Keros

Keros is a triton in the Mürekkep ve Çelik ("Ink and Steel") campaign, a sellsword who offers his knowledge, weapons and skills for hire. Tritons are a very rare people of the sea, neither sea elves nor merfolk; they have lungs and can come up onto land as well as live beneath the water. Keros has blue skin, webbed hands and feet, fin-like ridges and an elven face, and fights in armour of fish scales with a long metal-headed glaive or a three-pronged spear.^{1 2 3 4}

Rescue

While travelling under the sea, Castor, the merfolk warrior Ademaris and his partner Asana came upon Keros behind a rock. He had killed one sahuagin and was close to losing to a second, until Ademaris joined in unseen and the two finished it together. Keros said in Elvish that he meant no harm and gave his name; he took Castor, by his name, for a human of the Empire, though he did not know him.^{5 2 6 7}

Ademaris is the son of Chief Avalon of the Nor Maradils, a merfolk people. He rides a trained shark named Kong. Against his father's wishes he had turned fifteen volunteers into Merov, warriors changed by an old ritual of his people into fighters their enemies could not face, at the risk of madness and rage.^{8 9 10 11 12}

Keros told them that his ship had sunk as he was returning from the islands to Neptune, a great free port, and that under the water he had lost his way and ended up far to the north, months from home. He joined the party for safety and food. At the sea elves' cave he was recognised by the two brothers who had sheltered him, one of whom sent his soldier brother to fetch their commander.^{13 14 15 16}

Beliefs

Keros asked whether Castor had come as part of the mages' exam, worried that such exams endangered the peoples under the sea. Among his own people, he said, one may go far only after proving near-perfect survival both under the water and above it, and he disliked such deadly trials. He believes the waves of fate guide people, and that his rescue was no chance.^{17 18 19}

He said people had not treated him well, and that the origins of his people, not of himself, lay beyond the great Barrier and its watcher. Those who thought of going near the barrier he would think mad; crossing beneath the water might be a little easier than crossing above it, but still impossible. Religious teaching once held that the barrier and great whirlpool of the Eye of Aquaron marked the known edge of the Great Western Sea.^{20 21 22 23}

Hired

On the way back, Keros noticed enemy scouts following them that Castor could not see. Ademaris offered him good pay, from gold gathered from sunken ships, to stay and fight for his people, and Keros, a sellsword wanting to go home with fuller pockets, decided to earn money there for a while and then come up to find Castor. Castor had told him he dreamed of sailing into the unknown with a ship and crew of his own.^{24 25 26 27 28}

Later Castor called him up to the Archon. Keros walked and breathed easily on land, joined the company at the grill and met Herrenhal. Below, he reported, there were still small clashes; elves and merfolk were tense but learning to work together, and the Archon had sent twin mages down. Castor offered him a fee for each exam to escort Glanfall and Luke through their tests; Keros agreed without bargaining and stayed two days at the Archon as Castor's guest.^{29 4 30 31 32 33}