Storm Gremlin

Storm gremlins, or spandules, as they used to be called, are playful but mischievous Air faeries that inhabit the numerous floating islands of Altairus.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Storm gremlins are humanoid creatures with blue skin ranging from cyan to almost lavender in color. Their long, beaklike noses, pointed ears, nasty yellow teeth, and spade-tipped antennae and tails make them resemble blue-skinned little devils.
Male storm gremlins are much smaller than females; they typically only grow to 4-5ft. (122-152cm) in height and tend to have a pudgy, somewhat childlike build. Females, or fifinellas, can grow to 5-6ft. (152-183cm) in height and have a leaner, more shapely build.

Genetics and Reproduction

Like humans, storm gremlins typically give birth to only one young at a time. Gestation typically lasts about six to seven months, and baby storm gremlins, called widgets, are live-born with only slightly more faculties than a human infant.

Growth Rate & Stages

The growth period of storm gremlins mirrors that of humans. They are born helpless and dependent on their caregivers for survival. This period lasts for 1-2 years, or until the gremlin starts walking. It is during this time that a storm gremlin will begin to show signs of a developing personality, as well as magical powers. This is considered an important event for storm gremlins; it marks the end of infancy in their culture. Aside from their magical powers, their growth stages mirror those of human beings.

Ecology and Habitats

Storm gremlins inhabit the various cloud continents that float around Altairus, such as Tempest Island. These continents are wrapped in perpetual storms, lightning, and high winds, which storm gremlins are well-adapted to.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Storm gremlins are omnivorous and have evolved to subsist on a highly varied diet. Their diet depends a lot on the lands they visit when they pass over them. In particular they love tear bulbs, which when cooked, lose their tear-inducing capabilities and have a buttery, savory flavor.

Biological Cycle

Since storm gremlins are associated with the Air element, they are Seelie faeries, and thus the strength of their magic is directly tied to the sun and its cycles. Their magic tends to peak in strength around the Summer Solstice, and it is weakest at the Winter Solstice. It is also strongest at midday, and weakest at midnight.

Behaviour

Storm gremlins' resemblance to little devils is entirely appropriate. While they are normally quite playful and friendly, but they can quickly turn nasty if they are offended or even just bored. Their ill-tempered attitudes are responsible for many of the destructive storms that Altairus experiences.
Fifinellas in particular are feared among the denizens of Altairus, as they are not only bigger and stronger than the males, but more aggressive. They typically serve as leaders to bands of storm gremlins flying through the skies.
Even when they are in a good mood, storm gremlins can be troublesome. Widgets especially are endlessly curious and will stick their noses into everything. Couple this with their tendency to shoot bolts of lightning out of their hands when startled, and you have a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, they usually get a better sense of danger as they get older.
Even with their bad tempers and troublemaking attitudes, storm gremlins are generally friendly creatures that love to laugh and play.

Additional Information

Social Structure

While the largest storm gremlin settlements are more or less egalitarian, storm gremlins as a species are somewhat matriarchal; Fifinellas are bigger and stronger physically and magically than male gremlins, and in smaller packs of storm gremlins, the oldest fifinella is typically the leader.

Facial characteristics

Storm gremlins are immediately recognizable due to their long noses that resemble birds' beaks, pointed ears, and long, arrow-tipped antennae. Their cheeks and the inside of their ears flush a fiery pink.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Storm gremlins reside in the skies of Altairus, distributed across the numerous floating storm cloud continents that drift across the land.

Average Intelligence

Storm gremlins are about as intelligent as a human being. Like other magical beings, they only grow more intelligent and powerful as they age.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Storm gremlins' senses are well acclimated to the perpetually stormy Air continents they call home. They possess superior eyesight in low light conditions, and their antennae can sense minute changes in weather conditions as well as help them conduct their magic and communicate with each other. They use their tails primarily as a counterbalance when they are climbing trees or navigating the skies atop clouds they create for travel.

Magical Powers and Abilities

Being Air elementals, storm gremlins' main magical ability is weather control. They can create rain, snow, sleet, or even massive weather events like tornadoes when enough of them get together. They float around Altairus on clouds that they create and visit the lands below by sliding down rainbows they materialize.

Civilization and Culture

Common Dress Code

All storm gremlins wear the same skin-tight jumpsuits with badges on their left side representing their powers and personality. The color of these jumpsuits varies significantly, but their gloves and boots are always a slightly different color from the jumpsuits. Male storm gremlins' boots only go to the ankle, while the females' boots go to the knee.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Storm gremlins are a nomadic species, not because they themselves move around a lot, but because the islands they reside on do. They frequently travel down to the ground both to explore and to trade.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The most important and well known tradition in storm gremlin cultures is the coming-of-age tradition of giving a widget their first jumpsuit. As infants, storm gremlins are dressed in shapeless frocks that resemble the swaddling material that a human infant may be wrapped in. Usually when they reach 2-4 years of age, a storm gremlin will not only show signs of their newly developing personality, but they will try out their magical powers for the first time. Once this happens, the widget is considered to have graduated from infancy and is given their first formal jumpsuit, bearing a representation of their personality and powers they displayed on the badge. As they grow, they get new jumpsuits that are identical to the first to fit their growing bodies.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Other species wisely give storm gremlins a healthy amount of respect. Storm gremlins are responsible for much of the weather of Altairus, so many cultures, agriculture-focused ones especially, have a vested interest in keeping them pleased. While they do not have an established form of currency, it is very common for storm gremlins to establish trade relations through barter, exchanging resources they got for cheap in one land for a much more valuable resource in another. The largest storm gremlin settlement that exists, Cyclone City, is a keystone in Altairian trade.

Associated Element
Air

Scientific Name

Faeus Gremlis Spandulus

Lifespan

Unbounded (do not age like humans do but can be killed)

Average Height

4-5 ft. (122-152cm) for males, 5-6 ft. (152-183cm) for females

Average Weight

75-100lbs (34-45kg) for males, 110-140lbs (50-64kg) for females

Average Physique

Male storm gremlins are shorter than females, and tend to have a pudgy, somewhat childlike build. This is particularly true for younger storm gremlins. As they get older, they lose some of that pudge and develop a more profound musculature, but for a healthy storm gremlin, they always retain some pudge. Their eyes are oval-shaped.
Fifinellas, or females, are not only taller than males, but more shapely and muscular as well. They tend to have long, muscular legs with boots that end at the knees with a slight heel. Also unlike the males, their eyes tend to be teardrop-shaped.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Storm gremlin skin is almost always a shade of blue, though it can range in color from cyan to almost purple. Most storm gremlins have fairly light-colored skin, though there are a few exceptions.