Nordic Mers

The merfolk of the north seas are a short, stocky folk who traditionally have long, flowing beards woven with seaweed and studded with shells. The colours of their scales range from icy white to deep blue and black. Often their colours would bear a dappled pattern of shades, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings if a predator should pass them by.

Physical Appearance

Nordic Mers are much like any other merfolk across the world apart from their shorter, stouter build and their ability to grow fantastic beards. The skin of their humanoid upper body is made of miniscule scales that gradually increase in size towards their short yet powerful tail.

Forging Beneath the Ice

Deep in a valley in the sea floor is a series of hydorothermal vents, and it is around these that settlements of Nordic Mers can be found. A number of these vents emit a black plume, the temperature of which is high enough to melt metal. Nordic Mers make use of these plumes to forge their weapons and other items.

Drums from the Deep

Day 24.
The Captain ordered us to drop anchor yesterday, but why here of all places I'm still not sure. There is nothing to see for miles around but water and ice. These waters are said to be cursed, but the Captain had promised us this was the quickest route and we wouldn't linger. Well, that clearly wasn't true. I'm starting to wonder if there was another reason for her to want to be out here.
The others are getting nervous. No-one has heard any drums yet, but any day now we expect them to start. Then what? I sure hope the Captain knows what she's doing.

— Excerpt from a sailor's journal.

Many years ago, sailors who sailed across the northern seas warned of listening to drums that echoed across the cold waters, drums that beat out a peculiar rhythm and caused confusion and sparked paranoia, especially during the nights. Despite these warnings, many sailing folk saw these drums as either just another example of the dangers of the seas, or as a challenge and a mystery for only the brave to conquer. A rumour was spread that the source was none other than an ancient oceanic god who was said to be slumbering somewhere deep beneath the icy lands. According to these rumours, the drums were signals from the god who was searching for a worthy subject to answer their call, which, of course, would result in great treasures beyond compare.

Unfortunately for these brave sailing folk, the real source of the odd drumming was the Nordic Mers and the mysterious works they forged in the deep waters. During this time the existence of these northern merfolk had not yet been discovered, and even today they remain a reclusive folk. This is perhaps partly due to the severe guilt they bear over the number of ships that were wrecked, and the countless lives lost, caused by their hammering. It had taken a few years before they had realised the effect their work was having on surface-beings, especially as they spent such a limited amount of time on the surface themselves. So deeply horrified were they when they did discover this that many lay down their hammers, never to pick them up again. Yet others, while not being any less horrified, decided to take their work further into the depths, far beneath layers of thick ice where they built huge protective domes secluding themselves even further from the rest of the world.