Alkaufen

Many years before the cataclysm that made the Water Plane what it is today, when all of the land was still underwater, Xavian Nemes appeared in the material plane to make his children. He studied, the silent Plane, and he knew that sooner or later, it´d change a big deal. So he created a race fit for change, for adaptability. And he created Alkaufen.

Now you must know, Xavian Nemes is a pure creator, and he could see that he was by far the most powerful divinity hosting children into the Plane, and that filled him with pride, which transpired to his creatures. They were created under the concept that nothing in that plane would be a worthy opponent to them. If he only knew... Still, Alkaufen were created proud and stood that way forever, even if after they had to deal with creatures as powerful as themselves. In the beginning they were the stronger, and as such they dedicated to create a great body of power, based in the commerce and trade of whatever the lesser species present in the Water Plane had to offer. They didn´t conquer by force, but through treaties and financial power. They even enslaved races by sheer force of money.

As powerful and adaptable as they are, they give a rather humble first image. Tall, slim and slick. They were an original concept, that got copied and changed many times by other creators, and as such they may look unoriginal and rough. But they have some things that were never copied, because after the great leak, they were not necessary, such as their thick skin, their round pressure-sealed eyes, the fins in the back and limbs, and their burning self-righteousness and pride.

They were there during the great leak, but took too long to claim the land uncovered by it, and by the time they got out of the water, many species already had set roots there. Still, they were the most experimented creatures in that Plane and gained a foothold with haste, creating a haven in the lands that the others creatures didn´t want, and transforming them into something of their liking. They took a seed from a monstrous forest and with druidic aid, made it grow the biggest tree in the whole Plane. Frenkor - Home - they called it, and started the discovery and exploitation of the surface world. They never cut bonds with their old partners underwater, but they turned their eyes to juicier businesses, and newer clients, as this surface world was a contested one. They started to set trading routes, looking to fool some other creatures into unfair treaties, and making strong presence in the Water Plane´s surface. They set up political contracts with those intelligent enough as to read between the lines, and warred against those who were too proud or too independent to join them.

As one could imagine, their own political structure is based in commerce. Even though they all have a voice though the "heart of Frenkor", they all listen to the Trade Prince of the Consortium, who is always the wealthiest alkaufen, which makes it a good idea to listen to him. As they go to accept more and more species in the Consortium, they migrated to the higher branches of Frenkor, leaving the others on the slums below. They also have strong political presence in their affiliates´ governments, with ambassadors all over the ruling parties of said governments.