Mermen
The backbone of merfolk society, folklore and stories attribute Mermen to the “Old Man of the Sea” Nereus. The connection is obvious. With their even temperaments, laid back approach to life, their natural candor, and love for fun and freedom, most Mermen reflect the legends of origin of the primordial Old Man. While they are often overshadowed by the proud large personalities of Tritons, there is little of a Merman that implies weakness or lacking.
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Appearance: Mermen are the direct counterparts to Mermaids, and like their female gender, they come in a wide variety of origins, shadings, and builds reflective more of where they are from than of what they are. Considered the standard of male merfolk they are well built and athletic, a life in constant motion in the water has made them so. They tend to be slighter and more lean than the massive and imposing Triton. Do not mistake their size for a lack of strength, however. Mermen are quite strong, roughly 1.5 times the strength of the average human male of similar build. They tend to be extremely agile and quick and have have a comfort in battle that surprises their opponents. They are typically handsome, if not terribly showy about it, their mannerisms tend to lead toward a lack of showyness. Mermen typically have a lifespan between 150 and 300 years, depending on where they are from and the typical longevity of Merfolk in their area of origin.
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Personality: Mermen are incredibly laid back and even tempered. Not necessarily unintelligent, they do not seem in a particularly big hurry to accomplish much of anything. They enjoy the easygoing slow paced lifestyle of the ocean, and that reflects in most every aspect of their manner.They are judicious about the issues they take seriously, and are slow to anger. Even in battle it is more a matter of sport than temper. Mermen are typically straightforward speakers and loathe to lie. Not that they are not capable of it, but that frankly, keeping up with what one lies about is a great deal of work. Because of this nature, they tend to presume honesty in others and are typically more gullible than might be considered healthy for them to be. Their even temperament often makes those willing to make the effort and with the natural capacity for it, quite capable spellcasters. Mermen tend to give solid and sound advice when it is asked of them, due to their straightforward natures.They are not necessarily overly serious, but their more pragmatic approach is often the object of Triton’s ridicule. They can seem indecisive at times, though they prefer to simply make up their minds when they prefer to, not when others tell them. Mermen are rather independent minded, though that independence is something like a cat’s. They may nod or stay silent when told something they don’t agree with, and then simply go do what they wanted to do anyways.
Strengths: Mermen are quite strong, having 1.5 the strength of the average human male. Their natural sense of calm can be projected on others to ease a tense situation. This is a spell-like ability that takes at least 3 posts to cast. Mermen are so at one with the ocean, that they have an almost preternatural sense of the watery world around them. They can tell where they are, what's around them, upcoming changes in weather, when the tides move, even the time of day simply for being in the water and being that aware of it. When sunning on rocks or on land, they are not as well aware and oriented. Merman have the gift of long life and a perpetually youthful appearance. A merman can live up to 500 years.
Weakness: Their laid back nature can often leave them in the wake of more forceful personalities like Tritons and Sirens. They tend to presume honesty in others, and are vulnerable because of this.
