Far off the coast of Talemn the briny waters churned. Waves 20 metres high crashed into each other, rain pelted the ocean surface so hard it nearly made dents in it, and the howling gale was enough to deafen even the toughest of human ears. It was, in retrospect, a good thing there were no human ears around.

'The Wolves of the Sea' some called them. 'Sea Serpents' said others. Still others declared them 'Dragons Forged of Bone and the Briny Waves', although it was the opinion of most that those people were too melodramatic for their own good. What they called themselves was 'The Syandar' - the people of the deep waters. But whatever their name, they were there.

Aquara was a young Syandar and normally she would have revelled in the storm like the other pups, but today was not a day for play. Not for her. Today was a serious day. Any moment now one of the adults would return with reports of a dolphin pod and the hunt would begin. This was her hunt, her day. Today was the day that Aquara would make her first kill and become an adult.

A cry went up, breaking the pup from her thoughts. Gil'ta was swimming fast towards her, like a dappled grey bullet through the waves.
"Attrin Aquara" he stopped when he reached the young one, greeting her formally.
"Sstrala Gil'ta" she replied, just as formally. It was a high honour indeed for the pack leader to have been the one who spotted the pod.
"Are you ready, young one?"
"Yes, great leader. Yes!" and she couldn't hide the note of excitement in her voice. Gil'ta smiled. The young Syan'dar's enthusiasm was infectious, and he remembered how nervous he had been at his first hunt.
"They're only a mile or so west. I instructed the pack to course them this way, so it shouldn't be too far. Let's go!"
The other pups had stopped their play, faces alternately awestruck and envious, and when the pack leader and his young companion swam westward, most of them followed. If they were fast enough and managed to stay out of the way, they could spectate.

The dolphin pod and pack of Syandar chasing them were indeed not too far away. As Aquara and Gil'ta took their place in the front and centre, a tiger-striped green Syan'dar fell in beside them.
"Aqui, darling! Isn't this exciting?"
"Mom! Almost too!"
"A word of advice, if the great leader will permit me to give it?", (he nodded his assent), "Go for the weaker ones, the pack will work with you to try and block the stronger off. The blowhole is a weak point, as are the eyes. Don't hesitate to back off temporarily if it looks like too much but also be sure not to let the hunt go for too long - you'll tire yourself out. Don't rely on just your horns - you have an exoskeleton for a reason and a set of teeth too."
"Thanks Mom"
"You're a smart pup. You'll do well."

The pack moved as one, weaving in and out of each other, forming a nigh impenetrable barrier that pushed the dolphins further and further east. Every so often a lone Syan'dar or a pair would dart out of the weave and corner a stronger dolphin, pushing them out of the way and outside the barrier. The pod gradually grew smaller.

Aquara considered the choice of prey carefully, before making her way out of the front of the pack. She knew which she would go for, now all she needed to do was steel herself to do it. But it was hard. She was young, she had never attacked another creature before, she was scared. This was what predators did, she knew. But knowing was different from doing.
This is what it is to be a person of the deep Aquara told herself, this is what it means to be alive. You kill to eat, you eat to survive. But still she did nothing, and the pack moved inexorably eastward. And then she steeled her nerve and charged.

The blow hit squarely on the centre of the young Syandars horns, and the dolphin squealed in pain. Dazed a little by it, Aqui backed up. The bruise on the dolphin's rubbery skin was impressive, but Aquara remembered her mother's advice. Use more than just your horns. The next time she charged she turned at the last second, hitting the dolphin with all her weight and wrapping her tail around to smash both sides. She grasped the mammal with both paws and bit in. The fight was over faster than most.

If you asked Aquiviara what happened next, she'd tell you it was hazy. There was blood in her mouth, blood in the water around her. The pack wasn't moving as one any more - there was cheering for sure, and some might have told her congratulations, but she doesn't quite remember. The remainder of the pod was fleeing as fast as they could swim, she was pretty sure of that. And the dead dolphin was still grasped in her paws - she couldn't seem to let it go. Yet, the blue Syandar didn't feel happy, or triumphant. The only thing she could think was I guess I'm an adult now and then I hope everyone remembers my new name and then - then everything erupted into chaos.

The water was moving in ways Aquiviara was sure were not physically possible, through things that were there and around things that weren't. Miniature whirlpools were forming all around. The sea was turning opaque in places, and not because of the blood. Blood doesn't make water white or black. And worst of all, the smell - the overpowering stench of cinnamon and freshly cut wood.
"No no no no no no no" the Syandar muttered to herself, claws digging into the dolphin she still clutched, "We went too far east." And then there was nothing but blackness.

When she woke up, Aquiviara was lying on sand, half out of the water on a beach, the dolphin beside her. Humans were crowded around them.
"What are they?" asked one.
"That one looks like a Tutani!"
"It doesn't have wings."
"I've never seen anything like that one before!"
"I dunno, its face kinda reminds me of a Paralix..."

Since landing in Subeta, Aqui has taken to oyster-farming for a living in the shallower waters off Delphi Beach. She still hunts occasionally (although only non-sentient minions), but without a pack to work with the typical Syandar methods are useless, so more often she eats smaller fish and whatever she can barter in exchange for her pearls.

She doesn't like to stray too far from her landing site in the event another Hollow happens, hopefully one that will transport her back to Estae, but it's been over 5 years now with nary a ripple, so she is starting to become more adventurous.

Five years is a long time to be stuck away from home, and although by now she seems as normal a Subetian as one could be under the circumstances, it is true that her heart still longs for the churning waters northeast of the island of Talemn.

So you want to make your own Syandar character? Feel free! But first, here is some information you need to know:

1. Syandar live in a wide variety of habitats and are a wide variety of colours. Syandar from the more Northern, colder waters (like Aqui's pack) tend to be plain or muted shades with more natural patterning - stripes, spots, patches, dappling. Other Syandar live in more tropical waters around coral reefs and are brightly coloured with unusual markings. Try to match colouring to habitat.
   
   
2. Syandar are 2 metres long on average. This also varies by habitat as well as individually. If a habitat is deeper or hunting is good in it the Syandar will be bigger. If the habitat is hard to survive in the Syandar will be smaller and leaner.
   
   
3. All Syandar have a set of horns on their head consisting of a central piece and branches that come down on either side of the Syandar's face. The design of these horns will also vary.
   
   
4. All Syandar have an exoskeleton in addition to their internal skeleton. The exoskeleton is formed out of both bone and flexible cartilage. It always consists of one sharp fin down the middle of the back, and several branches curving around the Syandar's body. The design of the exoskeleton is also variant!
   
   
5. Under no circumstances will Syandar have a set of back legs.
   
   
6. The natural prey of the Syandar are aquatic mammals - dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions on occasion, whales if they can succeed in taking them down. Syandar will eat fish, squid, and other sealife if faced with starvation otherwise - but those things are not their natural food and they have to be pushed substantially far before doing so.
   
   
7. Syandar hunt in a pack. They are co-ordinated, agile and fierce when working together. Unfortunately, they cannot hunt well (or at all) on their own.

And some rules:

1. No making profit off the Syandar. Want to be the exception to this rule? Ask me, and explain how you're planning to make money.
   
   
2. All credit for the species goes to me, Anza Firetail. Point people back here whenever possible.
   
   
3. This one isn't a rule but a request - please send a ref and character bio to me when you make the character.