Sprites and Naiads
 

Naiads

Sprites begin life as Naiads. Naiads are blood-drinking, purely aquatic monsters that resemble malformed Elves with distended mandibles and compound eyes. Naiads rarely exceed one foot in length. Naiads must drink blood to grow. They must kill and eat several warmblooded creatures before they can metamorphose. Newborns start out about two inches long, growing an inch or so for every kill.

Each naiad has a separate Magical Knack, always related to water, darkness or blood.

 Naiads are not noticibly sentient.

Sprites

Sprites are the largest Insectoid Race, with one and a half foot males and one and a quarter foot females. They have two pairs of wings which stand perpindicular to their body. Males have irridescent transparent wings and females have transluscent black wings. Males' bodies are bright cromatic colors, usually patterned, and females have dark metallic colors. Both sexes have large compound eyes. Most Sprites wear tunics or loincloths.

 Sprites live in area adjacent to large bodies of fresh water where their main food source, Midges, proliferate. They do not themselves eat Midges, but a recently fed Midge makes a fine meal for their Offspring. Sprites protect the ponds and stream that habor their larvae, and protect innocent (sentient) Beings from becoming naiad food. Sprites do not have true houses, mainly since they prefer to sleep outside, but they do build nests from dried mud, usually hidden amoungst cattails or other vegatation.

 Sprites mate in Morning. After an elaborate ariel dance, females deposit one egg in their pond. The eggs hatch in a few days. Most sprites spend between twenty-five and fifty years as Naiads.

 Sprites are very unpredictable. As a race, they have a lot of energy, and since the Naiads rarely require protection, they are usually either bored or deeply envolved in some game. Sprites who don't have naiads frequently wander, some even making their ways into Elven cities.

Sprites are accomplished Mages. They may learn any spell related to wind, protection, light, movement or dragonflies.