Tritons

Tritons are a unique race of humanoids that build small settlements in deep ocean floors and tropical territories. They are typically reclusive and nonviolent races, though many warriors have risen up in defense of their people and homes. They believe that they were once slaves to Merfolk, but were cast out as "halfbreeds." Little more is known about the origins of tritons, though they know that they share a common ancestor the violent and deadly merefolk of the open ocean. Some believe they are interbreeding of the Selkie races of Sedna and the Merfolk races of Fusundu
Ability Score Increase: Your Strength, Constitution, and Charisma scores each increase by 1
Age: Tritons reach maturity around age 15 and can live up to 200 years.
Size: Tritons are slightly shorter than humans, averaging about 5 feet tall. Your size is medium.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet and you have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Amphibious: You can breathe air and water.
Control air and water: A child of the sea, you can call on the magic of elemental air and water. you can cast Fog Cloud with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast Gust of wind with it, and starting at 5tth level, you can also cast wall of water with it. Once you cast a spell with this trait you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Emissary of the sea: Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary affinity with your people. you can communicate simple ideas with beasts that can breathe water. They can understand the meaning of your words, though you have no special ability to understand them in return.
Guardians of the depths: Adapted to even the most extreme ocean depths, you have resistance to cold damage.
Languages: you can speak, read, and write common and primordial

Naming Traditions

Other names

Tritons typically give tadpoles single syllable or simple names which are turned into two syllable adult names that either end in the feminine "n," masculine "s," or gender neutral "th." For example Kel might become Kelen, Kelas, or keleth.

Culture

Common Etiquette rules

Tritons believe in doing what you want as long as it hurts no one else. They also believe in not letting behavior of others limit their fun or expression. They often do not have traditional relationships, having a carefree form of expression and lasting friendships that sometimes produce offspring. They firmly believe in following your heart and personal desires as long as it does not impede the freedom of others.

Common Dress code

Tritons typically wear very little while under water, often utilizing plant based fibers. These fabrics are often kept minimal with no trailing or flowing fabrics to prevent impending travel. Because they do interact with land dwellers at times, they will wear more clothing to protect from the harsher sunrays and fit in with surface cultures. Many Tritons have developed a sense of fashion using nets, ropes, and coral plating in order to combine utility and fashion expression.

Art & Architecture

Unlike Selkie communities, tritons live in deeper trenches that are not enclosed or air tight. They typically build honeycombed "hives" that they live within, with defensible shells, tunnels, and corridors. The inner chamber of the hives are typically vast 3 dimensional caverns that have homes all along walls or climbing along stalagmites and stalactites. They grow these structures themselves over generations, giving the oldest houses the most elaborate and decorative of expansive homes. With enough druidic power, these structures can be broken apart from a hive, and moved to a new location, if it expands too far.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Tritons typically only have one to two children during their lifetime which is planned out with great care. Typically it is a mutual decision between two partners to raise a child to adulthood, and then both act as mentors for the child beyond that time, though the parents may not stay together as romantic partners after the child is conceived. Children are considered a great joy and both parents are expected to have an active role in raising a child. When a child is born, they must be born in water, as they are typically only have gills when born. They also have tails and webbed fingers. They are often called tadpoles or pollywogs while in this stage (often shortened to "taddies" or "pollies"). At this time, gender and sex is almost impossible to determine. Tadpoles are deeply protected by entire communities, but are often kept very isolated from the outside world, or overprotected. It is extremely rare for any non triton to witness a child triton, which would likely be confused for a merfolk child either way.

Coming of Age Rites

A child is considered an adult when they undergo their metamorphosis. Their tail splits they develop an ability to breathe air, and they will typically develop a more complex diet. During this metamorphosis which typically takes about 3 days, in which they are often kept in a temple or sacred and protected space during this transformation. They spend most of this time sleeping and wake to a new body. When they awake, it usually takes them about a week to fully gain comfortability in their limbs and are often taken to shore where they can learn to walk. This is a private and protected event, usually done on secluded islands or beaches as to not be witnessed by non tritons. After this event, they are typically given a longer version of their name based on preference. Also unique to Tritons, the development of a sex for tritons is based on community surrounding pheromones during growth. For example, a tadpole that only surrounds themselves with females will typically develop in opposition, becoming a male after metamorphosis. The same is true for tadpoles around males. If there is not a clear majority, the metamorphosis will often be delayed, which has caused either the tadpole to choose by specifically surrounding themselves with a certain sex, or for the tadpole to become non binary upon metamorphosis. Nonbinary tritons are unable to have children. Because gender does not play a large role in culture of Tritons, sex becomes a fairly preference based role in society. Additionally, some believe tritons to have a more gender neutral society because children need to actively surround themselves with the opposite sex before development, gaining a large amount of sympathy and respect for both sexes.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Tritons live deeply, and love life, which makes funerals and death a taboo and thing of fear among communities. When a triton dies, their body is typically wrapped in seaweed and hidden, and covertly taken out of the hives. They are then often buried under sand and rocks, creating a small mound, and then left where they are often consumed by neighboring creatures. Because they have a taboo around death, people do not like to talk about the dead, how people died, or details on the event. They do not have large ceremonies, as it is a grim event, but may instead have a small feast or party to celebrate the life of those lost. They outsource the handling of the dead to the lowest class of individuals in the hive, often considering it "dirty' work, despite being necessary. Because the very idea of an autopsy, or keeping skulls, bones, or any remains of the dead is considered barbaric, savage, or horrific, tritons have been known to struggle among certain surface colonies.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Tritons typically consider unique webbing or scale patterns to be a sign of beauty. Brighter or more rare colors are considered to be especially beautiful. Some will add corel or piercings to their skin and scales to give a more colorful patterned look. Piercings and tattoos are especially common among Tritons, who value self expression.

Gender Ideals

Tritons, like the merfolk from which they come from, tend to have a culture that values personal expression and freedom. They have no set or distinct gender expression or ideals. Because of this, they often do not