Selkie

"No one will ever believe I've seen the Selkies unless I show them this," he said, and so he leaned over and picked up the skin and slung it over his shoulder. And as he walked, he whistled, and then he suddenly stopped. "My, what a fine penny I'll earn by selling this."

And just as he said this, he heard footsteps close behind him, and fearing a thief, he quickly turned to look. Now there was no thief behind him. No indeed. It was an exquisitely beautiful young woman standing there, but she was weeping so hard, it nearly caused the fisherman's heart to break.

"Beautiful lady," he said, "why do you weep?"She sniffed and looked into his eyes. "Kind sir," she said, choking back tears, "you have my sealskin. Kindly give it back, for I belong to the Selkies, and I cannot live under the sea without my skin."

Selkies usually live in small rookeries along the shoreline, or on secluded islands just off the coast. As their distant ancestors were originally denizens of the Elemental Plane of Water, selkies are instinctively drawn to the sea. While some may venture inland for a time, in time all Selkies hear the call of the ocean once again.
While selkies prefer living alone, they are known to cooperate with other races. Many ship captains are happy to hire on a selkie navigator, and when an illness comes to a port town, a selkie druid or cleric may come to help clear the illness.
Other tribes may see themselves as the rightful owners of a portion of the sea or shoreline, and lead raids on merchant ships passing through their waters. Some become very isolated, acting as the guardians of tears between the prime material plane and the elemental plane of water, and suffer no intrusion from either side.

Selkie adventurers are typically motivated by curiosity to venture out to new places. They love to lose themselves in the cultures of land-dwellers, passing from town to town in a whirlwind. Some may even fall into a brief, whirlwind romance. Many don't stay in one place for long, though, either continuing their pilgrimage or returning to their tribes, thirst sated. A selkie looking to make coin amongst others may act as sailors or dockhands. Those that don't may get by on their voices, singing ancient songs of their people or whatever local tune catches their fancy. In selkie colonies, history is passed down through ancient songs, meaning most selkies grow to be talented singers through practice.
Others may leave their rookeries on matters of business instead of pleasure. Returning a shipwrecked sailor to his home, or pursuing a threat that has emerged from beneath the waves may be the catalyst for a selkie's adventuring life. 

History