Vilous | Sergal Divers and Water-related Matters on Tal [+Bonus Attachment]

Greetings fans~! Today I'm glad to be able to share with you all some very fun and fresh Lore regarding Sergal divers and other water-related matters!

Also, this post's edition contains a "Fill in your own" blank sheet too, so  that you can colour in your own Sergal's fur!! Available as a download  for $5 Tier patrons! 

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Planet Tal  has oceans, lakes and rivers, but only within fairly remote, limited  locations. Among them, there are very few places where one can swim. As a  result, it is not a very well known fact that Sergals can actually swim  well.
 

Most of the Sergals that are capable of swimming are from the South,  because there are very little other places to swim in the people’s  living areas aside from ColVilous. Because salt lakes and almost all of  the rivers in the north have too much salt concentration and tend to be  dangerous because of the harmful microorganisms of Talyxian Origin, many people do not consider or engage in the act of swimming or bathing, being somewhat of an alien concept to them.
 

ColVilous is the only big sea on Tal, where the fishing and aquaculture  of fish, shellfish and seaweed is a major industry for the people living  in Gold Ring. From the old days, ships, fishing rods and nets have been  crafted by the Agudners and the only thing Sergals find themselves most proficient at is skin diving.
 

Their streamlined heads and long tails are suitable for balancing  underwater. They also keep their breath in for a long time and can  sometimes be submerged for up to 10 minutes. They pull up nets which are  placed on the bottom of the seabed, pick up shells, and sometimes catch  them directly with spears (harpoon).
 

If you visit a fishing village around Gold Ring, you will be able to  quickly identify Sergal divers. Because their large ears of tanned color  were cut short or shaved completely. Southern Sergal have especially  large ears. In order to protect their ears from the sandstorms and  escape direct sunlight, some of the ear-covering hairs are thick and  stiff like a porcupine’s fur, and are shaped like sails and covers.  (There is a similar structure in northern species, but it's more soft.)  The diver is wearing a hat on their ears in order to prevent water from  getting through the thick gap of fur. There are also diving flippers and  fins for their tail, and most of them are made of rubbery material such  as skin from Talyxian shells.
 

On Tal, fresh water is so valuable that divers don't have a place to  wash their bodies after they get out of the sea. Some people oil their  hair, pour sand on it, dry it and remove salt, or cut most of it short.  Many Agudners and Nevreans prefer sand bathing and stone saunas instead of Tal's inconvenient seawater baths.
 

Also, on Tal, "Spa" means hot sand bathing or stone saunas in most of the cases. The word “Spa” is mentioned in Manga “The Twelve Plainswalkers” page 69,  it is also most likely a kind of sand bathing. It may make use of hot  sand which is heated by geothermal heat and includes many salts.
 

I hope you have enjoyed this update concerning Sergals, swimming and diving in Vilous!