Panoi

He told me that none of the other races of the city have seen the Deep Council in session, and in the crushing dark of the Rak, an argument between two of the Behnoi can light up the water for miles around. One day I'd like to see that for myself.
--17th of Silver, Year 41

Civilization and Culture

History

The Panoi live in the lake at the south of the city, called the Rak, which is miles deep. They are responsible for cleaning the water and pumping it from the deep to the north towers of the city, where it flows through the central river, called the Ribbon, and back into the lake. A few times in Stadupglod’s history they have threatened to cut off the water, and so have been allowed a seat on the Forge Council, where the Deep Council emissary sits. Most of the panoi worship Glendower, the first elder dragon of water, as a divine being in a religion called The Gahara. The panoi are divided into two subraces: Bhenoi and Sheanoi.
Bhenoi- The ex-immortals. They are huge, reaching ten feet or more in size, muscular, and covered in thick, bioluminescent scales. They live at the bottom of the Rak in crushing blackness, communicating through the color and flashing of their scales. They are not physically able to speak common, and are very uncomfortable outside of deep water, so they rely on the much smaller and weaker Sheanoi to conduct business and diplomacy on their behalf. The Bhenoi panoi have their own government, called the Ga Parisa or the Deep Council, that make laws and policies governing all of the Rak and the Ribbon, often ignoring or contradicting laws made by the Forge Council. Any attempt on the part of the Forge Council to enforce their policies is met with threats of water shortages and violence by the Deep Council’s emissary. The Deep Council has its own military, The Raksakar, a terrifying force of trained and armored Bhenoi thousands strong, able to kill even a Quenmithal in one on one combat under the water. On land, however, a Raksakar is unable to make quick movements and has extreme difficulty breathing, and so the Deep Council has never attempted an attack on Stadupglod itself.
Sheanoi- Mortal-born panoi. They are the same size as a human, much physically weaker than the Bhenoi, and have small bioluminescent scales that range from grey to green. In the Rak, they are treated as servants, slaves, and sometimes food by the Bhenoi. Many Sheanoi live outside the Rak to avoid the harsh realities of their culture, but are often times forced to serve as messengers and translators between the Bhenoi and the traders of Stadupglod. Some have become rich merchants themselves, selling fish, eels, or the many other resources found in the depths of the Rak. The Sheanoi are usually very devout, setting up many Gahara Shul’s throughout the city, which many times attract other races to the religion which promotes a stoic philosophy and frugal living.

Merfolks Traits:
Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Speed: Your base speed is 30 feet, you also have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Amphibious: You can breathe both air and water.
Bioluminescence: You have disadvantage on stealth checks when you are within line of sight.
Lay of the Lake: You cannot become lost except by magical means when navigating waters.
Languages: Common, Panoi, and one extra language of your choice.
Sheanoi:
Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Water Creed Manipulation: You have proficiency in the Religion and History skills.
Cantrip: You know one cantrip of your choice from the cleric spell list. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for it.

Lifespan

900 - 1100 Cycles, but time spent out of water is considered seven times as long when calculating this amount

Average Height

Sheanoi: from about 5 feet to about 6 feet

Average Weight

Sheanoi: 100 - 150 pounds