Jinkin

Jinkins are a Gremlin subspecies, the corrupted form of Pixies. They are one of the more common types of gremlin that can be encountered almost anywhere on the surface of Cartyrion. They are the smallest of the gremlins, but their nasty dispositions make them quite dangerous. They are compelled to annoy, disrupt, and inflict damage on almost anyone and anything they come across. They have been described "six feet of hate in a one foot body".

The playfulness they enjoyed as sprites is now nothing more than maliciousness. Their visciousness is not directed solely at the Folk who may be in the vicinity; nymphs and even other gremlins are potential targets for their cruelty. Mitflits are a particularly favorite target; it is not unusual for a Jinkin to have coerced one or even a few Mitflits to do their dirty work, and to be convenient targets for bullying when other targets are not around. The only creatures they seem to tolerate without harassment are other Jinkins.

Jinkins love to devise traps - particularly traps that can inflict pain and injury on victims. They also like to steal items from unsuspecting victims, and the more important the item is to the owner, the more the Jinkin will want to take it. They care little for the items they steal, often discarding them in the wilderness or burying and forgetting them. It is knowing that the victim is dismayed at the loss that makes the thievery worthwhile to the Jinkin.

Other than thievery, though, they have special ways of dealing with magical items possessed by others.

Name

Jinkin

Type

Fey, Gremlin

Original Nymph

Sprite

Size

Tiny, about 9in (22cm) tall

Habitat

Common: forest, plain, mountain
Uncommon: cavern, urban

Working together, a number of Jinkins can impart curses onto magical items that render them unreliable at best and unusable at worst. Adventurers quickly learn that if their magic suddenly seems to behave strangely in the wilderness, they should be on the lookout for Jinkins.

Jinkins take pride in their work - the traps they set and the curses they lay. They get quite vindictive when others remove or destroy their hard work, and will make it a point to target such individuals for even more harassment. And they can hold such grudges for a very long time.