Kind of painted myself into a corner here as far as how interconnected everything suddenly gets. Ah well.
Whale Singers
So Larry the Lord of the Deep can fuse people and sea creatures to make monsters that serve him. Great. But among the sharks, seals, fish, and jellyfish you may have noticed an absence. Human-cetacean (dolphins, porpoises and whales) fusion hasn't really ever worked out for Larry. He isn't sure why, and did go through a phase experimenting, but instead of a debased, predatory and animalistic intelligence obedient to him, the human-cetacean retains all memories and identity of both human and whale and can resist. Not always immediately, but eventually they all rebel. These beings are called pneuma biforms, or just PBs.
Some qualities all PBs share in common; they're cetaceans with human intellect, MDC, supernatural strength, and magic. They usually cast from Ocean Magic, the special magic dolphins have, or magic Whale Songs. Each biform is actually technically a quadform able to take four shapes: base, terrestrial, battle and battle-terrestrial. Twice a day, for as many hours as they have levels, a PB can assume the human shape they used to have. Like most magical metamorphoses, they keep their MDC, strength and spellcasting. They do lose a lot in depth tolerance, swimming speed and holding their breath, but make massive gains in the fields of opposable thumbs and the ability to communicate with the majority of sapient beings on the planet. Generally prefer to stay close to the water since they do eventually have to turn back. They can also assume a battle form once a day (for half an hour per level) where they get 10% bigger and take on a glossy metallic, streamlined look, this applying to their human as well as normal shape. In combat mode they get extra MDC (10 per level for PB-dolphins, 20 for everyone else) faster (+1 attack per round) and do an extra 6 MD with all physical/melee attacks. Oh, and while the monsters created by Larry tend to lead short lives, 300+ years in and no PB is even feeling slightly old.
PBs have a tainted aura, courtesy of Larry, that often makes other cetaceans, and sensitive humans, rather uncomfortable.
PBs have pretty low fertility outside their little community, only about 10% with either vanilla humans or baseline cetaceans, but the offspring of such unions are always PBs themselves. Kind of makes you curious about a PB/Sea Titan relationship, whose bullshit magically dominant traits win out? Anyways, by the time Larry stopped making them there were a couple thousand, and today there are almost ten thousand PBs worldwide, and they founded the Whale Singers.
PB-dolphins are speed freaks and pretty much tricksters. They get 29-144 MDC plus 2-12 more each level. Full dolphin magic, one Ocean Magic spell per level, and one Whale Song every level starting with 3rd. Plus all the ley line walker abilities dolphins randomly get here. Their combat form is shiny silver.
PB-orcas are the frontline warriors. They can be aggressive and short-tempered, but mostly their hearts are in the right place. Less magic, more strength and combat. 110-430 MDC to start, 4-24 more each time they level. Two Whale Songs at level one, and another with each level. And the same dolphin powers. Their combat form is glossy black.
PB-whales tend to be the leaders, mages, philosophers and general deep-thinkers of the Whale Singers. They're often criticized for being to slow, passive and deliberate, but the flip side is their enemy has been around for epochs and won't be defeated tomorrow. MDC depends on subtype. Smaller whales work the same as the orca, sperm and humpback whales get 110-630 and 10-40 with each level, but the prize goes to Blue Whales with 210-830 MDC plus 10-60 each level. Start with 5 Whale Songs, plus one per level and 3 dolphin or Ocean magic spells, thereafter just Ocean Magic, two spells per level. They get the dolphin powers one at a time as they progress. Their combat forms are either white or chrome-like.
So, Whale Singers. It started with pods of PBs organizing in self-defense as Minions of Larry kept trying to kill them or bring them back into the fold. The a PB-whale named Current Rider, pretty much the oldest surviving PB, figured out how to slightly alter whale songs to make spells. He figured out all of the Whale Songs used to this day, plus another, the Song of Prophecy, that no PC will ever have. Thirteen PB-whales had to get together and sing the song to learn how to defeat Larry once and for all, and whether through the strain or some arcane defense of Larry, all but Current-Rider died, and he was blinded. But a prophecy of Larry's defeat was obtained.
A band of warriors, brave and strong
A circle of wizards, wise and clever
the One Orb of Eylor
the Eternal Flame Blade
the Fires of the Cosmic Forge
the Largest War Machine
the Strength of an Unbeliever
and a Hundred Year's War.
All these must be, and the Lord shall fall.
Hell of a shopping list.
The Whale Riders have recruited, mostly other cetaceans, who are all sentient in Rifts (which may be why Larry's fusion works differently) and other sea dwelling D-Bees but about 60,000 humans and terrestrial humanoids.
