The Blind Dwarf

MC Name:

         Aftrballini

Character's Name:

         Guilote the Rosethorn

Character's Age:

         20

Character's Race:

         Heartlander

What magic(s) will you be learning?

         Translocation

Teacher's MC Name:

         TheGekko

Teacher's RP Name:

         Tiwari Kervallen-Elmwood

Do you have a magic(s) you are dropping due to this app? If so, link it:

         N/A

Do you agree to keep Story updated on the status of your magic app?:

         Yes

Are you aware that if this magic is shelved, it will be unavailable to use?

         Yes

Fix to Plate Armour maybe???

I believe a potential fix could be brought to us through the history of plate armour.

Historically plate armour was incredibly weak to blunt force trauma. It was also heavy and hard to use for prolonged periods of time. So maybe a direct counter could be something like a mace or hammer etc? And a certain number of emotes using plate armour could cause the person- no matter the race to be affected by it in someway? Just throwing my thoughts out there.

Origin/Background/Culture

  From the depths of the Marine Ecosystem, living amongst the wrecks of would-be pirate legends and rocks sharp enough to pierce drowned flesh, small humanoid creatures roam freely. They are the whispers of sailors who dare mutter them into existence. Sailors who dare tread too far from land for too long.  A pest to some, a menace to others and downright abominable to most. Across the coast they build their domes crafted from the ruins of land dwellers. 

                                                                                                                                                  The Murloc.

                                                                                                                                                      [A typical Murloc dressed for war]

    For many years they were just rumors. An old tale told to children to keep them from the true maws of the deep ocean. Passed down by generations. But now they come. In force they cross the oceans from the east in makeshift vessels scavenged together by old shipwrecks, coral and whatever else they could find at the bottom. Salty creatures who gurgle and bubble at the mouth in excitement as webbed hands pull on barnacle ridden ropes. Hoisting fallen colors into the frigid air. For now, there is new land to settle. 

     Murloc are fishy beasts which inhabit the ocean and coastal regions and have been for many years. Hailing from distant lands. More often than not the large communities hide away in the sand or caves nearby living away from other races. They are fishes who've adapted to survive in tribes, or pods as they call them, and hunt in the waters for survival and thrill. Only now as they are growing into a somewhat civil people do they reach out and interact with their neighbors. Seeking growth, knowledge and plunder wherever it may lie.

    They are a society built on the back of fishing and all that goes with it. Amphibious things with an economy built on fish rather than coin with the highest ranking Murloc typically the one who catches the most fish. Disagreements in the pod, which are very rare considering how one minded these creatures are, often end in a contest to see who can catch the most or best specimen. The range of possible catches going from the very smallest tadpole to the largest Shulkra.*

                                                                                                                           [A young Murloc plays in the weeds outside it's home]

        Murloc pods are tribal in technology and are less than intelligent. Docile in nature unless provoked or offered an opportunity they tend to follow whoever the biggest or best fisherman among their pod is. Despite the constantly changing position they have no need for power or desire to be the strongest. All they truly care about is the betterment of their pod as a whole. Singular Murlocs are not capable of much alone but in a group, they recognize the strength numbers which leads them to want to gather in ramshackle towns. As they are carnivorous and have a strict diet of fish only a select few would ever stoop low enough to feast on land meat nor vegetation for that matter. Except for the occasional slice of kelp to garnish fresh salmon. These eastern travelers are distant from their more unhinged cousins who are often seen babbling about attacking everything on sight these pods are considerably civilized.  They trade, make deals and are capable of discussing situations with a degree of intelligence. 

   Though typically gathered at the water's edge to settle down they frequently build ships in order to populate other regions. In a rather simple but aggressive fashion a Murloc ship is built, sails then crashes into a shore where a city of domes is created around it. Leading to the names of each city to be directly descendant from the ships that crashed there. The wreckage providing a gathering place to both hold their newly born and to train in the art of hunting sea life.

   As they aren't the smartest, they are quite easily persuaded. Making them perfect for hiring if an army wants to bolster their troops or if a nearby kingdom seeks to hunt a potentially hostile sea monster. They don't have the ability to discern between right and wrong however which means they are often made to be villains, similar to bandits if the pay (fish) is good. One of the key features of a prosperous Murloc society is an abundance of living coral which is used in all manner tools. And while the use of Hippocampi* often occurs they are more revered than they are used for manual labor.

