Mulberry Mystics

## Introduction

*To the discerning scholar:*

*With the recent discovery of the Crymage subspecies came an awareness that other subspecies might yet exist undiscovered within our realm. As such, I was dispatched by my association (an honor, of course) to seek out and identify new subspecies of Arcane dragons residing within the Crystalspine Reaches and catalog their traits in detail.*

*The early weeks of my expedition seemed fruitless, and night after night under dubious makeshift shelters made sleep a fleeting thing. I met with a number of small clans eking out a living beneath the shadow of those mighty crystal spires, but no dragon seemed any more or less unusual than the rest.*

*Following a particularly nasty storm in which I’d foolishly flown into, I found myself on a particularly remote atoll of a most curious formation. The island itself was quite small: perhaps only large enough to comfortably accommodate a standard mixed-species thirty-dragon lair. However, its most striking feature was the number of small crags that had sprung up about it in the rough shape of a water lily or lotus, enclosing a small brackish lake in its center. It had seemed uninhabited, at first, but within moments of my arrival, I was set upon by a great number of tiny, fluttering bodies.*

*Now, Fae were not unusual in the isles, being creations of the Arcanist Himself (knowledge and glory to Him), but these were of a variety I had never before laid eyes upon, and in such great quantity and similar variety that it could not have been merely a single family colony, but, in fact, an entirely separate subspecies.*

*These, dear reader, are my notes of these Fae, which I have dubbed the “Mulberry Mystic.”*

## Common Varieties

As mentioned in the preceding section, different varieties of the Mystic do exist; however, the spectrum is small and specific, owing to the Mystics’ very shallow gene pool. Below is a list of observed variations on the Mulberry Mystic.

### Circuit Mystic

The standard for this subspecies consists of a mulberry primary and secondary coloration, and a pink tertiary. It is not uncommon, however, to observe magenta and rose circuit tertiaries within the colony, which are typically indicative of the individual’s age or state of health.

### Smoky Mystic

Individuals bearing mulberry primary and secondary coloration, but a smoke tertiary gene also exist, but are less common than the standard circuit. However, due to the greater dominance exhibited by the smoke gene, Smoky Mystics almost always tend to bear offspring with the gene as well.

### Shadow Mystic

Despite their name, Shadow Mystics do not hail from the Tangled Wood, but instead are named for their shadow primary as opposed to the standard Mystic’s mulberry. This coloration is rare amongst true Mulberry Mystics, but are more likely to appear when crossbred with dragons of other species. Shadow Mystics, like standard Mystics, may exhibit both circuit and smoke tertiary genes, although recent data implies smoke is more common than circuit.

## Social Behavior

As a whole, Mulberry Mystics are highly social and prone to swarming when agitated or excited. When a perceived threat appears before them, they will first hide within their lairs before ambushing their target en masse and delivering a heft shock of arcane magic. Mystics, as a primarily Fae subspecies, are very proficient mages, but tend to prefer channeling magic through their bodies as slashes rather than through the air in the form of bolts. While considerably less effective in actual combat, this technique allows them to quickly stun and capture the various insects that constitute their diet. As mana is their seeming lifeblood, Mystics low on energy may be surrounded by their peers and “defibrillated” with a magical shock to jump-start their systems. These bodily shocks were also observed to be used in everyday conversation as body language.

On the subject of language, the Mystics’ dialect was nigh incomprehensible at times, being of relatively basic vocabulary and grammar, as well as very rapid and shrill. However, the greater usage of signing and other silent body language seemed to supplement their lacking vocal vocabulary. (*It took me several months before I was able to pick up on some of the finer nuances of their language, and our disparate cultures caused me to commit a number of social faux pas while in their company. Thankfully, my hosts were quite patient and understanding - if a bit condescending at times - of my foreign nature, and attempted to instruct me accordingly.*)

Strangely, they are accepting in regards to “foreigners” being different than themselves, but not amongst their own kind. Shadow Mystics - that is, Mystics bearing shadow primaries - are often shunned or outcasted by their peers, and those who lack a colony to call home quickly perish if they cannot find food and shelter.

## Lairs

While most Fae spin nests of amber, Mystics will spin similar nests of crystal straight from the walls of their enclosed island. Colonies are ever being expanded and refortified. Many a Mystic takes great pride in the age of their lair - especially if it has been used across the span of several generations without falling apart.

Hoarding seems to be the greatest of their social joys, and communal hoards may span entire societies of Mystic colonies. Everything is everyone’s… to an extent. Objects of personal value are usually stashed haphazardly away in individual dens where they are jealously guarded. A Mystic who shares their personal valuables with another considers them a most trustworthy companion; as such, one should take care not to break this trust.

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