True Name: Xeira
Called: Whatever she is named
Rank: Slave
Actual Age/Apparent Age: Xeira is 75, though she appears in her late 20's
Gender: Female
Race: Merrow, Siren
Songs of the Ocean
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Description:
     In her Merrow form, Xeira's first impression is always color. With pale skin and shell pink hair, her scales glitter iridescently across her collar bones and down her arms. The pattern carries to the swell of her breasts, before fading to human-like skin. Scales scatter down her sternum to flare across her lower abdomen, thickening into heavy and ornate colors of deep greens and violets, reminiscent of both a mandarin and lionfish. Thin delicate webbing lines her fingers, to aid in swimming, and her nails taper to short, sharp claws. Her eyes, are pitch black, without pupil, made for the deeper water where light is scarce. Gills etch the side of her throat, allowing her to breath while swimming, as well as when at the surface.

     Human form is not very different, though her pink hair fades to something more natural. The longer she is from, and away, from the water, the more blonde it becomes. Her eyes are soft lilac when the light reflects, instead of red, and their typical tone edges on silver. Her long limbs are delicate, and though she moves gracefully, not meant for hard menial labor. She lacks physical strength when forced upon the rigoring constructs of land. In the water, her fins stretch her easily to seven feet in length. While on land, she stands at a much smaller 5'5".

Abilities/Skills:
     Other than the basic abilities of her race, as a Siren, Xeira has an entrancing voice. It's tone can cause a minor emotional mirroring of how she speaks. Soothing tones can lull, and passion can rise passion. Her ability to utilize her full Siren's song has been dampened by the collar that keeps her trapped on land, beneath the rule of others, and called slave. If removed, her shriek can rupture eardrums, and her song can cause those that hear it to lose will of their thoughts.

     As a weakness, due to her nature, Xeira requires salt water. Once a week, she must fully immerse herself and return to her Merrow form, otherwise she begins to fade in color and turn gaunt. It is the trade off for what she is.

History:
     Xeira once belonged to a shoal of Mer set deep off the shore, in the depths of the oceans, where the passing of ships and souls overhead never influenced them. However, Xeria's sister, Cora, had an unhealthy fascination with shining and sparkling things. Though most Mer are drawn to such treasures, Cora started venturing closer and closer to man, in a way to gather more for her collection. It was that carelessness that caused Cora to be spotted by a passing merchant vessel.
     Seeing the pretty yellow Mer in the water, they bantered, and Cora was tossed a gift - a single gold coin. That sparked a fire in her sister, and any time not spent with the pod, was spent trying to weasel more presents from passing ships. Eventually, that particular spot became known as Mermaid's Way.
     Despite the warnings, and the head of their shoal declaring contact forbidden, Cora's horde of gems, fancy baubles and gifts grew. Among the others, resentment grew as well. Soon, Mermaid's Way was full of eager Mer ready to offer a song or a story in exchange for something shiny.
     As with all things folly, eventually the day came that a ship arrived not to trade for tales, but to capture the rare oceanic creatures for gain and profit. As nets were lowered into the water, and the foolish maids captured, some escaped to return to the shoal. Xeria was among the handful of Mer that responded. Versed in combat, she swam with three others to retrieve their foolish sisters that had been stolen. In the cover of darkness, they crept aboard the ship, splitting their fins, and walking whisper-light through the darkness. As her voice rose in Siren song to sing the ship to sleep, her brothers freed the half dozen captured maids and returned to the ocean.
     Xeira did not expect that some creatures could be immune to her melody, or that said creature would be on board. As the Mer retreated to the ocean, Xeira was caught unaware and captured. While an agile and formidable opponent with her shell blade in the water, with legs she was not as lucky. Knocked unconscious and gagged, she was brought before the captain, the only prize left for his efforts. Returning to Leera, he found himself the sole possessor of a Siren. A collar was commissioned for her and she was quickly muted.


Culture:
     Merrow are made of an assortment of Merfolk. The most common Mer are the Maids. They tend to be jovial, fun-loving and a tad mischievous. They are vain creatures that adore games and collecting objects to show off among their homes. These are the creatures most associated with Mer when sighted. Most Mer live to 300 if not killed. Their gestation are slow, and pregnant Mer are extremely vulnerable until offspring is spawned. They go through a single annual mating season, where shoals often gather. They will show off their skills and their collections, trying to prove they can provide the best for mating. Males are much rarer among the Mer and are often fought over. It is a status among the females to have a bonded male partner, though the male can reject their bond at the next mating season. Such a disgrace can often cause a Mer to leave her home shoal and move on to another.
     Among the Mer, also reside Sirens, the predatory side of the coin. If Maids are tangs, Sirens are sharks. They have the ability of song, to lure their prey into a false sense of security before they devour them. Sirens tend to live more solitary lives, though it is not entirely uncommon to find one or two in a Mer shoal. They tend to be territorial, possessive and jealous creatures. They are not driven by the same sort of carefree life as the Maids, and almost exclusively consume meat. Small shoals of Sirens do occasionally happen, though their penchant to draw in ships and murder their crews make them swiftly dealt with in most instances.
     Deep Mer are the rarest form to encounter. Bio-luminescent fins, tentacles, spines. These Mer are typically found in only the deepest parts of the ocean. They are strongly magical and rarely surface enough to encounter land-dwellers. Even among the Mer, they are often avoided. Deep Mer are not above cannibalizing their own kind if caught.