Seimanne

Seimanne (Sea People) are a semi-humanoid species, with a head and torso like that of a Human or Elvirim and scaly tails with the form of a dolphin's. Seimanne women are often quite beautiful to Human eyes, with iridescent scales covering their tales, large eyes, symmetric faces, fine features, and long hair. Seimmane men are muscular, and their scales are gray and thick. They appear more fish-like than Seimanne females, with fin-like ears and webbed hands. They are said to be fearless and accomplished warriors, fighting with spears and tridents.
Seimanne are sometimes called Marrihme, especially in northern countries (Nodyund, Danyund, and Manyund), where Nodkou is spoken.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Above their waist, Seimanne look like Human people, especially the females. Below their waist, they have scaly skin like a fish, but their tail has the form of a dolphin's tail. The scales of a Seimanne male are thick and give them significant armor, while the scales of a female are small and iridescent. Seimanne reproductive anatomy is similar to that of a dolphin.
Seimanne cannot breath underwater, though they can hold their breath for much longer than a Human, up to 20 or 30 minutes. Because of this, they are generally creatures of shallow waters near beaches.

Biological Traits

Male Siemanne are significanly larger and heavier than females.

Genetics and Reproduction

Seimanne mate in the water in a manner similar to dolphins and give birth to live young like dolphins. Seimanne females give birth in shallow water offshore from a beach and generally raise their young in calm, shallow water near a beach where they are safer. Females can become pregnant at any time of the year, but give birth to a single baby only once every two or three years. Females are fertile until they reach around 40 years old. Males are able to sire young until they are around 40 years of age.

Growth Rate & Stages

Seimanne are born live and stay with their mothers and fathers until they reach maturity at about 10 years old. After that time, they are independent and begin to seek mates. Most are serially monogamous, having several mates throughout their lives; though, some have a single partner for life. Seimanne live to roughly 50 or 60 years old. After Seimanne males and females pass the age of reproduction, they become more active in defense and sustenance of their colony. Older Seimanne males and females are fiercely protective. Older males are almost universally aggressive warriors. Older females are hunter-gatherers, but also can be dangerous if provoked.

Ecology and Habitats

Most Seimanne prefer warm, calm tropical waters like those along the northern coast of the Black Dragon Sea from Koyon to Senyon and the Chessa Sea. They favor protected beaches and grottos far from the habitations of other snetient species for their colonies.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Seimanne are hunter-gatherers and feed on fish, shells, and seaweed. They also eat some terrestrial plants and animals that they are able to gather or capture along the shoreline.

Behaviour

Seimanne are intelligent and have a complex society. They are able to make use of materials they gather in the ocean and along the shore to make sophisticated traps for prey and weapons of surprisingly good quality, despite their lack of metals.
When predators, like sharks, are nearby, young Seimanne females will flee to shallow water or onto a beach with their young, while males and older females protect them.
In general, Seimanne are fiercely protective of their colonies and their young, which is unsurprising, given the dangerous environment they live in and their relatively low birth rate. Approaching a Seimanne colony, especially in the water, is usually a fatal mistake for any terrestial sentient species.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Seimmane usually live in colonies of 50 to 200 individuals with a complex web of typically polygamous relationships that contantly change. Males tend to form long-lasting alliances of 5 to 10 individuals, while females have a smaller but more intimate social circle that changes more often. Colonies are governed by a group of older Seimanne of both sexes past their reproductive years, but the alliances and social circles are mostly self-governing. Social pressure to conform to colony traditions and conventions is significant and effective in preventing anti-social behavior, due to the threat of exile and expulsion from the colony.

Facial characteristics

The face of a Seimanne female is very much like that of a Human female and is often quite beautiful. They usually have long, thick hair from nearly white to black in color. A Seimanne male's face is also similar to that of a Human but has bonier eye sockets surrounded by tough scales to protect his eyes. The ears of a Siemanne male are look similar to the fins of a fish. Their hair is generally kept shorter than that of females, but is also nearly white to black in color. Some Seimanne males have short beards or mustaches.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Seimanne inhabit the warm, calm waters and beaches along the northern coastline of the Black Dragon Sea from Koyon to Senyon and in the waters of the Chessa Sea.

Average Intelligence

Seimanne intelligence is roughly equal to that of Human intelligence. They are tool users and makers. They make clothing and jewelry that they use for protection and decoration from materials they gather and from sea creatures they capture, and they make nets and traps for catching fish and other sea animals. They communicate verbally and with a form of sign language, though other sentient species are unable to speak or understand Seimanne speech or signs. They sometimes coat their weapons with extremely deadly poison they make from poisonous fish and shells.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Seimanne eyes are adapted to life in the sea, so they are able to see much more clearly underwater than Humans and other terrestrial species. They also have lateral lines like those of a fish, giving them the ability to sense pressure changes, movement, and vibrations while they are in the water. They also hear very well in the water and can perform some limited echolocation, like dolphins and whales, but not as well as dolphins or whales.

A Seimanne Male warrior by Peter Nelson (Zero Sum Games)

A Male Siemanne warrior

A young Seimanne Female on a tropical beach by Peter Nelson (Zero Sum Games)

A young Siemanne female on a tropical beach

Lifespan

50-60 years

Average Weight

Males: 185 lbs. (84 kg) Females: 110 lbs. (50 kg)

Average Length

Males: 84 inches (213 cm) Females: 72 inches (183 cm)

Average Physique

Seimanne males are muscular, roughly 7 feet (213 cm) in length from the top of their head to the end of their tail, and weigh about 185 lbs (84 kg). Females are smaller and much lighter, about 6 feet long (183 cm) and 110 lbs (50 kg). Females grow heavier and stronger after their reproductive years.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The skin of a Seimanne male is covered by thick, tough scales generally grayish in color but with a slight iridescence. The skin of Seimanne female's torso is similar to that of a Human or Elvirim and can be most any color ranging from pink to white to brown to nearly black. The female's tail is covered with small, strongly iridescent scales that reflect light in a rainbow of colors that is quite beautiful.