The Nybelmer, an overview.

Nybelmer;

Not to be confused with the Merfolk of Sarvonia, the Nybelmer are an intelligent race, that is able to speak the human tongues and lives in more or less organised communities among the coasts of Nybelmar. Capable of casting more or less advanced magic, depending on which tribe one is looking at, they are a presence that cannot be ignored around the coasts of Nybelmar. Scholars identify at least three separate subraces amongst the Mer of Nybelmar in the Kaerathi region, each of which is given an introduction below;

Deep Mer, Soéliveche;
These are the giants among the Nybelmer. Reaching an average length of three peds head to tail, they are impressive to behold, but quite rare to find. A group of these mer is rumored make home under the Drifting Woods, but in general they seem to like to travel great distances through the depths of the ocean without having a set home. Would one encounter a Deep Mer in the ocean, ignoring the creature and keeping a safe distance is usually advisable, as they are often ill-tempered in their dealings with the 'Surface Dwellers'. The subtribe dwelling below the Drifting Woods is generally a bit friendlier, especially to the Ter'ei'Vikh, with whom they have a blossoming trading relation. They are loosely organised in family groups, each led by a Shaman that governs over his pod without question.
Deep Mer have fairly dark colors. Their scales are often a deep blue or green, and this color seems to 'bleed' into their fins, that have a colored center but transparent edges. Their haircolor is anything from light brown to dark green, and their skin tone is usually grey-ish, with a striped pattern on the shoulders, arms, and back, usually in a slightly lighter color than that of the scales. These are the strongest Mer, with an impressive physique.
As most Nybelmer, they are able to work magics to some degree, but their abilities are strictly defined among the sexes. The 'male' merfolk, whom are usually the largest, are comparable to rudimentary mages of the School of Water, while the 'females' seem to be able to communicate with many creatures of the sea, and command them if needed. Finally, the 'third gender', who are the only ones that can be a family shaman, are the Deep Mer's link with their ancestral spirits. Their magic is that of the mind, and many a fisherman will readily swear there are the most amazing women to be found underwater in a certain area, that allure them, and call for you, but disappear as soon as you jump into the water. It will be obvious that the Deep Mer, while being hunters of fish themselves, do not appreciate the human interest in the sea's bounty.

Dark Mer, Charchaveche;
These are creatures of mystery. Believed to make home around the Essalui Thareliath, they are mostly shrouded in shadows. With a pale-white skin and scales that contrast magnificently with their dark fins and hair, the Dark Mer are rumored to be of evil intent, and feared by sailors, even though no cases are known of a Dark Mer attack. They are said to be small, reaching no more than one and a half to two peds, and endowed with a beautiful voice that calls out in the night for help. Would one be foolish enough to search for the crier however, his ship is doomed, and will soon be destroyed by the dark workings of these mer, and the sailors ravaged and eaten raw.
However, recent studies have raised the idea that most of their fearfull nature is unjust. The Dark mer, or Charchaveche as they call themselves are reclusive beings, that avoid all contact with the other races, or even they Deep Mer brothers. Brooding and disdainfull of all other beings they are very intelligent, and more often than not capable of speaking various human languages, even though they have never met the humans in question. It is said they are great scholars in their own right, and users of magic that rivals that of the Humans in most aspects. The Deep mer speak only of them with the deepest respect, if they can be persuaded to speak of them at all. Among the very few facts the Compendium has been able to verify is the Dark Mer's habit of eating no animals of any kind, supposedly because of a deeply-rooted belief that all life has it's value. (Although this researcher believes the Dark Mer to consider the value of other beings significantly lower than that of their own kind.) This makes it unlikely that the old stories of terror are true, gives the fact that this belief is probably the only reason a Dark Mer would seek contact with a Human; to save them from drowning. Even then, the Humans rarely remember anything, and contribute their life to the actions of the Deep Mer instead.

Glittermer, Bevoluiveche;
Most common, and well known of all Nybelmarian Merfolk is the cheerfull, and sometimes frivolous Light Mer. Dwelling in the surface areas of most of the coast of the Kaerathi peninsula, they are well-known, albeit infrequent, visitors of port towns and fishing ships. Living in family groups without a fixed location, the Light mer enjoys the sun as much as the water, and will often beach itself, or climb atop cliffs in order to sunbathe. They are of medium size, usually around two peds and a few handspan, and covered in a light skin, and cream, golden, or silver scales, with various markings and patterns in a certain, but individually variable color. It is even said that not two Light Mer have the same secondary color, something that can neither be proved nor disproved. Light Mer are very fond of pretty items, and will often try to trade beautiful seashells and polished rocks for land-made jewelry and trinkets. Although they are intelligent enough to realise what they are trading, they can just as easily offer a raw gemstone in trade for a bit of colored glass as they would offer a common seashell with a bright shine. This surprises many people, but in fact the Light mer simply don't care, as they have no need for the items they are trading away.
The magic of the Light Mer is seldom seen, and many people believe they are incapable of such feats at all. Yet there are persistant tales of captured Light Mer that summon ferocious waves and winds against their captors, and similar stories of Light Mer calming a storm to aid one that has done one of them a good deed. Again, no such thing can be confirmed, yet fishermen seem to have an unwavering belief in this, and very few sailors will willingly do something to hurt a Light Mer.

Lesser Mer (Bochiluveche);
The Lesser Mer are the Mermish occupants of the Inner Sea. Compared to the other Mertribes of the Kaerathi region they can be considered to be of low overall intelligence, and are in many aspects not unlike the Baovveche of the Santharian seas. They are considered as a lesser species by most other Mertribes, who claim that, when confronted with stories about the "Stupid merfolk" claim it must be because of the stale water. Colored with various pastels, they can be quite pretty if one can be observed calmly, but reports suggest that over tha past decades, their numbers have been dwindling.
They are primal creatures, driven mostly by their desires for food and safety. Fearfull of the fishermen they encounter, they will usually flee before they are noticed, even though they are not hunted upon or hurt on purpose. Even the Glittermer, who sometimes encounter an Lesser Mer cannot explain this fear, although they can confirm it does not extent to other Mertribes. As far as is known, they posses no noteworthy magical skills, nor do they have the ability to speak the human tongues like most other Nybelmarian Mer do.

Tropical Species (needs a talk with Smith first)

Species X (needs extensive talking with Coren, put on hold until his exams are done)