Nixie

Nixies look little like their forest cousins. They have webbed hands and feet, pointed ears, large silver eyes, lightly scaled skin of pale green, and hair a darker green. Most are slender and good-looking. Females braid shells and pearls into their hair and wear snug wraps of bright seaweed; males wear seaweed loincloths. Able to breathe both air and water, they could travel overland but seldom leave home except in dire need. Besides their own speech they know the common tongue.

Let a man stray within 30 feet and the nixies pool their power into a single potent charm (one per 10 nixies) that he resists only by saving vs. spell at -2. Before the victim enters the water, dispel magic has a 75% chance to break it; once he is submerged, only 10%. The thrall does the tribe's heavy work for a year, after which the enchantment lapses and he is released. Throughout, the nixies keep water breathing on him; each can cast or dispel it on any creature once per day, lasting one day.

Males carry a long dagger and a javelin, used as a spear below water and thrown above it (10 yards short, 30 medium, 60 maximum). Ten nixies together can work a large fishing net against prey in the water, rolling to hit AC 10 for one man-sized target, with AC rising by 2 per additional victim up to five. They may also set their guard fish on foes.

Despite 25% magic resistance, nixies dread fire and bright light, so a flaming sword or light spell holds them off. They dim continual light by summoning swarms of small fish to crowd around it.

Their dwellings, grown and woven from live seaweed, are only 5% likely to be noticed within 20 feet, and impossible beyond that. They train giant fish as guards, usually 2-5 pike (80%), otherwise 1-2 gar (20%), keep shiners and rainbow fish as trick-performing pets, and herd trout, bass and catfish for food. They can call 10-100 small fish in 1-3 rounds.

A tribe of 20-80, a third of them young, is made of 10-15 related families of four to eight members each, sharing one ancestor and holding a territory 3-5 miles in radius. Overgrown tribes split off two or three families to found new ones. The hereditary Acquar, or water mother, descends from the founder, settles disputes, divides all treasure equally, and appoints the S'oquar, a war leader who runs hunts and defense. A council of elders advises her through the L'uquar, keeper of oral history. Rival tribes feud, sometimes stealing brides, since males take two or three wives. Births are frequent but infant deaths are high, so tribes grow slowly. They worship powers of water and nature.

A lake with nixies stays clear and full of fish, often because captives are put to work hauling out debris. They craft opal, pearl and shell jewelry, gather water-spider silk, and brew potions of water breathing.