Forum Discussion

Metior_Ice's avatar
5 months ago

The Merfolk of the Sulani Seas

Overtime, I'll add to this post to expand the Table of Contents and make it easier to access the chapters. 

Table of Contents

Use the links in the Table of Contents to read the chapters in order. The links are working and will take you straight to a chapter. This should save people the trouble of scrolling through the thread.

Eventually, I plan on trying to put the "Meet the MerSims" Section in the comments of this thread along with the chapters. I am adding links to each of my posts to help with navigation. 

The Little Merman Arc

Chapter 1: The Shadow of the Sea Witches

Chapter 2: Swimming to Zalia Grottos

Chapter 3: Life's Full of Tough Choices

Chapter 4: A Change in the Tides

Chapter 5: The Embers of Love

Merfolk of the Sulani Seas Lore

My merfolk won't die from old age, and I'll be following many rules for my merfolk outlined in the following link. I expect that it could be easier to cheer for a specific character since they won't disappear anytime soon.

Merfolk of the Sulani Seas Technical Details

SimLit Tips in the New Forums

One of the things I noticed when the new forums were created was that not everything transferred here looking the way it was supposed to. I opted out of having my story transferred for me and took a great deal of time working through a lot of troubleshooting to find the easiest way to share longer posts.

In the comments of this thread, I had a great deal of help from the community as I worked on transferring chapters from Answers HQ. Now that the transfer to the new forums is complete, I think I found the best way to get around the Forums tendency to Auto-Refresh the webpage and erase all progress instead of saving it. 

My suggestion is in the following link. I will update it with any other findings and suggestions can be shared there so everyone can benefit from them. It's possible this has been fixed while I was away, but I think this suggestion can still be helpful.

SimLit Posting Suggestion after Troubleshooting

Meet the MerSims

Overtime, each character profile for each pod will be updated as new members of the pod are added. As an added bonus, if there is a pod you like to follow, readers can now make replies to specific pods as I move them from this post. The links should make getting to the desired section easier.

Meet the Zalrian Pod

Meet the Marus Pod

The Vatore Pod

Caleb Vatore

Caleb is Damion's Life Partner and the Patriarch of the Vatore Pod. Caleb was one of the few good vampires that protected humans. After an incident with Vampire Hunters, he lost his life protecting Damion. His untimely demise was not something Damion could accept, and Caleb was resurrected the only way Damion could bring him back.

Caleb was reborn as a merman, and like all reef and reborn merfolk, he does not have a human form he can use to return to his life on land. Caleb has embraced his new life as a merman, but he still wants peace between humans and the magic realm. After becoming a merman, Caleb learned some merfolk history from his husband. Almost all the merfolk were driven away from Sulani ages ago by humans that couldn't tell the difference between Malevolent and Benevolent Merfolk. It seemed that the entire merfolk race was on the losing end of a very old conflict with humans. Up until now, he thought the conflict between humans and vampires was the oldest conflict between humans and the magic realm. The Merfolk around Sulani are what the Vampires would become if they continued down their dark path.

As a merman, Caleb wants to see the return of merfolk to Sulani and desires peace between the land and sea. More than anything, he dreams of the day his husband returns to what he was before that fateful night.

What Damion became didn't escape Caleb's notice, his once kind and loving husband became consumed by something dark after bringing him back from death. Still, Caleb holds onto the hope that Damion will find his way back to the light. He still believes that there is good in him. Even though he knows this is a dream, he refuses to give up on hope.

Caleb believes that one day he will see Damion as he remembers him. For now, the days of laying on the shore together remain a distant dream he thinks about, wishes for. Even after everything the humans did to him as a Vampire, he does not hold a grudge against them, and he longs for the day that Damion let's go of his hatred.

Damion Vatore

Damion is one of the six Guardians of the Seas and a merman born with a natural talent for Sea Sorcery. He mastered the art of Sea Sorcery and can brew every potion and conjure any spell.

Many years ago, Damion rescued Caleb Vatore from an ill fate at sea. Damion fell in love with Caleb in that moment. He didn't know Caleb was a vampire, and the merman didn't know about the humans that were actively hunting vampires. For Damion, he never cared enough about the human world to interact with it to begin with.

