About: It was from the bone fae that tooth fairies emerged as evolution took its course. While genetically similar, the benevolent little people that trade human children gifts for their baby teeth are not at all like their predecessors. The bone fae are seldom described as delightful, small, or good-natured. What may have been humanoid features are distorted by extensive time spent in underground caves with little sunlight and oxygen: their large eyes are milky white, mouth is perfect for sucking nutrients out of sources, and translucent skin shows glowing white bone. Unlike their estranged tooth fairy relatives, a diet of baby teeth would not be adequate. Location: The bone fae live in a network of caves in the midst of the ghost forest - a once-thriving part of the world called the Miralthos long lost and forgotten, where omnivorous tree carcasses stick out of the ground cold and bare, stretching their starving limbs towards any source of nutrition. The bone fae and everything else in the forest mirror those trees. Diet: The bone fae’s main food source are the minerals found in the caves (which are relatively rich in calcium). Skeletons - of things fresh or decomposing - suffice too. Shelter: While ventures outside of the caves are common, the bone fae typically build their homes inside of large caverns. Small circular apartments are dug out in the walls of said caverns and are stacked on each other, floor to ceiling, to allow more fae to settle in one place for better protection against outside dangers like tree roots (which secrete a chemical which induces hallucinations and grab victims when they get close) and infestations of giant myriapods, mosquitos, and troglobites.. While generally sound constructions, underground landslides and floods are a constant threat. Homes in stalactites, stalagmites, and other such unconventional spaces can also be spotted. Societal Structure: The harsh, unforgiving world creates a sense of urgency in everyday tasks - finding food, shelter, and water isn’t easy. Diseases and birth mutations are common too. Although a weak structure in society is maintained through strict enforcement of expectations, disputes occur regularly and thievery proceeds despite penalty of punishment. There is no government or stable rank division, so order - or what little of it exists - is developed through temporary advantages of big groups. Civil battles and wars are not uncommon though and thus, the bigger the group, the less time it dominates. Small, more personal cliques can last up to several years. Language: The language of the bone fae consists of garbled high-pitched guttural sounds, clicks, and screeches, echoing through the underground caverns. Bone fae have exceptional hearing and can recognize sounds from over a mile away even on land. Other sounds can be imitated. Habits and Disposition: Most bone fae, through upbringing and evolution, are unpleasant creatures and are temperamental, selfish, and conniving. They have been known to follow select animals for days, haunting them - likely for the fun of it - until they get bored or are confronted. Prey are often ambushed. If conflicts occur between members of their own species, the bone fae fight it out, and the winner takes the loser’s resources. Their intelligence is lower than that of humans but their quick reflexes, perception, and prompt adaptation and fine-tunement to their surroundings allows them to elude predators and in fact climb the food pyramid to the fourth trophic level themselves.
This was originally an idea for a monster in DnD. Here I wrote out a description of the mythical species. Hope you like the idea and the way it's written :)
