Fairy
Anatomy & Morphology
Fairies are tiny, near-weightless creatures. With one flap of their wings — coated in microscopic scales —, they can be set aloft and not fall the ground for minutes. They slowly flap their shimmering glass-like wings to gain height, hurry their landing, and to generally move about. When they do land, they exert little pressure, standing on two long, spindly legs twice the length of their body.
Ancient myths tell of the fairy, how they were elusive wyverns with wings of pearl and a long tail. Of course, after studying them, we know that they have no tail. That structure was actually their legs!
Fairies have four limbs and stand bipedal, even while in flight. Their two forelimbs have five stubby digits, three fingers and two thumbs on either side. They are too frail to hold, let alone lift, anything with their arms, and scholars believe their digits are vestigial. The fairies disagree with this theory, a few courts claim they help in concentration for their curiously strong telekinesis. A few more claim they can lift with their arms and hold with their hands.
Fairies have fur covering their bodies and have excess around their necks and ankles/wrists, creating tufts. These tufts often collect pollen when feeding, and act in the same capacity as a bee or fly.
Their translucent fur tints the light emitted from glands at the base of each follicle. This gives fairies a faint glow which becomes more pronounced during the night. The color of the glow is dependent on the pigments in their fur, which varies from kingdom and region. Hues can include green, teal, blue, violet, and green-violet. They do not naturally produce light, but collect it during the day and store it in an organ called a “Deshk” located near their heart. During the day, they sleep in chambers that let in light through small holes (or whatever structure they wish to use).
They emit light to better see the total darkness of where the like to live. Like most nocturnal creatures, they see with light in their eyes, rather than darkness (See Sensation). Their large yellow-red eyes are not compound, do not have an iris, but are completely open. And, the light within their eyes is also generated from their Deshk. While science would say their glow should make them completely blind, they seem to have better night vision than most nocturnal creatures. They cannot see their own illumination and instead use it to see objects that push bil (see Reln). They cast a soft light that casts shadows, better defining their surroundings. It is as if they had two sets of eyes, one for observing objects as a normal creature and another for discerning the object’s texture and depth.
Fairies have organs to speak with voice, though it is not their preferred method of communication (They’ve evolved to talk to trick other creatures). To communicate, they touch their fibrous antenna, communicating mostly through rapidly yet accurately shared emotions.
And to eat, they have a lengthy, sharp hollow tongue rolled in their mouths. Their saliva is an anticoagulant, used when feeding on animals.
Habits
Dietary Needs & Patterns
A fairy’s diet consists of three sources: nectar, sap, and blood. Nectar,- from larger flowers - and sap — from breaking trees — is eaten as a way to keep them alive until the next big meal. Getting sap is a more risky venture to consume as many trees specifically have toxins in their sap to prevent fairies (among other creatures) from breaking them open. Fairies break the trees with their telekinesis as their tongue is not strong enough to pierce bark. Their tongue is strong enough, however, to pierce most flesh. Blood is their primary form of sustenance. If the beast they find to feed upon is sleeping or particularly unaware, they will take more blood than needed and bring it back to the court to regurgitate it and store in containers for winter.
Parasites got me again. Little createns should live off the life essence of posies, not me. And it really didn’t need to connect the “dots” with ink either.
Fairies create their mounds next to sap-heavy trees. A court’s mound is a heap of fertile dirt (compost and manure) they use as homes and to grow flowers. Some of the flowers grown are for eating; some of them are to attract insects such as bees and flies. They can then feed on the attracted insects, and corral them to have a farm of sorts. Feeding on an insect often kills the creature.
Different regions cultivate different flowers and insects. Some courts and even some kingdoms have been known to herd larger creatures such as mice or Velur. But with the advent of modernization, many kingdoms have become homogenized in what they grow, removing much of the diversity they once showed.
