Sprites

Artwork by -name- Sprites Area: Forests Diet:: Insects, vegetation Size: 5-7 inches tall Hostility Varies Tameable?: N/A Note: This creature can only be played with a CA.

Origins

History

In the Eternal Forest, there are many confusing wonders that Descendants couldn’t wish to begin to understand. Curious beings and critters have, over the centuries, slipped their way into the Mortal Realm; they have appeared in waves, evolved, and even disappeared altogether. One of these are small, flying beings made of plant or insect matter that have been recorded throughout history. Although there have been many variants of them, they have all been referred to as the sprites, the pixies, or the fairies. Some were color-coded, some spoke their own unique language, some became intelligent enough to learn the language of Descendants, and others were simply viewed as tricksters. Mali’ame respected them deeply as blessings from the Aspects, alchemists hunted them for their usage in potions, and herbalists and scientists bargained with them for toxins, spores, and mystical powders they were known to create.

In reality, the body of a sprite is simply a vessel, the most basic of shapes that a unique form of spirits called Flora Echoes from the Eternal Forest can fashion for themselves. The waves of sprites that have been found in the Mortal Realm all had different origins and abilities, but the only thing that tied them all together was their appearance. The sprites of old, who spoke tribalistic languages and were pets to Druids, all fled back to the Eternal Forest after the fear, betrayal, and chaos caused by the September Prince on the lands of Atlas. As time moved on in the Mortal Realm, and full moon after full moon cascaded over Fae Rings, the emergence of Sprites has been noticed once again.

When sprites returned to the Eternal Forest, they entered a process of reincarnation. They held enough sentience and natural energy that with each death, they developed new bodies and retained their memories. Also, due to the energy sustained in some sacred Fae plants growing in the Eternal Forest, they too gain a level of sentience, and become Flora Echoes upon their death. This echo, or “ghost” of their natural life is heavily overshadowed by the complex waves of stronger energies in the Eternal Forest, letting them go unnoticed as small, irrelevant, and invisible entities. They stick to wandering through their respective Domain- either the Nightfall Domain, the Dayward Lands, or the Twilight Domain. They tend to enjoy this free life, living closely and securely in the land of the Aspects. They have not one care in the world.. at least, not until they find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Slipping

When the moon is full, the rumoured passageway to the Mortal Realm opens. If a sprite or Floral Echo enters the famed Fae Rings during this time, they are caught, and they slip away from the realm they call home, and are forced into the realm of mortals. The physical bodies of already-developed sprites are not powerful enough to slip into the Mortal Realm, so their corpses stay behind, and from the Eternal Forest, it appears as if they had died. But their spirit finds themselves on the other side, and so do the Flora Echoes who have similarly slipped away. In the Mortal Realm, however, the strong energies that once suppressed Flora Echoes are no longer as potent. They now manifest significantly, and draw nature briefly towards them. As these entities wander through their new home, foliage bends towards their being and breaks off. Insects, dead or alive, are drawn towards them as well. These natural materials bend and morph, stopping once they have created a vessel, a small winged body that the Echo now inhabits.

The Sprites of old who undergo this process may retain their old appearance, although if their color was significant before, it no longer is. Their sentience in the Fae realm caused them to develop a personality and ambitions beyond the strict categorization they used to be born with, based on their color. Any sprite that develops, whether a new character or old, can be shaped out of any bug or plant material of any color. The Domain from the Eternal Forest that the sprite comes from does not affect their appearance, but is relevant to their inner composition and ambitions, to be explained further in the following paragraphs.

