Name: Zhuandii
Average Lifespan: 130-150 years
Physical Description: The average male Zhaundii reaches up to 5'8" in height with anything above 6 feet being rather rare while the average female is usually 5'6". Most Zhuandii are slender in build with flexible webbing that reaches to their last finger joint to allow fast swimming. On their necks they possess gills which make them capable of breathing underwater though they are also capable of breathing surface air. Their skin come in various colors though mostly in shades of blue, grey and green. Their almond shaped eyes are somewhat larger than that of humans and come in various colors as well such as green, blue, purple and a rare shade of orange. They decorate their skins with swirling tattoos similar to vortexes or pictures of magnificent serpents of the sea or even dragons. On their forearms and calf are very short fins similar to that of a shark and a rare breed of Zhuandii possess two of them on their backs that can be folded and allow them to glide when they launch themselves from the water at high speeds. Their hair is often straight and brushed back or to either side but decorated with shells or even very colorful feathers and coins as the Zhuandii are very fond of bright colors and shiny objects.
Despite their slender appearance, Zhuandii are deceptively tough and strong, possibly the fastest swimmers of humanoids in existence without magical aid, capable of launching themselves up into the air from the water and onto a ship.
Zhuandii are probably the only race with the highest number of natural born hermaphrodites (Not due to genetical error) in the world and those are very are to distinct to either gender.
The facial features are often smooth with a small nose and a tight lipped mouth. The skin on their scalp is often darker than that of the rest of their skin and it sometimes trails off down the neck and back along the spine or the entire upper body. Their ears are pointed and fin like and very acute when underwater. Their eyes are better in the darkness as they swim in deep waters and dark caves and can be rather sensitive to bright flashes.
Zhuandii language is often a high frequency speech that passes easily through water so when they learn other languages, they are extremely accented and sometimes don't say what they actually mean. This however makes their voice very melodic and often times even soothing to the ear.
Zhuandii often cannot tolerate hot and dry atmospheres so they avoid those at all cost. Their biology demands more moisture as dry skin is of great annoyance to a Zhuandii and when dry for long enough time will cause sores.
Culture Description: The culture of the Zhuandii is based on that of a council with five heads. Due to the fact that the Zhuandii and the Naga don't see eye to eye, the Zhuandii are a united people and rarely go to war with each other.
They are however very fascinated with the surface world. When they first migrated into other cultures of people, they first fell in love with the fabrics, the food and the shinies though no one can say which order it was in. They adore cooked food as they used to eat fish raw underneath the waves. They picked up cooking and music-making very quickly and some even desire to apprentice as a jeweler though it is hard for a Zhuandii as they are often unconsciously kleptomanic for shiny object. Many a fisherman have been a victim to the theft of their shiny fish bait by Zhuandii children.
Most Zhuandii settlements are in underwater caves and grottos where the people can easily defend and feel safe.
Often a favored weapon among the Zhuandii are the bow, a hook and the spear. Since they often hunt dangerous and fast prey underneath the sea, they use hooks to latch onto their prey that retaliate such as sharks that charge at them. Their weapons are often noticeable as they are made by fine crafted whale bones. It wasn't until they migrated to other cultures did they wield iron forged weapons. It's not uncommon to find a Zhuandii with a whale bone hook at their hip, a particularly wealthy Zhuandii wielding a hook of bloodsea iron.
The main export that the Zhuandii contribute to the overall world is a certain kind of paste made from deep sea herbs which they make to maintain dental and oral hygiene. Because of this, toothaches are very rare among the Zhuandii. Other exports include fish and sea creature hides/Scales and rather recent in history, jewels and pearls.
The currency that the Zhuandii use in trade is mostly pearls and gems, mostly aquamarine.
Due to their light sensitivity, the Zhuandii usually wear tinted spectacles.
Average Good Traits: Low-Light Vision = They are very capable in dark environments but they can't seen in absolute darkness.
Underwater Breathing
Deceptively Strong = Although they look slender, The average Zhuandii have enough leg power to launch themselves out of the water and high enough to land onto a schooner. They are not however going to punch through stone or break bones with a single arm until the bone juts out of the skin
Amazing swimmers
Melodic Voice
Average Bad Traits: Sensitivity to light : Bright flashes will cause temporary blindness and even average lighting causes squinting.
May be overly inquisitive to the point of annoyance
Kleptomaniacs
More need for moisture and hydration than human.
Occasionally hard to understand in speech or they might find hard to understand others' speech.
Clumsy in a cluttered terrain
Hrollf Whales
Hrollf whales are dangerous hunters of the waves with no natural predator, making it an apex predator of the sea that hunts mostly alone but there have been cases of a team of Hrollf whales actually working together against larger whales or even land seals or such animals before sliding onto the shore to devour them. The average size of a male Hrollf is 9 to 11 meters in length and 7 tons in weight while the average female is that of 6-9 meters and weighing 6 tons or even 5.5 tons, both of them have a dorsal fin that reaches up to 2 meters.
The appearance of the Hrollf whale has been described as non-threatening similar to a dolphin. Their hide usually comes in black with rare cases of deep blue, both having a white underbelly. A very distinct feature however of the Hrollf Whale is a white star on their foreheads. Although not every star is the same, most of them possess this star shaped mark on their heads, giving the nick name "Star Whales". Their snouts is similar to that of a dolphin but stouter filled with sharp teeth.
Hrollf Whale bones
Bones of the Hrollf whale are very durable and flexible which is the reason why they are mostly used for weapons among the Zhuandii. Although not as tough as steel or even iron, they share qualities to that of bronze. It's also used to make gorgeous and durable ivory.
Bloodsea Iron
A peculiar mineral found on certain seabeds of the world. The mineral is forged into ingots of either iron like quality or steel depending on the forger. It's much harder to gain steel like quality but when it happens, the mineral takes on a beautiful sheen of red similar to that of blood and the pattern in makes is reminiscent to that of sea waves. Although not much more durable than steel, this metal is however much more resistant to rusting than most other common metals. It's however no more resistant to decay magic than any other. Might take longer but the difference is minuscule.
However, this mineral is very hard to obtain due to the lack mine building in the sea and there for is rare.
Rovo goo
Rovo goo is what the Zhuandii call the paste which they make to tend their oral hygiene. It has a distinct pink color and a peculiar texture which most do not quite like. The taste of it is extremely sweet which may put people off but is incredibly delicious to the Zhuandii people.
Zhuandii Rovo makers and healers instruct people to use Rovo goo at least every other day and let it dissolve in their mouths which should take about 10 minutes and not eat or drink anything for an hour afterwards. This will cause tooth aches and oral infections to lessen as well as make teeth seem more pearly white.
The zhuandii people also tried to instruct people to let a certain seabed slug in their mouths to eat up any food remnants which would further enhance oral cleanliness but it has mostly been unsuccessful due to the "ickyness" of it and the fact that swallowing the slug would cause it to eat through the stomach and cause very serious health issues.