Shalarin

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Shalarin are a minor race from the Forgotten Realms doubly cursed to obscurity; not only are they one of the multitude of minor aquatic humanoid races, but they only ever appeared in a single splatbook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition: Sea of Fallen Stars.

Commonly nicknamed fins or finheads by humans (or possibly the different aquatic races of the Seros region), skelar by malenti and wild-tiders by merfolk, shalarin are a strange humanoid race covered in hairless, dolphin-like skin, with gill slits along their collarbone and ribcage, elongated fingers and toes with pronounced webbing, all-pupil eyes protected by nictating membranes, and a large dorsal fin that stretches from the bridge of the nose up over the forehead and then all the way down the length of their spine to end at their tailbone - sort of like the C-lister Marvel Comics villain known as Tigershark, at least back in the 70s, 80s, whenever it was he showed up. Most shalarin are silvery-skinned, but they have a wide variety of skin colors, with named variants including ivory, white, and midnight blue. Their colors are impacted by which caste they belong to.

They are oviparous creatures, laying eggs and incubating them in warm subsea caverns and mud for six months; an unhatched shalarin egg indicates the general caste its occupant will belong to by its color; rough, dark-brown shells mark infant protectors; light brown whorled shells denote a baby provider, rust-colored and tightly straited shells signal scholars, and a smooth black shell will hatch into a seeker.

The caste system is central to shalarin culture. Biological parents aren't even allowed to raise their offspring themselves unless it belongs to the same caste as one of them. They have great difficulty interacting with other races because skills and responsibilities are so tightly integrated with caste, and most outsiders don't fit the shalarin's neat designations - an Aquatic Elf warrior who can cook is inherently illogical to a shalarin, as a warrior is a warrior and a cook is a provider, and the two roles do not overlap. Whilst shalarin tend to be polite, they still find other races confusing.

Shalarin are generally friendly, but avoid sea elves (which is a wise decision, since Faerunian sea elves are notorious bastards), and they loathe the malevolent ixitxachitl and morkoth.

The Castes

Shalarin society's caste system recognizes four primary castes, which in turn often break into subcastes, with the primary castes being known as the Hand, Heart, Head and Currents castes.

Hand Caste

Also known as the Protector caste, this is the only caste with no subcastes to it. They represent the shalarin's warriors, and are made up of fighters and rangers. Hand caste shalarin can be visually distinguished by the bone spines that support their fins.

The Hand has its own distinct code of honor, which goes as follows:

• Always honor the trident and it shall honor your skill.
• Never lie to one you protect, or your protection is false and futile.
• Give a foe the defeat his methods prove he deserved, and dishonorable attacks gain the defeat of death.
• Respond to a foe's attack, but never begin the battle, for the protector's job is to provide defense, not aggression.

The Hand caste makes up 16% of the shalarin population.

Heart Caste

This is the largest of the four castes, making up 70% of the shalarin population. It's broken into three subcastes.

Providers make up 50% of the overall population, and are the basic worker caste of shalarin society - although, ironically, they are described as having the most freedom to choose their own lives and livelihoods.

Rulers are only 2% of the population, and are distinguished by the presence of large white spots or stripes on their fins - a shalarin with an entirely white fin is revered indeed. These are the governers of the shalarin people, and despite their political power, they are effectively captives of trheir caste, unable to leave or stray from their duties.

Servants are made of the 18% of shalarins whose fins never erect themselves upon reaching adulthood. They serve as the direct attendants of the Rulers, as well as liasons between the Rulers and the other castes of shalarin society.

Head Caste

Also known as the Scholars caste, the Head caste makes up only 4% of shalarins as a whole, and is divided into three castes. All have red fins, but the precise placement of red on their fin indicates which subcaste they belong to.

Minstrels (1%, red outer edges) are the poets, singers and bards of shalarin society.

Sages (2%, red on the leading edge) represent the studied, learned caste and mostly serve as tutors and teachers.

Arcane (1%, red on base of the fin) are, obviously, the wizards and spellcasting-focused bards of shalarin society.

Currents Caste

Also known as the Seekers, this final 10% of shalarin marks those cut adrift from the norm and looking for meaning. In a sense, it is the caste of the outcaste, made up of shalarins who are forced to seek knowledge and understanding from non-shalarin peoples and places beyond the shalarin's domains.

Originally, this was a single group of shalarin, marked by their solid-black fins, that made up only 4% of the shalarin people, but since the migration to Seros, a former Head caste has also been thrust into the Currents "overcaste".

The original Seekers, now known as Wanderers, are those 4% of shalarin with solid black fins, and are made up of rogues.

The newly shifted Faiths caste are Seekers focused on truth and purpose; they are the clerics, druids and paladins of shalarin kind, now cut adrift since their old gods went silent. Even though many have taken up the dominant faiths of Seros (Deep Sashelas, Eadro, Eldath, Ishtishia, Milil, Mystra, Oghma, Persana, Trishina, Umberlee), the Faithful still seek answers. Originally, they sported fins with blazing red whorls, due to being Head caste members, but now they sport solid black gins with a blazing red indented dot at the facial base of the fin.

PC Stats

Whilst shalarins did receive a writeup for use as player characters under the AD&D 2e rulest in Sea of Fallen Stars, the style used to write them up is quite basic, and is reprinted here as best as 1d4chan can figure it out:

Ability Score Minimum/Maximum: Strength 3/18(00), Dexterity 3/18, Constitution 3/18, Intelligence 3/18, Wisdom 3/18, Charisma 3/18

Racial Class & Level Limits: All Classes, Unlimited Levels, but cannot engage in multiclassing or dual-classing.

Natural Armor Class: 7

Mobility Dependent: A shalarin's heightened natural armor class only applies when underwater, and stems from their natural skill and grace. Dexterity penalties to AC also apply to swimming manueverability.