Parasite Fairies

Parasite Fairies, also called Vampire or Leech fairies are a small, odd subspecies of fairie. While regular fairies fly and alter their size at will, Parasite fairies are flightless and cannot change size at all. Their abilities and behavior are vastly different from their cousins.

Physical Appearance

The fairies are small, but not miniscule, being about 2 to 3 and a half feet tall. Their bodies are very frail and delicate, appearing quite childlike to most other races. Limbs are long and thin, with 6 sharp claws. Their eyes are mainly featureless, lightly glowing and tinted a colour, usually yellow, green or pink. Their skin ranges in colour quite a bit, and often has patterns, like veins, spots or blotches, which along with their small, protruding wings helps break up their sillouette and makes them harder to spot. Their wings usually sprout from the head, back and shoulders, and are small and no good for flying.

Powers and abilities

Parasite fairies have a strange digestive system, being that it isn't there at all. Rather than getting calories from food, they rely entirely on magic for sustenance, which they obtain by biting a host, usually a giant predator or humanoid.
Magical and physical abilities

Still, going up and biting a creature hundreds of times larger than you isn't as easy as it sounds, and it doesn't sound very easy. To adapt, the fairies have developed excessive powers to make themselves silent and invisible. Because of the amount of concentrated magic that's stored in their body at any one time, some of it always goes into creating a shroud of seeminly weaker magic that masks their own and makes them blend into the background. A giant predator could have a parasite a few feet away from her and identify it as nothing more than a small animal, for example.

The Faries bodies have also changed to help them be stealthier. While not able to change colour at will, a fairies skin slowly changes over the years to suit what environment it's in. One living in the Jungle would have dappled green skin, one in the evernight forest would be black with maybe a hint of red or purple, and one living in a city or rocky area would end up with pale grey or white skin.

Unlike a human foot, a Parasite farie's leg is built more like a dog or cats hind leg, which makes them look a little as though they're constantly tiptoeing. As well as helping them move quietly, run quickly and jump high, their long, handlike toes and thumbs/dewclaws make it easier to climb trees, where they usually live and watch potential hosts from.

Possibly the most remarkable feature of them is their rapidly accelerated healing ability, even by Felarya's standards. Wounds made to them heal so quickly it might appear as though they were never hurt at all, with a gunshot wound looking as if it had never happened by five minutes. The reason for their rapid regeneration is the large excess of magic in their bodies, which automatically fixes any problems they have. Still, they pay a high price for their powers, not being able to control them. Although they can carry more magic than a dozen powerful mages, one could try for hundreds of years to use the most basic spell and never do it. The reason they're unable to conciously use magic is because it's converted into their life force, and asking a fairie to summon a fire would be the equivalent of asking a human to stop their heatbeat and use the excess energy to light a match. Another unpleasant side-effect of advanced healing is Parasite Fairies dreading being eaten alive even more than other races, as it'd take a very long time till their magic ran out.

Diet

The fairies will never attack a host who's aware of them being around, as they stand no chance in a fight with virtually anything. However, if they spot a potential target, they'll stalk them for up to many hours, observing their behavior and waiting until their target falls asleep. When it does, they patiently wait until they fall asleep, then sneak up to them and feed.Their fangs are very thin and sharp, a little like pins or syringes, so they don't cause a lot of damage when biting a host, and the fairies saliva works as a powerful numbing agent, so that it would be highly unlikey for the sleeping victim to wake while the fairies still busy with them. After they've bitten the host, they sap the magic out of them and drink it.

While the fairies method of stalking and attacking while you're asleep is pretty creepy, the fairies actually don't pose much of a threat at all to the average host. They're a parasitic species, and any parasite that kills its host isn't a very successful one, so it's strongly built into the fairies minds and culture not to drain enough to kill the host. Still, they can unintentionally cause havoc with hosts who rely on magic, like a normal Fairy waking up and not being able to shape-shift, or a mage discovering he's out of juice at a bad time.

