The Kingdom of Thalassur

The Thalassurr region is the most prominent and largest deep ocean's region. Its territory is inhabited by the Thalassi, a Merfolk species that live inside the Kingdom of Thalassur's feudal domains.

Thalassi Merfolk

All the Merfolk have partially scaly skin, while the Thalassi ones usually have darker tones, and have fancy fins instead of hair on their head.

They usually wear armors colored with dark tones and use brilliantly crafted weapons.

They are far slower on the surface and as tall as a short human, around 1.6 m.

For more details about Merfolk’s general aspects and attire description, see also Merfolk

Merfolk can barely breath on the surface and usually start to suffocate if they stay out of the water for more than 3-4 hours. But when they are in the water, they can reach a speed of about 15 m per round.

Merm King Purefin the IX is formally the king of Thalassurr, but he has fallen asleep at least two centuries ago, which is something normal among the abyssal royal families, for the great Patriarch of the Salt religion is able to excommunicate rulers he doesn't like through sleep, thanks to the power of his horn Brudzakk.

The formal language of Thalassur is Thalassian Koinè, which is an Aquan dialect, where Aquan is the common language in the water elemental plane, spoken by the Aros Primordial.

Culture of Thalassurr

For the Thalassi the true sense of life is sleeping. And they do it in the darkest depths of the ocean. Alas, they are ordered to awake by their religion: the Saltanar, that order them to stay awake at least 8 hours a day.

The mere act of staying awake for them is to pray for their Abyssal god they worship, since they do not feel to belong to the waking world, but to the dream world. Being excommunicated therefore means not being able to pray and consequently being imprisoned in their dream world.

Half of the merfolk are usually born aquamancers, even if they do not usually master this power, since their waking time is limited. Most of them can use water for healing their friends or family when they get hurt.

All of the people from Thalassur you might meet are religious, as being atheist means not praying and therefore sleeping all day. Then since the atheists are sleeping, the only merfolk you might happen to encounter will always be a religious one.

Customs and Religions in Thalassurr

The Sapphire Day: Once a year, the merfolk of Thalassur migrate to Korarius, one of the greatest cities of the kingdom and capital of the homonym duchy, once famous for its contacts with the coast-dwellers.

Now its importance is marginalized, but on the first day of the 10th month of the year, when the Emerald Dusk begins for the surface peoples, most of the young merfolks gather in Korarius for reproduction. A great jousting, dance and celebrations are held, and it is the only day of the year when all the merfolk kin do not sleep. Then after the celebrations are over, they come back to their houses, where they sleep for three days.

During these three days, for a mystery that nobody has yet explained, most of the abyssal creatures patrol the waters around the Thalassurr cities, while their youngest inhabitants sleep.

The Salt Day: Sometimes, usually once in a decade, the old Patriarch of the Salt religion, who dwells in the Thalassur capital Lequiriss announces that he is “Going to sleep with the fishes”.

He travels a long road to the Abyssal Cliff south of the capital, where he plays the Bruzdakk, the Horn of the Sea. All the sleeping merfolk, even miles away, get suddenly awakened (many would return to sleep) and his body transforms into foam that goes to the bottom of the abyssal depths, where nobody ventures. Then all the new military and civilian offices are reassigned (including the new patriarch)and new merfolks are knighted.

The Sun Pilgrimage: Sometimes the people of the abyss decide to visit the coast-dwellers. It has not happened in centuries, since the king is now sleeping, but usually a Marid that has visited the Eden coast appears from an abyssal rift and proclaims the discovery of a new type of music. For one who lives underwater, feeling the pure vibrations of the air, very different from the music heard underwater, is a luxury that only the bravest and the luckiest can witness maybe only once in their own life.

Then happens that the king proclaims “the sun pilgrimage” and every merfolk can enlist in small groups to visit Eden coastal cities.