The Elves of the Red Tide live along the areas immediately south and west to Verre Zon greater, places the astute observer will notice are only water. This choice of location is made easier for this people by gills.

Where they gain their name is from the practice of bloodying shores to the extent that the tide turns red, a practice they take great pride in. This practice, and others like it within their culture, revolves around the principle of "feeding the Ocean" with blood sacrifices. Because that is what the ocean eats.

Or rather, the Beast From the Deepest Ocean, Old Fangmouth himself. The Demon of the Deep. Father of Storms. Lord Kraken. The Great Serpent. In ages past, many civilisations across the world would beg him turn his wrath from their people, and in appeasement would offer tributes of ships sent out to sea crewed only by shackled slaves, in a ritual known as "sending to Serpent's Maw".

It is believed the Beast From the Deepest Ocean is patron to this people, since the Red Tide Tribe is most proactive in seeking sacrifices to the sea-demon.

Skin for these people is a pale green, and their hair is mossy like seaweed. They have gill slits on their neck, and their build is fairly typical of elves. They had webbed feet, and a more neatly rounded body structure than land based races, their torsos and limbs leaning towards the neatly cylindrical. Like more traditional elves, they are faster and more agile than most humans, but less strong and sturdy. However, their ability to withstand depth pressure makes them better able to cope with impact.

Calling themselves a tribe, their society appears closer to feudalism mixed with theocracy or even magocracy, as they rule from coral forts or temples under the leadership of those with the most mystical might � those with the strongest connection to the Serpent. Where the word 'tribe' comes in is that the undersea lifestyle has not evolved beyond hunter-gathering in some ways. They hunt fish, they gather sea plants, they make limited efforts of cultivation but ultimately live off what the sea provides.

None of this is of interest to the people of Verre Zon, who know the Red Tide as that shower of bastards who emerge upon the coast at night and drag people off to a watery grave. Raids are a frequent problem along the coast, normally nothing a standard patrol cannot deal with but it is very difficult to see a foe coming when they just emerge from the coastline without warning.

Most of these victims end up as ghouls, flesh-eating undead which serve to thoroughly cement any bad feelings towards the tribe. Apparently the great sea-demon brushes upon being a lord of the dead, or at least the dead at sea, which is its main reason for desiring the sacrifices. "Drowned ones" are spoken of with a strange reverence by the Red Tide, even while used to serve in menial roles.

FAQ

Elves? These are elves?

Who said elves have to be cute and friendly?

So they don't use bows?

Not underwater. Harpoons are much more reliable. Some crossbows exist but are pretty rare, functional underwater crossbows are not the easiest of creations.

What about elven armour?

Leather and steel weighs as much for elves as they do for anyone else, and neither is convenient for swimming in.

But aren't elves the best craftsmen ever?

Lies I tell you! Propaganda! More seriously, simply being an elf does not make a wonderful craftsman.

The Red Tide can do wonderful things with coral. In fact, a common practice in their culture is to magically shape their growth. They have castles of the stuff, and even rare suits of armour for the nobility.

Why did people stop making sacrifices to the Beast?

Because it went to sleep. It only has varying degrees of wakefulness, and it is only partially aware.

Why does the Red Tide still do?

Because feeding the beast can give it more wakefulness, effectively they get it more awake so they can clamour for its attention.

What kind of magics do they lean towards?

Ones which work underwater. More seriously, Deepcallers and Stormcallers are their sorcerer-priests, who use the magic related to sea and weather, death and undead, and standard-issue hexy black magic. Did I mention that Deepcallers are not nice people?