Nelam

The Nelam are the crafty and agile Spirits that live on the outskirts of the Great Forest. They are tree-like and their skin is covered in leaves. In the Great Forest, they are considered Fairies by the Orcs, due to their small size, but they are actually not much taller than a regular-sized humanoid. In fact, they are just one of many Fairies that exist in the Great Forest.

Location

"I heard that Nelor roots get so long they stretch to the Spirit World."

— An excited adventurer

Nelam live in small bulbous trees called Nelor Trees. They have a similar shape to an onion, except the leaves on top of the bulb grow a lot taller than the wood and they can stretch across the Great Forest.
Nelor Trees can grow all over the Shattered Lands although they’ll be a lot smaller on the Outer Islands, where the soil has little nutrients. Most grow in Alcraz, the largest island in the Shattered Lands, and grow near the coast. Nelor Trees need a large space to grow, so that is why most are situated on the outskirts of all the islands. When their branches are long enough, the branches can connect with the branches of other trees in the Forest, creating a wide, natural network, giving the Nelam a strong connection to the world around them.

Anatomy

According to Orc folk tales, the Nelam are short, nimble half-humanoids who can fly and perform magic, usually to trick mortals. In reality, the Nelam do not have wings and cannot fly, unlike other Fairies. The appearance of flight comes from their ability to move quickly from place to place. They have Nature Arcanis and can manipulate the plants around them. When they move, they use the branches as a grappling hook, giving the impression that they are flying across the air.
In terms of size, it is often easier to compare them to Orcs, rather than to regular-sized mortals. The Nelam are around the same height as a normal humanoid, despite routinely being described as short in Orc tales. Even to regular-sized mortals, the Nelam can seem seem smaller than they actually are.
The Nelam have the skin of leaves. Their skin and hair is green, and their hair is frizzy and is often tied into locks. They can camouflage in the Great Forest with their skin and avoid detection by mortals. It is possible for them to change their skin colour to all the different leave colours, but they usually choose to camouflage when out and about. They leave the other colours for home.

Behaviour

"Of all the creatures in the Spiritual Realm, the Fey were the mischievous of them all."

— Line from an Orc tale

Like other Fairies, the Nelam are agile, crafty and can be mischievous. They have a childlike personality and will often play or joke around with one other if they see each other in the Forest. They also have a tendency to joke around with mortals. On most days, this would be the Orcs, since they are the only other humanoids that live there. Sometimes, they would play tricks on unsuspecting travellers and visitors. Most ofthe time, this is done in good jest, but it is not always seen that way by others.
Despite their trickery, the Nelam prefer to observe mortals from afar. They are very curious about the world around them, and often try to mimic mortal behaviours and speech. Although they can speak to all mortals with the spiritual Fey language, the Nelam are also very interested in learning humanoid languages.

Other Names

Nekhani (Orc Tongue), Tree Fairies

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Fairies

Origin/Ancestry

Fey

Geographic Distribution

• Great Forest

Related Organizations

• Fairy Courts

Legends

Most people do not know that the Nelam exist. The only reason their existence is known is because when the Orcs first arrived at the Shattered Lands, the Nelam were already living there. They were included in the first Orc stories of that region that got passed down and adapted throughout the generations.