The Merfolk of the Sulani Seas

The Zalrian Pod

Over time this post will be updated as new merfolk join the Zalrian Pod.

Kemps Zalrian

Calum and Reef's older brother. He doesn't approve of his younger brother's interest in humans, but he learned to accept Arihi after she became a mermaid. Kemps is loyal and devoted to protecting his family. After the twins joined the pod, he's become a little more protective and overbearing. This has led to a more strained relationship between Kemps and his nephew, Alex.

Out of the three brothers, Kemps is the most responsible. He’s had to look after his younger brothers for a long time. After Calum and Reef started their families, Kemps became the Patriarch of the Zalrian Pod. His number one priority is ensuring the safety of his pod.

Since he was older than Calum, Kemps became the Blue Tail Guardian of the Sea when their father passed away. When Alex became a merboy, Kemps passed the power onto him.

While Alex was taking his first steps on land, Kemps went to the surface to find him. While looking for Alex, he was ambushed by Camilo's minions. Anika and Ronen dragged him out of the sea. Kemps did his best to resist, but between the surprise ambush and being more vulnerable on land, there was little he could do to get away.

In the end, Camilo captured Kemps, believing he got his claws on the Blue Tail Guardian. He took Kemps's Voice and added him to his collection of imprisoned merfolk. After Kemps was secure in the tank Camilo set aside for the Blue Tail Guardian, he realized that, while Kemps was the Blue Tail Guardian at one point, he no longer possessed the power Camilo needed for his own goals. This angered Camilo because of how close to one of the Guardians he was, but his minions failed to capture the right merman. He had one guardian and two merfolk that were extremely close to two other guardians. Despite his capture, Kemps took comfort in knowing that he was able to protect his pod and delay one of the bigger threats to the sea.

Because he was still alive, he remained the Patriarch, but in his imprisoned state, he was powerless to do more for his pod.

Reef Kailani

Reef is Calum's older brother and Kemps's younger brother. Reef was adopted by Kemps when Kemps was a merboy and Calum was a merling. All three brothers were orphaned at a young age. Despite Human Pollution playing a significant role in the brothers becoming orphans, Reef doesn't pick a side when his brothers argue and debate about humans. Reef neither hates nor likes humans.

Out of the three brothers, Reef is the mediator. He’s gotten a lot of experience settling disputes between his brothers. Reef is the Patriarchal Heir of the Zalrian Pod. Should anything happen to Kemps, he's next in line to lead the Zalrian Pod.

While most mermen don’t wear any accessories, Reef has a shark tooth necklace. The Shark Tooth came from a close encounter with a shark before Kemps adopted him into the Zalrian Pod. Reef has a close relationship with a lot of sea life, except for sharks. Most merfolk don't play with something that can be so dangerous.

Sarah Kailani

Calum Zalrian

Calum has an unusual curiosity concerning the human world. He’s proud to be a merman as much as he’s fascinated by humans. He's found a balance between his interest in the human world and his life as a merman. While some merfolk might seek out a sea witch to pursue their own interests beyond the sea, he's content with his family under the sea. Calum would never seek more than what he has, but he will always have some interest in things from the human world. Kemps chose to give Calum's eldest son the Power of the Blue Tail Guardian because he didn't want the power to complicate things more between them.

Calum's life partner, Arihi, left her life on land and choose to live in the sea as a mermaid. Calum and Arihi sang the song that brought the twins and their eldest son into the world. Calum is naturally family oriented. 

Out of the three brothers, Calum is the most compassionate and understanding one.

Arihi Zalrian

Ages ago, Arihi gave up her life as an elemental to be with Calum in the sea. Her sisters and brothers in the spirit realm did not make her transformation permanent. If Arihi wanted to return to the spirit realm, she has the option to do so.

Arihi is a Halfling. She is half-mermaid and half-elemental. Most Halflings age like humans do, but her elemental origins allowed her to retain her eternal youth and immortality.  Arihi has the ability to take a human form and doesn't need to make a deal with a Sea Witch to walk among humans. Kemps forbids members of his pod from interacting with the human world. Consequently, Arihi hasn't walked among humans for a very long time.

Arihi practices light sea sorcery. Her spells require the same payment as dark sea sorcery spells, but they lack the potency to be permanent. When time runs out, her contracts lose their power and the magic tied to it gets undone. Arihi grants a signer's wish for a limited time, and for the most part, this is enough to help whoever seeks her out. 

Alex Zalrian

Calum and Arihi's oldest son. Even though his mother is a Halfling, Alex is a Reef Merman. Kemps gave Alex the powers of the Blue Tail Guardian when he came of age. While Alex loves his ocean home, he wishes to see more beyond the sea. This causes most of the conflict between him and Kemps.

He shares his father's curiosity about the human world and often gets too close to humans, breaking his Uncle's Rules. Unlike his father, he isn't content with his life in the sea. As a Reef Merman, he lacks the ability to live anywhere else. Alex is still learning about what it means to be a Guardian of the Seas.

No Reef Merfolk can take human form without help, and the help of a Sea Witch often comes with a heavy price few would pay. But, a chance encounter led to a decision that would change Alex's life forever.

Alex made a deal with Damion that cost him his voice. While the merboy gained the ability to see worlds beyond the ocean, he no longer has the ability to speak, laugh, sing, or make a sound of any kind. Damion is known for never going back on a deal, and Alex is learning to accept his new life as a mute.