Physical Description

Appearance

Sprites are extremely small, humanoid beings. Their height ranges from six to ten inches tall. Their structure is much like that of Descendant’s, they have two legs, two arms, and a head, with humanoid facial features. Sprites see through their eyes and can smell, and have a mouth to eat and breathe oxygen out from. They cannot produce complex sounds with their mouth, however. Some sprites can form rough-sounding words, if they manage to learn to understand mortal languages. See mental description for more information. Their entire body is constructed from plant and insect matter. The materials making up this shape can be quite random. Some sprites may be be made of insects, and have a very alien and insectoid-like appearance. Others can be a combination of flowers, lending them quite a beautiful and colorful appearance. Some bear fruits, twigs, seeds, and leaves on their bodies. Sprites have no genitalia whatsoever. Beyond their limbs, sprites also grow wings extending outwards from their upper backs. The wings are as drastically different in appearance as their bodies are. They may be made from insect wings themselves, or things such as leaves and flower petals. Other natural and decorative ligaments may grow from a sprite, but if they are not the base limbs they serve no function nor mobility, having no usage whatsoever outside of an aesthetic appearance. Any raw property in plants that make up the sprite’s body is no longer present, besides purely aesthetic visual properties (like glowing in the dark.) Healers cannot farm sprites with blissfoil on their bodies, for example, for its healing properties will not be present.

Bodily Functions

The wings of a sprite allows them flight which is relatively indefinite under peaceful circumstances. They may fly up to five metres high (five blocks high), before the pull of gravity becomes too much for their delicate wings to handle. This flight may not be used to override mechanic barriers. A sprite cannot break into a nation by flying over its walls, for example. In a combat scenario, the ability of flight becomes null (Required by ST). In events, these limits are up to the ET’s discretion. Outside of events, if a sprite attempts to fly for higher or longer than their limit in combat, they will faint from the exertion and require to rest for one Elven hour until they can perform any task demanding of physical movement.

The internal structure of a sprite is a lot simpler than that of Descendant races. They have a “core,” which serves as both a heart and a stomach, and is made of the same matter as their body, and a circulatory system that brings sap throughout it. The core is located at the centre of their chest. Sprites eat a varied diet of fruits, nuts, and bugs. They need to drink water, and require photosynthesis. All of the nutrients from this are broken down in the core and circulated in the sap throughout the body, which keeps it alive. A sprite has hardened bones, joints, and muscles which allows them normal movement and bodily support. For the sake of preventing over-complication, these structures are similar, if not exact, to the structures of Descendants. Oddly, sprites have no digestive system spare for the process of their core. Sprites also have no reproductive system. It pains me to think some of you really have to be told this, but sprites may not FTB.

Sprites are able to create a substance relative to the Domain of the Fae Realm that they come from. This substance has significance in alchemy as notable reagents. If an alchemist tries to kill a sprite for this reagent, however, they will unfortunately fail to gather anything. Their bodies do not passively have the reagent, it is a process requiring the willed activation of the sprite. Sprites almost always bargain with alchemists to get a favor done for them, so they may give the reagent as a reward. More information on these bargains is explained in the “redemption” section of the mental description.

Sprites may only produce a single “measure” of their corresponding reagent per IRL week. An ST must oversee and sign the reagent. See this lore for more info. The reagents have no properties outside of their alchemical representations.

All three subtypes of sprite reagents have Earth and Aether signs

Nightfall Domain

Sprites from the Nightfall Domain trigger their tears to instead become a liquid reagent, which when cried out and collected, has the symbols of:

Death x5

Dark x4

Poison x4

Silence x2

Dayward Lands

Sprites from the Dayward Lands can cause their breath to be a “pixie dust,” a pollen that is a powdered reagent. Its symbols are:

Life x5

Growth x4

Balance x4

Light x2

Twilight Domain

Sprites from the Twilight Domain trigger their blood-sap to become a liquid reagent, which when a wound is self-inflicted and collected, has the symbols of:

Balance x5

Vigour x4

Peace x4

Grace x2

Reagent Redlines

- Gathering of sprite reagents must be overseen by ST

- Some form of bargain is required, you may not freely give out reagents

- Only one measure can be produced every IRL week

- The reagent you produce is based on what subtype your sprite is (twilight, nightfall, dayward)

