Merfolk

The merfolk have a loosely feudal political structure, practicing enatic ultimogeniture (youngest female child inherits); the current High Queen of the Merfolk is Ariel VIII Aleta, called the Hugger. Trade is common amongst the merfolk and between them and the surface races, engineers, and locathah. The merfolk are in a state of perpetual unease with both the sahuagin and the kuo-toa.

In 123pi, the devils under Quasxthe won the War for Hell and expelled the tritons from the Hellish Plane of Water to the Material Plane. The merfolk under Miranda II Arielid "the Welcomer" welcomed the tritons into their realm, giving them the dark depths in the west of their territory.

The merfolk and tritons are very similar and interbreeding is common. The most overt physical difference between merfolk and tritons is the single fused tail or leg-like fins; the two races are otherwise so similar that there is effectively no such thing as a half-merfolk/half-triton. In any union between a merfolk and a triton, there is a 25% chance the offspring will be merfolk, a 25% chance it will be triton, and a 50% chance it will be born irremediably deformed (with complications reminiscent of the rare human condition sirenomelia) and will die within 1d4 days unless repaired with a permanent polymorph or similar spell.

When the Subsidence came, the merfolk fled into triton territory. Now, the two populations coexist in one nation with two leaderships, called Merwe.

Historical Merfolk Queens

 * 327-319ai - Ariel I Arielid "the Conquerer" - united the merfolk under one banner
 * 319-252ai - Ariel II Arielid
 * 252-211ai - Madison I Arielid "the Wicked"
 * 211-156ai - Cleodora Arielid "the Quarreler" - some of reign spent in contention with various nobles with better claims to the throne
 * 156-154ai - Madison II Arielid "the Hunter"
 * 154-148ai - Miranda I Arielid
 * 148-149ai - Ariel III Arielid "the Shrewd"
 * 149-79ai - Lorelei I Loreleid "the Usurper" - seized power, formed new dynasty
 * 79-58ai - Coralia Loreleid "the Apostle"
 * 58-56ai - Lorelei II Ocarina "the Clueless" - formed new dynasty after the extinction of the Loreleids
 * 56ai - Ariel IV Ocarina "the Mad" - ruled 189 days, cursed to early death by sea hags
 * 56ai-10ii - Tethys I Tethid "the Hammer" - formed new dynasty after the extinction of the Ocarinas, Inundation begins
 * 10ii - Lorelei III Tethid - ruled 15 days
 * 10-21ii - Sedna I Tethid "the Martyr"
 * 21-30ii - Ariel V Arielid "the Restorer" - seized power, restored Arielid dynasty
 * 30ii-42pi - Ianthe I Arielid "the Bewitched" - Inundation ends
 * 42-56pi - Lorelei IV Arielid "the Fair" (entombed near Nakon, in Mazerrajya)
 * 56-77pi - Sedna II Arielid "the Witch" - killed in battle with Little-but-will-kill-you-with-her-mind, high priestess of Quasxthe
 * 77-131pi - Miranda II Arielid "the Welcomer" - Welcomes the tritons after the War for Hell
 * 131-158pi - Riefya I Arielid "the Black"
 * 158-238pi - Sedna III Arielid
 * 238-253pi - Ondine I Ondinid "the Usurper" - seized power
 * 253-317pi - Ianthe II Arielid "the Returner" - seized power, restored Arielid dynasty
 * 317-319pi - Tethys II Hafgufid "the Devout" - seized power amidst fundamentalist revival of Hafgufan religion
 * 319-324pi - Lorelei V Hafgufid "the Unable" - abdicated amid a host of scandals
 * 324-373pi - Riefya II Hafgufid "the Dragon"
 * 373-423pi - Riefya III Aleta "the Usurper" - seized power, formed new dynasty (entombed in the Resentment Ward of Endeesy in Gus)
 * 423-433pi - Ariel VI Aleta "the Merry" - assassinated by kuo-toa during trade negotiations
 * 433 - Ariel VII Aleta - ruled 174 days
 * 433-447pi - Lorelei VI Aleta
 * 447-482pi - Ondine II Aleta "the Lionfish"
 * 482pi-12id - Riefya IV Aleta "the Blessed" - Subsidence
 * 12id-present - Ariel VIII Aleta "the Hugger" - forms Merwe, joins Unity