Faeries
Across the entirety of Stirge, in its forests and on its steppes, beneath the desert sands and in shoreline caves, the diminutive creatures known as Malen'kiye - more commonly called faeries - dwell. They might be in plaster hives, in woven nests, or in complex tunnel systems, depending on the exact species in question, but they are invariably an incredibly social species. Faeries live in tribal colonies of up to several hundred individuals, ruled over by faerie royalty. These larger, more intelligent individuals serve as both spiritual and social leaders, as well as a hive's primary means of long-term procreation. A hive of faeries - which are referred to as such regardless of their actual housing structure - will claim dominion over the lands they call home, cultivating it in a number of natural and arcane ways, and frequently seeking to drive out interlopers with varying degrees of hostility. As populations of other species have grown - most notably the human interlopers - some hives have learned to live more harmoniously with their new neighbors, while others have become a significant thorn in their sides.
According to modern records, there are seven distinct subspecies of faerie dwelling in Stirge. All faeries follow a basic form; that being winged, tailed, humanoid creatures that frequently sport horns or other natural growths of some description. However, beyond this description the subspecies offer a shocking amount of variety even within their own groups. While there can be some fairly drastic variations in behavior and average temperament between these species, aspects of which will be mentioned below, all follow relatively similar social structures and seem to abide by an unspoken code of faerie law which governs inter-species interaction.
Zveri (3вери) -- Mammalians
A particularly diverse group, aesthetically, mammalian faeries run the gamut from surprisingly human-like to distinctly bestial. Many faeries in human records, drawings, and legends are of the ‘tiny human with wings’ variety, but in actuality the majority of this faerie subspecies tend more towards aspects of the small mammals native to Stirge. Animals such as foxes, squirrels, and lesser predatory cats. Faeries of this group that have settled in human lands have also begun to take on aspects of their domesticated animals and vermin as well. Rat-like faeries, as might be expected, have become something of a nuisance in metropolitan areas.
Mammalian faeries most frequently seek out pre-existing dens or the hollows of trees for their homes rather than putting significant effort into crafting their own shelter. However, particularly large hives have been known to construct bowers within the canopies of forests, all but hidden within the leaves. These vast networks of interconnected homes and other living spaces can all be accessed without the need for venturing into the open, functioning almost like a miniature arcology. Woe betide the woodsman who attempts to fell the wrong tree in such areas...
Drakony (Драконы) -- Reptilian
Cold-blooded, slit-pupiled, and frequently equipped with fangs and sometimes even venom, the reptilian faeries call the deserts and badlands of northeastern Stirge their home, and they defend it with particular viciousness. Though they are frequently presented in field journals as little more than mindless little killing machines, they can be reasoned with, and many other desert dwellers insist that they make surprisingly powerful allies.
Whether excavated by magic or through simple hard work, the reptilian faeries most often dwell in subterranean dens or tunnel networks which allow them to more easily regulate their body heat depending on the conditions above ground. Some enterprising hives have even developed methods by which they can create tall, rock-solid mounds of earth in a manner similar to termites.
Krylatyye (Kрылатые) -- Avian
Avian faeries are among the smallest of their kind, beaten only by the insectoids. They range in appearance from the fully-feathered, owl-like hives of the northwestern islands to the small, simply colored thrush-likes of the midwestern forests. As is to be expected, given their other similarities to the birds around them, avians are quite flighty beings, prone to fleeing from both legitimate danger and the unknown rather than confront it, regardless of whether the bird species they bear the most similarities to is usually predator or prey.
Naturally, the avian faeries are best known for their elaborately-woven nests, much like the birds from which they derive many of their physical features. In warmer climates, these nests are generally little more than beds and platforms, festooned with shiny baubles and other decorations their builders have collected over time. Where the weather gets colder, the nests grow larger and more covered, with many in the frigid northwest essentially being entire buildings of woven sticks, fibers, and cloth. In human regions, some people have begun to design and erect giant bird-houses in their area in the hopes of attracting Krylatyye hives and gaining their favor. This behavior is fueled by folk tales of bird-like creatures granting wishes or secretly performing good deeds for those who treat them well.
Plovtsy (Пловцы) -- Aquatic
A subspecies that includes faeries featuring aspects of both fish and amphibians - generally, though not always, purely one or the other within an individual hive - aquatic faeries are straight-forward enough. Slick-skinned or scaled, with finned appendages and often gills, these faeries are common enough that it’s stranger to find a river, lake, or shoreline without an indigenous hive than with one. Many of their number feature wings that seem more like the fins of fish than tools of flight, but whether through magic or improbable physics, they are capable of remaining airborne regardless.