From the sap of the trees fairies live on, they not only feed but also use the sap to cover the mound. They have found that the heavy stench of the rotting substances makes their homes more noticeable. The sugary coating of sap encapsulates the stench.
Mating rituals & Family
A group of fairies that belong to a single mound is called a “court”. Most fairies within a court are closely related, parting with their court only during breeding rituals. During the rituals, fairies from a forest send one on a trip to the “keep”, a mound maintained for breeding. As fairies are all of the same sex, it is typically the fittest of the court that is sent to the keep. Many on the fringes of the larger “kingdom” (many courts of a single breeding mound) do not survive during their trip, limiting one kingdom’s influence.
When four to eight fairies congregate at the designated pool of life, they begin their mating ritual. They dance around the small body of water for one night, pouring pieces of their souls into the mixture of water, blood, and sap. The breeding of fairies usually bares half as many offspring as those who participated. So if eight fairies were to breed, only four offspring would be born. It is a political game as to who gets to return with a newborn to their court.
Every now and then, one fairy will be born with a natural inclination to abandon the kingdom. They will wander off, finding a home in some far off court. This, perhaps, helps their genetic diversity. However, in modern times it is an inter-kingdom affair for these wayfarers. Kingdoms will have planned for who to send a wayfarer to, creating alliances. And for the wayfarer, it is a taboo to return home, though they would be unlikely to do so in the first place.
Fairies are dependant on their court for survival. Being alone or without another fairy heightens the risk of them soul-bonding to an astay creature. It is due to this forced closeness that many courts have an open mind philosophy, having their thoughts open to all other members of the court.
Original Ecology & Habitat
Fairies can be found in dense, temperate forests where winds are gentle. In the forests, they pick areas that are habited by few oql and fewer rela (see Creatures). While the majority of fairies are found west of the Rot Saegri, they can now be found everywhere in Kald.
Fairies are nocturnal, hiding when most creatures are awake. It is theorized that a fairies glow is more than to enhance their sight, but also to mimic Jairoth to deter predators. This is, however, when they either are caught off guard or allow the outsider to see them. When they can, they keep themselves invisible from any potential predators or prey. This mimicry would fit in line with their more mischievous nature.
And then, other creatures became intelligent. A fairy’s invisibility could only hide them so well, so they evolved to combat the mounting pressure. Presently, they play tricks and pranks on the more intelligent creatures whenever possible (occurrences of mischief being heightened the closer they are to a court’s mound). These tricks can be harmless, like tripping or having the recipient think they are hallucinating. But they can also be more devious, such as compelling someone blindly walk off a cliff or to have their carriage filled with noxious gas. They’ve found they must trick others as a pile of colorful flowers is not so easy to hide. A saying that they have is that a predator is just as dangerous as a herbivore that could eat your entire crop.
Why would you go near something that is just going to cause you a create deal of irritance?
Hygiene
Fairies bathe by licking themselves and others. They habitually have sugar or some other foodstuffs stuck to their fur, which their court members are happy to help with. Particular attention is directed to the young; bathing is a bonding experience for the elders of the court with their new members.
Etc
- Outsiders claimed for centuries — and later affirmed by the fairies themselves — that fairies hide away due to their nature as awezlu. But that is only half the truth, they also hide away due to their bodies being so fragile. While they could best even a Humi in telekinetic strength, one step on them could mean their end. Fairies being and awezlu only enforced their secretive nature.
- Depending on the fairy you talk to, where they are found, and how accommodating they are for the outside world, Fairies have been known to wear clothes
Average Lifespan:
Due to their not-so-nutritious diet, fairies would be expected to not live long. But since the advent of their agricultural revolution around three-thousand years ago, their lifespan has been greatly increased to around one-hundred years. When not by their mounds, they tend to live around twenty years.
Size:
.5 - 5 cm in height on average. A common trend has larger fairies farther east and smaller fairies in more dense forests. Their wingspan is double the height from the top of their head to the bottom of their torso, the same as the length from their head to their toes.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Comments