Over time, Caleb fell in love with Damion. While Damion couldn't be on land with Caleb, the two of them met close to the sea. After several dates, the two learned a lot about each other. Damion treasured every moment he had with Caleb. Caleb enjoyed the escape from the shadows vampires dwelled in.

During one of their shoreline meetings, Damion learned about how Caleb ended up sinking below the waves. Caleb was among the few good vampires that didn't want to harm humans. A group of evil vampires revealed Caleb's location to Vampire Hunters. The Vampire Hunters didn't know the difference between good and evil vampires, and the coven of evil vampires manipulated them to get rid of the vampires that protected humans.

Damion didn't really care too much about the plight of humans. However, Caleb convinced Damion to give them the benefit of the doubt. The merman was moved by his boyfriend's desire to protect humans.

Unfortunately, their meetings by the shore were discovered by the Vampire Hunters. The Humans in question didn't even know they were doing the bidding of the very vampires they swore to defeat. When they found Damion and Caleb, Caleb sacrificed himself to give Damion a chance to escape. Caleb promised Damion that he would escape and that they would see each other again. Caleb knew that Damion was too vulnerable on land. Reluctantly, Damion dove into the sea. That evening, the Vampire Hunters brought an end to Caleb.

The following days, Damion came close to the shore, looking for Caleb. One night, he heard humans on a pier talking about their victory over the "evil" vampire and how they got a vacation out of it too. Upon hearing this, Damion was consumed by sorrow and hatred.

His hatred of humans was born that day, and his sorrow drove him to dive into the depths of Dark Sea Sorcery. Eventually, Damion gathered what he needed to bring Caleb back as a merman. This came at a great personal cost to Damion. The merman's heart was twisted by the darkness he embraced.

Damion's eyes lost their sea blue color as the dark magic consumed him. His pendent that marked him as a Guardian of the Sea lost its purple hue, turning obsidian black.

Damion grew more obsessed with Sea Sorcery and became the Sea Witch other merfolk feared. And despite his crumbling reputation, many poor unfortunate mer came to him seeking spells.

Dark Sea Sorcery allowed Damion to grant their wishes, permanently. While he could always dispel a contract and undo the magic. He never did. For better or for worse, his clients got their wishes with permanent consequences.

Only Damion could release them from the contracts that bound the magic, but the Sea Witch coveted everything he collected. Even after Caleb was brough back and the two of them partnered for life, Damion continued to slip deeper into his dark magic.

Alexander Goth

Ukupanipo Hekekia

Ukupanipo was a poor unfortunate soul that made a deal with Damion. He sought the heart of a mermaid that did not share his feelings. Damion was happy to help a fellow merperson, but his magic came at a price that Ukupanipo couldn't pay. Ukupanipo has lost his free will and is bound to Damion by the contract he signed. Ukupanipo has since turned to the darker side of the sea and serves Damion faithfully. He neither feels the warmth of love nor is he bothered by what is asked of him by Damion.

The Vatore Pod Social Structure

The Vatore Pod's Patriarchal Line of Succession

In the Vatore 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 Alexander is technically adopted into the pod and not related by blood to Caleb, he is able to become the patriarch of the Vatore Pod. As a cursed merman and Damion's servant, Ukupanipo doesn't have any claim to becoming a Patriarch of this pod.

  1. Current Patriarch: Caleb Vatore
  2. First Heir: Damion Vatore
  3. Second Heir: Alexander Goth
The Purple Tail Guardian of the Sea 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.

  1. Must be a Merman or Merboy
  2. Must have the same tail color as the Current Guardian
  3. Must be a Reef Merman/Merboy
  4. Share the same Bloodline
Potential Purple Tail Guardians

Thanks to Damion's magic, Alexander Goth inherited Damion's Purple Tail and shares the Purple Tail Guardian Bloodline. The Patriarch of his Pod is Caleb and none of their children will inherit Damion's Purple Tail. Instead, their children will inherit Caleb's Orange Tail. Consequently, none of Damion's Children born from him and Caleb will be able to inherit the Powers of the Purple Tail Guardian. However, the descendants of Alexander Goth could potentially inherit the Purple Tail Guardian Bloodline. That will depend on his potential partner.

