Mirelings

Mirelings

“The bog gives, the bog takes, but the bog never forgets.” — Mireling chant

Mirelings are small, amphibious fey who dwell in Yelebur’s darkest swamps and bogs. Known for their love of decay and fungi, these mischief-makers embody the balance between life and rot. Though they may appear cute, their fondness for toxic spores and parasitic fungi makes them both dangerous and unpredictable.

Physical Description

Mirelings stand about 3 feet tall, with slimy, color-shifting skin that ranges from green to muddy brown. Webbed fingers and toes aid in swimming, while their wide mouths and bulging eyes give them an unsettling, frog-like appearance. Glowing bioluminescent fungi sprout along their backs, creating eerie, flickering light as they move.

Society

Mireling communities thrive in swamps, living in fungal groves and hollowed-out tree stumps. They value decay as a vital part of the natural cycle, cultivating toxic fungi and breeding strange swamp creatures. Their society is playful yet dark, with games that often involve tricking or poisoning outsiders—sometimes harmlessly, sometimes not.

Mireling Traits

Your Mireling character has the following traits:
Creature Type: Fey (Wild)
Ability Score Increase: Your Constitution increases by 2, and your Dexterity increases by 1.
Age: Mirelings mature quickly, reaching adulthood at 6 years old, and live up to 80 years.
Alignment: Mirelings tend toward chaotic alignments, following their whims and love for mischief. Some are good-hearted pranksters, while others have a cruel streak.
Size: Mirelings stand between 2 and 3.5 feet tall and weigh around 35 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet. You also have a swimming speed of 30 feet.
Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Spore Cloud: As an action, you can release a 10-foot-radius cloud of hallucinogenic spores centered on yourself. Each creature in the area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier) or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned in this way, creatures see harmless hallucinations. The affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. You can use this ability once per long rest.
Toxic Touch: Your unarmed strikes deal an additional 1d4 poison damage.
Swamp Camouflage: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in swampy or forested terrain.
Darkvision: Accustomed to the murky gloom of the swamps, you have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. You can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Sylvathis.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Mirelings are small, amphibious fey creatures with hunched, frog-like physiques. Their slimy, color-shifting skin ranges from deep greens and browns to muted purples, adapting to their environment like a natural camouflage. They have wide, toothy mouths, bulging eyes that glow faintly in the dark, and webbed hands and feet designed for swimming and climbing. Bioluminescent fungi and moss often grow along their backs and shoulders, illuminating them with a soft glow in the dark swamps they call home. Their skin secretes a thin layer of mucus, helping them slip through narrow spaces and granting some resistance to toxins.

Biological Traits

Mirelings have highly adaptive, amphibious bodies that allow them to thrive in both water and on land. Their slimy skin grants them resistance to toxins and diseases, while their bioluminescent fungi provide both light and a means of communication within their communities. They can exhale spores in a wide radius, creating clouds that induce mild hallucinations or drowsiness in other creatures.

Growth Rate & Stages

Mirelings hatch from clusters of gelatinous eggs laid in the shallow waters of Yelebur’s swamps. Their early life stages resemble tadpoles, with long tails and gills for underwater breathing. Over the course of a year, they undergo metamorphosis, developing limbs, losing their tails, and gaining the ability to breathe air. Juvenile Mirelings are playful and mischievous, spending their time exploring and learning the secrets of the swamp. They reach full maturity by age 6, at which point their bioluminescent fungi begin to grow, marking their passage into adulthood.

Ecology and Habitats

Mirelings thrive in the murky swamps, bogs, and wetlands of Yelebur, where fungal blooms and toxic plants dominate the landscape. They build communities in hollowed-out tree stumps, submerged caves, and natural clearings surrounded by dense vegetation. Mirelings play an important ecological role, cultivating fungal growths and spreading spores throughout their habitats. Their presence encourages the proliferation of both benign and dangerous fungi, creating a delicate balance in their ecosystems. They are particularly fond of regions with abundant decay, as the rot provides fertile ground for new fungal life.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Mirelings are omnivorous scavengers, feeding on a diet of insects, small swamp creatures, fungi, and decaying plant matter. They have a particular fondness for bioluminescent fungi, which not only provide nourishment but also enhance the glow of the fungal growths on their bodies. Mirelings often cultivate fungal gardens, growing specialized mushrooms that serve both as food and as ingredients for their spore-based magic. When hunting, they use their knowledge of the swamp to set traps or lure prey into areas thick with toxic spores, weakening them before making the final catch.