Weaknesses

Sprite’s spirits do not function like the soul of a Descendant, and are not compatible with using any kind of magic. Sprites are vulnerable to any blight that would otherwise affect nature. Lore blight that affects plants and Fae will affect Sprites in the same way. Blight brought forth by events is up to ET discretion in regards to how it affects Sprites. If a Sprite is blighted, it spreads through their body mundanely in comparison to how plants would react, however when it reaches their core, a Sprite will degenerate and wither extremely quickly. They will begin to wither and slow within the first IRL hour, unable to perform any strenuous task. After three hours, a Sprite will die from being blighted. Once it spreads to their core, only a Druid can purge blight from a Sprite through the gift of Blight Healing. Sprites are very vulnerable to dark and voidal magic and forces. The casting of voidal and dark magics within a ten metre or block radius around a Sprite causes them a moderate pain which is just above the level of discomfort. Sprites have been known to scream under these circumstances, and they are one of the most obvious examples of how voidal and dark magic negatively affects the natural world.

The blood of sprites contains all of the nutrients that keeps them alive, so they can bleed out in the same way Descendants can. The wings of sprites are their weak point, and hold the most of their “blood.” The wings also unfortunately are very delicate, so causing a sprite to bleed out is a very easy task if they are targeted. Fire and feet are weaknesses to sprites. After all, they aren’t very powerful. They can be burned, and squashed, should they not have flown away.

If a sprite is killed, their spirit reincarnates much like it does in the Eternal Forest. The life of a sprite is an eternal reincarnation. Some memories can be lost with every incarnation, and small personality changes can be apparent. Their bodies are rebuilt, just like it was at their beginning in the Mortal Realm. The aesthetic appearance of a sprite can change, although it should only be the details. The spirit of a sprite being the same tends to cause their rebuilding to reflect every incarnation of themselves, to preserve familiarity. Sprites will forget the memories surrounding their deaths just like Descendants do.

Mental Description

Intelligence

As sprites progress through their various reincarnations, they can develop quite a remarkable intelligence. They most definitely become more sentient and intelligent than any normal plant or bug. Sprites, however, often display childish mannerisms and lack awareness of Descendant customs, culture, and manners. If enough time is spent around Descendants, sprites may learn to identify the meaning of some words in the mortal languages, and can speak a very broken version of Common. Most sprites can deduce when an alchemist is asking of their reagent, as it is a common thing for them to be asked. They also usually understand basic greetings and vague words often meaningfully used. Older sprites can understand and speak complex sentences, but can never fully become fluent in a language. They are “magical” Fae creatures, and their purpose is not to be fully-functional Descendants. Sprites often have a deep understanding of nature, as complimented with their abilities listed below.

Redemption

When the sprites inhabiting the Mortal Realm first came through the Fae Rings, they would be hit with insecurity and mourning. They slipped from their paradise, where they had peaceful afterlives as spirits. Sprites seem to believe that the Aspects themselves casted them out from the Eternal Forest, dooming them to the perils of Descendants. Because of this, Sprites always travel the realm and perform various acts relating to the Domain they come from, to attempt and gain what they believe to be “redemption” from the Aspects. They believe they are punished, and because of this, their purpose is to make up the will of the Aspect relating to the Domain they’re from. To even further help them gain their believed redemption, sprites take advantage of the alchemy reagents they can produce, striking deals and bargains with Descendants so that they carry out the will of their related Aspect.

A sprite from the Nightfall Domain is the most mischievous but silent of all. They tend to believe that redemption from Nemiisae will come from them bringing death to various animals.. or sometimes, Descendants. Although not purely evil, these are the sprites that are feared, if any. They more often are seen thrashing the overgrown gardens of Descendants, to keep the death in play which Nemiisae overlooks.

A sprite from the Dayward Lands tends to be more passive in its workings than the others. It spreads seeds throughout the realm and assists pregnant animals in their birth, in hopes of getting the redemption of Cerridwen. Their mischievousness is viewed when they try to sway imprisoned animals outside of farms, or steal potted plants from Descendant homes which are being mistreated.