Culture and relations with other species

Parasite faries are a very shy and reclusive race, being completely nocturnal and trying their hardest not to be noticed by anything in their territory. However, they do spend a lot of time watching all the creatures in their domain, and it's quite common for a Parasite fairy to consider someone their friend who's never seen them, and they might subtley try to help their 'friends' by leaving them presents, not draining their magic unless no other is available, etc

Although the fairies are naturally shy of company, when one's discovered and doesn't immediately run away it's possible to talk with them and even gain a little of their trust. If they've been watching you (and they probably have) they'll have an idea of what sort of person you are anyway.

Some people have made deals with the fairies, actually asking them to drain their magic. While this might be almost suicidal for people who rely on it, such as mages, for the average human it just makes them a walking target for the Predator sense. But if a Parasite fairy drains it from you, you'd be invisible and silent for hours, unless of course they were close enough to see and hear you the old-fashioned way. As well as being able to drain magic, their constant spying on their neighbours and memorizing their patterns and behavior makes them excellent scouts, able to give detailed information about how many predators are in the area, what their hunting habits are like, when they last ate, and almost anything you need to know. So befriending one can come in handy, though it's not easy.

While living in solitary groups or occasionally pairs, as to minimize chances of detection, the fairies love any opportunity to meet and talk with others of their kind. Since they tend to move from one area to another after a while, they can bump into each other and share stories and information they have. Some people think that once in a long while, hundreds of Parasite faries will travel long distances, and all meet in one place, though such a gathering is only a theory, as they're even more careful not to be noticed when their family and friends might be at stake.

Stuff I need advice on

Their name isn't really an attractive one, any suggestion better than 'Parasite Fairy' would be nice
I don't want them seeming too cute and helpful so any tips that make them a little freakier without making them disgusting
I visualize the magic they drink/eat/absorb as being an oily, swirling. multicoloured liquid, but I don't know if that's how it works in Felarya

Nice idea, very different to the norm.

Jew wrote:

I visualise the magic they drink/eat/absorb as being an oily, swirling. multicoloured liquid, but I don't know if that's how it works in Felarya

Magic is energy on Felarya, not matter so unfortunately it can't work like that. However matter can obviously have a very high magical charge which would produce odd effects in some elements and chemicals.

Also, apparently their teeth are ALL very sharp and about equal length. This means that they would have trouble biting deep enough to draw magic with the host not noticing.

One other thing:

Jew wrote:

I don't want them seeming too cute and helpful so any tips that make them a little freakier without making them disgusting

Indeed, a better (read: Freakier) name would make them more freaky. However, don't go to far or you'll end up with a race nobody really wants to use because it's just too far from the norm.

"Name isn't a very attractive one"

Regarding the issue of naming, I can understand how simply deeming them "Parasite Fairies" is a bit uninspired. As such, I have come up with an alternative; "Fitletas". Yes, that's rather odd sounding, but hear out my reasoning behind it, would you? The manner in which you have described them literally makes them out as parasitic beings akin to creatures that suck blood (Although the blood in question is taken place of by magic). Thinking upon this, the initial correlation I could draw was to Vampire bats-the section about the fangs probably caused this. But, second guessing myself, I found that there just wasn't enough connection beyond the aforementioned fangs to give them a name related to said bats. As such, I opted twords a true parasite indeed; The leech. For those unaware, the class into which Leeches are placed is known as "Clitellata. So, I scrambled and removed some of the letters and added the "F" from the beginning of "Fairy", and viola'. I came up with a name. But, this is all just an idle suggestion on my part.


"Don't want them to seem too cute and helpful"

Well, I really don't see the potential for them to come off as either of these unless they take a liking to someone, but you stated that to be a pretty rare thing. Barring said liking for an individual, I wouldn't personally find a splotchy, thin, parasite to be too adorable by default, and by extent probably not helpful either save for the draining of magic (Which has potential to be disastrous anyway for magic uses) So, I really can't think of any ways in which their creepiness could be amplified.


