The Mercer Family
The Mercers have been whispering to the Atlantic for centuries, their lineage
as deeply entrenched in New England’s maritime history as barnacles on a
ship’s hull. Unlike landlocked supernatural families who measure power through
wealth or knowledge, the Mercers’ dominion extends across the churning waters
of the North Atlantic, where they reign as intermediaries between the surface
world and what dwells beneath.
Some family members carry oceanic demigod blood from ancient unions with
children of Poseidon, Njord, and Manannan Mac Lir, while others possess the
faeborn ability to shift between human and mer-forms. This diverse
supernatural lineage has created a family uniquely adapted to both terrestrial
and aquatic realms, with members able to navigate the complex politics of both
worlds.
The family’s recorded history begins in the 1650s when three siblings,
Abigail, Ezekiel, and Thomas Mercer, established a small fishing operation in
Gloucester. Contemporary accounts noted their uncanny ability to return with
full nets regardless of weather or season. What witnesses couldn’t perceive
was the siblings’ supernatural communion with the sea itself; they could sense
fish movements, manipulate the weather through arcane means to calm
threatening waves, and negotiate safe passage with deeper
entities that other sailors only glimpsed in nightmares. Mercer ships helped
facilitate the growth of colonial New England by delivering supplies and
workers from the Old World to the New World, eventually settling themselves in
the area in the late 18th century.
By the mid-1800s, Mercer Shipping had become one of New England’s premier
maritime companies, their vessels mysteriously immune to the worst Atlantic
storms. The family’s influence expanded from fishing into international
shipping, shipbuilding, and eventually maritime insurance. Today, Mercer
Maritime Holdings controls significant portions of New England’s shipping
infrastructure, including key docks, warehouses, and shipping lanes.
While the family claims to have evolved beyond the blood offerings to
creatures of the deep of earlier centuries, they still honor these agreements
through modern equivalents. Environmental conservation efforts serve dual
purposes; protecting marine ecosystems while appeasing ancient powers,
proposed shipping routes are mysteriously altered to avoid disturbing sacred
underwater sites, and periodically, valuable artifacts disappear from Mercer
cargo manifests, delivered unto the watery depths as tribute.
Notable family members include:
Eleanor Mercer – In her eighties, Eleanor serves as the family matriarch and
Chair of Mercer Maritime Holdings. Her oceanic demigod heritage manifests in
her ability to sense approaching storms days before meteorologists and calm
turbulent waters with her presence alone. She maintains the family’s oldest
pacts with deep-sea entities.
Jacob Mercer – In his sixties, Jacob personally captains the family’s
largest vessel and oversees their shipping operations. His mer-shifting
abilities allow him to personally inspect underwater facilities and serve as
the family’s primary diplomat to the deeper ocean realms.
Dr. Coraline Mercer – In her forties, Coraline leads the Mercer Marine
Research Institute, which combines legitimate oceanographic research with
supernatural marine biology. She seems to have a preternatural ability to
communicate with certain sea creatures.