Merfolk Physique

The Merfolk (or how they describe themselves "Children of Nu") are ~2 m long and ~0.5 m wide. Their skin is grey and smooth, and has blubber underneath. They do not have legs, using fins instead. They resemble dolphins, except for almost human faces and a pair of Pseudo-arms, usually locked against their body. They can not use them while swimming fast, as they would stop their hydrodynamism. They can spend up to ~30 minutes of physical activity before needing to resurface for air. If inactive they can spend even up to 2 hours without breathing. Their ears, adapted to the underwater, may be used as sonars - they can also vocalize in infrasounds, inaudible to humans. Their languages are a mix of sounds that a human may hear and those they may not. They reproduce sexually, and their children drink the milk of their mothers. They have three sexes (although only two are directly involved in reproduction, see below in Merfolk Sex). They reach maturity at around 8 years, although most societies consider them adults at ~12 years. They have a similiar lifespan as humans.

Merfolk Sexes

The Merfolk are divided among three sexes: Male, Female and Buquor. They lack sexual dimorphism for the most part, except for the Buquor who are visible due to their larger size and fatty tissue, as well as the lack of reproductive organs. ~1/10 of their population is Buquor, ~4/10 is male and ~5/10 is female. Buquor play a special role in their society - they carry cultural and social information instead of genetic information. The presence of a Buquor in a tribe increases its chance of survival, as they have an incredible ability of complete memorization of everything they ever hear. They serve as teachers, "scribes" (as they have no paper, they are their own paper) and advisors. They live up to 2 times longer than the usual Merfolk.

Merfolk Psychology

While their minds are at first similar to humans, there are a few key differences, caused by their brain's divide between the two hemispheres being much sharper - they speak of "two-soulness", the communication between these two being from where their ego arises. It makes their bodies sometimes lock up, when the two minds disagree(which is not common, as they are used to each other, but sometimes leads to strange mental illnesses), but it allows them to half-sleep, with one hemisphere sleeping while the other controls the body. It also makes it so that any forms of mind control need to affect both minds at once to have full, predictable effects.

Merfolk Cultures and Technology

The Merfolk cultures are varied, and so are their technology levels. Most gather in Schools of 50-100, migrating with the seasonal change. They call themselves Wanderers, and believe that they follow their ancestral lifestyle. They herd schools of fish, as well as gathering wild edible seaweeds. Despite this, however, they still have quite a complex technology - they create complex materials woven out of special seaweeds (thought to be gifts of their gods), as well as having a complex traditional medicine, carried by their Buquor. They see all forms of writing as blasphemus, which doesn't stop most of them from trading with the various peoples who live by the sea, exchanging fish and pearls (which often function as a currency in exchanges between the tribes) for items out of metal and spices. However, an increasing number is starting to adopt a more sedentary lifestyle, setting up farms using seaweeds. Some of their Buquor are also adopting surface faiths, syncretizing them with their own underwater faiths, as well as starting to write down their traditions. While a small parts of the Settled communities are able to keep friendly relationships with the Wanderers and to even keep trading, most Wanderer schools hate the Settler's guts and vice versa.

Merfolk Politics

The Wanderer Schools send one of their Buquor to the nearest Holy Site every moon cycle - there, they meet and discuss manners of borders, migration, future plans and any other issues that their Schools have between themselves. They exchange tales afterwards, as well as teaching each other traditions and legends so that they are not lost. Using mediation they mostly manage to avoid wars, but if a conflict may not be resolved using words alone, they prefer meeting for pitched battles in a set location, with both sides using less-lethal weapons (like nets, hoops, ropes and batons) to resolve the issue without spilling blood. Rarely, mostly if a conflict remains after the pitched battle where one side thinks that the other has cheated, they go to an actual war. Then, the results are bloody - wars often end with one of the schools being forced to flee to less advantageous locations - it is seen as wrong by most to pursue fleeing enemies (with the exception of the Settled).
The Settled Schools have learned more of warfare from the Landed Folk. They often fight for the more advantageous locations, using sharp weapons out of bronze (the same as their armour, which their warriors, few but powerful, buy from the Landed Folk). They also clearly mark their borders. Most Settled Schools are governed by a Chief, elected by the council of Buquor, who are expected to stay as their advisors. Most Chiefs are male, with Buquor not being allowed to become Chiefs and females being forced into submission. They create a web of alliances that seems to flow into each other, with Buquor being used as messengers as harming one is seen as bringing bad luck and the wrath of gods (a conviction that they are glad to propagate). They sometimes create larger Coaltitions, in order to fight outside foes - they are most often led by the single largest and most powerful Tribe, with others acting as satelites.