Fairies

Fairies are humanoid creatures found on many magic-rich worlds. They are easily identified by a pair of insect wings growing on their back where the shoulder blades are located, often accompanied by a pair of thin, insect-like antennae growing from their forehead. Their frame is lithe and slender, and both hair and eye are often of bright colors. Some fairies posses pointed ears.

Biological Traits

Fairies share an uncanny number of traits in common with elves. Aside from having a similar physical appearance, their bones are just as light and ill-suited for physical combat as elves are. Furthermore, both races age much slower than other humanoids and possess a natural affinity for magic. It's interesting to note that many worlds boasting a sizable elf population also host an environment where fairies thrive. Being a world saturated with magic, it's no surprise that a large population of both elves and fairies live in Felarya. All of these facts have led researchers to theorize that they may have once shared a common ancestor that split off long ago into the two different species we now know today.

Magic is as natural to fairies as breathing and they are almost all born with magical powers. They learn to cast simple spells at a very young age, ranging from illusions all the way to enchantments, elemental magic, and possibly more. As they grow older, fairies often develop an affinity toward a specific type of magic, not unlike how a human develops a talent or interest in a certain field with age. Like elves, they have an innate talent and understanding toward more complex magic arts like rule-based and primordial magic, and are naturally more resistant against spells than other humanoids. Combined with their swiftness in flight, surprisingly good reflexes and craftiness, fairies often stand as far deadlier opponents than their cute exterior would make people think. Many species of Felaryan insects, however, are feared by fairies, as they typically possess very strong magic resistance. Tonorions in particular are among the most dangerous creatures a fairy could possibly face, and some people believe they are their natural predator.

A fairy's magic is stored in their wings, meaning that if damaged, their magic power would decrease drastically or stop working altogether. Fairies are well aware of this crippling weakness and so make full use of their ability to sense the magical signature of other creatures both as a hunting tool and as a way to detect potential danger. Interestingly, dragonfly and butterfly wings seem to be the most common wing type among fairies, though the shape and type of wings have no direct effect on their magic. It is commonly believed that a fairy's antennae are feelers designed to detect magic, but there isn't enough evidence to support that theory.

Size-Shifting Magic

The most feared ability of Felaryan fairies is their size-shifting magic. They are able to change their size at will, from 3 inches to about 100 feet within mere seconds, although this range varies from one fairy to another, and in some very rare cases, a fairy may be unable to change their size at all, effectively leaving them stuck in one size. Fairies usually prefer to stay tiny as it gives them more room to maneuver and a plethora of hiding places. Like with their other magic powers, a fairy with damaged or broken wings is unable to change their size. A disabled fairy can quickly get in a world of trouble and often at the bottom of the food chain until their wings heal again.

Almost all fairies also possess the innate ability to temporarily alter the size of another creature in a similar fashion. This power is however not without drawbacks. In order to effectively alter a creature's size, a fairy must be relatively close to their target and must concentrate for a few seconds. A careless fairy trying to shrink an armed human right in the open would find themselves wide open for a counterattack. As such, fairies rarely use this ability as a weapon unless they know for certain they can safely get away with it, and prefer to neutralize dangerous preys with other spells first. It is possible for a fairy to affect multiple targets at once if they are powerful enough, but all of their preys must be close to each other.

Naturally, fairies cannot effectively shrink something if its magic resistance is too strong, however the same holds true if the creature's original size is too big. The ceiling on what is considered too big varies widely from fairy to fairy, but suffice to say, shrinking something like a giant naga or even a Kensha Beast to the size of a human would normally be an impossible feat unless the fairy is abnormally powerful. The reverse is also true as fairies are usually unable to enlarge a creature past this same threshold.

A creature who has had its size changed by a fairy usually returns to its normal size within a time lapse varying depending on the fairy's power. However, unlike a typical size-altering spell whose effect end as soon as the magic runs out, the effects of a fairy's size-shifting spell somehow last indefinitely as long as the affected item stay withing a certain range of the fairy who cast it . As such, an adventurer who has been swallowed by a fairy won't ever revert to his or her normal size while it remains trapped inside. Oddly, when a fairy shrinks or grow, whatever shrunken creature held in their stomach grows and shrinks along with them. Some clever fairies have trained to enlarge preys in their belly, either to get the most out of their catch or to compensate for a poor hunt. Similarly, mundane items worn or carried by a fairy also changes size alongside them. Some items such has fairy glass have been crafted specifically to keep preys shrunk indefinitely while the fairy is away. People speculate whether or not this is unique to a fairy's magic, or if the presence of strong fairy magic would also affect a size-altering spell cast by other creatures. Nobody is in a hurry to find out for obvious reasons.