Biological Cycle

Mirelings follow the rhythms of their swampy environments, with their biological cycles tied closely to the growth patterns of local fungi. During the wet seasons, when the swamps flood and fungal blooms are at their peak, Mirelings become most active, engaging in mating rituals and expanding their fungal gardens. In the drier months, they slow their metabolism, entering a semi-dormant state to conserve energy. During this time, they often burrow into the mud or huddle in fungal groves, relying on their connection to the mycelial network for sustenance and warmth.

Behaviour

Mirelings are playful and mischievous by nature, often using their knowledge of the swamp and fungi to play harmless (and sometimes not-so-harmless) tricks on outsiders. They value community and cooperation, working together to cultivate fungal gardens and defend their homes. Despite their chaotic tendencies, Mirelings have a deep respect for the cycles of life and decay, seeing beauty in rot and rebirth.
Psychologically, Mirelings are curious and impulsive, driven by a desire to explore and understand their environment. They are also highly empathetic within their communities, sharing resources and looking after the young and elderly. Outsiders, however, are often treated with suspicion or used as the subjects of pranks and experiments, especially if they show disrespect to the swamp.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Mireling society is communal and egalitarian, with decisions made collectively during gatherings known as “Spore Circles.” Each community is led by a “Mycoguide,” an elder Mireling who has the strongest connection to the local fungal network. Mycoguides serve as spiritual leaders, healers, and advisors, guiding their communities in matters of survival and growth.
Mirelings value cooperation and shared responsibility, with tasks like foraging, gardening, and defense divided among all members. Young Mirelings are raised communally, with all adults contributing to their education and care. Festivals and communal rituals play an important role in strengthening social bonds, often revolving around fungal growth cycles or significant environmental events.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Mirelings possess heightened senses adapted to their swampy environments. Their large, protruding eyes provide excellent low-light vision, allowing them to see clearly in murky waters and dense fog. They have an acute sense of smell, capable of detecting subtle changes in the air, such as the presence of toxins or nearby predators. Mirelings also possess an extrasensory connection to fungal networks, allowing them to sense vibrations and movements through the mycelium in their swamps. This connection helps them navigate treacherous terrain and detect potential threats or prey.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

The most revered group among Mirelings is the Circle of Mycoguards, a collective of warriors and shamans who protect the most sacred fungal groves and ensure the balance of decay and regrowth. They are known for cultivating aggressive fungal constructs and wielding potent spore magic to defend their territories.
Another influential organization is the Sporebinders’ Conclave, a group of alchemists and fungal mages dedicated to perfecting the art of spore manipulation. They create powerful hallucinogens, healing elixirs, and even spore-based explosives, often trading these concoctions with outsiders in exchange for rare herbs and minerals.

Beauty Ideals

Mirelings value bioluminescence, vibrant fungal growths, and unique skin patterns as signs of beauty. The more diverse and colorful a Mireling’s fungal blooms, the more attractive they are considered. Glowing fungi that pulse rhythmically or shift in color based on mood are especially prized.
Skin markings formed by naturally growing mosses or symbiotic fungi are seen as elegant, and some Mirelings cultivate these intentionally, using special salves and spores. A particularly revered trait is the “Luminous Bloom,” where a Mireling’s back grows a cluster of radiant mushrooms that glow brightly in the dark swamps.

Common Etiquette Rules

Mireling etiquette is rooted in respect for the natural cycles of decay and regrowth. Offering a spore pod or a glowing mushroom is a traditional greeting and a symbol of goodwill. It is customary to share food and fermented fungal brews with guests, as hospitality is considered a sacred duty.
When meeting another Mireling, a gentle touch of foreheads is a sign of trust, allowing them to share faint impressions through their fungal networks. Interrupting someone while they are tending to their fungal gardens is seen as disrespectful unless it’s an emergency.
When dealing with outsiders, Mirelings expect visitors to respect their swamps and fungal groves. Taking mushrooms without permission or stepping on a cultivated fungal bed is seen as a grave insult.

Common Dress Code

Mirelings typically forgo traditional clothing, as their slimy skin and fungal growths provide natural protection. However, they adorn themselves with decorative moss, bioluminescent fungi, and vine-woven accessories. Bracelets and necklaces made from braided reeds, glowing mushrooms, or polished swamp stones are common.
For special occasions or festivals, Mirelings craft elaborate cloaks from large leaves or use fungal caps as decorative headpieces. Shamans and Mycoguards often wear armor made from hardened fungal plates, providing both defense and a display of their connection to the swamp.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Mireling culture revolves around the cycles of decay and rebirth. They see beauty in rot, understanding that all things must break down to give life to new growth. This philosophy influences their art, music, and traditions, with many rituals focusing on the cultivation and propagation of fungi.
Storytelling is an important cultural practice, often done through fungal sculptures and living dioramas crafted from bioluminescent spores. These organic displays shift and grow as the story progresses, creating a living narrative.
Mirelings celebrate the interconnectedness of life, viewing themselves as caretakers of the swamps. Their respect for the balance of nature extends to their interactions with other races, favoring those who live harmoniously with the environment.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

