Merman" is the term used for those who worship the god of the sea, Merma.

Mermaid Physiology

Mermaids have no regenerative abilities. In fact, when a mermaid is cut or otherwise injured, they cannot be healed except for by magic. As such, those who are damaged, either in a battle with other mermaids, land-dwellers or creatures of the sea (or, rarely, by accidents: aware of this weakness, mermaids generally do all that they can to avoid such accidents) generally die within a day, unless they are lucky enough to know someone capable of casting healing spells.