The Indrid are an aquatic race I created for the Canticles of Andurun. Here is the bio I wrote up for them a few years ago:

Hailing from the depths of the Pearl Ocean and beyond, the Indrid have dwelt on the floors of the realm’s oceans for countless generations. The Indrid have smooth, unblemished skin and opaque eyes that are almost too large for their head. They have a slant of a nose and a delicate, pronounced jaw-line. Their ears are frilled, ridged along the lobe and exceptional at hearing underwater. Their mouths have only cartilage instead of teeth, but they are hard and sharp, fully capable of eating anything that a Human might consume. Their gills are found behind their ears, long slits of open flesh that allow them to breathe underwater with ease. Their frames are wiry but muscular, with long limbs and sleek bodies that allow them to swim with minor encumbrance at an astounding rate. Indrid may only breathe land borne air by having a special glyph tattooed to their skin, always on their chest or their back. The symbol may be anything the individual Indrid wishes it to be, but it must span a certain size to accommodate a special alchemic concoction that the tattoo is made of. The alchemic potion is bound into the skin, allowing air to filter through their pores for a time of seven years. After this seven years the concoction expires and the Indrid in question must be administered another such application if they are to continue their land dwelling existence. Needless to say, the Indrid are masters of tattooing, making designs and images that other races, especially Humans and Dwarves, pay good coin for. The Indrid are entirely hairless.
The Indrid have gone through pains to learn the common tongue so they might trade with the land dwelling races for a plethora of goods they might never otherwise have. They are learned and wise, knowing many things of the lands beyond Kallendaros and the depths of the oceans where they make their cities. The cities are actually not so far from coastal waters (2-4 days from a shore, usually), and look not too different from Human cities save that there are no streets or allies dividing buildings. Most buildings are conical in design, stretching high and narrow, filled with small windows, complete with a larger window toward the top where Indrid enter and exit. Common cities hold anywhere from 3000-8000 Indrid. They are ruled by a senate, an elected body of their wisest that govern all matters of their city, not to mention matters of trade with land dwellers and fellow Indrid cities. The senate consists of eight senators, an equal amount of men and women, believing that gender make no difference in tasks. Female Indrid carry their young for 11 months, birthing a child relative in size to a Human baby, which matures and takes its place in city life by their 19th year.
The Indrid, other than their famous tattooing skills, offer many works and skills to land dwellers. They have coral, pearl and fishing talents with the net and spear, not to mention salvaging skills that many mariners pay hefty coinage to take advantage of. They work clothing and armor from shark or whale skin and often fashion weapons out of bone or precious gems, which don’t become dull or rust. They get on well enough with Humans, whom they have been interacting with for 800 years or so. The Dwarves have also had long standing relations with the Indrid, dating back since a time before the Cataclysm. They have almost no standing with Emp or Elves. It is thought that the two races once had an ancient friendship that dissolved long before the Cataclysm so badly wounded the realm.

I have more about Indrid history. If anyone wants to read a little more simply let me know. Hope you enjoy!

Wow! They seem really cool.

These are very well done. I'd love to hear more.



(sues Inesdar)

I'm going to echo everyone! They are very well done. I would also love to hear more.

Since people seem interested, here is the history of the Indrid that was "part 2" of my description for the race. The history may be a little more understood if you peek at my historical timeline posted on my blog: thecanticlesofandurun.blogspot.com. As for the Indrid's religion? Like the other races of Andurun, some follow the One God and wait for Messiah. Others follow created gods from a race of giants that first peopled the realm. Others worship natural forces, and still others have ceased believing in any type of god. In other words, they're much like us!

Indrid History: The Indrid have dwelt in the depths of the oceans since the early years of the 1st Age. They were ancient friends and allies of the Humans in their eastern lands, before the Cataclysm and before Ragnarok’s terrible rise to power. They remained beneath the oceans again until the year 315 of the 2nd Age, only to rise and discover that Humans had peopled Kallendaros and left their birth land. Indrid traveled at length to the great Human cities of South Deep, Cantlin, Teomora and the southern kingdom of Telaine, before the latter cities fell into ruin, to ply their trade of tattooing and importing exotic food stuffs as well as goods crafted by their kin. They remained largely on the coastal cities, avoiding Elvish lands and returning to the seas in pilgrimages every seven years when their alchemical imbibing began to wear off. Eventually they traveled into the heights of the Iron Keep Mountains where the traded goods with the Dwarves. It has long been known that the Indrid have had good relations with the Dwarves, and later Humans, of Rauros for 500 years or so. The Indrid are also one of the only races that the Ogres allow to travel upon their chain of islands freely, as their craft and their herb-lore are highly prized among them, not to mention their ability to create tattoos. Beneath the waves, Indrid cities have endured all manner of fates for thousands of years. There are four great metropolises; one beneath each of the four oceans of the realm. The city of Arganand dwells beneath the Pearl Ocean and boasts more than 70,000 Indrid, built upon the steppes of a vast coral reef that rests on the roots of the Gorgoroth Mountains. The pearl colored city of Sherad lurks under the Starrioz Ocean, just south of the land of Parun, and it holds 55,000 Indrid. These are a sturdier folk, darker in color than their kinsmen, with a tendency to avoid surface dwelling races. Valkariun sits deep under the waves of the Ocean Turbades, south of Rauros by some leagues. Valkariun is the capitol city of the Indrid and boasts more than 80,000. The city of Mezelkian resides in a deep trench, the Marysh Trench as their people named it, within the black depths of the Tempest Ocean. This violent and turbulent ocean fills the northern and western most waters. Mezelkian City holds some 60,000 Indrid. A high council, elder bloodlines of noble houses that are elected by their common folk, govern over matters of the city and all Indrid colonies that find harbor in the same ocean. Though these senate members are elected much like the common senators of the lesser cities, they must be descended from a noble house to serve, and they must have served a term as a common senator in a lesser city in their own ocean before they may be considered to be elected. These laws are held in high regard by the Indrid, established by their ancestors around the year 2000 of the 1st Age. Another of their oldest laws forbids any that are not Indrid from entering their cities for any reason, or revealing the location of their cities to surface dwelling folk. It is believed that a civil dispute of some magnitude arose around the year 3750 of the 1st Age when an Indrid clan that befriended Elves revealed many of their secrets. The clan was exiled by the high senate of Arganand, only to have sympathizers side with the clan and retaliate, both with legal action and in a rebellion that cost thousands of Indrid lives. The affair lasted nearly four years, settled at length with the clan being granted amnesty should they vow never again to enter the reaches of the Pearl Ocean. To that end they were sent to dwell within the Tempest Ocean, creating still more enmity that has endured between the clans to this day.

Great stuff! Is there a part 3?

This inspired me to go get working on my world's history! These are one of the best developed races I've seen!

Alas, there is no part 3 for the Indrid, at least in that descriptor. I will get around to posting other races I have created for my series: the Emp, the Ogian, Argun, Zarakhan, etc. I have about 130 pages of monster material in my notes, and another 30 pages of race material. I will put some up from time to time, and I'm looking forward to seeing what others are doing with their creations. So...where do I look first?

Beasts/Monsters you will find here: http://www.holyworlds.org/fantasy/viewforum.php?f=13&start=0. Races you will find here: http://www.holyworlds.org/fantasy/viewforum.php?f=14&start=0. And here you will find what people are doing in their different worlds: http://www.holyworlds.org/fantasy/viewforum.php?f=65. I hope this is what you meant and I haven't misunderstood you!

This is really cool. I love a well developed water race.