Pixie
Basic Information
Anatomy
Pixies are simultaneously one of the most varied in appearance among the already multifarious Fey, and also among the easiest to describe in sweeping generalities. Those generalities are a small stature, the presence of wings, and a bipedal nature. No other variety of Fey is as small as the pixie, the largest of them can reach six inches in height only occasionally, making it their most readily identifiable trait by far. Many different types of Fey have wings, but nearly all the others can be found in a winged and non-winged variant; every pixie has wings, usually insectoid in appearance but there is great diversity including wings like those of dragonflies, butterflies, hummingbirds, and even bats in a particular and uncommon variety. A great number of Fey possess two legs, but as with wings, most varieties will have individuals who are exceptions to this rule and pixies do not, there is no pixie with more than two legs, and only those who've lost a limb will have fewer. Apart from these commonalities, pixies are an extremely eclectic species, always with some humanoid influence and often some influence from the variety of animal which their wings resemble but where a pixie lands on that spectrum between the two can vary by tribe, family, and even on an individual level.
Genetics and Reproduction
Pixies are capable of sexual reproduction but their fertility rate is extraordinarily low, meaning that they are nearly always reliant on a more powerful Fey directly creating more of their number in order for their population to keep up in the face of the casualties inherent to being such a small race living almost exclusively in wild and dangerous areas. When they do reproduce on their own, the gestation of their children is as various as their physicality, and not always in a way that matches. Heavily avian and insectoid pixies have been known to give live birth, and those that look entirely human but for their wings sometimes lay eggs.
Growth Rate & Stages
When they are born as a result of reproduction, pixies mature over a period of months, reaching maturity in as few as three or as many as thirty-six. The more insectoid pixies may have a larval stage and mark their maturity by a dramatic metamorphosis, though they may also be born a smaller version of their adult form and grow gradually as well. Interestingly all pixies, even those that don't seem to have any insectoid influence at all still create, inhabit, and emerge from a cocoon even if they don't undergo any obvious physical change while inside it.
Behaviour
It is believed by the sages that there must be some deeper purpose behind the behavior of pixies as there is for the rest of the Fey, but in practical terms they have more than earned their reputation for seemingly random mischief. Between curdling milk, stealing small objects and displacing others, frequent tricks and pranks, and more the pixies are responsible for more human ill will towards Fey than any but the darkest of the Unseelie.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Pixies have as varied senses as the rest of their physicality, but something they all share is an ability to process that sensory information incredibly quickly, which is necessary given their nearly ubiquitous tendency to dart around erratically for most of their lives.
Comments