Whale Singers are a distinct caster class, though they're treated like oceanic paladins. They use Ocean Magic and their signature Whale Songs. They have most of the abilities of a Ley Line Walker, as far as sensing, communicating and healing via ley lines. They can sense the presence of other Whale Singers within a few hundred feet, sense the purity of water, have an awfully good sense of depth, direction and distances underwater, and can generally hold their breaths for 6-12 minutes and dive down 200 ft. or more.
Whale Songs
Whale Songs can be cast by beings who can't reproduce all the sounds whales make, but instead of the usual song = effect, they perform a ritual lasting 10 minutes for the quick spells, an hour for the longer ones, and with a tenth the normal range, which does a lot to kill the usefulness. Humpback whales, PB or not, get at least twice and usually ten times the range out of their songs. They aren't ranked you just pick a couple, so I'm ranking by ascending energy cost. Whale Singers start with 7 Ocean Magic spells and 4 Whale Songs, learn 2 longs at level two, and one per level after.
All Whale Songs
must be cast underwater.
Song of Grief- sad song can reach even most villains, and they'll leave you alone for a while.
Song of Joy- happy song makes people happy, repels most minor demons and evil spirits (not Larry's minions, though)
Song of Danger- long-distance warning/SOS. Includes rough type, immediacy and direction of the peril
Song of Doubt- makes people nervous and inclined to circle around, significant debuff to initiative and all skills.
Song of Fear- inflicts a fear effect.
Sound Blast- straight sonic attack, 1-6 MD per level, or two 10-60 SD blasts.
Song of Strength- gives a decent strength buff plus the ability to drag ten times more than you normally could. Includes a variant that turns dead.
Soundspike- causes disabling agony to one target. Includes a variant that can jam radio and sensors over a wide area.
Song of Calling- Whale Singer phone, lets you talk to others thousands of miles away.
Song of Sleep- causes others to fall asleep.
Song of Protection- provides 60 MDC forcefield, immunity to depth pressure and temperature variation, and "all environmental hazards sort of a star's corona." Self only.
Sonic Boom- serious sonic attack, 10-40 MD+10/level with some splash damage and high chance of deafness. Don't use around friendlies.
Song of Seasickness- curse a target with severe migraine, nausea and a general debuff.
the Valorsong- buffs allies with greater resistance to fear, poison and disease, itty-bitty buff to resist mind-control and illusions.
Song of Severing- Can sever one of Larry's Reachers, or cause 2000-12000 MD to the guy direct. Has a long casting time though, and the caster is vulnerable while working.
Song of Weaving- turns kelp into magic clothes that act as 90 MDC armor.
Song of Summoning- teleport a willing ally to your side, as long as he's within 50 miles/level.
Stormsong- can whistle up a magical storm of near hurricane force, or conversely calm a storm for several miles.
Song of Revenge- calls on the ghosts of all slain cetaceans to haunt someone. They get a distinctive whale mark in an obvious location, serious unhealable damage and a minor universal penalty (-1 on combat rolls, -5% on all skill checks) that cannot be reversed save by the forgiveness of the original caster. Larry is specifically immune, they're tried.
Song of Reversal- can separate Larry's Minions into a person and sea creature again. Needs four Whale Singers and a crapload of PPE to cast, and 1 in 3 mutate back after a few hours or days. Can also separate out magical symbiotes and parasites.
Song of Life- restoration. Heals all injuries, regenerates limbs, removes curses, diseases and all negative effects. Has 45-100% chance of raising the dead, depending on level, lose 5% for every day the victim remains dead. As is usual for these spells, if it fails once the victim cannot be raised.
Whale Singers are on great terms with pretty much all the good guy factions, Tritonia most of all, and with most sailors and coastal communities. Their reputation as a deterrence for sea monsters is unrivaled, and they often get discounts on any passage or in port. There are some places where a Whale Singer can't buy their own drinks. Two pods patrol the area around the New Navy's most precious bases, 30 Whale Singers for Salvation and 50 for Refuge. About half the living humpback whales and millions of dolphins have joined. The Naut'yll have some bad blood with the Whale Singers though.
The internal politics of the Whale Singers is pretty simplified. They're a loosely organized brotherhood of like-minded beings with no formal leadership though some of the most venerable or successful, like Current-Rider have some unofficial pull. They don't actively recruit but don't turn away members unless they're obvious plants. The biggest internal divisions are a faction called the Seekers, who want to pursue all the elements of Current-Rider's prophecy as aggressively as possible rather than focus on thwarting Larry for the moment, and a small group that wishes to shelve the Larry issue for now to deal with the Naut'yll menace.
Not all PBs join the Whale Singers, and not all PBs are good. There's apparently a PB-orca, Knife Fin, who leads a pirate crew with her two sons.
Also of note, some time ago a large force of hundreds of Whale Singers attempted to assault Larry directly, using mass-castings of the Song of Severing that seems uniquely effective against him. It didn't work, and less than 15% of the attack force made it out.
