crystalite forms
crystalites take their non-geological shapes based on the primary flora and fauna where they were formed. a water crystalite might look like a frog with catfish whiskers and long fish tail. a wood crystalite might look like a bark-covered squirrel with a woodpecker’s head and beak. humans describe them based on both element and their animal constitution, though there is considerable variance between individuals even when the same elements and animals/plants are involved. think of it like “dog” as a species without differentiating the breeds.
crystalites do not eat. they require some form of light or radiation (warmth), depending on their native environment. as they become more mortal, they will require water to drink, but still no food. they also don’t seem to breathe until they’re at least ⅓ flesh. they do not grow larger or different (as a baby to an adult, or as a caterpillar to a moth).
the only thing that can truly damage a crystalite is another crystalite. even then, it takes great effort and great energy to break a crystalite down to the point where it “dies” - which is more like a coma, where the shards can be placed in its original environment to slowly recover and reform as a “new” crystalite. memories do not usually stay intact through this process, but some sense of emotions linger - fondness or hostility towards certain human families.
crystalites do not have morals, but they do bond and grow affectionate towards the humans who take care of them and share their time. criminals and unkind people may therefore have crystalites loyal to them, but these crystalites do not seek out cruelty - they merely work alongside their humans and protect them. a human-bonded crystalite will usually refuse to harm any human being except under extreme circumstances (defense of their human), and even then will try to protect or deter rather than harm or kill.
wild crystalites are somewhat robot-like in their behaviors, influenced by their local wildlife but more logical and less spontaneous than the real animals. most of them will not outright attack a human with no cause.
crystalites and humans
humans rely on crystalites for most daily needs and functions. crystalites help with gardening, farming, hunting, traveling, child-rearing, education, exploration, scientific achievements, and are usually involved in every culture’s traditions somehow.
most humans who lead active lives outside the homestead have at least one crystalite as a protector. any human wanting to commit crime or violence upon another must first somehow bypass their would-be victim’s crystalite. crystalite battles are not uncommon, though sometimes they are more playfights or ways to settle a dominance issue (between crystalites or between the crystalites’ humans). since it’s so difficult to badly damage a crystalite, mock-battles or roughhousing between crystalites is common.
once bonded, crystalites cannot be tempted away from their human or willingly stolen. it is easier to take the human from the crystalite than vice versa.
what humans think is the “right” or “best” way to work with crystalites drastically varies across cultures. in some cultures, crystalites are not to be bonded with and are to be treated as respected wildlife. in other cultures, crystalites are tools to be used - but not pets, companions, or friends. in yet other cultures, crystalites are treated as part of the family, and for someone to not have bonded with a crystalite is an alien and almost offensive notion. in other cultures, crystalites are treated as honored minor deities and supplicated, never commanded. sometimes independence from crystalites is to be maximized; other times, teamwork is the highest ideal for living in harmony.
crystalites are “made from” their environment, and even human-like fey crystalites do not seem influenced by the local human cultures. the borders of human societies have no effect on crystalites, and crystalites are found in conceivably every region and every biome across the world. while surely not all kinds of crystalites have been discovered and integrated into human society, crystalites are a known factor in human life all across the globe.
along with the normal variety of human cultural activities, past-times, games, and sports, there are a selection of crystalite-specific ones. some are team-based, some are solo challenges, some resemble Olympic games and others more like polo. the intensity and type of these crystalite games varies across regions and cultures, and most people who don’t bond excessively with one or more crystalites (beyond socially-accepted necessity) are usually happy to be fans of these contests and games.
most human children are given a common, smallish, pet-like crystalite as their first companion throughout childhood. this exact type of crystalite varies between cultures and regions, but usually acts as both a protector, a friend, and a nanny. children growing into adolescence will either receive a new crystalite or an additional crystalite, usually something larger and more complex, but equally safe and equally protective. Upon reaching adulthood, most humans receive a new or an additional crystalite that is common to their region for more mundane tasks, like riding, farming, crafting, or the like. Whether a human has only one crystalite at a time or keeps their childhood and adolescent crystalites into adulthood depends on the culture.
