In-Depth Information;

Appearance Imps are small, humanoid creatures with flightworthy wings and horns that grow to about the size of a human hand, but there is a variety of appearance based on what Realm they come from. These variants will be described in detail below.

Evylon; Heartwood Forest: These imps are the most physically similar to the elves they live beside. Pointed ears and high cheek bones are common, usually accompanied by large, upward slanted eyes. Their skin is usually found in shades of green, while their hair is anywhere from a silvery tone to the color of newfallen snow. Most Heartwoodian imps sport wide, insectoid wings, though crossbreeding with other types of imp in the past has resulted in numerous other types less commonly found. The horns of this variety are often thin and emerge straight up from the skull. Clothing they wear is usually made from the Tr'nertha tree's delicate petals, leaves, and other flora native to Evylon. Colorful garb is seen as a mark of status, and low-ranking imps who wear such hues may face ridicule and punishment from higher ranked peers.

Felnova; Song Forest: These are generally the largest of the imp varieties, sometimes growing as tall as eight inches or more with great wingspans that carry them easily through the air. They may be found with a variety of blue and purple skin tones, often clashing with the tunics they've fashioned from Necrobloom petals and other poisonous plantlife. Their hair is usually found in shades of reds, pinks and oranges, though other colors are not unheard of, and the horns are known to extend behind them in elegant, branching curves. Ears typically appear ragged, and scars are commonplace, especially on their wings; these wings are commonly feathered, though some may sport either partial or full webbing. Strong jaws are more common than high cheeks, but their eyes are wide and round.

Kurai; Bonemask Woods: These Kuraian imps are the most clever, fashioning hoods on their tunics to keep themselves safe from the acid rain that falls regularly. Most have skin tones in shades of red or pink, serving as camouflage in the scarlet light of the moon; their clothes are often crafted of darklilly petals for their dark coloration. Tiny ears hide easily within dark hair and horns that mimic rams' as they grow. The jawlines of these imps are impressively sharp, and their eyes are slanted distinctly downward, giving them a saddened look as they fly on batlike webbed wings.

Lizzarkyth; Windbone Wood: The majority of Lizzarkythian imps have white or silver hues for their skin tone; thus, they tend to dress in clothes fashioned from bright petals or dyed leaves. However, unlike their Song cousins, the Windbone imps have purely insectoid wings that are often twice their size. They are also host to a strange phenomenon where scales seem to take over their extremities, making for a rudimentary armor. Windbone imps have typical pointed ears and exaggerated mouths, but their hair is often found in shades of brown, blond, or golden yellow that distracts from their smaller eyes. The horns they sport are a strange set of plated, rather flat spires, often decorated with bone chimes and brightly-colored beads.

Millirand; Rynorel Forest: The Rynorel imps are known to be the darkest in color; their skin is naturally found in blacks and deep browns, with wispy, pale-colored hair that nearly cover the nubs of horns found nestled there. For flight, they use webbed wings, and they typically cover themselves with Lue flowers when they can find them. When they can't, they simply weave grasses together to form appropriate coverings. Their ears tend to lay flat against their skulls, often being mistaken as missing altogether.

Ristell; Imperial Forest: These imps are hearty and robust, easily the strongest of the imp variants. They have become rather nocturnal to avoid the blistering heat during the Ristellan day, and their tunics are made from the broad leaves of the Spiritstealer plant and similar flora, harvested from the Polar River nearby. Pale yellows and tans dominate their skin tones, and their hair is found in a variety of metallic, light-colored hues. The small feathered wings are also frequently used to keep the sun off during the day, whenever they aren't hiding amid the trees.

Xaeri; Lightgrove: The final variant of imps is known to sport the most intricate of insect wings found in every shape and size. They often garb themselves in the remains of Boombark seedpods, providing for a tough exterior that acts almost like armor, along with the assorted findings of animal fur, feathers, and bones. Their horns often twine together into complicated knots or spirals atop heads of brightly-hued hair. Their skin tones range from dusky silvers to pinks and purples, and are often easy to spot in the shady forest they inhabit.

Culture Although there is a variety of cultures to consider, each variant of imp worships Zeldrima - if they choose to worship a god at all. No matter where they are, however, an imp will do their best to play pranks on those wandering through their territory either physically or with illusions. The groups' myriad cultural traits are listed below.

Evylon; Heartwood Forest: These imps are the most likely to help a traveler on their way after a harmless prank. It is thought that Evylonian imps are the kindest of their kind, and the most apt to get along with neighboring races; they are also quite cautious, and are likely to send up a prayer to Zeldrima before attempting something risky.

Felnova; Song Forest: The most aggressive of the imps, those within the Song Forest are quick to assume that someone is an enemy and slow to help any who have not yet proven they are innocent. However, they will gladly help any who they witness being attacked or even bothered by one of the faeries also living within the forest. In homage to Zeldrima, these imps like to live on the edge of everything and often find themselves doing things that others would have avoided. More impressive scars are even seen as a type of status symbol among them, since Zeldrima must have shown favor to let the individual come so close to death without actually dying.

