Nation Sheet Position on Map - (A quick note, even though it is quite expansive amount of territory, the merfolk have loose control of the territory, and if not at war a ship can get through unmolested.): [img]http://i.imgur.com/PhdoU9F.jpg[/img] Name - Naaru Dominion Flag - None. Capital - Deephome: An underwater city carved into the side of an active volcano, it houses 100,000. Its primary industry is manufactured goods. Other Major Settlements - Trenchtown: An underwater city carved into the side of a trench, it houses 50,000. Its primary industry is pearl-gathering. Plaintown: An underwater city buried into the ocean floor, houses 20,000. Its primary industry is fishing. (Most of the population lives in rural areas) Population - One Million (The area they inhabit is sparsely populated) Races - Merfolk or as they call themselves, Naaru Culture - The Merfolk of the Dominion have quite a different set of values than your average land-dweller. They value individuality to the extreme, most would consider them to be extremely narcissistic and self-absorbed. While this is true, most merfolk embody a "If you don't bother me, I won't bother you attitude" and for the most part don't attempt to cause any trouble. Merfolk for the most part are extremely carefree, unless it involves what one considers their territory. This is because merfolk subsist off of the fish of the ocean, and encroaching on one's hunting grounds is taken very seriously. They are born in clutches of a hundred of more, into what they consider families. They feel somewhat loyal to their families, but this loyalty is fickle. Whenever their first family is conquered by another, most simply are adopted into the new family without much consequence. Most in the depths spend their little free time singing, playing games with one another, or engraving artwork on stones. Their individualistic nature has discouraged the spread of an organized religion, however most believe in 'spirits of the depths', who according to superstition are responsible for the ocean around them and the fortune and misfortune of particular Naaru. Crimes - Merfolk don't take a very tough stance on crime, most crime is considered a personal matter. If a thief stole something from you, its your responsibility to deal with it. While Merfolk consider most crimes to be a personal matter, cannibalism is seen as perfectly acceptable. However, crimes committed against a leader of a family is perceived to be a crime against a family, which the family will deal with in their own way. The merfolk are not willing to waste bones or meat. Thus Merfolk get a reputation for being immoral. The only crime Merfolk take a tough stance on is territorial disputes, if one member of a merfolk family breaches another family's territory, the Merfolk is either disowned or the families go to war. Government type - Feudalism. Several individual families of merfolk rule portions of the ocean depths, but they all swear fealty to the High Mother of the Briny Deep. People in power - -Danassa, High Mother of the Naaru Dominion and Mother of Deephome. She unified the Merfolk for the first time under the Naaru Dominion. She is a cunning ruler, and seeks to end surfacers fishing on the ocean of the Merfolk. She is 13 years of age, which is middle-aged by Naaru standards. -Shaa, Father of the Trench of Pearls. Took over the Trench of Pearls from his wife. Is a cutthroat who takes any opportunity to make a profit. He joined Danassa because he feared her armies. He is 19 years old, and approaching death. -Ghassa, Mother of the Northern Fish Fields. She leads the Fish-Fields, and wants to route the surfacers from the Naaru's waters at any cost. She joined Danassa because she believe that Danassa would drive the surfacers from their waters. She is 5 years of age, and is a young adult by Naaru standards. Industry - -Bonecarving: While considered completely useless to civilized surfacers, bone is the most practical and readily available material to the merfolk for weapons and tools. -Fishing: Merfolk live off of fish, and most people take this occupation. -Stonecarving: Slabs of stone and chisels are used to read and write under the ocean. A merfolk stonecarver is the equivalent of a scribe. -Pearl-gathering: The most lucrative industry by far of the merfolk, the merfolk with their knowledge of the waters are able to harvest an astounding amount of pearls. Military - -Schools: A recent invention by Danassa, these are 3 dimensional formations of merfolk who are disciplined and armed with long spears. They decimate unorganized troops underwater. -Militia: Most merfolk families rely of militias, untrained soldiers who attempt to swarm the enemy with short spears and speed. They lack discipline and are inferior to the Schools. Landscape/Terrain - -Deephome, an underwater volcano that is where the capital resides right in the middle of the dominion. -Trench of Pearls, an underwater trench that provides the Dominion with its pearls. It sits at the south of the dominion. -Northern Fish Fields, the best fishing grounds in the Dominion, naturally it resides in the Northern part of the dominion. History (Dates are labeled Moons, when is the first Moon? Nobody knows. I left it vague on purpose in case if you have anything else to add) -Pre-Dominion This is the vast majority of Merfolk History. For the most part the Merfolk would form their own families, and those families would fall to others. In this period bone weaponry and tools were discovered, and for the most part Merfolk have left the surface world alone. -Era of the Dominion (Present Era) This era begins with Denassa's birth. She was able to unify the families with diplomacy and brute force. She claimed that the developing empires of the surface were depleting their food supply (which is somewhat true), to claim that the families need to unite to deal with this threat. And Denassa used Merfolk in formation to shatter any resistance who did not submit to her rule. In a few short years Denassa was able to expand her territory from Deephome to the entire Naaru Dominion. Now, the Merfolk who are unified for the first time in their history look skyward to deal with an alien threat. -Races Sheet Name -Naaru (Merfolk) Appearance - Their skin is milky white, their eyes are pitch black and well adapted to the depths of the ocean. They have arms with webbed hands, and a fish's tail instead of legs. The merfolk are completely hairless. They are somewhat smaller compared to a human, and have gills on the side of their neck. They have sharp pointed teeth for tearing meat. They lack ears, and only have holes where they would be, and they also lack a nose. Otherwise, they are similar to a human's appearance. Natural abilities: -Waterbreathing: Can breathe underwater for a time, but can only breathe air for 15 minutes at a time and breathing air is somewhat exhausting. -Navigation: Merfolk are extremely good navigators in water, able to find their way with the way of the tides and pull of the moon. They rarely get lost in the sea. -Watersight: Merfolk can see extremely well in even the murkiest water, a downside is that they find it very hard for them to see in the harsh glare of the sun. Lifespan -20 years, but they mature at 2. Homeland -Naaru Dominion.