A sprite from the Twilight Domain tends to have an interest in weaponry and exercise. They will often try to build their strength up and create swords out of thorns and small twigs. Then, to prove bravery to Cernunnos, they seek to duel other sprites, animals, or even Descendants. They tend to follow after hunters and help them in their ambitions to gain the redemption of Cernunnos.

Abilities

Nature’s Communion

Sprites have the ability to speak freely through communion with plants, animals, other Fae, and Druids. This ability is passive in the surrounding 15 metre/block radius. This is a combination exchange of thoughts, feelings, and visual messages. It is a creative process that can be used for building friendships with plants and animals. Plants and animals cannot be requested to move, like they can be from Druids.

Redlines

- Communion only in the surrounding 15 block radius, any further flora/fauna must be approached.

- Cannot move plants or animals with this ability

Communion Voicing

Similar to how a Fae Ring allows unattuned Descendants to have a vague interaction with the voice of Nature, Sprites have a more specific and weaker variant of this effect. They can produce a singular link with a descendant, and “communicate” with them, by actually just utilizing communion and allowing the Descendant to hear strictly the sprite. This does not allow a Descendant to hear nature like a Druid, they can only listen to the sprite. A sprite can convey emotions and simple thoughts and messages. The sprite must be touching the person’s body for this to work, and it is discomforting for a Descendant to hear. It causes headaches and migraines when used in excess at a time, which onsets after about five emotes of speech from the Sprite. This isn’t feasible to distract someone within a combat encounter. This is the only way, besides rough voicing of simple words/sounds, that a sprite can communicate with a Descendant.

This ability requires two emotes before a sprite can convey messages. The first emote involves touching the person, the second emote involves communing the messages, and then the following emotes can contain the quoted phrases/ideas sent forth.

- Does not grant Descendants any permanent ability

- Two emotes are required for this ability

- The Descendant needs to be touched by the sprite for the sprite to convey messages.

- Does not let Descendants speak with nature

- Only works with the sprite’s thoughts

- Cannot use this ability to distract, impair, or manipulate a Descendant

Toxin

During combat/conflict scenarios, sprites of any three of the varieties may release a toxin which emits through their skin. It spreads through the surrounding three metre/block radius, and becomes insignificant beyond that point. This toxin is like a thin mist and similarly is absorbed by the skin of nearby people. When it comes into contact with anyone in the radius, they would become extremely dizzy and overwhelmed. Any magic user that requires concentration while casting will be forced out of casting due to this disorientation. Attacks become stuttered, and allow sprites a chance to flee. This does not fully freeze a person, they have a chance to stumble away, however it severely diminishes the chances of an effective attack towards the sprite. This toxin cannot be farmed, and can only released when a sprite is threatened (during CRP) once per combat encounter.

To release the toxin, two emotes are required. Visible physical strain must be described for the first emote as the sprite gathers the toxin within its core, and the second emote involves the excretion of the mist. At the second emote, the toxin’s effects will be present, and the mist will linger for an additional emote only.

- Cannot collect the toxin for later use.

- Two emotes are required to trigger the toxin.

- Physical strain is required to be displayed in the first emote.

- Only spreads to the surrounding three block radius

- Does not physically harm or knock out a person

General Redlines

- Sprites may not grow extra limbs

- Any extra/unique features purely serve as aesthetic details and gives no advantage to combat. No knives as hands, etc

- Flight cannot be used to override in-game mechanics

- Flight only goes up to 5 metres/blocks high

- Sprites cannot FTB

- Sprites cannot learn magic

- Sprites cannot fully learn languages

- Sprites cannot speak complexly enough to form sentences

- Sprites cannot remember their deaths when they reincarnate

- Even though sprites can now wield weapons, consider their size. Compare the ratio of weight from weapon to Descendant to the weight of a sprite. No orcish warhammers being held by sprites, etc.