While Alex explores the human world, Damion is holding onto his voice, and by extension, the Power of the Blue Tail Guardian. Damion didn't reveal his intentions to Alex, but he sensed a threat to the ocean and took Alex's voice as a way to further secure the safety of the seven seas and his own pod. He felt that Alex was too naive to shoulder the responsibilities given to him by his uncle.

Dylan and Zephyr Zalrian

The twins that have always been a part of everything from the beginning. I turned back the clock to give them their mermadic childhood I always wanted to give them. Dylan and Zephyr inherited their mother's spiritual connection to Sulani, but they aren't island elementals. Dylan has an affinity for water magic. Zephyr has an affinity for air magic. Dylan and Zephyr are identical twins with no visible difference in their appearance. Despite their identical appearance, they are different individuals. 

Dylan is a creative prodigy with a talent for capturing the essence of emotions in his artwork. He's gifted with any instrument and can tell epic stories that will trick you into believing they are true. Dylan is aloft with creativity and inspiration.

Zephyr is a gifted genius. Only his twin can beat him in a game of chess, and he always notices whatever Dylan misses. He's an inventor and an innovative thinker that can bring out the full potential of many things. Zephyr is grounded in logic and reason.

Dylan and Zephyr are inseparable and will rarely be far from each other. Together, Dylan and Zephyr overcome each other's weaknesses with their own individual strengths. The Twins are best friends and extremely close.

Kemps recognized their close bond and didn't want to disrupt their relationship with the Blue Tail Guardian's Power. Instead, he chose Alex as his successor. When Alex went to Damion for the power to go on land, the contract he signed had an unusual effect on the Guardian's Power. The power, unrestrainable by a sea witch's contract, passed on to the next in line for the Guardian's Power. Half the power went to Dylan and the other half went to Zephyr. As merlings, they can't use the Guardian's Power, but the Power can still hold back the darkness of the deep like this.

Kylen Kailani and Lir Maelstren

Kylen and Lir are Alex, Dylan, and Zeph's cousins. Kylen is Reef and Sarah Kailani's son they sang into being. Kylen had a twin brother named Rylan. Rylan passed away after an unfortunate encounter with sharks. While Sea Witch's can resurrect the dead as merfolk, a mer that dies can't be brought back from death. Not long after Rylan passed away, Lir was adopted by the Kailani when they found him alone in the sea. 

Lir was a merling in the Maelstren Pod before he was adopted by the Zalrian Pod. A conflict with the Human world left many merlings, merboys, and mergirls orphaned. The orphaned merchildren lost their lives to the dangers of the sea without their parents. When the remaining merfolk fled to the open ocean and deep-water reefs, the new dangers resulted in more orphans and broken pods. In many ways, the Zalrian Pod adopting Lir saved his life.

For a merling, Lir is particularly shy and gets most of his confidence when Kylen is with him. The two brothers are jokesters and are notorious for their pranks in the Zalrian Pod.

Lir could never replace Kylen's twin brother, but Kylen loves having his brother around. He often tries to encourage Lir to be more confident and supports him the best he can.  

The Zalrian Pod Social Structure

The Zalrian Pod's Patriarchal Line of Succession

In the Zalrian Pod, the Patriarch Heirs are always mermen, and the line of succession is determined by age. This is kinda like a legacy, but the heirs do not become the Patriarch until after something happens to the current patriarch. A pod's Patriarch or Matriarch does not need a specific tail. While Reef, Kylen, and Lir are technically adopted into the pod and not related by blood to Kemps, they are able to become the patriarch of the Zalrian Pod.

1. Current Patriarch: Kemps Zalrian
2. First Heir: Reef Kailani
3. Second Heir: Calum Zalrian
4. Third Heir: Alex Zalrian
5. Fourth Joint Heirs: Dylan and Zephyr Zalrian
6. Fifth Heir: Kylen Kailani
7. Sixth Heir: Lir Maelstren

The Blue Tail Guardian Line of Succession

The Line of Succession for becoming a Guardian of the Sea is different from the Line of Succession for becoming a Pod Patriarch or Matriarch.

The Six Guardians of the Sea possess voices that resonate with the primordial song that brought the first merfolk into existence. A Guardian of the Seas is always a merman.

If a Merman meets the following conditions, an existing Guardian can pass their powers onto them.

• Must be a Merman or Merboy
• Must have the same tail color as the Current Guardian
• Must be a Reef Merman/Merboy
• Share the same Bloodline

Potential Blue Tail Guardians

Kemps is more traditional, and his choice was largely influenced by that. Alex was the oldest in the next generation, but he's not the only eligible candidate to inherit the power. Even though it would normally be impossible for merlings to inherit a Guardian's Power, Alex's deal with Damion had an unusual effect on the Blue Tail Guardian's Power. With the forces that were once intertwined between the merman and his voice divided, it sought to regain its own stability. The twins in the line of succession after Alex was the next best place to regain balance. A Guardian's Power cannot be bound by a Sea Witch's Contract and will naturally return to the Bloodline that holds the power. 

1. Kemps Zalrian (Former Blue Tail Guardian)
2. Calum Zalrian
3. Alex Zalrian 
4. Dylan Zalrian and Zephyr Zalrian (Current Blue Tail Guardians)