Fae

Guide on the forums here Fae (Commonly known as Fairies) are magical bug-like creatures that, despite their size and varied appearances, can converse in the common tongue. They possess Insect-like physical features and are typically around 4 to 7 inches tall. They are best known for their large wings and the colorful, often mesmerizing sparkles and lights that emit from their bodies.

Their remains are prized by Alchemists across the globe for their extraordinary magical properties. Fae are found almost anywhere there are forests, often leaving behind blooms of flowers as they are born into this world. The standard type of Fairies are the Holy Variants, often adept in the Exorcist arts. Though a rarer, far more seclusive batch exists in nature; Those that practice the Occult arts, often formed as a result of incredible circumstances that have left them as corrupted beings.

Old Folk Lore
In the heart of the Spirit realm rests the great Tree of Life. In the early days of creation it sat alone there, surrounded only by the Elemental Forces that moved about an ever changing landscape. It wasn't until the first human died that the tree would find the company of another. It is said that the first to die was not a man nor a woman, but a newborn who's body was too feeble to survive on its own. The first human to die and it was one so young who hadn't experienced more than a breath of life before passing. The Spirit Lord Ryujin was said to have been overcome by a great sadness as he found the child's spirit wandering aimlessly, unable to find its way in this ocean of darkness that surrounded it. Pitying the child for the life it could never experience and fearing it may become forever lost in the furthest, darkest depths of his domain, he extended his wing around it and gently guided the spirit away towards safer waters.

All around the spirit was such wondrous sights. Rivers of clear waters teaming with brilliantly coloured fish, great meadows that extended as far as the eye could see that featured every tree imaginable. But none were so beautiful as Yggdrasil itself, spiralling high into the sky to reach past the clouds. Ryujin smiled as he saw the child's reaction to the beauty that surrounded them. All a sudden the distant, lost soul had become found, a brightness surrounding their spirit. Noting this, The Spirit Lord thought of all the others that might face such a fate, lost to the darkest reaches for all of time. Too naive and inexperienced to understand where, or what they were. With all his power he resolved to create a sanctuary for the purest of souls within his domain. Where the spirits of those who didn't have the chance to experience life could live forever in peace, safe from the darkness around them.

Seeing how that first child flew around a butterfly and happily followed it across a meadow, Ryujin decided to give these children a new form. Instead of retaining their fetal bodies locked in time, they gained the appearance of tiny, brightly colored bugs with extravagant wings that helped them to truly fly. The children, now Fae in appearance, grew in numbers as the years progressed, now building nests along the outside of The Great Tree that they began to revere as their mother. The often visiting Spirit Lord hated the thought of sending them out into an incomplete world where the creator had presumably perished, but he accepted that he couldn't keep them locked up forever. Even though they enjoyed the paradise they were allowed experience, Ryujin still offered them the Chance of Reincarnation. Having taught them speech over the years, they understood what they were being offered. A chance to live a normal life, a human life. That same Child who was the first of Humanity to experience death protested to Ryujin with concern. Speaking of the suffering that that world of the living experiences at the hands of both monsters and their own kind. About how they seemed to care more about meaningless things over the Joy they could have with others.

Those words spoke to something within the Dragon.

It was after hearing this that Ryujin resolved to offer them all an alternative. They would be allowed to keep the only forms they had ever known and be blessed with a long age and the gift of Empathy. With this promise, they would have all the time they wanted to play and bring happiness to those who needed it the most. And although most of the Fae feared leaving their sanctuary and forsaking the memories they had gained, returning to a memoryless state in their new birth, a few were willing to experience life for the first time with the assurance that should they perish they would be welcomed back into the sanctuary once more. With this decision the first Fairies were sent into creation. Spirits of the dead given bodies made of magic, sustained by the Lifestream's own power, with the goal of spreading their good intentions towards those who were in a desperate need of some kindness.

At least that's how it was... For a time. Before great cruelties were committed by man.

Physiology
Fairies have long wings that can span up to 1 to 5 inches. They are often reminiscent of various other kinds of bug wings, such as the Swallowtail Butterfly for example. Commonly Fae have antennas on their head that appear to act as magical receptors or sensors. Their skin is thin and can almost be translucent when viewed under the light; Consequently they have been studied to not take physical damage very well. But despite their frail bodies, Fairies seem to be functionally immortal; Some fairies have been known to live for centuries, leading to speculation in the past that some have been alive since Eternia's birth. Though such assumptions have long since been debunked by Valmasian Scholars in thanks to partnerships with the denizens of several annexed groves. Functionally, it's been stated as rare for a fairy to live above the age of Six Hundred and Fifty.

