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the molluscs, they have won
Eko (or Echo) is 19 years old by human reckoning, She has six sisters (Aja, Lypso, Kleo, Halee, Nopi, Toe) and four brothers (Keron, Erma, Ax, Anner). Their names are usually short (one or two syllables long) corruptions of ancient Greek names, usually the names of Oceanids, Nereids, and river-gods. They're descended from sirens breeding with the citizens of Atlantis who did not drown. They have a nomadic, tribal, harem culture--in one tribe there are usually many groups each with their own matriarch figure and between one to twenty males. Territory is generally not defined except for during the breeding season; every other time of the year, they're usually very happy to share territory for the strength in numbers approach.
Like cetaceans, they spend almost their entire lives in the water, surfacing often in order to breathe; however, more like seals, they are capable of coming onto land without beaching themselves, where they often take advantage of land food they consider delicacies, like coconut, pineapple, and banana. They can remain submerged for up to half an hour at a time; they can dive up to 500 feet unassisted below the ocean's surface. They are omnivores, and their diet consists primarily of fish, but they will eat literally anything that is edible in the ocean--seaweed, shellfish, molluscs, and roe, as well as seabird, porpoise, dolphin, shark, and whale, if they can catch them. They are completely hairless except for the hair on their head, which usually comes in dark shades, often blue or green. They don't cut their hair except ceremonially, usually out of grief. Their lower halves resemble porpoises or whales -- smooth flesh, not fishy scales. They have sharp teeth like a sea otter, designed for crushing rather than cutting. Their fingers end in sharp claws.
While they've been known to work closely with dolphins and seals the same way humans have worked with (and later domesticated) wolves, the dolphin's great intelligence and behaviour have also made them occasional enemies. They have warred with them in the past, as dolphins occasionally attack them, for food, territory, or resources, generally targeting children, the elderly, or women. Yeah, dolphins are assholes.
They communicate through signing, some vocalizations, and pidgin Greek. They obviously have an oral history and no written language. They sing--this is where legends of sirens-as-mermaids instead of bird-creatures come from--for entertainment, education and ceremony. They are also highly intelligent, perhaps moreso than humans, because of their ability to wield magic. Their ability to use tools makes them the top predator in the ocean, although many are still killed by whales, dolphins and sharks.
Echo is headstrong and confident, and while she's intelligent, she's also naive. She is very upset at how whaling, overfishing, pollution and human waste has been threatening her people's lifestyle, and her opinion that Something Ought To Be Done puts her in the minority as most of her tribe wants to leave it alone. She thinks if someone just talked to the humans they'd realize they were messing everything up and stop, but there's a reason her people keep their existence well-hidden. She likes playing, sea otters, coconuts, and spying on humans. She is irrationally terrified of lobsters.
Like cetaceans, they spend almost their entire lives in the water, surfacing often in order to breathe; however, more like seals, they are capable of coming onto land without beaching themselves, where they often take advantage of land food they consider delicacies, like coconut, pineapple, and banana. They can remain submerged for up to half an hour at a time; they can dive up to 500 feet unassisted below the ocean's surface. They are omnivores, and their diet consists primarily of fish, but they will eat literally anything that is edible in the ocean--seaweed, shellfish, molluscs, and roe, as well as seabird, porpoise, dolphin, shark, and whale, if they can catch them. They are completely hairless except for the hair on their head, which usually comes in dark shades, often blue or green. They don't cut their hair except ceremonially, usually out of grief. Their lower halves resemble porpoises or whales -- smooth flesh, not fishy scales. They have sharp teeth like a sea otter, designed for crushing rather than cutting. Their fingers end in sharp claws.
While they've been known to work closely with dolphins and seals the same way humans have worked with (and later domesticated) wolves, the dolphin's great intelligence and behaviour have also made them occasional enemies. They have warred with them in the past, as dolphins occasionally attack them, for food, territory, or resources, generally targeting children, the elderly, or women. Yeah, dolphins are assholes.
They communicate through signing, some vocalizations, and pidgin Greek. They obviously have an oral history and no written language. They sing--this is where legends of sirens-as-mermaids instead of bird-creatures come from--for entertainment, education and ceremony. They are also highly intelligent, perhaps moreso than humans, because of their ability to wield magic. Their ability to use tools makes them the top predator in the ocean, although many are still killed by whales, dolphins and sharks.
Echo is headstrong and confident, and while she's intelligent, she's also naive. She is very upset at how whaling, overfishing, pollution and human waste has been threatening her people's lifestyle, and her opinion that Something Ought To Be Done puts her in the minority as most of her tribe wants to leave it alone. She thinks if someone just talked to the humans they'd realize they were messing everything up and stop, but there's a reason her people keep their existence well-hidden. She likes playing, sea otters, coconuts, and spying on humans. She is irrationally terrified of lobsters.