Pixie
Fay
Fairy Circles

BIOLOGY

Physiology

Pixies appear quite similarly to human girls, even for a Monster, with their main differentiating characteristics being largely superficia, aside from their claim to faim - a pair of semi-translucent, crystalline wings emerging from their back, often akin to the appearance of a stylish moth's wings or a beautiful butterfly's. The color of these wings depend generally on the Pixie in question, but they allow nearly unlimited, fatigue-less flight through the air. A pixie's skin is usually a muted shade of a given color such as blue, yellow, or pink, and their hair is often vibrant and multi-colored. Their ears are pointed and they have extremely pronounced eyelashes, and their fingernails match the color of their wings. Their eyes are often a vibrant in color and change their appearance between two different shades depending on the surrounding light level, being a brighter shade in darkness, often to the point of glowing, and a darker shade in bright light. When in their miniature form, they will appears a swirling mote of magical energy surrounded by a glowing outline of their wings. Like all Fay, Pixies take extreme discomfort from Iron, creating ice burns on their body if touched with a pure enough iron object. In miniature form, even iron dust can cause extreme damage to a Pixie.

Intelligence

As is common for Fay, Pixies have the intelligence of humans, but this is limited by their childish, lazy, and carefree personalities. Irreverent even to their fellow Fay, Pixies generally simply seek to play, have fun, and do as they please both in their own world and in ours. Oftentimes their playful activities may be benign, such as prancing with children in the woods, irritating, such as stealing and hiding objects inside a person's house, or outright malevolent, such as such as gutting a family pet and filling its insides with candies for its owners to discover. Despite their lazy personalities, they can often set up extremely complex tricks and similar in order to satisfy their childlike urges, such as stealing aging powder from their betters to hide in a young man's stew, swapping human food with Fay food to trap humans in the Otherworld, and even luring royal children away, never to be seen again. Sometimes a Pixie may become so devoted to tricks and delights that she may take up research of the magical arts in order to better create mischief.

Diet

Pixies feed off Fay food like most of their kind, but also have a taste for dewdrops, small insects, and flowers, particularly dandelions. They have a preference for sweets, which even in a place as bountiful as the Otherworld is a little bratty. Despite their proclivities for gutting animals and humans and taking organs from them, I have found no evidence they actually eat the organs - it is more likely they're used to create instruments and similar toys.

Habitat

Pixies live in the Otherworld, the home of the Fay which exists in the same space as our world, but on a different plane of existence. It is a place of endless growth and enormous scale compared to our own, and Pixies are especially common in Mushroom Forests in the depths of the Otherworld. When in our world, they can be found in the area of the fairy rings they use to enter our realm, so most often in forests or meadows. They most often avoid directly interacting with civilization, and thus are most common in rural environments.

Reproduction

Pixies reproduce by emerging from beds of endless flowers in the deepest meadows and forests of the Otherworld, several hundred being born every day, contributing how one can witness many of their miniature, flare-like forms fluttering through the air when exploring the Otherworld's forests. Like many Fay, this is not their only way to reproduce, and they can transform young human girls who wander into the Otherworld with them into new Pixies.

SOCIOLOGY

Community

Pixies can often be seen as too lazy to even be a part of civilization, and indeed, most of them live completely in the wilderness of the Otherworld, as it is a place of plenty where Fay food can be found anywhere and one is never wanting for water or sustenance. They most often live in "communities" of themselves and other Pixies, playing around as they please and often leaving for the human world in order to cause trouble from time to time. Despite their irreverence for authority, they are too slothful to engage in active rebellion, so they generally still follow the laws of the Otherworld and respect Morrigan as queen. Rarely a group of Pixies may come to serve a Monster, most often a fellow Fay, but sometimes a Witch or Troll, and act as helpers and assistants. The patience of these monsters is predictably immense, and while it often leads to screw ups, it may lead to great success as well.

Technology

As you may expect, Pixies don't often spend time on technology or craft given their attitude towards life, but it is clear they do have somewhat of a knack for it nonetheless, often creating unique instruments, toys, and similar such things from strange and sometimes disturbing materials, as well as being experts at setting up traps.

Theology

A Pixie is unlikely to partake in religion of any form, as it wastes time they could be playing. Even their praises of the Morrigan are generally half hearted and mostly to stay out of trouble.

Diplomacy

Attempting to perform diplomacy with a Pixie, despite their rowdy nature, is actually somewhat easier than it is for others Monsters, due to their baser natures and looser respect for the laws of the Otherworld. It's common one can bribe them to lead them back to the Otherworld gate they came from simply with a promise of sweet food - though be careful attempting to go back on that bribe. They're also easier to trick than other Fay, but be warned, they're also skilled tricksters themselves, and if they realize what you're doing they might end up playing along to lead you into a nasty trap of their own making.

Hostility

Whether a Pixie is hostile to a human or monster depends on her mood and what she wants to do at present, with her sometimes paying humans no mind or even helping them, while at other times she will horribly curse, trick, or torture them. They are generally nicer to children, humans or monsters, often playing with them genuinely with no intent of harm in any way - though I place emphasis on intent, as they may think feeding a child a Fay pastry is nothing, despite how it'd trap them in the Otherworld for eternity. Strangely, they seem awfully kind to "dumb" monsters like Slimes and Skeletons, and rarely ever hurt them in their myriad shenanigans.

HUNTING

Range

Pixies live in the Otherworld, and can generally be found all over its surface. However, their range in our world is limited to their method of manifestation - passing through rings of mushrooms as makeshift Otherworld gateways. This limits them generally to the range of Stelen, especially northern and eastern Stelen, and especially the Oakmier isles, where they are most common in our world by far. There are reports of them being found in the northern regions of the New World as well, and generally these reports seem genuine.

Magic

Like all Fay, the Pixie is an inherently magical being, and it has a magical aversion to Iron due to its opposition to the Otherworld's magical energies. They possess the ability to magically compress their physical existence into a mote of magical energy, allowing them to enter a miniature, vaguely orb-like form that lets them avoid harm and fly through even thick woodland with extreme ease. They have natural access to battle magic due to inherent magical power, most often in the form of Plant, Light, or Wind magic, summoning vines, releasing beams of magical power, and creating windy blazes to protect themselves in battle. Those who take the time to learn magic may often learn far more dangerous combat spells, in addition to Sorcerous powers such as charm spells, madness inducing abilities, and similar.

Combat

Pixies prefer to avoid combat if they can, but if forced into combat they'll often remain in their miniature form unless they wish to begin casting spells. They will almost always avoid getting into a physical brawl if possible, as their bodies are frail and they're all too aware of the common use of iron in Stelen. They will almost never fight on their own, fleeing if solitary. When in groups, they'll often attack in an erratic pattern, especially due to the ease of surrounding their enemies. It is often those who outright try to kill them will meet horrible ends, as they don't take kindly to hostility.

Strengths

Extremely mobile with strong natural access to Magic. Can retreat through their gateways to a world where human interlopers are inherently disadvantaged.

Weaknesses

Frail and easily destroyed by iron. Are too lazy and carefree to make full use of their remarkable intellect.

Final Summary

In battle with a single pixie, try to catch her by surprise. If you fail, accept the likelihood she'll get away and prepare for intense retaliation. When in battle with a swarm of Pixies, try and keep track of them by the color of their miniature form's glow, as their uniqueness can be used against them. Avoid magic attacks and try and catch them in iron-laced nets if you can. Should you get the chance, throwing iron dust at one's miniature form will almost always kill them in moments.