"Magic visualization"

I have very, very limited knowledge of the magic system as a whole in Felarya, so I can't be of service here.



Overall, I find it to be an interesting idea. They are a nice contrast to their average Fairy counterparts, and indeed most humanoid (or more often Tauric) predator species, because they aren't absolutely wonderful for the eyes to behold, instead looking like the offspring of Gollum, a Fairy, and a Leech. Additionally, their eating habits aren't the most common, so they're further made unique.

Good luck with that.

Here are some name ideas...

Nyx (named after the Primordial Goddess of Night in Greek Mythology)

Achlys (daughter of Nyx, represented the Eternal Night)

Peris (Also known as Peri, they are Fairies descended from Fallen Angles in Persian Mythology)

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Nice idea, very different to the norm.
Magic is energy on Felarya, not matter so unfortunately it can't work like that. However matter can obviously have a very high magical charge which would produce odd effects in some elements and chemicals.

Thanks for the input. Perhaps I could edit it so that they consume some blood along with the magic, and the high concentration makes it go all crazy looking? Not the most important detail, but I was thinking the image of one halfway through draining someone with a bit of rainbow goop oozing out would look creepily awesome.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Also, apparently their teeth are ALL very sharp and about equal length. This means that they would have trouble biting deep enough to draw magic with the host not noticing.

Yeah, the teeth are all pretty sharp and long, but not exactly the same size and length. Still, you do end up with about 8 puncture wounds of about an inch long, but since the teeth are so thin and they don't target arteries there isn't much actual damage done. I originally planned for the teeth to be coated with a mixture of numbing agents and anticoagulants (like leeches) so they wouldn't feel the bite, but perhaps if they licked the area they planned to bite and left it for a minute before feeding it'd give the painkillers time to work?

Warrior3000 wrote:

Regarding the issue of naming, I can understand how simply deeming them "Parasite Fairies" is a bit uninspired. As such, I have come up with an alternative; "Fitletas". Yes, that's rather odd sounding, but hear out my reasoning behind it, would you? The manner in which you have described them literally makes them out as parasitic beings akin to creatures that suck blood (Although the blood in question is taken place of by magic). Thinking upon this, the initial correlation I could draw was to Vampire bats-the section about the fangs probably caused this. But, second guessing myself, I found that there just wasn't enough connection beyond the aforementioned fangs to give them a name related to said bats. As such, I opted twords a true parasite indeed; The leech. For those unaware, the class into which Leeches are placed is known as "Clitellata. So, I scrambled and removed some of the letters and added the "F" from the beginning of "Fairy", and viola'. I came up with a name. But, this is all just an idle suggestion on my part.

Me likey. I didn't want them to seem too much like vampire bats (one of the reasons they can't fly) and basing their name on leeches gives them a nice parasitic feel, I reckon. I'll certainly give that one a think.

Warrior3000 wrote:

Well, I really don't see the potential for them to come off as either of these unless they take a liking to someone, but you stated that to be a pretty rare thing. Barring said liking for an individual, I wouldn't personally find a splotchy, thin, parasite to be too adorable by default, and by extent probably not helpful either save for the draining of magic (Which has potential to be disastrous anyway for magic uses) So, I really can't think of any ways in which their creepiness could be amplified.

Yeah, I'm a bit desensitized to creepy but even I know they aren't the most appealing things. Still, if you managed to talk to one it would be able to give very detailed info about an area and the people who live there, so they're good at scouting too.

Warrior3000 wrote:

Overall, I find it to be an interesting idea. They are a nice contrast to their average Fairy counterparts, and indeed most humanoid (or more often Tauric) predator species, because they aren't absolutely wonderful for the eyes to behold, instead looking like the offspring of Gollum, a Fairy, and a Leech. Additionally, their eating habits aren't the most common, so they're further made unique.

Good luck with that.

Thanks, your suggestions helped.

Jasconius wrote:

Here are some name ideas...

