Twilight Butterflies

Ice blue, with knots on their wings. The large one helped me against twilight doggies chasing me, and when I visit the twilight mists, it appears and coats me in icy glitter.

~ Shiobe, companion to Kykini Cede, Flame Dragon of Kassak

In this document:

All artwork by Shanda Nelson unless otherwise stated

Twilight Butterflies

In the twilight mists flies a species of butterfly. The butterflies:

• are ice-blue
• have wings of various types, but always have a knot design on the bottoms of both the fore and hind wings
• are multiple sizes, though the largest is the size of a human head
• congregate in clusters. Other than the largest, they are rarely seen alone
• will follow the largest butterfly's lead
• sip on flowers for sustenance
• have sentience
• use magick

The butterflies do not seem to mate or lay eggs. There are no associated caterpillars or cocoons. Yet, their numbers continue to grow.

A native twilight mist flower, the scarlet star, attracts them. They can spend hours upon the petals, supping the nectar. It is from this plant that they renew magickal energy.

As twilight mist creatures living in constant cloud cover, the butterflies glow. The ice-blue color is easily seen against the darker grey mists.

Communication

The butterflies, while looking much like their sunlit realm counterparts, are unique in that they 1) are intelligent and 2) use magick.
The butterflies understand what goes on around them and react in a thoughtful manner. This is especially true in how they communicate.
When they wish to speak with a being, the butterflies will fly above them and shake their wings, coating the recipient with magickal glitter (a combination of scales and magick). They normally shake glitter onto heads, but any non-clothed skin will do.
1

Once the glitter soaks into the being's skin, then the recipient is able to understand their emotional responses. They do not speak, but they feel--and the recipient feels what they do.
Simple emotions like fright or happiness are easy to understand, but they are capable of complex feelings that take time and effort to sift through. If a being interacts with them on a regular basis, then it becomes easier to understand the complexity.
If a being does not understand them, ignores them, or does something they do not like, they bap them on the head or arm with their wings to catch attention or show displeasure. Sometimes they will dump more glitter on the being's head, and make certain their target understands how upset they are.
2

The butterflies, if enough of their brethren are present, can form a protective magickal shield. They ring whatever they wish to defend, and a sparkling shield dome forms.

If one of their number dies, the sense of mourning permeates the atmosphere around them for seasons. That being said, it is incredibly difficult to end them. They fade away when threatened, and will not reappear until the threat is over.

The butterflies keep the butterfly sylfaone company. Why they do so is a mystery.
In his presence, however, their magickal abilities become more potent. Only the largest butterfly has grand abilities independent of the sylfaone.