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SNEAK PEEK - MERFOLK - PATREON EXCLUSIVE
🕑 Added 2018-12-07 00:46:13 +0000 UTCBeneath the ocean waves lies a world few have ever seen, and fewer have survived seeing. The merfolk of the open ocean are a wild and often feral group. They do not welcome the interference of humans. It is unwise to approach them without having something they want or the invitation of their people to visit. Some have called them savage, but in truth, they have little reason to trust us at all. There are old tales of humans kidnapping merfolk, imprisoning them in a tank and turning them into crude taxidermy upon their death. Older tales include sailors molesting the poor creatures before throwing them overboard, often badly injured and hundreds of leagues from their territory. Offspring of these unions are not unknown, but they are not favored. Clutches resulting from human oceanic merfolk interactions are often abandoned to their own devices. It is not often that they survive till adulthood. Small wonder that the merfolk of the seas treat humans with mistrust and aggression.
On the other hand, freshwater merfolk are much more familiar with humans and are quite more open to communication! They are a lesser known species, and due to their ability to blend in with local fish can hide among the muddled waters. They have been known to wander through an entire river system, going where they please and returning to their homes when they've finished exploring. Unlike their wilder cousins, they are fond of interactions with humans! Extremely fond in fact.
Freshwater merfolk are born from large clutches of eggs which have been adhered to the base of plants to protect them from predators. After ninety days, they hatch, the spawn being no larger than a tadpole. Though they begin in the hundreds, larger fish, frogs, and other predators devour the newly hatched merfolk easily. Out of three hundred eggs, only one or two survive until adulthood.
Merfolk are unusual beings when it comes to gender and mating preference. Given their limited ability to find others of their kind, they are capable of changing their gender according to their needs. They are otherwise ambiguous, their genitalia tucked discreetly into their cloacha. They are genetically receptive towards humans, some in fact preferring them over other merfolk. They adore their offspring, protecting them with greater fervor than the oceanic merfolk.