  1. Damion Vatore (Current Purple Tail Guardian)
  2. Alexander Goth

The Keahloha Pod

Makoa Keahloha

A premade I added to my rotational gameplay. Unlike how he is in a new save, I made him a merman. Not just a human turned into a merman. In my story, he's 100% a natural born merman from the sea. This also means that his Ambitious trait was replaced with the Clumsy Trait, and I changed his aspiration to the Super Parent one. He still retains his core attributes though. He's active and family oriented. Additionally, Makoa fills the role as the Patriarch of his own pod, another small pod. 

Kai, Lano, and Tero Keahloha

Kai was born in game. Lano and Tero were created in CAS to complete the triplet trio. Kai is an Innovator, Lano is a comedian, and Tero is dedicated to the arts. Their story will be just beginning and there will be updates to their character bios in the future.

The Keahloha Pod Social Structure

The Keahloha Pod's Patriarchal Line of Succession

In the Keahloha 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. 

  1. Current Patriarch: Makoa Keahloha
  2. First Joint Heirs: Kai, Lano, and Tero Keahloha

The Maelstren Pod

Stevie Maelstren

Because the Maelstren Pod was organized around a Patriarch, the males within the pod were used as a tool by other members of the pod to gain power. Much of the conflict was centered around the Patriarchal Line of Succession until the pod was no more.

After the Maelstren Pod was scattered and destroyed from internal conflict, Stevie lost contact with the other remaining members of his pod, Lir and Calden. Lir Maelstren is Stevie's cousin, and Calden is Stevie's little brother. Stevie was the next in line to become the Patriarch of the Maelstren Pod once the conflict ended.

Stevie saved Calden and Lir from the Maelstren Pod conflict, but along the way, he got separated from them and was never able to find them again. While Lir was adopted by the Zalrian Pod, Calden's whereabouts are still unknown. The Merman, Merboy, and Merling managed to survive the pod's destruction by staying away from the conflict. 

Originally, Stevie wanted to restore the Maelstren Pod. For that to happen, he needed to find a life partner, settle down, and locate his little brother and cousin. When Stevie fell in love with a mermaid, his heart was broken after learning of her betrayal. Torn up by a broken heart, he gave up on restoring his pod. Depressed and alone, he went to Damion for a way to escape his heartache and live a new life.

Damion offered to grant him a human form in exchange for the Love in Stevie's Heart. Thinking he had nothing to lose, Stevie sacrificed his ability to find love again in exchange for the ability to take human form permanently.

Stevie now lives a life between the land and sea. He's incapable of finding love again, but the loss of Love in his Heart did not corrupt him. Over many decades, Stevie adjusted to life in the human world and learned how to blend in with them. While he lives out his days on land, he always returns to his home in the sea.

Among the islanders, Stevie is a known fire dancer and bartender. None of the other humans know he's a merman, and for the most part, he's begun to live a quiet and peaceful life on land. 

Many humans have fallen for his looks and charm, but the love is always one sided. While Stevie doesn't seek out romance of any kind, he's often hearing the troubles of humans that buy a drink from him. He's learned how to help others through their troubles.

Calden Maelstren

The Maelstren Pod Social Structure

 The Mordero Pod

Camilo Mordero

Anika Briones

Ronen Mendez

The Mordero Pod Social Structure

More pods to be added in the future.

 The following is a bit of lore I made up for my story. I hope it gives others some ideas.

Mods Credit

Since a lot of this story wouldn't be possible without certain mods, I do want to give the mods I use the credit they deserve. I will update this as quickly as I can to credit the awesome modders that created the mods and poses that make telling this story possible.

Spinning Plumbob Mods

  1. The Expanded Mermaid Mod
  2. "Neverland" Mermaid Tail CC
  3. The "Down Under" Set CC
  4. "Sea-nery Stuff" Build/Buy Set
  5. Occult Preferences Mod

The Serenade of Shadows Poses

  1. Merfolk Poses
  2. MerMay 2024

About The Sims 4 Creative Corner

Share screenshots, stories, builds, custom creations, mods, challenges, and funny moments in our Sims 4 Creative Corner.

9,126 PostsLatest Activity: 2 days ago