Triton
Tritons are a race of outsiders native to the Elemental Plane of Water. They are thought to have been created by Istishia, an elemental god of water.
Tritons emigrated to the seas of Avlis during the Time of the Dawning. Istishia, caring only for his own plane, did not grant them spells here, so their worship turned to the native deity Ingoren.
Tritons resemble humans but have light blue skin, with gills on their necks, fins on their calves, and webbed hands and feet. Their hair comes in various shades of blue and green. They can breathe air for a limited time but must eventually return to the water. They can live in both fresh and salt water; in Avlis they are only found in the ocean. There is no known record of tritons being able to interbreed with other races.
Since the Time of the Dawning tritons have propagated in the seas of Avlis, during which time they came into conflict with two other undersea races, the sahuagin and the sea elves. These three races vie for control of the ocean, and what started as a costly three-way war has over millennia de-escalated into political intrigue with occasional violence (skirmishes, assassinations, etc.).
The undersea nation of the tritons is known as Jerid Lacuna. They are governed by an Assembly of Elders. In 2261 O.D Jerid Lacuna and M'Chek initiated a trade agreement which may pave the way towards more formalized relations. This relationship was spurred by the tritons offering food and healing aid to offset damage to fields as a result of sea elf attacks. In return, M'Chek handed over to the tritons the Water of Eldath, an undersea relic which had been found on M'Chekian soil. Adventurers also gave the tritons a relic found in Ferrell known as the Idol of Deep Sashelas. It is unknown what affect these relics will have if any on the tritons' three-way conflict.
Tritons have their own language. There is also an Underseacommon spoken by most undersea races. Tritons who live in the deep ocean speak these languages. Those who live in shallower water closer to the shores of Negaria may speak Common due to interactions with sailors.
Triton soldiers wear armor made from the scales of large fish or the thick hides of sea creatures such as sharks. They wield crossbows designed to fire underwater; in melee they prefer rapier-like stabbing weapons. They are known to breed magical lobsters with the ability to drain magic, which they employ in combat.