Sahuagin

Across fog-shrouded coasts or endless ocean swells, an ominous drone sounded on a conch shell chills the blood of all who hear it. This is the sound of the sahuagin hunting horn — a call to raid and battle. Coastal settlers refer to sahuagin as “sea devils,” for sahuagin have no compassion in them, slaughtering the crews of ships and decimating coastal villages.

"The village was empty, the seagulls were strangely quiet, and all we could hear was the surge of the sea."

— An account of the aftermath of a sahuagin raid

Basic Information

Anatomy

Sahuagin are highly fish-like, with webbed feet and hands, gills, and a finned tail. There is additional webbing down the back, at the elbows and, notably, also where human ears would be. One in 216 specimens are a mutation with four usable arms instead of two.

Ecology and Habitats

Sahuagin are a predatory, piscine race that ventures from the ocean’s black depths to hunt the creatures of the shallows and shore. Though they dwell in the deepest trenches of the ocean, sahuagin view the entire aquatic realm as their kingdom and the creatures in it as blood sport for their hunting parties.

Additional Information

Social Structure

The self-styled rulers of sahuagin ocean domains are massive mutant males that grow second sets of arms. They are terrible foes in battle, and all sahuagin bow down before these powerful barons.
Sahuagin worship the shark god Sekolah. Only female sahuagin are deemed worthy of channeling the god’s power, and priestesses hold tremendous sway in sahuagin communities.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Darkvision, Limited Telepathy

Civilization and Culture

Average Technological Level

Savage fighters, sahuagin ask for and give no quarter. When swimming, a sahuagin is able to tear with its sharp feet, using them as weapons. About half of any group of sahuagin are also armed with nets. Since there are many illustrations of sahuagin wielding spears, these would seem to also be favored weapons.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Sahuagin

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Sahuagin deal very harshly with offspring who are not robust or aggressive enough—they are eliminated by compulsory fighting to the death between young sahuagin. Sahuagin seem fixated on all aspects of consumption, and are eager to weed out anything they see as weak or unworthy to compete for resources.

History

The sahuagin might control the oceans if not for the presence of their mortal enemies, the aquatic elves. Wars between the two races have raged for centuries across the coasts and seas of the world, disrupting maritime trade and drawing other races into the bloody conflict.
So intense is sahuagin hatred for the aquatic elves that the sea devils have adapted to combat their ancient foes. A sahuagin born near enough to an aquatic elf community can enter the world as a malenti — a sahuagin that physically resembles an aquatic elf in every way. Sahuagin are prone to mutation, but whether this rare phenomenon is a result of the wars between the sahuagin and the aquatic elves — or whether it preceded or even began the conflict — none can say.
The sahuagin put the malenti to good use as spies and assassins in aquatic elf cities and the societies of other creatures that pose a threat to sahuagin. The mere shadow of the malenti threat incites paranoia and suspicion among aquatic elves, whose resilience is weakened as the prelude to an actual sahuagin invasion.

Common Myths and Legends

Sahuagin worship Sekolah, the lawful evil god of sharks, as their patron deity and the father of their race. They also perceive him as the ultimate adjudicator and incarnation of punishment, officiating over an endless struggle between mythic figures. These figures are the hunter "He Who Eats" and the hated "It That Is Eaten", with the struggle between them reflected in every aspect of life. Because of this, sharks are seen as holy creatures to them, and dolphins are hated for their friendship with aquatic elves. The sahuagin make regular, living sacrifices to Sekolah by feeding the sacrificed being to the sharks that follow every sahuagin priest.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Sahuagin are driven into a frenzy by the smell of fresh blood. As worshipers of Sekolah, they also have a special kinship with sharks, which they train as attack animals. Even untrained sharks recognize sahuagin as allies and don’t prey on them.

Average Height

6'0"

Average Weight

200lbs

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Sahuagin are usually green skinned, darker on the back and lighter on the belly. Many have dark stripes, bands, or spots, but these tend to fade with age. The four-armed mutations are usually black, fading to gray in color.