Banlong

Humanoids calling themselves Half-Dragons or Dragon-folk. This prestigious appelation follows Old World myths involving Dragon Kings who dwelt beneath the waters. Scaled like lizards and endowed with palmed extremities, they can breathe and swim comfortably in fresh-water bodies.
Very rarely encountered beyond their homelands. Easternites associate them with the ugly Tritons from Eastern Old World beliefs, a resemblance that makes mockery common.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Banlongs are warm-blooded mammals with humanoid features that nonetheless possess gills lines above their sternum. Those gills open wider when they bend their necks forward, notably when swimming, and enable them to extract oxygen from the water. While unable to adapt their to salt-water they can still swim in it with ease. They do not need water in order to breathe, and won't suffocate in the open air. However their air intake in the water is reduced compared to their lung capacity on land so intense activity underwater will tire them out far faster.
The skin of Dragon-Folk is scaly and varies from light blue to azel brown. They do present hair whose color does not vary much beyond dark brown, auburn or black. Their color palette and the shape of their ears and fins seem to both depend on their ancestry.

Ecology and Habitats

Banlongs appreaciate hot humid climates due to their semi-aquatic yet mamallian nature.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Symettry is paramount to Banlong. From the shape of the face to the fins mirroring the ones on the other side. Darker skin tones are a symbol of health and luck while lighter tones stand out within the waters, inviting predation.

History

Near a millenia ago, thousands upon thousands of Old World Humans perished in War for dominance over lands whose names were forgotten after the Sending. Among those deceased a large amount awoke, alive and well yet in bodies they were not familiar with. Disoriented, it took them a while to adjust to their new abilities as rough-skinned water-breathers and feel confortable enough to reproduce. The educated few among them maintained the tenets of their old cultures, and made use their confidence and knowledge to take charge, becoming clan leaders and hogging as much resources. This meritocratic beginning would end up with the families of scholars to thrive while the more labor-focused populace would become more subservient. A class system quickly took root emulating the one from the Old World.
While these amphibian First Sent tried to rebuild their newly idealised home civilisations centered around powerful families, branches and clans, they didn't fail to notice the differences with their former world. How the forests and plains them were rife with unnatural beings, monsters. They also noticed the existence of an energy they could wield against them, magic. Cultivating this gift of ethereal might became an imperative to help the species survive in this land and grow in peace.
After the last First Sent had died of natural causes, their children who inherited their stories and knowledge went on to perpetuate their legacy, building cities, tending to fields, amassing armies, and extending as much as they could despite the presence of monsters. Because of their affinity to water, the new Triton folk became experts at handling rivers and seas. Their fishing fleets allowed a constant influx of food and , making their population grow faster than any race in Orbido.
From the small clans of their beginnings, many Great Families and Clans arose, having kept the great knowledge of the First Sent Scholars restrained to hold a leash on power. These Families each built fortified species in good sports aong the rivers of the North-West of Orbido, a region full of water-ways. They still lacked a nationnal identity, and internal struggles were plentiful between Families. Wars ensued for valuable resources as cultural disparities accumulate from the distance.
For five centuries many realms were founded, sacked and build upon their forebears as the Tritons kept multiplying. A cast system introduced from the Old World was maintained in the land, seperating Tritons between Nobles, Citizens, and Slaves. Though they rarely left the North West of the Continent who had a lot of resources to offer, and a lesser presence of dangerous monters compared to other regions of Orbido.
Only after the Tritons saturated their lands did they look beyond their borders to notice the other races of Orbido, starting with the Eastern Humans of Bunshin, as well as the mysterous Ahurans of Arbeka. Meanwhile, the Menia Kingdom had formed, unifying the different Families under the banner of the Royal Family. This monarchial authority could be usurped through very strict conditions.
While the first contacts with new civilisation were benign, the tradings intensified near the third imperial century. Tension between Bunshin and Menia even ended up sparkling the largest scale conflict between known as The Eight-Red-Years War , ending up with large amount of casualties of Tritons despite their total victory. A large bundle of wealth was stolen from Bunshin, allowing the Menian Triton.
After the The Conquest put the Demon Empire and the numberless Menia Kingdom at odds, Triton people began to adventure far beyond their borders, sometimes unwillingly as slaves to the Demons , or fleeing their conditions as Slaves. Nowadays, tritons remain a rare sight outside the North-West, and the views of other race are pretty disrespectful. Outside Menia, Tritons are called names such as fish-people, froggies, or worse... But their race maintains suppremacy in their homeland, and they hold on to their title of largest race of Orbido.

Scientific Name

Homo aquaticus

Geographic Distribution

• Western Wetlands

Related Organizations

• Mang Family
• Pas-le-Morrant

Related Ethnicities

• Menian