Faerie

Artwork by queerly

The Faerie is a small, peculiar creature native to Eithne. They are found primarily in Drakefire Wood, and their natural habitat are the deep, untouched woods of Hireath. Some live in Onea and Sirith - descendants of familiars exported from Eithne - but these individuals are extremely shy, and rarely seen by equines.

Faeries are known as temperamental, volatile creatures, but are not dangerous. They’re popular pets and companions in Aodh, and ‘domestic’ Faeries tend to be more gentle and agreeable (at least to their owner) than their shy and defensive wild counterparts. Faeries have a particular fondness for sweet treats, and small decorative items, such as colorful pebbles or shining ribbons.

Although closely resembling Hireath equines, and occasionally being mistaken as a new breed by foreign visitors, Faerie’s are not related to Hireath equines in any way, and do not speak equine language.

## Abilities

Faeries are naturally sentient, possessing a level of intelligence and self-awareness comparable to a four-year-old child. They can understand most basic concepts, including cause and effect, but unfortunately, they also possess very strong emotions. A Faerie only feels one emotion at a time, and whatever they do feel, they feel strongly. This makes their moods easy to tell, and their personalities explosively volatile. Faeries are not stupid, but they are also not predisposed to cold, calm, and logical thinking - they act based on their emotions. Luckily, they’re also easily bribed with gifts, and are not prone to carry grudges.

Faeries can learn to understand equine language, but will never learn to speak it. They communicate in tinkling noises similar to bells and windchimes. Familiar whisperers from outside Eithne generally find them difficult to communicate with, as they will generally only give information for bribes, play stupid and get easily distracted if the topic doesn’t interest them.

Although they seem extremely delicate, Faeries are surprisingly resilient, and not easily squashed or harmed even by strong forces. They have limited regeneration, and can recover even from grievous wounds. Their wings in particular can regenerate completely, although never grow back quite as vibrant as the originals if torn off - smaller damages are healed to the point of being unnoticeable. During mating season, Faeries rub their wings together to produce a fine, glittering dust that attracts other Faeries.

Faeries are excellent fliers, and for their size, are extremely quick. It is very difficult to catch a Faerie bolting around, even in an enclosed space, and their small size means they can easily slip away through holes no equine and even most familiars can’t follow them into. Faeries have surprising amounts of stamina - something one should remember when indulging them with sugary sweets.

## Lore

Aodhian Faeries have existed in Eithne since the beginning, but were not domesticated by the kirins, who found them more akin to pretty butterflies, rather than something one would like to invite into their life. Faeries, unsurprisingly, did not participate in God’s War, nor were they really known to other herds.

It was the immigrants who settled in Bloom who rediscovered the Faeries, who were numerous within the Drakefire Woods. The Bloomians started keeping them as pets and after Bloom was integrated into Aodh, keeping Faeries spread to New Valore, and soon became extremely popular.

In modern Aodh, Faeries are popular pets, and come in a wide variety of colors and conformations. Pedigree Faeries can command exuberant prices, and are the most expensive familiars in Aodh, easily beating out the likes of Pygmies and Phoenixes when it comes to sheer expense. Selective breeding plays a big part, but unlike slave breeding, Faerie breeding is not very susceptible to fads - healthy conformation, clear and bright colors and colorful wing patterns are always preferred.

The city of New Valore hosts an annual Faerie show, in which participants show off their lovingly bred pedigree specimens. Faeries are judged in conformation, color and type (based on wing shape). Less serious classes exist for hobbyists, where focus is on grooming and accessorising, as well as behavior. Other, less grandiose shows are hosted across Eithne throughout the year, and true enthusiasts even have their own monthly magazine.

## Creation Rules

### Faerie will **always:**

* Resemble a tiny equine
* Have butterfly, moth or dragonfly wings
* Be three to six inches in height at the withers
* Have white or very light pastel colored pupils

### Faerie **can:**

* Have any conformation, but most commonly light with exaggerated legs and neck
* Have their wings based on a real species, or be an unique fantasy pattern
* Have either a monochromatic or analogous coloration, which is almost always very bright. Only black color is disallowed.
* Have minor white markings, or other small markings that fit their color scheme (for example some freckles or socks)
* Have eyes of any color, but usually very saturated

### Faerie can **not:**

* Have wings based on an animal/insect that is not a butterfly, moth or dragonfly
* Have horns, antlers, scales, fins, cloven hooves, feathers etc
* Be larger than six inches at the withers
* Be pure black
* Be uplifted, as they’re naturally sentient