The homes of aquatic faerie hives can be difficult to spot for the untrained eye, generally being built in or beneath the water. The exact means by which these homes are formed varies based on where in Stirge one looks. On the continent’s rocky shores, they can frequently be found in flooded, seaside caverns or hidden within scuttled watercraft, while in inland lakes they often craft small, half-sunken huts from reeds, driftwood, mud, and fishbones.
Nasekomyye (Hасекомые) -- Insectoid
The smallest and most populous of the faerie subspecies, insectoid faeries are generally seen either as beautiful, innocent beings or as utter pests, depending largely on their particular insect influence. Butterflies, moths, and beetles naturally make up the majority of the former camp, being visually striking and seemingly harmless. The latter camp instead feature aspects of the likes of wasps, dragonflies, and mantids. While they are no less aesthetically fascinating, they frequently also sport equally nasty natures, driving them to lash out at interlopers in their territory, particularly when not treated with the respect they believe they deserve.
Whether wasp-like in nature or not, the vast majority of insectoid faeries craft their homes from either clay and mud or a durable, papery substance they make from wood-pulp. These dwellings tend to be fairly ugly from the outside, assuming they are easily visible in the first place, but inside they are said to be quite beautiful in an odd, alien sort of way. Some individuals will sometimes cover their homes in dirt or peat and attempt to cultivate small gardens on their roofs, either hoping to better disguise their abodes or to make them a bit easier on the eye.
Tsvety (Цветы) -- Botanical
At times confused for incredibly young treants, the botanical faeries would likely be the strangest of the subspecies if not for the inorganics, as they seem to be composed entirely of plant matter rather than flesh and blood - or chitin and hemolymph, in the case of the insectoids. Representing flowers, shrubs, trees, fungus, and all other plants and plant-like growths across Stirge, botanical faeries are by far the most visually diverse faerie subspecies, beating out both the insectoids and mammalians by a wide margin. How it is that they live and animate the way animals do - let alone seemingly see and speak without eyes or mouths - is a topic of heated debate among scientists, magi, and theologians alike.
Given their plant-based nature, it goes without saying that the vast majority of botanical faeries have a uniquely powerful connection with nature, and plant life in particular. Their homes are generally still-growing plants of some description, carefully shaped or cultivated into a usable form through both magic and careful planning during the plants’ growth.
Nezhivoy (Hеживой) -- Inorganic
The inorganic faeries are strange and confusing miracles of magic and nature. By all accounts, they shouldn’t function as they do - let alone naturally - and yet they are abundant in Stirge. They seem particularly common in the eastern mountains and within the steadily-growing population of ‘civilized’ faeries who have found their way into human cities. They are still humanoid in general shape, still featuring wings, tails, and sometimes even vaguely bestial features, but they are formed entirely of inorganic materials; solid rock, polished ores, gemstones - there are even confirmed cases of small hives of faeries that seem to have sprung up from out of nowhere, appearing like intricate clockwork golems, but seemingly no less ‘natural’ than the rest of their inorganic kin.
Faeries of this subspecies have been carefully observed and researched by experts for decades, and modern scientists are no closer to discerning how it is they come to be. Whatever they’re made of, they seem to have few to no internal functions, with most subjects being solid material through and through, and yet they appear to experience the world through the basic senses they shouldn’t possibly possess. By most standards they would be considered golems or homunculi, but naturally-occurring runework on their bodies is a relative rarity, and they seem unaffected by most magic-inhibiting effects in any case. The prevailing theories on their existence are that they are either so infused with magic on a primal level that it has become inseparable from their very beings, or that one or more of the modern gods took a particular liking to faeries and decided to make some of their own. A few crackpots claim that not only is the latter theory true, but in fact the inorganic faeries were created for the sole purpose of perplexing researchers in precisely the way they do. Most religious sources say that these claims have been thoroughly debunked, but it's a popular claim regardless.
Unlike other faeries, the inorganics can sometimes be found living a sort of homeless lifestyle, simply perching out in the open when they require rest, and otherwise wandering in small groups for much of their lives. As they have next to no natural predators and most have little to fear from the elements, this is understandable. This habit has made them one of the more popular faerie variants within human cities purely because they can live in a region without leaving unsightly nests or hives to mark their presence, and clusters of sleeping faeries made from crystal or metal or clockwork can look almost like an avant garde art installation.
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