Nereus

"I am not a fish!  I am a Nereana.  There is a massive difference."

--Nereana Delia Pisciscauda to Pomona Decus

The Nereus clan has water magic. The masculine form is Nereus, the feminine is Nereana, and the plural is Nerei (pron. nayr-ee-eye). The adjective form is Nerean​.

Abilities
The Nereus clan has magic over water. They con conjure it, project it, or otherwise manipulate it. This magic rarely shows itself because the Nerei live in the water and have limited exposure to the magic users on land.

Appearance
It is very easy to know a Nereus when you see one. They were cursed by the Tenebrari centuries ago to be half-fish, and so they maintain those features to this day. Nerei have coloring that blends into their environment, so their skintone will be anything from grey to reddish-brown to golden. They very rarely have skintones that are common on land. Their hair is the color of sea form--silver, white, or cream with hints of green or blue. Their eyes are single-lidded. Their digits tend to be connected by webbing. Most notable of all, though, are their fishtails, which extend to various part of their body depending on their stage of life.

Anatomy
When Nerei children are born, they are covered in scales from their neck to the tips of their tails. As they grow, they shed may of their scales. By the time they have hit puberty, their scales have fallen off everywhere except below their waist (and by the chest for girls). This is the typical adult form except when it is time for reproduction. At this time the scales fall off of all necessary organs and regrow again when reproduction is over.

Special Characteristics
Due to their cursed state, Nerei have an extended lifespan. They can live up to 300 years. So though physical maturity is reached at age fifteen, most Nerei delay starting a family for quite some time. Capacity to reproduce ends between the ages of 150 and 200. Physical aging is the same as humans up to age twenty-one, when slowed aging begins.

Geography
Their physical limitations restrict the Nerei to living in the oceans. They have large cities off the coast of Solharena, but smaller communities exist all along Archland's coast. Inland lake and river communities are rare if they exist at all.

History
The Nerei were loyal to the cause of Queen Helena and King Artorius, and they were perhapsthe bravest warriors. They fought off the Tenebrari's attack of the coastal cities, and they had almost prevailed when the Tenebrari cursed them to be half-fish. They were scattered for a while before they began to form an underwater civilization. Contact with the mainland was virtually cut off except for in some places along the coast of Solharena and on the Fortunate Isles. In fact, the Fortunate Isles had the closest connection with the Nerei, often hosting "marriages" to thank the Nerei lords for protecting the islands. This practice continued until after the Torrent, when it was outlawed by the new Reliquia rules of Solharena.

Notable Members

 * Duchess Nereana-Nelia Aedon Caratacus
 * Queen Nereana Sapphira Pisciscauda
 * King Nereus Maris Pisciscaudus
 * Princess Nereana Cordelia Pisciscauda
 * Nereus Irroro Aecor