 When it comes to religion, they are probably the simplest of all. They worship, with no degree of disagreement between the pods, the largest and most active sea creature or monster in the area. For now, they are focused on the Labbas* with several different rituals in rotation. One, quite simply, is to try and hunt the creature (unsuccessful). A second ritual is to attempt to ride the creature (unsuccessful). And thirdly, more often than not, Murloc will feed themselves (when old and decrepit) to the beast. The newly fed Murloc becoming one with their 'God' and thus worshipped alongside it. 

 *(See Marine Bestiary)

                                                                                                                [Less than intelligent. And easily persuaded.]

Physical Description

                         Murloc are scaled or rubbery skinned sometimes adorned by long spikes (reaching one foot in length when full grown) along their back. Their eyes are large and beady with sharpened irises. They are usually colored blue with spots of orange and yellow to help camouflage them in the coral environments they thrive within. Though there have been cases of green depending on the location they live (swamps/fresh water). Their armor, if they even find or want clothes to begin with, consists of fish bone or larger scales from sea creatures. The best fisher among Murloc society may adorn coral decorations to display their superiority but all armor they have access to regardless is light and does little for protection.  They are thick skinned and weak boned but have the capability of floating or sinking with ease which adds to their innate ability to swim freely.  Murloc are a hunched humanoid creature with webbed hands, feet and long protruding gills. They stand around two to three feet tall (hatchlings can reach about a foot and a half) and weigh very little; around 110 pounds when particularly chunky and around 60 pounds at the low end. Lifespan is around 50 years in its fullest extent though some of the 'crustier' specimens have been noted to be around 100.

 This creature is strong when in water and capable of swimming at impressive speeds with the downside being they can be a little clumsy when on land. Fire and fire magic in general are highly effective against them, causing their bodies to dry out rapidly, where most water magic hardly gets through their naturally waterproof skin. A water mage or witch would find them highly amusing and undoubtedly a good ally to have. They have to frequently dunk themselves in water (atleast once a day) to avoid being turned into a dusty Murloc raisin. Wooden weapons might have a hard time breaking through the skin but otherwise they are susceptible to most physical objects. Whether sharp, point or otherwise dangerous.

                                                                                                     [An especially playful Murloc hops around in the swampy sludge]

Mental Description

       This creature’s behavior is almost always passive unless threatened or tasked to be otherwise by the highest bidder. When dealing with descendent races, especially clearly powerful ones, their curiosity outweighs their fear. They have no clear recognition of what is ‘right and wrong’ as most descendants have come to understand it apart from what they may believe religiously. One Murloc will happily protect a lost elven child from the elements only to turn around give them to a band of Orcs in exchange for food not minutes later. When dealing with each other they are shown to have a kind of hive mind. Very rarely disputing about anything other than the odd display of one Murloc saying their fish is bigger than the other’s.

     Their mindless and natural reactions can be seen as brutal or maybe even unkind, but they do not see it as anything but normal. Survival to them is the only reason worth fighting or living in the first place. Whether that be killing for some evil queen or defending livestock from a stray Lich. As long as they are receiving food, no matter the situation, they are happy. Especially if the fish is big.

 Otherwise, they are curious when encountering new things. And they will go out of their way to try something they've never done before which includes tasting new fruit, tasting new material or even tasting a newly encounter creature. To see if it's at all fishy. When in battle they see it only as a means to an end. They do not make a drastic switch from one emotion to the next. In that sense they are rather bland. True happiness found in the hunt and subsequent feast that comes after.

Abilities:

Water Breathing --

Murloc have the extraordinary ability to breathe underwater.

It requires no emote time in order to activate and is a passively active ability.

Red Lines:

General Red lines/Restrictions

Grouping A – Starter Creatures

Purpose (OOC)

I had the idea of creating Murlocs during one of my explorations of the current map, Aevos. There's this sunken city place way up North (I believe) and it really perked my interest on sunken things in general. I think water is an untapped source of story that is often overlooked and thanks to some of the new Minecraft updates it could be really aesthetically pleasing. I understand this is a pretty heavy thing to drop as my first attempt at creating lore, but I'd love to see any thoughts on the topic. As well, I believe villain characters can often be limited by what they can do, specifically characters who aren't incredibly physically powerful or magically dangerous. Just anybody cunning enough. Murloc could make for great cannon fodder or even be used to bolster a small settlements capability, really adding some interesting plot devices to an already fleshed out story. We have some amazing monsters, some amazing races but I haven't seen a race whose sole purpose is just to fish and build ocean stuffs! That might be interesting to people who have never explored that side of the game. I don't know how the water breathing thing would work mechanically. Thanks for reading.

Citation Spoiler