all art by @moss-tombstone @/koshmareq on twt
All Merfolk start off hatching from eggs in artificially constructed coral dens, built and maintained by their home colony. They usually hatch in large clutches, but occasionally a single egg is laid & raised on its own.
They stay in the den until they're deemed able to hunt small reef fish. Once this stage is reached they're allowed to roam the reef and start learning the basics of agriculture.
Seeding corals, tending to sea grass, and weeding kelp forests. Preparing fermentations in seal skin bags. Smoking, salting, sunpreserving, and burying food on sand bars. All in preparation for when a Leviathan Mer, the shepherds of the sea, makes an appearance.
Leviathans are a subclass of Mer so wildly different in build and behaviour they were long thought to be a species all their own. Whilst Mers that inhabit the reefs tend to reach a maximum size of 1.3m, a little smaller than the average human, Leviathans can grow to rival Orca; 6 to 10 meters. Rather than stay in their home colonies like most Mers; Leviathans lead mostly solitary migratory lives. Despite this they are responsible for the majority of reproduction.
They heard shoals of fish along their migratory routes, to and from their feeding grounds in colder waters. Occasionally accompanied by domesticated herding seals, tame seabirds, or another Mer as a mated pair.
During these journeys they may visit any number of Mer colonies, exchanging stories and regional goods, but they usually settle on 1 or 2 they consider their territory, to return to every 2 to 3 decades to lay their clutch. Where they will be greeted with great jubilation. The reef Mers have a week or so’s forewarning as the Levithans sing, calling out on the approach. Once they arrive a feast is made of the shoal they shepherded. The youngest members of the colony are expected to fend for themselves as the other members pamper the gravid Leviathan. Massaging and preening their thick armoured plating and purring in a cuddle pile to help kickstart laying.
The Leviathan lays its clutch, a mix of fertilized, unfertilized, and dud eggs. The pre fertilized eggs having been fertilized internally before the Leviathan last departed or during, a rare, friendly meeting with another Leviathan in the open ocean. The unfertilized eggs are fertilized externally by the colony Mers. The duds are there to be eaten by the hatchlings.
While the colony Mers tend to the eggs the Leviathan teaches the youngest Mers wayfinding using the stars and their own internal compass. Should hardship befall the colony some Mers may be driven from the reef and need that knowledge to navigate to another colony or to the cold water feeding grounds. A fate far more likely to occur to those Mers born outside a cohort. Alternatively, if a Mer has bonded strongly to the visitor they may choose to join them in the open ocean.
Once the cold waters are reached a combination of environmental factors kickstart a rapid transformation; from Mer to Leviathan. Like lobsters they don’t die of old age. Only if they get too big to be able to sustain themselves or too injured.
Human relations vary wildly with each colony. Mers will set up colonies wherever they’re able to propagate corals. However, they prefer warmer waters due to their small size. Given their long life spans some colonies have persisted in the same location since antiquity. Often with good trade relations with local human populations. With the recent advent of industrial trawling and pollution these relationships and many colonies themselves have collapsed.
Historically, Leviathans have often come into conflict with humans. Fighting off poachers trying to take from their shoals or colonies. But in the modern day they also have to fight to defend themselves as Mer eggs are considered a delicacy, and human demand won’t settle for the occasional dud egg traded with a willing colony.
This leads to the current state of things where semi-legal Mer blood sports facilities are becoming popular. Offering dinner and a show.
pls go checkout kosh's awesome art on twt !!!!
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