Curiously, the bodies of fairies are composed of strange organic material which seems hyper-sensitive to magical stimuli. Complex organs retrieved from dissected fairies sometimes have absolutely no practical biological function, seeming out of place and completely extraneous. These "Dumb Organs", however, seem to be massive spiritual capacitors. They allow fairies to store ludicrous amounts of energy into their bodies, and when these organs are ground up, create a strange powder often referred to as simply Fairy Dust. Fairy Dust is an extremely valuable and potent ingredient in many alchemic processes, and sometimes is used simply as a magic enhancer or natural mana battery. It even displays great healing properties when applied directly to wounds. The full extent of Fairy Dust has not been fully explored, but some (Unreputable) scholars have hypothesized that Fairy Dust can grand immortality if consumed in great quantities. It is said that the most talented healers can perform miracles if they are in possession of a fairy's corpse.

Strangely enough Fairy eggs that have been retrieved from their nests have been shown to hold no fetuses within them. It has been stated that the male secretes a sample of enriched mana for the female to create a batch of eggs within her, this process can take several years before they form completely and are deposited elsewhere. Examinations of their translucent makeup shows a curious similarity between the dust Fae expel from their wings and the makeup of the Eggs themselves. As far as observations go, they appear to be concentrated balls of potent Fairy Mana, little more. Though on several occasions eggs taken into Valmasian custody for study have spontaneously produced an Infant over night, consuming the mana within the eggs in the process. How exactly this is continues to baffle Valmasian scholars. As far as examinations on Fairies have shown (by observing the growth of said subjects previously mentioned) they appear to halt ageing by the time they hit their fourties.

Abilities
Fairies are capable of various magical feats, many of which are largely unknown to humans. Though they usually all practice Holy Magic, some of them stray off into their own magical expertise - and are generally quite good at it. The average fairy is several times more magically proficient than an average human, and almost never deplete their natural mana source.

A well-practiced fairy can out-perform even magi, but their small bodies limit their physical abilities, often forcing them to rely on more Arcane means of doing manual tasks. They resort to using shields and barriers to protect them, and when those fail, die very easily.

Known fairy abilities are:
 * Magically potent. The magical power within a fairy is at such a high potency that a natural glow of mana exudes from their body, illuminating their flesh and causing them to sparkle.
 * Healing. With the mana that a fairy exudes, a fine dust falls amidst it, passively healing the fairy as well as anything it touches (For Occult Fae, they siphon the lifeforce around them passively). The dust can heal minor injuries within minutes after taking effect, closing small gashes and preventing bruising. Though a secondary, spiritual ability exists that few Fae would willingly bring up, as it comes at great cost to themselves to allow for the removal of even the most desperate of injuries.
 * Empathy. Fairies are Empaths that can pick up on vague intentions as well as a person's state of mind. This effective range can extend up to a mile in radius, explaining the creatures general ability to hide within nature unseen. Going further, depending on their experience, they can analyse the mana of others, noting the differences and able to recognize an individuals signature. This makes them excellent trackers.

Clarification Notes
- Spirit-Like creatures that age and grow. Though they are intimate with the lifestream. Their knowledge of it is based on pure instinct.

- Up to a certain point they age about two times slower than humans. By the time they reach their forties they are the equivalent of an eighteen year old. By then their aging slows down rapidly, allowing them long lifespans.

- For the most part Fae are produced from the Spirit Realm itself. Their essence takes form in nature, one can even imagine them appearing from a newly opened flower pod. But on rare occasions they can and do come from the unity of a pair of elder Fae through procreation in its own right. (Though intercourse they do not.)

- While either Holy or Occult for the most part, they are not required to delve far into their natures. They may focus on their own individual elements. - Though one should decide which side their character ventures. Occult Fairies rarely occur naturally and it takes some kind of horror to create them, while almost all Fairies are aligned to exorcism otherwise.

- Fairies have a natural gravitation towards the wilderness. They often feel a sense of unease within Cities that have tamed the surrounding nature, often requiring acclimation before they feel comfortable with their surroundings.

- Folklore aside, one can often consider Fairies to be the keepers of the wild. Often found helping creatures in need and healing them with their magic. From plants, to the smallest of animals; Their Empathy is universal and they tend to take great care about their impact on their surroundings.