Dae

Dae are ancient beings with horns, red eyes, and black wings. Their life cycle is similar to Ayonds, but instead of turning into trees, they turn into massive organic stone statues resembling dragons. Dae are accompanied by symbiotic creatures known as Fae. They’re job is to collect blood to feed Dae once they turn to stone.
From the stone Daes, large pods will grow, with these pods serving as eggs. Once a baby Dae hatches, they will be given a baby Fae. Most Fae will lay eggs near their stone Dae to make this process convenient.
Fae reproduce in the manner most creatures reproduce in. A baby Fae will be similar in appearance to a large maggot, but with a mouth which lets it attach itself to its Dae. Eventually, the Fae will turn into a small humanoid being with wings like an insect and large eyes. It is at this point when they will detach themselves from their hosts. When a Dae statue dies, it will crumble into pieces, and its Fae will dissolve into a slime.
Dae and Fae usually live in communities within caves.
The Giant Stone Wyrm was far bigger than your usual stone Dae, and it seemed to be missings its Fae. Exactly what caused this is unknown.
Ancient texts found in The Great Library claim that Dae are as old as Ayonds, and that both were created through magic.
Currently, there are only about 2,000 Dae, but it wasn’t always like this. Once, the Dae had a massive empire spanning the north eastern coast. It is unknown when this empire started, but various ancient art pieces have led historians to believe it collapsed sometime in the 500s.