as human adults specialize out into different or deeper careers, jobs, or changing paths, their crystalite companion(s) will be chosen accordingly. a great many humans will not have a “forever” crystalite, one consistent companion throughout their lives - either because they do not desire a crystalite in that role or because they want to avoid excessive crystalization for themselves. humans who do have a “forever” crystalite will usually place their crystalite into dormancy on a regular basis to let their bodies reverse the crystalization process for a little bit before resuming their companionship with their crystalite.
fey crystalites
by far, the vast majority of crystalites are based on flora and fauna combinations. there are, however, some crystalites who include humans in their form inspirations, becoming humanoid or semi-humanoid lookalikes with uncanny or even horrific visages, depending on how well or not well they managed to mimic a human face and posture. these are called fey crystalites. some few manage to be ethereally beautiful, and others adorable, but most of them range from eerie to outright unnerving.
fel crystalites
there is one other primary population of crystalites, which humans tend to avoid at all costs: fel crystalites. these crystalites are those that do not have a compunction against attacking humans who cross into their territory. fel crystalites are frequently more powerful, physically and elementally, than other crystalites, but they are much harder to bond with and their bonds are much more easily broken (intentionally or unintentionally). they tend to be crystalites who formed in dark places and therefore do not seek out sunlight as sustenance, but other forms of radiation, usually heat - which is why they’re drawn to fire and warm-blooded entities such as humans. the heat of sunlight is barely sufficient to sustain a typical fel crystalite, leaving them hangry and aggressively searching out better sources of heat. these are the only crystalites who will regularly ‘hunt’ (mammals and birds) in order to absorb their body heat as they die. being “born” in dark places means they have stranger influences on their shapes, including fossils and bones and roots.
uncommonly, some fel crystalites will capture and not kill their ‘prey’. though the captured warm-blood will slowly starve, it provides a longer supply of heat for the fel to eat and is easier than continually hunting. this method of feeding requires patience and a dedication to one den location that many fel crystalites do not have, however.
since most crystalites consume sunlight, they are almost exclusively diurnal, though some have learned to use moonlight as a way to continue through the night as needed. fel crystalites, on the other hand, have no concern for day or night and tend to be seen as nocturnal dangers, especially when the night can give them an advantage to finding the warmth they seek - be it living bodies or campfires.
those who attempt to bond with and work with fel crystalites almost always have a fire crystalite as a companion as well, for the fire crystalite can satisfy the fel’s need to consume heat without endangering the human or nearby animals.
dormancy
crystalites are capable of becoming dormant, either voluntarily or instinctively if resources are insufficient, for an indefinite amount of time. when dormant, their flora-and-fauna-influenced forms are shed and they return to their base crystal shape, which is usually a colored/elemental piece of crystal small enough to fit into a human’s hand. while it’s not exactly an instantaneous transition, many human travelers will use this dormant state as a way to transport many crystalites more easily across distances. the more an individual crystalite practices going dormant and being awoken (usually by direct application of strong light - or heat, for a fel crystalite), the faster the cycle becomes.
crystalite intelligence
crystalites are not particularly intelligent or unintelligent in the wild, but once bonded to a human have extremely high emotional intelligence and higher problem-solving abilities. they learn readily from their human, or alongside their human, and do not forget easily. most crystalites will concentrate and stay focused without fuss. a non-bonded human can interact with someone else’s bonded crystalite and be able to communicate basic ideas or directions with a combination of body language, vocal inflection, and spoken words. a bonded human can frequently communicate with almost invisible subtle movements and a sense of emotional telepathy to their bonded crystalite.
most crystalites never develop the ability to use human language, with the occasional exception of being able to parrot one or two words (usually their human’s name). none have been successfully taught to read written language. however, their listening comprehension seems to be considerably higher than their mutism would suggest, and while abstract concepts and complicated puzzles are beyond them, they can often pick out important ideas from a human conversation and remember it, or act on it, depending on what’s needed. this makes them exceptionally good navigators and excellent rescuers once they’ve been trained on the step by step process of saving a human from a dangerous location or situation. however, only bonded crystalites will be able to maintain this degree of intelligence; some theorize that they “borrow” or mirror some of their human’s own intelligence in order to present as smarter than unbonded crystalites. (an additional note: fey crystalites do not have a higher base intelligence than other crystalites.)
