Abgal (ahb-gahl)

Abgal

Abgals (Ahb-gahl) were aquatic fish closely related to merpeople. Poisonous barbed stingers on their tails aided in hunting and defending themselves from potential attacks from predators. Abgals could communicate like any person, but their intelligence rarely eclipsed that of an average teenager. Merfolk traditionally held abgals in low regard, treating them as pets and using them as slaves throughout their undersea empires. Abgals were not able to breathe above the water and frequently stuck together in tight schools to combat sea monsters and merfolk slave masters.

Mythology

The abgal was an early form of a mermaid in Sumerian legend. It was one of several creatures who helped civilize humankind. Early carvings depicted them as men above the waist and a fish below.