Merfolk, What are they?

[computerking]

Are merfolk standard Faeries, or could they be distant cousins to the fomor that weren't banished because they didn't choose the fomor's side? Has anyone played or played with a merfolk Changeling character? If so, what are your insights about them?

[The Mighty Buzzard]

I'd go with none of the above.  They're more greek/sailors than celtic/germanic origin, so not really either fae or fomor.  Not that I have a lot of use for merfolk at the moment.  Pretty much all of the PCs are air breathers and they're in a landlocked state.

[Richard_Chilton]

Or all of the above - different creatures could collectively be called merfolk by the ignorant land dwellers.

So some of them could be Fae while others could be one of several independent races (each associated with a different mythology?) and then there are the ones associated with the Fomor - whose beauty turns to hideousness as they go from kissing sailors to drowning them.

Richard

[ways and means]

Considering the History of Formor as given they make the most sense given their aquatic nature.

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When the Fae Mothers came to power all the other elder races where either killed or forced into the Sea aka the Formor.

[The Mighty Buzzard]

Considering the History of Formor as given they make the most sense given their aquatic nature.

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When the Fae Mothers came to power all the other elder races where either killed or forced into the Sea aka the Formor.

Was that an actual direct quote?  If not, it's likely hugely wrong.  I mean, for starters, the fae don't even make up a majority of what is still active in the Nevernever.  And there are still plenty of non-fae creatures wandering around the mortal plane who never so much as get their feet wet.  Add to that the fact that most of the world is covered in water and the likelihood of the Fomor even making up a majority of the water dwelling creatures isn't good enough to put money on.

[Richard_Chilton]

I think the exact quote from Ghost Stories is:

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“Why the Fomor?” I asked. “I mean, I barely know who they are. Why are they all over Chicago now? Who are they?”
“Once, they were the enemies of my people, Winter and Summer alike,” she said, lifting her chin as her emerald eyes grew distant. “We banished them to the sea. Now they are the exiles of myth and legend, the outcasts of the gods and demons of every land bordering the sea. Defeated giants, fallen gods, dark reflections of beings of light. They are many races and none, joined together beneath the banner of the Fomor in a common cause.”

Which comes after this bit from Bob:

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Bob’s skull rested in a container that had been custom mounted on the Road Runner’s dash—a wooden frame set on a plate that made the skull wobble back and forth like a bobblehead doll. “Lot of interbreeding there,” Bob said. “Back in the old, old, old days. Before the Sidhe Wars.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “I haven’t heard much about it.”
“Crazy stuff,” Bob said with tremendous enthusiasm. “Even before my time, but I’ve heard all kinds of stories. The Daoine Sidhe, the Tuatha, the Fomor, the Tylwyth Teg, the Shen. Epic alliances, epic betrayals, epic battles, epic weddings, epic sex—”

Which (of course) is a reference to the short story Curses

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which introduce one of those groups as an extant wyldfae court.

Hope this helps.

Richard

[The Mighty Buzzard]

Some, but not really.  It still leaves them hugely undefined in both scope and nature.  Good for Jim, bad for us.

[sinker]

There are a large variety of "merfolk" myths from all over the place. Asia, the Mediterranean, the pacific coast of the Americas, pretty much anywhere where there was water. Find one you like and go with it.

[Guldor]

I actually have a player, who plays a half undine. I´m modelling merfolk more or less after the ancient greek origins and assume that they are some kind of independent fae court. Since we are playing in germany, more exactly Bremen, the fae of the north sea are an important force of the local supernatural politics. The player itself doesn´t really belong to this merfolk, since I thought of a darker breed of merfolk faeries, who life in the deep, cold reaches of the ocean, and who are some kind of cruel seers, who belong to the winter court.

[devonapple]

D&D, for reference, has a variety of potential merfolk from multiple origins: human, elf, fey. Which is not to insist we emulate D&D, so much as encourage folks to develop merfolk as they will, and give them origins as suits the story you want to tell. If done with finesse, it may continue to be viable in spite of the revelation of new canonical information.

[Ren]

Well I dunno about cannon but the Miami-based Game I've been running since January focuses a lot around the Merfolk Nation which I am treating as a type of Fae, sort of a Court of the Sea. I also have them tied to Atlantis as their original home before it was destroyed at the command of the Olympian Gods. The True Fae Merfolk are generally referred to as "Sirens" and the Wildfae and other beasts would be related to the Fomors, though in my world there are also group of refugees from Olympus living amongst the Mer Court; mostly lesser deities, shape-shifters and children of Poseidon who were not allowed into Olympus when it was sealed off from the rest of the world.