Sea Elves – Barsalyhs

Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence

Size: Medium

Speed: 30 ft., swim 40 ft.

Languages: Barsalyhs, Elvish, Seashade (a dialect of Elvish rich in nautical terms and gestures)

The Sea Elves are a sleek, agile people whose lives are bound to the tides and winds of the world’s oceans. Raised on the lush islands of Oceana and the whimsically named Bliminy Bliminy Bliminy Island, they are natural sailors and master navigators, revered for their uncanny ability to read the sea and sky. Their skin ranges from sun-bronzed gold to deep sea-blue, and their hair ripples in hues of kelp-green, storm-grey, or shimmering silver. Lithe and long-limbed, with subtle webbing between their fingers and toes and delicate fins along their forearms or calves, Sea Elves are unmistakably children of the waves.

The Sea Elves’ ships are legendary—swift, elegant, and often enchanted with ancient magics. These vessels are fiercely defended and just as often hired out for perilous missions across the Sea of Barsalyhs, especially in the infamous, maelstrom-haunted waters of the Sea of Kyrgan. They are trusted by royalty, wizards, and merchants alike for their seamanship and fearlessness.

Sea Elf society is maritime and matriarchal, with ship-captains and navigators holding positions of great honor. Once a year, all Sea Elves gather for “The Remembrance,” a day of music, dance, and somber tales to honor the Pirate Queen Kyranda Notlesh, her brother Logallen, and the valiant crew of the Lady’s Blade, lost in the maelstrom while fighting and destroying the evil wizard Ghyrax during the Xarath War.

Traits

Age: Sea Elves mature at the same rate as humans but live up to 250 years.
Alignment: Most Sea Elves are chaotic good or true neutral, valuing freedom, loyalty, and the ever-changing nature of the sea.
Darkvision: Accustomed to the moonlit ocean and deep reefs, you can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of blue and gray.
Sea’s Grace: You have proficiency in the Acrobatics skill.
Navigator’s Instincts: You have proficiency in the Perception skill, and you are always aware of the direction of true north and can accurately predict the weather for the next 24 hours.
Fleet Swimmer: You have a swim speed of 40 feet and can breathe both air and water.
Shipwise: You have proficiency with navigator’s tools, water vehicles, and the trident.
Maelstrom Magic: You know the shape water cantrip. Once you reach 3rd level, you can cast the fog cloud spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Once you reach 5th level, you can cast misty step once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Storm Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against being paralyzed or restrained by water or wind effects, and resistance to lightning damage.
Remembrance: Once per long rest, you can inspire up to six allies within 30 feet by invoking the memory of the Pirate Queen and her crew. Each affected creature gains temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, and Seashade.

Culture & Appearance

Sea Elves wear clothing woven from kelp, spider-silk, and fine linen, often adorned with shells and pearls. Tattoos and carved bone jewelry are common, depicting waves, ships, or the legendary maelstrom. Their eyes are large and luminous, reflecting the shifting colors of the ocean.

Their society is bound by tradition but ever open to change, valuing daring, wit, and adaptability. Sea Elves believe the spirits of lost sailors and the legendary Pirate Queen still guide their ships through storms and peril.

Playing a Sea Elf

As a Sea Elf, you are at home on the rolling deck of a ship, in the swirling edges of a maelstrom, or charting a course across uncharted waters. You might be a swashbuckling rogue, a druid attuned to the tides, a wizard who weaves the magic of water and storm, or a bard who sings legends of the Pirate Queen.

Sample Sea Elf Names

Male: Caelir, Orain, Talos, Loryn, Mirath, Veylan

Female: Thalassa, Maris, Lirael, Seryn, Nyssa, Velune

Surnames: Wavewhisper, Deepcurrent, Stormrider, Maelshard, Shoalbringer

Tidesplitter:

Every Sea Elf, regardless of gender, carries a weapon known as a Tidesplitter—a masterfully crafted trident-blade inspired by the legendary original. The first and true Tidesplitter was the enchanted weapon wielded by Pirate Queen Kyranda Notlesh during the Xarath War, and its fame has only grown with each passing generation. Sea Elves across the world have never ceased their quest to recover this mythic trident, hoping one day to enshrine it in Remembrance Hall at Mahtys, the coastal capital of Oceana, as a symbol of their enduring heritage and the indomitable spirit of their people.