Obviously, shrinking or enlarging an inanimate object is much easier as they are usually completely devoid of magic resistance. The ceiling on how big an object can be enlarged is substantially higher as well and it's not too difficult for a fairy to keep inanimate items at their new size with dedicated training. Most magic items are a different story, as their mystical nature lends them an inherent magic resistance like other living creatures. The more powerful the magic, the more difficult it is for a typical fairy to affect them.

Fairies are winged humanoids creatures, found on many magic-rich worlds. It's no surprise a large population of them exist in Felarya, divided into a myriad of different species and tribes. The biggest concentration of them live in the fairy kingdom. Fairies are usually playful, curious and mischievous beings, who love to have fun more than anything else. They tend to be fickle, free-spirited and made of raw emotions. Their frame is usually rather lithe and slender , not really tailored for physical combat and most fairies rely more on speed and magic than on strength in order to deal with potential threats. On Felarya, fairies are widely feared and considered dangerous predators. They are voracious, they can fly, and they are often efficient spell casters. They love to snack on adventurers in the jungle, usually after shrinking them. They pose such a threat that a popular -but erroneous- belief is that being eaten by a fairy is the primary cause of death for humans on Felarya.

Size Shifting

Main article: Fairy Size-Shifting

A fairy's most feared ability is their size-shifting magic. It enables them to change their size at will, from 3 inches to about 100 feet within mere seconds, although this range varies from one fairy to another, and some can't change size at all. Moreover, almost all fairies possess the innate ability to temporarily alter the size of another creature in a similar fashion. It depends a lot on the original size of the target and its magic resistance though. For instance if the target is too big to start with, the fairy might be unable to change its size at all. Furthermore, a fairy needs to be close to the creature in order to change its size effectively. While possible to affect more than one creature at once, most fairies find it far easier to simply concentrate on one at a time.

In most cases, that size alteration is only temporary and a creature who has had its size changed by a fairy usually returns to its normal size within a time lapse varying from about a dozen minutes to a few hours, depending on the fairy. It's interesting to note that the duration of that effect is shorter if the target, say an adventurer that has been shrunken, manages to get far enough from the fairy. In that case they will eventually pop back to their original size without having to wait for the effect to wear off. That range can varies widely from one fairy to another. In opposite, if the adventurer has been eaten and is inside the fairy, their size won't revert back at all. Some items such has fairy glass have been crafted specially to keep preys shrunk indefinitely. Lastly, shrinking or enlarging an inanimate object is a much easier thing to do for a fairy than on a living being, and it's quite possible to keep altered objects at their new size for a relatively long period of time or even indefinitely if the fairy is strong enough.

Weakness

A fairy's power is stored in their wings, meaning that, if their wings are hurt, their magical ability is decreased dramatically. It can prevent them from using even their most basic of abilities, making for a surprisingly crippling weakness. For example, fairies with damaged wings are unable to size-shift, and are stuck at their current size until their wings have healed. Although healing occurs quickly on Felarya, a disabled fairy can quickly get in a world of trouble and, while they are fearsome predators, they are also preyed upon by a large number of creatures on Felarya.

Contrary to popular belief, not all fairies are light-hearted. In their population you can find a wide range of attitudes that vary from the usual fun loving and carefree pranksters to solemn watchmen, serious scholars, mystic sages, and even dark brooding warriors. The way they view good and evil is rather special and very different from the way humans view it.

Fairies get along pretty well with most other species, and especially with elementals. For some reason, many fairies chose to mate with them instead of other fairies. This results in a great number of crossbreeds, who are often much more dangerous than their parent species. On the other hand, fairies see insects as a great threat. Indeed, a lot of Felaryan insects have a high resistance to magic, are aggressive, and some of them are huge. Fairies find themselves pretty powerless against them.