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“Being the only kingdom that etches on the sea coast, Hive-Kingdom Undine is located at the south eastern reign of the Under-realms. It sits on the shores of the Sea of Pillars, where hundreds of ancient stalagmite towered imposingly between the water surface and the upper ceiling of the Under-realms. On the west coast, rivers from western heartlands flow into this underground sea, forming at estuaries an interwoven network of marshlands; on the east end of however lies numerous waterways that leads to the open waters above. Countless species of oceanic creatures had traversed through these waters between this world and the world above, including many with sentience. They once flourished along these underground shores, but had now lost entirely to the history.
 
It is from the ruins of these old colonies arose the collection of settlements that is Hive-Kingdom Undine today. According to their history, they came to these shores from the inner lands of this underground world. They settled on these shores, and the unease of traveling across the marshlands kept them relatively isolated from their brethren in the west. Here they encountered many other water-dwelling races. Although some are peaceful and satisfied with trading, others are forceful and demanding, but nevertheless they mingled. The changeling genes are extremely malleable, and trafficking with beings in the water left marks on them. It molded their bodies anew. They developed a second set of protective lid, and their newly acquired bulging eyes made them more receptive to the dimming light underwater and; their tails lost all hair and became fish-like; capacity of their lungs had expanded, and membranous skin stretched to cover the crevices of the joints, making them more adept at swimming. Their wings, no longer thin and flimsy, evolved into a mesh of bone and membrane suited best for gliding at high speed when they leap out of the water. In the end, when others eventually fell into decline, they persevered, fully adapted to the surroundings and subsequently rose into dominance.
 
As a race that lives and dies by the sea, the Undines had always been sea-faring, making vessels from the giant, sturdy fungus in the marshlands, sometimes even with volcanic rocks. This, however, turned the majority of their population semi-nomadic they spending long periods of times on ships and boats, roaming the waters in large, near-permanent fleets. Such fleets travel the underground sea and until recently, the waters above all year round, carrying entire clans and family groups while chasing schools of migratory fish or conducting other often less savory activities. They would make landfall once awhile, gathering supplies, and their fleet masters would formally meet in one settlement only once a year. Small settlements dotted the coast and the marshlands, yet permanent ones are few and far between, with their existence tied mostly to farming of marine life, oceanic fungus well as the flow of sailors. Their architecture is rudimentary at best fungal-wood huts and bungalows dominated the towns of marshlands, propped up by scaffolding over surface of the marsh water and connected with simple bridges; while on the coasts, ruins of the long-gone colonies were repaired and became inhabitable once again. Still, the changelings of the towns do not stay content, as those in their primes would always answer the call of the sea. Only the wizened and the truly vulnerable stay as the permanent fixtures along with the buildings.
 
The largest permanent settlement lies on the north end where the shore meets the cliff of the mountain range. The Hanging Fortress, as many had called it, was an ancient city carved into the cliff side. It was a forgotten legacy of the past, as the Undines took over when its original inhabitants went into decline. However, its prominence only came to be recently, as Queen Myxine’s came-to-power had made it into the largest gathering point of the fleets. It turned out to be a good decision, as the city resides closely by the waterways to the surface, and nearby giant stalagmites served well as natural light towers and watch posts after few simple modifications a natural choke point at the ocean entrance to the Under-realms.
 
Queen Myxine was regarded, at least by denizens of other hive-kingdoms, to be something of an oddball. She has immense pride in her fleets and the ability of her people, yet her way of governance has little structure she does not directly command the fleets of her kingdom, and her sovereignty resembles more of a loose collective of fleets and towns than a proper kingdom. Instead, she commands her own fleet a pirate fleet that frequents the waters near Equestrian coastal cities and terrorize the merchant ships, while leaving other fleets largely on their own accord. She, like other fleet masters of her people, would sail with her fleet, overseeing operations and participate battles in person. She and the exploits of her fleet had far reaches, some as tales of terror in the mouth of Equestrian sailors while others became heroic deeds written in books, disseminated among the citizens of changeling hive-kingdoms. It had earned her the reputation as a fearsome bandit queen and a commander whose brilliance in the ways of strategy is on par with her prowess in honorable combat.
 
All operations of the changeling network in the ocean were oversaw personally by Queen Myxine. It’s common for Undines to join the pirate fleets, leaping out of water and tackle sailors then drown them deep in the ocean, or taking the visage of beautiful sirens and lure the hapless ships into jagged rocks. But that is not all. Rumor goes that Queen Myxine had a secret fleet, much smaller than a usual fleet in size, but made from veteran sailors and warriors with fastest ships; they rode into the sea under the starlit sky, sail the color of midnight ocean, and uses no guiding lights. They came in shrouded in sea mist of the early hours, and when they left, only empty ships would be left behind drifting in currents there was no blood, no signs of struggle. Even food on the table and oil in the lantern was left intact, as if all the crew had simply vanished without a trace, along with the most valuable item on the ship, something of rarest quality in all worlds or one possesses extreme value. It was the stuff of whispers, yet it seems that not even other changeling queens aware of their existence it seems Myxine could simply acquires the thing she wants. Her frequent absence had made other queens rather distant to her save for Queen Ambrosia, and she could not fully trust them yet. After the treaties with Equestria were signed, her obligation was to uphold the parts where she ought to cease all piracy targeting Equestrian vessels and smuggling, at the same time cooperate in naval operations with the Equstrian naval forces against many monstrous incursions along the coastline. Queen Myxine would never let down of a good battle, and she obliged with the latter in a heartbeat. However, even though activities forbade by the treaties officially ceased, tales of ghost ship and missing valuables kept circulate as before. Whether or not it is simply just tall tales of old sailors is still up in the sea wind.
 
Unlike other hive-kingdoms, the Undines is one of the cases where common stereotypes mostly hold true. For an aquatic race with songs of the sea cruising in their veins, the majority of the population does indeed rely on a living out on the open waters.
 
Common stereotypes: from lazy fishmongers to swashbuckling rogues of the high seas, anything that has to do with sailing, fishing and other water-related professions.”
 
Tl;dr: Rainbow Dash of the sea. Thousands of them. Also pirates.
 
up next, insectoid equines and Queen Ambrosia