Fairy

Faelings, known colloquially as fairies, are members of the fae who have constructed physical bodies so they can live among the mortal races.

Physiology
Fairies are small humanoids that possess insect-like wings with a wide variety of shapes and designs. They typically stand two to three feet in height, but some fairies choose to be born even smaller to hide from the other mortal races. They usually copy the skin colors of the races in the area they are born. Their wings are always colored after their element—for example, a water fairy will have blue wings—and their hair and/or eyes either mimic those of the nearby races or reflect the fairy's element.

Fairies are remarkably light, even for their size. This allows them to fly without the aid of magic, but it also makes them physically fragile.

Life Cycle
An "immortal fairy," one who was originally a fae and created a mortal body, comes into the world fully grown. They do not start to show signs of aging until they are about ten years old, and they usually live for about twenty years. When an immortal fairy dies, he or she reverts back into fae form. Because this process is physically taxing on the reborn fae, it cannot turn back into a fairy for several decades.

A "mortal fairy," or a fairy born to two fairy parents, matures rapidly until he or she is fully grown at about five years of age. Mortal fairies usually live a few years longer than immortal fairies. When they die, their spirits pass on to the afterlife.

Many fairies, both mortal and immortal, will use magic to extend their lives.

Reproduction
Fairies can reproduce with each other as well as most other humanoid races. However, unless she has an enduring growth spell cast on her, a fairy's pregnancy can cause complications if the baby becomes too large for her to carry. Children born to a fairy and a member of another race are often called fae-touched. Fae-touched mostly resemble the race of their non-fairy parent, but they can usually be identified by the unusual markings on their bodies that are the same color as their element. Very rarely is a fae-touched born with wings, and if they are, the wings are usually non-functional without the aid of magic.

If a fairy is pregnant with a full-blooded fairy child, her gestation period is about four months long. A fairy pregnant with the child of another race has a gestation period equal to that of the other race's.

Abilities
All fairies are born with a natural affinity for one of the four schools of elemental magic: fire, water, earth, or air. They are able to cast basic spells from their element at a young age, and they learn more advanced spells from that element at a rapid rate. However, their elemental affinity makes it difficult for them to learn spells of the opposite element, but they can learn spells from all other schools with the same difficulty a human would have.

The child of one or more fairies will have the elemental affinity of one of their parents. In certain uncommon cases, they may have the affinity of one of their grandparents or ancestors. Fae-touched children follow the same genetic laws, though their affinity for their element is not as strong as that of a pure-blooded fairy's.

Because of their small size, fairies move slowly on land, but they are remarkably agile in the air.

Society
Fairies can be born almost anywhere on Etherth, but they most often choose to be born near or in magic-centric communities. Some gravitate to areas that match their element. A water fairy, for instance, might choose to be born or live near the ocean or a lake. Communities that outlaw or distrust magic are less welcoming to fairies, and some outright forbid them from entering or becoming citizens.

Most fairies choose to live among the other races, but some will occasionally gather together and form their own villages that imitate the governments of nearby settlements. Some fairies travel the world alone or in small groups.

Because they are physical manifestation of fae spirits, some cultures, particularly those that center around magic, revere the fairies as higher beings. This practice has become less prevalent in modern times since several fairies are not truly members of the fae but were instead born as mortals. Regardless, most mages and magic communities respect the fairies' natural affinity for magic.