#askhydriad

This is a real problem that they have to watch out for!

In fact, sirenes, cecaelia, and other Aquarian peoples have been hate-crimed by Terrians who drag them out of the water and stick them to frozen surfaces. This can (and has) led to serious injury.

Other times it's simply an accident. Young Aquarians who venture on land may not know better, and get themselves stuck to things in cold weather. I imagine this is a lesson every Aquarian learns early on...but some of them learn it the hard way.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

(Translated via Google Translator)

"Does the sand that the hydriads become when they die have anything different from normal sand?"

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That's a very good question! Pyriad crystals have magical properties, so I imagine hydriad sand does as well. Alchemists can use it to brew potions, and divines can use it to forge monsters. Something weird might happen if you consume it raw...

This sand probably doesn't look much different from normal sand, but an experienced mage will sense the magical energy radiating off of it. It's a hard ingredient to acquire in its pure form, because most hydriad sand has become mixed in with regular sand and loses its potency with dilution.

You pretty much have to murder a hydriad to get the pure, alchemical-grade stuff. There is likely a grisly business around this, similar to the everfloe crystal hunters.

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Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Now that's a good question! Traditionally, an undine is created when a female sirene sings a magical song, which fuses herself and multiple hydriads together into one monstrous titan nymph.

What's really happening here is that the sirene is casting a powerful transmutation spell via her voice. The hydriads' bodies and the sirene's body are transformed into one, and this new undine body houses all of their souls. There was a disturbing bit of dialogue in "Chains of Melody" where an undine said:

“I was once three hydriads and a sirene, but we sacrificed our lives to become this—this abomination—to protect [Gaia]!"

The undine acknowledges that she was once several different creatures, and she refers to all of them as "we". So, does the undine have one brain or multiple? Just one. The personalities of the original nymphs and sirene have been consumed by uncontrollable rage. Undine are violent, unfeeling creatures by nature. They have manifested from the anger and violent urges of the hydriads who grew desperate enough to create them, and unfortunately they are stuck in this mental state until they die.

When they die, all of their souls are released and reaped by the celestials.

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Questions/Comments?