Kurai; Bonemask Woods: These imps are known to have the most deadly pranks should their victims overreact, but are also the most cautious in avoiding danger to themselves. They live near patches of darklilies, and sometimes a victim will run into their midst and suffer the consequences. Usually, the imp will apologize by purposefully scratching themselves on a thorn for Zeldrima, though never to the point of deadly injury. They are the most secretive and are apt to use their illusions more often than other types of imps. Kuraian imps are the most cunning and are one of the most difficult to find; but they won't fly during a rain, so looking then is the best chance one has of finding them.

Lizzarkyth; Windbone Wood: These imps will often dance their way in celebration of Zeldrima. Occasionally, they'll make use of their illusion arts to make it seem as if the skeletons around them are coming alive, and take great delight in particular of frightening young lizards with dragonlike skeletal images, though these are rarely anatomically accurate. Though Lizzarkythians often avoid areas where these creatures are found in great number, imps are usually extremely excited to have a living thing make its way into their territory. Because of this excitement, it is dangerous to walk into their territory without something to trade your way out of it.

Millirand; Rynorel Forest: Contrasting sharply with their Heartwoodian relatives, these imps do not get along with their elven neighbors, often playing malicious pranks on them or their wildlife charges. They are the least likely to show any kind of devotion to Zeldrima, perhaps because she is so widely known among Millirand natives. The quickest to arms, it is difficult to keep them calm if a prank is not received well by travelers.

Ristell; Imperial Forest: Ristellan imps are most likely to swoop in and physically harass travelers; these imps often perform freefall stunts to almost taunt Zeldrima and get the goddess' attention, especially before performing especially risky feats. They don't take kindly to strangers, but those they can recognize as being from the Realm are generally guided back out of the forest, even if it takes a bit of time and patience to deal with the pranks along the way.

Xaeri; Lightgrove: These imps are known to carry totems made to Zeldrima and are somewhat superstitious when it comes to their luck. Their pranks are the most subtle and usually involve some mix of hand-made creation flung about with the addition of illusions. They are the most patient of the imps and difficult to bring to any conflict unless their luck can be guaranteed.

Abilities No matter where they're from, imps are all gifted in magic, especially illusions. There doesn't seem to be a difference in ability based on origin point, so this is a constant in the imp. These creatures are also known to make some of the most effective weapons available to their size; their tiny blow darts and spears don't look like much, but beware - many carry paralytic or poisonous agents, to whom which imps are immune to. It is a blessing, then, that Imps are not prone to large-scale war, but when they do join the fray, they are cunning strategists to be reckoned with.

There is also a rare gift found in imps who have managed to age for hundreds of years near elves and their knowledge. These imps are able to bring the spirits of the dead to life once more as shimmering silver creatures, most often smaller animals such as cats or birds. Strong-willed imps may use this parody of summoning to bring about bears or even the souls of dragons or wolves, though there are dangers some of these summoners may not see until it's too late. More intelligent creatures and carnivores that are summoned are more likely to turn on their summoner, slaying them in brutal and beastly ways for attempting to control them.

subspecies

Gremlin
Classification: wingless imp. Location: generally found in sky-continents.

The gremlin is a type of wingless imp, small in stature with large, batlike ears that can come in a variety of shapes and styles, adorned with frills or tendrils that frame their faces. Most are slender of build and proportionally tall, though none ever exceed a foot in overall height. They have tails that are commonly long and skinny, sometimes tipped in frills, spikes or barbs. Eye and hair color may vary, though their eyes are larger than a traditional humanoid's, and are often without pupils. Skin tones come in a variety of blues, purples, greys, tans, browns and greens.

Gremlins often dress themselves in feathers, petals, leaves and other bright materials adorned with beads, bits of stone or pieces of glass. Many will paint their faces, arms and other exposed bits of skin in bold colors that accent both their natural coloration and whatever they have collected over time, though this is more common with those in larger groups and settlements. Different adornments may indicate what standing a particular gremlin may have in his or her group, and one's worth is often weighed in how much they have been able to procure or what value the items they have procured are.

Most gremlins can be found in small groups common to sky-continents in Felnova and Noctis, though solitary individuals may be found across the Realms. Larger settlements are rare but not unheard of, well hidden in small places that larger creatures may take no notice of. Many of these settlements and small groups have individuals who fall into two vague categories - those that hunt for pretty items (called sharp-takers), and those that hunt for the most items (called much-bringers). Sharp-takers follow those that have the prettiest items, such as jewelry and trinkets, and much-bringers follow those who have the most items, such as coins or food. Both sharp-takers and much-bringers have low opinions of the other, and constantly compete to show off their skills to one another. Solitary gremlins are most often sharp-takers, and will take anything they themselves can use or find valuable without regard to the views of any other gremlin.

As a general rule, gremlins are very nimble and athletic, known to be one of the most acrobatic races found in the Fiv'ean Realms. Historically, this is thought to have come about due to natural selection and a propensity to steal from dragons and other winged creatures that may have held shiny objects that they wanted. While dragons and gremlins no longer come into active conflict outside of a few weary pranks, the monkey-like grace of their agility persists even to today. Otherwise, physically gremlins have incredible hearing due to their large ears, and may harness a form of echolocation in screeches, chirps and whistles in near or complete darkness. Loud noises are actively harmful to them, and many gremlins go deaf within a few hundred years, should they survive so long. Magically, the elements tend to be elusive at best to any gremlin mages, though most are gifted with some form of illusion-based magic, or other magical ways of camouflage.