Loray

"“And who has ever seen a Loray truly at home? Their underwater city, they say, is beyond imagining, and no tales of it can ever be confirmed.”""- Guide to the World of Vindor"The Loray are merfolk from the World of Vindor series, written by Emily Golus.

Biography
Mysterious, beautiful, and otherworldly, the Loray exist almost in a sphere of their own. These dark-eyed mermaids and mermen are the only merfolk in Vindor that can actually breathe underwater, thanks to gill-like structures beneath their rib cages. They do, however, have rudimentary lungs, and can breathe air if necessary for stretches of time. Their underwater city, Anquilla, is rumored to be quite advanced, though no other peoples of Vindor have ever seen it.

Some Loray mermaids are rumored to have siren powers—that is, the ability to enchant male sailors and lure them into danger. Most Loray avoid coming to the surface, however, so this is unconfirmed.

Appearance
Of all the merfolk in Vindor, Loray are the closest to the fairy tale depictions of mermaids, beautiful with shimmering fish tails. They have pale skin, large dark eyes, and straight dark hair. Loray tails are flexible and covered in smooth, silvery scales.

Trivia

 * Loray is a mixture of moray and Lorelei.
 * Lorelei was a siren or mermaid rumored to live in the river Rhine. Like her, the Loray mermaids are sirens.
 * Moray is a species of eel, the sea creature affiliated with the Loray. Their city, Anquilla, is named after the Latin word for the eel family.

Links

 * http://www.worldofvindor.com/world/loray