Nyx (named after the Primordial Goddess of Night in Greek Mythology)

Achlys (daughter of Nyx, represented the Eternal Night)

Peris (Also known as Peri, they are Fairies descended from Fallen Angles in Persian Mythology)

Hmm, I like Achlys, has a nice squelchy sort of ring to it. Thanks!

Jew wrote:

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Nice idea, very different to the norm.
Magic is energy on Felarya, not matter so unfortunately it can't work like that. However matter can obviously have a very high magical charge which would produce odd effects in some elements and chemicals.

Thanks for the input. Perhaps I could edit it so that they consume some blood along with the magic, and the high concentration makes it go all crazy looking? Not the most important detail, but I was thinking the image of one halfway through draining someone with a bit of rainbow goop oozing out would look creepily awesome.

Yes it would. I was thinking the same thing when I posted by previous reply.

Jew wrote:

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Also, apparently their teeth are ALL very sharp and about equal length. This means that they would have trouble biting deep enough to draw magic with the host not noticing.

Yeah, the teeth are all pretty sharp and long, but not exactly the same size and length. Still, you do end up with about 8 puncture wounds of about an inch long, but since the teeth are so thin and they don't target arteries there isn't much actual damage done. I originally planned for the teeth to be coated with a mixture of numbing agents and anticoagulants (like leeches) so they wouldn't feel the bite, but perhaps if they licked the area they planned to bite and left it for a minute before feeding it'd give the painkillers time to work?

Maybe, but in that minute something might happen. I'd imagine that the faries wouldn't want to dawdle too long, as their host might wake up or something else might happen.

Jew wrote:

Jasconius wrote:

Here are some name ideas...

Nyx (named after the Primordial Goddess of Night in Greek Mythology)

Achlys (daughter of Nyx, represented the Eternal Night)

Peris (Also known as Peri, they are Fairies descended from Fallen Angles in Persian Mythology)

Hmm, I like Achlys, has a nice squelchy sort of ring to it. Thanks!

True, but these sound more like the names of an individual rather than a race. Of course that's just my opinion.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Maybe, but in that minute something might happen. I'd imagine that the faries wouldn't want to dawdle too long, as their host might wake up or something else might happen.

I think it'd take about 3 to 5 minutes for them to be done draining a host. Feeding's definately one of their more vulnerable moments, but the main danger comes from something else noticing them rather than the host waking up. I kinda based the biting abilities on RL bloodsuckers like Leeches and Mosquitos, you never feel them biting you.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

True, but these sound more like the names of an individual rather than a race. Of course that's just my opinion.

Fair enough, I was planning on messing around with them a bit anyway, like Achlysas or Flitellata, something like that.

That's an interesting idea, and really well described ^^
I especially liked is how they are used to stalk and silently study their target, and how their behavior as a race is built around that.
And of course they are indeed original and quite different from other fairies.
I'm just a bit concerned by their wings... as I see it their mode of feeding is indeed dangerous, but without flying it would seems almost impossible to me, no ?

Karbo wrote:

I'm just a bit concerned by their wings... as I see it their mode of feeding is indeed dangerous, but without flying it would seems almost impossible to me, no?

Thanks for the input! Well, one of the reason I didn't give them wings was so they'd have a different sillouette from other fairies. Another reason was to try and symbolize that the fairy is almost the opposite of their cousin, the fairies are social and friendly, the parasites small and shy , fairies are tall and beautiful, parasites are short and freakish, and fairies soar, parasites creep around. But the main reason they don't fly is because I was thinking of animals like Aye-ayes and other monkies, which are famously good at hiding and being quiet. As well as that, the most famous parasites, vampire bats, always land on the ground and crawl towards their prey, because wings make noise as well as air currents that would wake their victims up. Since the fairies hop from tree to tree and rarely come down except to feed, I didn't think wings would be much use aside from fleeing if their victim woke up, which would mean they weren't very good at their main strength, stealth.