Worldbuilders’ Logbook

Ancient Siren Society and the Aftermath of the Larian Empire

Hello all,

Some of you might know I’m part of another writing forum- the SCC- and they’re now hosting a challenge where you have to partake in various ‘quests’. The first one was to write about the history of your world, and, while I probably could’ve used what I wrote about Entoulie, I thought it’d be a good idea to expand on the lore of Allure of the Depths. So, without further ado, enjoy.

(Please note: Most of the names in this, for people and places, are just placeholders, and will be changed later on.)

The ancestors of the sirens were several cultures of fishers and divers who lived in coastal settlements or on boats at the sea at various points in the world, and spent lots of time in the waters. In these communities, shamans and mages eventually discovered how to give people gills using magic. Over time, the spells and rituals improved and developed, becoming a sort of shapeshifting magic meaning that sirens could change between their normal, entirely human bodies, and a specialised form with a fish’s tail and scales on their arms and parts of their face. Typically, most sirens would have a similar ‘aquatic’ form, with a simple, blue-grey tail, however, some sirens would have different tail colours, or have tails based off of sharks or other species of fish, due to a variety of factors- usually culture, occupation, or social status. Eventually, sirens would come to spend more and more time underwater, until the average siren actually lived underwater for most of their life, and they gradually began swimming deeper and deeper in search of stronger magic.

It wasn’t long after the beginning of this new era that the different siren cultures met and began to mingle. Despite some initial hostility, the siren cultures eventually began to collaborate, and share their knowledge and innovations. This lead to a boom of scientific and technological advancements in siren cultures.  Although the sirens would share some of their discoveries with the humans, they often withheld most of what they knew, causing an anger to brew amongst some humans. At the centre of siren development, was the Larian Empire, a nation whose imperial dynasty discouraged interaction with humans. One thing sirens from Laria had managed to do was force monsters from the deep sea, often called bestias del mar, into their submission to do their bidding, often to fight in conflict.

Another development made by Larian sorcerers were full gills, a special kind of gill that were larger, but at the cost of causing a siren’s lungs to rot away, until they would suffocate if they went to the surface for too long. The elites of siren society started to give their children full gills, both because the more elaborate frills were seen as prettier, and more desirable in siren culture, and would show that they were too wealthy and important to need to work, and by extension, visit the surface.

One of the many palaces owned by the Larian dynasty was situated near the coast, and was where the emperor’s children were raised. At the time, on the land near this part of the Larian Empire was a small kingdom called Cavento, and the heir was Prince Adriano- a romantic young man with a passion for sailing. However, one night, during a storm, his ship was destroyed, and he would have drowned, if one of the Larian Princesses, called Maria, hadn’t seen him and taken him to the shore. Maria had been watching Adriano as he sailed for some time, but this meeting made her begin to fall for him, but she knew she would die if she went to see him, as her full gills meant she would suffocate. She grew so depressed about this, that she visited a sea-witch, and asked her to give her her lungs back. The witch agreed, so long as Maria gave her her voice. The witch said her heart would become weak, and, should she experience a metaphorical heartbreak, it’d become something more literal, and she’d die of grief.

After the spell had been performed, Maria went to the surface and made her way to the palace, where she became a member of the king’s court, adored for her dancing. Adriano began to speak with her. However, Adriano said he would only fall in love with the woman who saved his life, and as Maria looked different in her human form, and she couldn’t tell him the truth, he didn’t know it was her.

But a few years later, Adriano’s father announced that he had arranged a wedding between Adrian and the princess of the neighbouring kingdom Flotania, Lauretta. Since Lauretta was the woman who had found him after Maria left him by the coast- and the one he had called his love the whole time- he consented to the marriage. It was held a month later, and on that day, Maria ran to the beach, and began to weep. Soon, the sea-witch approached her, gave her a knife, and told her that the only way she could save herself was by sacrificing Adriano and Lauretta, and using their blood in a new spell. At first, Maria was horrified at the idea of killing the man she loved, but her fear of death became stronger, and, in the night, she snuck into Lauretta and Adriano’s bedroom while they were alone, and stabbed them. But the royal guards heard their screams, and Maria was captured. After the deaths of Adriano and Lauretta, the kings of Cavento and Flotania were outraged, and used Maria’s execution as a declaration of war between the Larian Empire and a Flotanian-Caventan alliance.

A fierce war began, that lasted for over a century, and involved many factions, negotiations, and betrayals. Siren hunting became seen as a kind of sport, especially in the capital city of Cavento, Navarón. By the end of the war, the Larian Empire collapsed, and, over time, its cities were abandoned, and sirens began living closer and closer to the surface from fear of the bestias del mar, who had seemingly turned savage and violent from the conflict, attacking them. Full gills were forbidden, and seen as inhumane amongst the remaining siren nations. Over years, decades, and centuries, the story of the war and the Larian Empire faded into little more than a myth, however, the distrust and hatred between humans and sirens has never faded.