Bestowed Pearl Caste: Full Moon Spirit shape: Shark Caste and favored attributes: Dexterity, Stamina, Intelligence, Wits “Sea folk society was a meritocracy, with a leader selected by a council of elders (subject to Lawgiver approval). Gender equality and universal education were cornerstones of sea folk life, helping to produce the thaumaturges and savants who supported the undersea cities. Yet, the great unspoken assumption of sea folk life (and the great blind spot) was that the most important thing for any man or woman of the sea folk was his or her ability to swim, to know the waters and to survive the great depths. Even the elders and the savants were capable of far surpassing any normal human underwater. Children who failed to reach the proper stan- dards of sea craft were quietly abandoned on beaches, left to make a life on land or die alone, with the understanding that “they would never have been happy living down here properly with us.” Adults who showed weakness in those areas would never rise to any position of true power or infl u- ence, but would spend their lives in menial tasks, however great their potential might have been. The ocean had no room for weakness.”
