Banana Tree Spirits

Banana tree spirits are classified as a threatened spirit group. While they are found in stable numbers across most parts of the Glowing Lands, they are an endangered group within urban jungles, particularly in cities such as Muddy Estuary and Amentacea, where most of the local tree population has been replaced. Though they are called "fairies" by many most banana tree spirits are genderless, taking on the opposite sex of the one who summons them. For the most part they are generally quite docile and quiet, disturbing no one, though there are stories of banana tree spirits playing harmless pranks, usually on drunks and those travelling through the night.
They are also one of the few spirit world ethnicities who have been consistently plagued by humans throughout millennia, with most stories beginning as the spirit disturbs them and not the other way around. Banana tree spirits are also often confused by pontianaks and some spirits, as the latter may inhabit a banana tree that has no spirit yet. This may have been the reason why some legends of banana tree spirits describe them as bloodthirsty and terrifying female vampires.

Summoning ritual

Many humans and shamans believe that banana tree spirits can peer into the future and are capable of great magic. There are many documented "spells" by which a practitioner may try to control a banana tree fairy, with the two most common being either summoning the banana tree fairy as a sex slave or to get winning lottery numbers. In both cases, refusal to free or offer gratitude to the banana tree fairy may result in a deadly outcome for the summoner.
In most stories, there are two ways to summon a banana tree fairy.
The most common is to prick the "heart" or bud at the end of the fruit stem with a needle threaded with red thread. The other end of the thread should be tied to either the big toe (either feet is fine) or to the bedpost (safer). Smearing blood on either the banana tree itself or on the needle used is optional. If there is a banana tree spirit, it will visit the summoner in the middle of the night, begging for the needle to be pulled out. At this point, the summoner can either ask the spirit for lottery numbers or get it to perform carnal relations. At dawn the spirit will disappear and the summoner must remove the needle as soon as possible or dire consequences will be felt.
The second most common is to use a talisman and offer prayer and incense to the banana tree. This is a more "traditional" way and is an adaptation of the normal practice of "offering incense and treats" that some cultures practice. While this particular method boasts a higher success rate, it is also a much more expensive and harder method, as those who can draw this particular talisman are few and far in between, as well as being extremely expensive.

Appearance

Most stories describe the banana tree spirit as a beautiful youthful woman or a handsome young man, depending on the summoner's gender. However this beauty is often marred by the tears of the banana spirit when it appears to its summoner, especially for the first time. In the northern lands beyond Glowing Lands' borders, the banana spirit is thought to manifest as a green-skinned beautiful young woman, and is usually found in wild banana plants.

Inhospitable regions

The urban jungles of Muddy Estuary and its surrounding cities are considered to be some of the most inhospitable regions for the non-human denizens of those localities. This is not due to the climate itself, for the Glowing Lands, especially those in the Drum Valley, get both a healthy amount of rain and sunshine that is considered the baseline of what most banana plants require to grow.
Rather, it is the overabundance of non-native spirit groups and in several locales, narrow roads that endanger the banana tree spirit. Whereupon banana trees once flourished, many have been cut down in the name of development. Some banana trees who have managed to fruit in housing estates or good soil find that their roots cannot prepare for the coming season, as the ground is either too malnourished to support them or the soil is far too shallow for their needs. These urban areas are also much warmer than other parts of the country, which pushes the upper tolerance of what a banana tree spirit can endure.
Non-native spirit groups also compete with banana tree spirits. Whereupon offerings were once left at the feet of the banana tree spirit to be consumed upon leisure or shared among the banana tree spirits' friends, aggressive non-native spirits left by colonisers and foreign shamans long passed now compete with the banana tree spirit, who is usually only able to partake in the offerings after sundown.