[One of these days, I’m going to run a campaign that takes place mostly underwater. The Renaissance-era obsession with the idea that everything on land has an oceanic equivalent will likely help fuel campaign ideas.]
Zitiron This heavily armored creature looks something like a
vaguely humanoid turtle. Its lower half is a strong, finned tail and its
muscular arms end in two-fingered hands.
Zitirons, sometimes
called “sea knights”, are heavily armored, turtle-like humanoids. They
frequently live as itinerant members of communities of other aquatic humanoids,
such as locathath, merfolk and aquatic elves, traveling from settlement to
settlement and selling their services as mercenaries. Zitirons are typically
honorable in combat—they accept surrender, treat hostages well and honor flags
of truce. Their chivalrous conduct lends them admirers both above and below the
waves, and some surface-dwellers employ zitirons as escorts for ships traveling
through hostile waters.
Zitirons live long
lives, much like the turtles they resemble, and this lends them a certain
patience. A zitiron sees no problem with taking months or years to learn a
skill or accomplish a goal, and wars among their own kind tend to be affairs of
attrition that strike other races as languid. Despite their opposing viewpoints
regarding law and chaos, zitirons and elves have similar perspectives on other,
shorter-lived peoples, and zitirons are often most comfortable in aquatic elven
communities.
Zitirons are filter
feeders. Their helmet-like scales contain multiple rows of baleen-like
filaments, which they use to strain plankton and small fish from ocean water. Zitirons
raise their young communally—each child is cared for by the entire platoon
regardless of blood relation, and zitiron young refer to all members of their
platoon as “aunt” or “uncle”. A zitiron is about seven feet in length and
weighs up to 1500 pounds.
Zitirons are often found in association with drifters, acting as guards against powerful aquatic threats. They are also found selling their services to Talassa’s faithful.
Shores of Swords 