Floral Imps

The careless destruction of the Evertree did more than tear apart the boundaries between worlds. It set loose countless creatures from the Shroomwild across the Voidrealms. They came in all shapes and sizes. Some were deadly, others less so. Few are more recognizable than the colorful and fantastic floral imps.

These avatars of chaotic calamity are enchanted creatures that have close ties to both the natural world and the raw essence of the Astral. Energetic to a fault, they are both charming and whimsical, with a streak of mischief and curiosity as strong as any other imp. A small, exuberant package built out of flowering plants such as roses, carnations, daisies, and other plants.

Physical Appearance

Standing no more than ten inches tall and two pounds are most, a floral imp’s body resembles a slender plant stem. Flexible, but strong, it has leaves decorating its green length. At its base, the stem spits into ‘legs’ and ‘feet’ made of root-like tendrils. They can use those to anchor themselves into the ground to draw nourishment when needed. But most often they are found walking or running between shrubberies in wild, natural places.

Their heads resemble the flower blossoms from their respective flower type. Eyes are nestled within those colorful petals, along with a mouth and small nose. A floral imp’s arms and hands are a combination of smaller branches and bundled leaves. This gives them incredible amounts of dexterity, far beyond that of most species.

One obvious feature they lack is ears. Despite that, they can still hear. Floral imps ‘hear’ using the petals that make up their head. As sound passes over and through those petals, they vibrate, allowing the floral imps to hear sounds like other species with actual ears. Floral imp hearing far surpasses any other species since they ‘hear’ with their entire head. This allows them to understand a whispered conversation over 200 yards away.

Aside from their petals, floral imps are sensitive to sound in other ways. Specifically, they can hear sound through their root-feet. Deep sounds and vibrations missed by other species echo through the ground and up into a floral imp’s root tendrils. This doesn’t allow a floral imp as clear an understanding of what they hear, but it is clear enough. Hearing ground vibrations is one of the many ways a floral imp can stay one step ahead of hunters tracking them down.

Flower Power

For these diminutive dynamos, their flower bodies and connection to the Astral are both the source of their abilities and their weakness. Floral imps can manipulate the growth of plants up to ten feet around them. On their command, flowers bloom or wilt, and vines suddenly lash out to wrap around a victim to constrict them.

Daisy Floral Imp by JJ Kirby

Type

Enchanted plants

Environment

Old-growth forests, meadows, farmland, or gardens.

Lifespan

Unknown

Average Height

10 inches

Average Weight

2 pounds at most

Geographic Distribution

They are common in Shroomwild but are only uncommon across any dense natural place across the Voidrealm worlds.

But that’s not all, as floral imps can also speak with plants. They communicate with them, speaking in an ancient language based on the wind as it rustles through leaves and petals. This lets floral imps gather information about events in far-off places, or call for help from other imps against a dire threat.

As part and parcel of their mischievous nature, floral imps can cast minor illusions. They can also become invisible for up to an hour, or blend seamlessly into their surroundings. This makes them difficult to spot, especially when hiding among other plant life when they don’t want to be seen.

The most astounding ability is the one they use only in an emergency. That is where two or more floral imps merge to form a single, larger imp. When floral imps combine, the result has the combined strength, power, and more of all total imps in one body. Floral imps will do this if a large opponent threatens them. Often, this is adventurers looking to profit off the creatures.

Rose Warrior Floral Imp by JJ Kirby

Mages debate if there is a limit to the number of floral imps that can combine in this way. So far, no one knows. But the most imps that have been seen to merge into a ‘floral direimp’ are ten.

But all this flower power comes at a price. Their mystical ties to plants and nature make them powerful, but is also their weakness. Like any plant, flower imps are affected by their environment. What hurts or wilts a plant will do the same to these mischievous monsters. But unlike plants, flower imps can defend themselves.

If hurt by fire or forced to wilt through magic, a floral imp can drain surrounding plants to regenerate their own. Once they do, it kills the surrounding plants. So floral imps won’t use this one ability unless they are desperate.

As for magic, power from the Astral flows both ways for these imps. Any spell that causes plants to wilt or deform a plant is twice as bad for a floral imp as it is for a normal plant. This is the most common method used by adventurers to catch or destroy a floral imp.

Behavior

Floral imps are playful and mischievous, known for pulling pranks on unsuspecting travelers. Most of these antics are harmless, such as tying shoelaces together, stealing buttons, or swapping coins for fruit. But other times, their pranks take a lethal turn. Creating poisoned or rotten food, oozing boils on a victim, or entwining an adventurer with savage thorn vines while they sleep are not out of the question.

But floral imps have a benevolent side as well. They are often found tending to local plants, helping them grow healthy and vibrant. Sometimes considered a gardener’s ‘flower familiar’, floral imps will do everything in their power to protect natural regions. So, for the imps, they tend to see a farmer or a gardener as a kindred spirit in need of help.

It isn’t unusual for flower imps to help a gardener or farmer by enriching the soil and any crops or gardens. The time of day depends on how accustom the floral imps are to the person they are helping. If they recognize a kindred spirit in the person, but have only just met them, imps will do their work at night. Floral imps that have lived and known a farmer for a long time will help them throughout the day.

With floral imps, the power of the Astral is an intoxicating lure. Magic of all kinds fascinates them. As a result, they follow the scent of magic, no matter if this is from magical creatures, natural magic from wildstones, or even adventurers. The sole exception to this is the vile work of undead magic.

Undead, or death, magic repulses floral imps. The corrupting nature of those spells is toxic to floral imps. It seeps into their roots and leaves, rotting them from the inside out. If exposed to it long enough, it can make a floral imp ill. At worst, it will kill them.

Carnation Floral Imp by JJ Kirby

Ecology and Where the Wild Imps Are

Floral imps are found in a wide variety of locations, from gardens and meadows to old-growth forests and farmland. The diverse collection of plant life in those areas allows the imps to blend in with ease. Once they have settled into a region, floral imps work to form close relationships with native plants and local magical creatures. They build a mutually beneficial alliance, designed to protect the area and its inhabitants against dangerous threats. Chief among these would be adventurers.

In the wild, these creatures for communities called ‘wreaths’. These are clusters of moss-like huts that form a ring around the base of a large bush, usually covered with large thorns. Often this is a holly, blackthorn, or honey locust bush. Any type of shrub that acts as a natural, thorn-riddled fence to defend the tiny community.

Uses

All types of hunters search the wild places across the Voidrealm worlds for floral imps. But the reasons they hunt the creatures vary as much as the people who do the hunting.

Mages who work with plants are always eager to track down a wreath of floral imps. They want to strike a bargain with the tiny magical creatures for a slice of their power, or compel a floral imp to become the mage’s familiar and companion.

Gardeners and farmers hunt floral imps for a similar purpose. But their goals align more with the floral imp’s true nature. Farmers want to strike a deal with the creatures, asking them to help preserve and nurture the crops or gardens. In return, the gardener or farmer allows the floral imps to build a colony nearby, which the farmer will help defend if necessary.

But for anyone else, the reasons to hunt an imp are more for personal gain. Any adventurers that brave an imp’s illusions and control over deadly plants want to harvest the imp for parts. Enchanted petals for potions and leaves for magical teas make floral imps a tempting target. Likewise, so is their pollen.

Floral imp pollen mixed with water, or preserved floral imp sap, is the most valuable part of a floral imp. This sticky solution is effective against abilities of the malevolent morphjaws. Specifically, this sap or oil can weaken the adhesive of a morphjaw, rendering the creature’s sticky saliva practically useless.

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