One of the most sacred Mireling traditions is the Festival of Spores, celebrated during the peak of the wet season when fungal blooms are at their height. Mirelings gather to release massive clouds of glowing spores into the air, creating a bioluminescent spectacle that lights up the swamps for miles.
The Rite of Rot is a somber but respected ceremony where the bodies of deceased Mirelings are returned to the swamp, placed in fungal groves where they decompose and nourish the next generation of life. It’s believed that their essence lives on through the fungi that grow from their remains.

Common Taboos

The most severe taboo among Mirelings is the destruction of fungal growths without reason. Burning or uprooting a fungal grove is seen as an unforgivable crime, disrupting the delicate balance of decay and regrowth.
Another major taboo is the misuse of spore magic, especially for harmful purposes beyond defense. Using toxic spores to poison large areas of the swamp or intentionally spreading invasive fungi is viewed as a betrayal of their role as caretakers.
Mirelings also consider the overharvesting of resources—whether plants, animals, or fungi—as deeply dishonorable, believing that every living thing deserves respect and a chance to complete its natural cycle.

History

Mireling legends speak of their origins in the deepest swamps of Yelebur, where Shwazen’s tears mixed with the rot of the earth to birth the first fungal blooms. From these blooms emerged the first Mirelings, creatures designed to maintain the balance between growth and decay. They were tasked with cultivating fungi, spreading spores, and ensuring that the swamps remained fertile and teeming with life.
During the Great War, Mirelings remained largely isolated, observing the conflicts from the safety of their swamps. However, they played a subtle but significant role in the era’s decline—Mirelings were responsible for spreading powerful fungal blights that weakened the roots of giant constructions, leading to the collapse of several massive structures.
In the modern era, Mirelings have slowly begun to interact more with the outside world, though they remain wary of outsiders. Some have ventured into Tunin, bringing with them exotic fungi and unique alchemical knowledge, while others remain hidden deep in Yelebur, content to cultivate their swamps and spread their spores.

Historical Figures

Lira Mossveil: A legendary Mycoguide, Lira was known for her ability to heal entire fungal groves that had been blighted by disease. She is credited with developing the first techniques for using spore clouds to purify the swamp.
Thrag the Sporesinger: A famed storyteller and musician, Thrag created the art of “spore singing,” where bioluminescent spores are used to create visual displays in harmony with music. His performances are still celebrated during the Festival of Spores.

Common Myths and Legends

One of the oldest Mireling legends tells of the Eternal Spore, a mythical fungus that grants immortality to those who consume it. Many Mirelings believe it lies hidden deep within the heart of Yelebur’s swamps, guarded by ancient fungal constructs and toxic groves.
A darker tale warns of the Blightspawn, twisted Mirelings who lost themselves to the corruption of invasive fungi. These beings are said to wander the swamps, spreading diseased spores and attacking anything they encounter, serving as a cautionary story about the dangers of unchecked growth and power.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Mirelings generally maintain a cautious but curious relationship with other races. They share a deep respect for nature with Thistleborn, though the Thistleborn sometimes find Mirelings’ fascination with decay unsettling. Petalcarvers, with their love of flora, often engage in friendly trade with Mirelings, exchanging rare fungi for exotic plants.
Relations with Gloamlights are complex—while they share an affinity for swamps and mists, Mirelings’ chaotic nature often clashes with the Gloamlights’ more enigmatic demeanor. Still, the two races occasionally collaborate during festivals or environmental crises.
In Tunin, Mirelings are viewed with suspicion due to their unsettling appearance and love of decay. However, alchemists and herbalists highly value their unique knowledge of fungi and spore magic, leading to occasional alliances.
Mirelings are especially wary of races that exploit natural resources, such as poachers or industrialists. They have been known to sabotage logging operations or spread invasive fungi into settlements that encroach upon their swamps.

Lifespan

80 years

Average Height

3 to 4 feet

Average Weight

40 to 60 pounds

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Mirelings have slimy, color-shifting skin that ranges from deep greens and browns to muted purples, allowing them to blend into their swampy surroundings. Their backs and shoulders are covered in bioluminescent fungi, which glow in shades of blue, green, or purple depending on the Mireling’s health and mood. Some Mirelings develop unique fungal patterns, resembling spots, spirals, or glowing stripes, which are often seen as marks of status or individuality within their communities.

Geographic Distribution

• Yelebur

Related Ethnicities

• Senau - Wild