The Lochlings

"Why is there war? We all know war holds no purpose other than to take the people we love, take them away from us. Us Lochlings are peaceful. We do not believe in war. Come join us. Remind thyself that war is not the answer."

- The Lochlings' motto

The Lochlings are Sealing sub-species who hatched from golden eggs in a lake.

Appearance
The Lochlings all have light blue skin and blue eyes. Their arms are connected to their torsos with light blue, transparent webbing. They do not wear shoes, unlike many other Sealing sub-species. Lochlings favor white or light green, loose fitting clothing to help them swim faster and keep camouflaged from predators. Female Lochlings have a blue afro, while males sprout whitish-green, short hair that go down to the back of their head, bangs like a female Inkling, and two strands of hair that spring up above the rest of them. They also have gills on their arms, and fins that act as ears.

Combat-wise, their ink is completely useless. Lochlings only have only type of ink, Healing Ink, which heals the target. However, they know how to make daggers out of pearls, and use these in combat. Defensively, their best defense is retreating to the nearest body of water, as most of their opponents can't do anything. This makes them weak in combat, unfortunately.

There's a special type of Lochlings known as "Ocean Lochlings." These have light green skin, and their native home is deep in the ocean. They can adapt to both freshwater and saltwater easier, while it can take up to an hour for normal Lochlings to do so.

Their bodies are solid, preventing transforming into any other form besides their humanoid form, but they can swim in water, something pretty much all their Sealing sisters and brothers cannot do. They also make use of their fish elements, swimming in water with effiency. They can also walk on land, giving them a prime advantage in territory.

Diet
The Lochlings are complete herbivores, never eating animals or fish. Because they live in places such as ponds and rivers, finding food to eat is easy. Their main diet is mostly kelp and seaweed. Sometimes, they even eat coral, but that's usually as a last resort.

Culture
The Lochlings live in various bodies of water, using river currents to visit each other. They are a peaceful sub-species, and one that hardly anyone sees. Their biggest activity is swimming, as they do it a lot. One very special event is the Annual Lochling Water Show, where Lochlings perform underwater stunts. Many Lochlings come to see it.

While Lochlings are a peaceful sub-species, they have been known to have friendly competition. Some Lochlings like to play the Imagination Game, and see how far their imaginations go.

The Lochlings have a god they respect named Aqua, Goddess of the Ocean. Every year, on January 1st, the Lochlings celebrate by going to Aqua's Temple and surrounding the statue in a circle, then singing the chorus of Calamari County.

Backstory
The Lochlings, amazingly, did not evolve from sea creatures - instead, they hatched from golden eggs in a lake. Many of them stayed in the lake, but some took rivers out to other bodies of water to reproduce.

When the Great Turf War began, many lakes, ponds, rivers and such were polluted by ink, forcing many Lochlings to find new homes. Some walked for many years, and others were forced to walk through battlefields. Hundreds of Lochlings were injured, and even more died.

Thankfully, most managed the long trip, and they all got used to walking on dry land. They found new bodies of water to call home, and they continued living in solitude and peace.

Relationships
Not many races know of the Lochlings, and as such, they don't have a lot of allies or enemies. However, there are a few exceptions.
 * Inklings: The Inklings know of the Lochlings' existence, even though some insist that they're nothing more than a fairytale. Very few have seen a Lochling, however. Sadly, while the relationship is stable, it's a very faded one.
 * Octarians: Surprisingly, both species tolerate each other. The Octarians are one of few who have actually met and talked to the Lochlings. Their relationship is tight in some places, but mostly, they are actually very good friends.
 * Orelans: They hate each other.

Trivia

 * It is unknown how long a Lochling lives.
 * The design for the Lochlings and the design for the female's hair is based off Lulu from Majora's Mask.
 * The Lochlings were in the Singleplayer mission "Swim to Victory" where the Orelans are holding your Inkling prisoner and you'll have to make use of the Lochlings' swimming abilities to get the Inkling back, having to battle a Giant Orelan in order to make the rescue.