Traits

Clothing Style: Ancient Greek or Roman Garb
Primary: Blue ; Secondary: Black

The Phinae are strange in that they do not always resemble creatures. Sure, you’ll see fish, eels, sharks, dolphins, and those sort of aquatic things around. But you’ll also see people growing coral, studded in urchins, or covered in kelp. You might also see people that look completely human plus some gills or a couple scales.

Phinae Culture & Politics

Young Phinae are exceptionally rare, and Phinae that visit land are even more rare. They have no islands of their own and instead spend their time at the bottom of the sea, ruled by a singular Phinae-mar. In the rare event that they have a visitor, magic is used to create corridors down to the cities. It is much more common for the Phinae-mar to visit land than the other way around. When Phinae do opt to leave the waters, they never stray far from the sea. When outsiders visit the world of the Phinae, the inhabitants are welcoming and very accommodating (almost to a frightening extent). Water dragon riders are incredibly common among them, thanks to their advantageous location and scrying abilities.

Because of their location and the nature of their ruler, they rarely partake in the politics of the land. They are acutely aware of the things that go on, though, making their information incredibly useful to those that can win their trust. Since the Erré sea extends into the Chronoscape, their knowledge about culture and the movement of people extends much farther than the margins of a map.

Phinae Religion & History

The god of the Phinae is the only one to directly interact with their people. They serve as the Phinae-mar and represent their people in all political events. However, their identity changes as the dominant spirit of the realm changes. Like many gods, Phinae represents the conglomeration of many souls, with one particular entity at the helm. This entity is the soul among them with the most attachment to the world above the sea, usually through lingering regrets or anger. Their shape shifts depending on this latest identity, along with their name and gender, but they are ultimately the same god. As time goes on and the new soul observes more of the world, they gradually forget their human memories and fade into the ‘old’ Phinae. By allowing human souls to lead the helm, Phinae remains connected to the realm of the living. It prevents them from doing something drastic (such as flooding the world to prevent suffering).

The current Phinae is female and takes great interest in the Tsotska. As such, she is more likely to appear when the Tsotska-mar calls him than any other entity of the worlds. Among all the gods of Eredia, Phinae is the strongest. Their power even reaches into the Chronoscape. They can instantly know what all creatures of the sea know. Since there are many underwater doors to the Chronoscape, they receive information from far-flung worlds and can travel quite swiftly by merging with the waters or hopping from the minds of fish to fish. It is only through this collective knowledge that Phinae knows the frivolous nature of abusing his powers. He is capable of bring the dead back to life—which is how all Phinae are born—so long as they die in the sea. While he is a god, the Phinae treat him more as a king or a great grandfather than an all-powerful being. The Phinae uses the color blue to represent their eternal home and the color black to represent the eternal sleep they are all too familiar with.

Phinae Magic

They are quite capable of breathing underwater, but there’s a bit more to their magic than modified appearances. No one appears to be born or die there. The cuts and injuries they incur are filled by sea life rather than skin and flesh. It isn’t unusual for some Phinae to have exposed bone, though they are just as jovial as ever. Land dwellers that spend too much time among the Phinae will find themselves drawn back to the sea, consequences be damned. It isn’t unusual to find people that resemble those lost to sea dwelling within the realm of the Phinae. However, upon prodding, they will insist they have always lived there.

Alongside their strange longevity and dubious origins, the Phinae can borrow the abilities of the Phinae-mar to perform small rituals and scry all kinds of things. They can see scenes from the future, determine the fate of others through cards, and even warn others of impending danger. On top of that, particularly adept Phinae may meld into the water and travel great distances quickly. Transforming or possessing sea life is second nature to them. Rumor has it that all feral sea serpents were once Phinae who aspired to be dragons themselves and never bothered to shift back. Alternatively, they may have forgotten their original identity in the first place.