Sprout Sprites

Sprout Sprites

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A variety of Sprite most commonly found in the Enchanted Forest. Friendly, creative, and occasionally mischievous, these creatures have a complex history which is still being unearthed.

Biology

Sprouts

Sprout Sprites’ stems are a vital connection to their brain, with the “roots” growing in harmony with the brain, intertwining with the brain stem. These sprouts are suspected to be a key factor in the magical abilities of the Sprout Sprite.

All sprouts are different and indicate the unique qualities of the sprite it belongs to, including their age, magical specialty, regional origin, and more. Sprouts typically vary from one to five leaves and may include a bloom or two, with two blooms being a rare trait, similar to red hair in humans. Sprouts may come in different textures and appear to mimic the appearance of a diverse range of herbs and other flora.

Height

Fully grown Sprout Sprites range in height from 3.3in to 5in (8.3cm to 12.7cm). It has also been observed that these Sprites utilize plants and items in their native forest which allow them to fluctuate in size. Sprout Sprites have been seen to grow as much as 13 times their natural height, or 13 times shorter, while under the effects of such items and foods.

Magical Abilities

Sprout Sprites have been observed to have a variety of magical properties and abilities. Their primary forms of magic involve brewing and cooking magical foods and substances, healing creatures and plants, and flight. It has been asked in the past whether Sprout Sprites have the ability to create floral projectiles in the form of vines, petals, or spores. While there is no documentation of such powers from these sprites, it has not been ruled out entirely as there are many varieties of Sprout Sprites that are yet to be fully studied.

It is believed that elder Sprout Sprites can specialize in particular areas of magic, but very few have been observed to have an intimate knowledge or mastery of multiple branches of their potential magical abilities.

In the case of Harold, he has mastered a plethora of cooking skills. Among his magical culinary capabilities is the careful art of brewing the popular height-altering substance which Sprout Sprites use in their foods and beverages. This special ingredient allows Sprout Sprites to fluctuate as much as 13 times their typical height, resulting in a maximum measurement of up to 5.5 feet (1.6 meters) and a minimum height of 0.3 inch (0.7 centimeter). At their smallest, Sprout Sprites can temporarily enjoy being the same size as their tardigrade friends!

Regeneration

All Sprout Sprites have small regeneration abilities which aid them in healing injuries over time. Given enough time a Sprout Sprite can regenerate a previously existing limb. However, Sprout Sprites born without an appendage will not “regenerate” any additional body parts. Instead, many Sprout Sprites without some appendages opt for custom prosthetics which may come with special magical properties.

Diet

Sprout Sprites do not require food. This is thanks to their natural ability to photosynthesize. However, Sprout Sprites enjoy a nearly entirely plant-based diet when offered food items. These creatures will forage for snacks constantly, only seeking out the best plants in their area. They typically love berries, seeds, nuts, grasses, clover, and mushrooms. Contrary to what some may expect, Sprout Sprites’ consumption of plants is not cannibalism, as Sprout Sprites are not plants themselves.

Despite using seemingly common ingredients, these Sprites are no simple creatures when it comes to indulging in fine cuisine. Sprout Sprites will carefully cook meals just as humans do, seasoning their foods with a variety of local herbs and root powders.

“Hair”

Although Sprout Sprites don’t grow hair like humans do, they experience growth on their heads which they can style and trim for fun and cleanliness. Sprout Sprites have very little interest in coloring their “hair”. They prefer to blend into the Enchanted Forest’s scenery and feel that adding coloring would take away from their ability to be inconspicuous.

Wings

Some varieties of adult Sprout Sprites develop wings, many with bioluminescent properties, which are nearly impossible for the human eye to view, due to their degree of translucence. Junior and adolescent Sprout Sprouts cannot develop wings.

Culture

Aging

Sprout Sprites like Harold age very differently than humans. Adolescence can linger for a chosen amount of time, rather than passing in a linear way as human years do. Sprout Sprites must choose to move into adulthood.

The process of deciding to become an adult can be a complicated one, which often includes a public display of maturity and growth. This display most often occurs in the form of a community project, something that benefits the Sprout Sprite community and shows that the individual choosing to move into adulthood is ready to take on responsibilities and help their fellow sprites grow together.

Families and “Birth”

Sprout Sprites parental dynamics vary widely from family to family. These Sprites have been observed to have anywhere from one to four primary guardians, ranging from groups of friends to sole individuals who proved their parental abilities to the community by assisting in the growth and raising of other young Sproutlings. Each Sprout Sprite in a group of guardians tends to have a specialty, which they share with their Sproutling during their education.

Sprouts are grown in greenhouses in larger colonies and sprout patches in smaller villages. Greenhouses have attendants, although community members are allowed to sign up to water and bond with sprouts. In order to plant their own sprout, an adult Sprout Sprite must first volunteer 100 hours to the greenhouse. Patches are much more lenient and work based on reputation and community compassion. The entire village waters their patch, adults and children alike, with specific adult sprites bonding with the sprouts they hope to bring into their home.

Language

Not much is currently known about the native languages of the Sprout Sprites. While it is known that Harold’s mother tongue is the language of the Forest Sprout Sprites, the language’s structure has so far been nearly impossible for humans to comprehend due to its complexity. Humans who have studied Dravidian and Japonic languages have had some success studying the script of various modern Sprout Sprite writings. However, the content of such writings is yet to be made public.

Names

Sprout Sprite names are typically long, carrying identifying information about the individual in them. Due to language barriers, the naming process has been difficult to pin down, but it has been observed that factors such as family, location, occupation can all be determining factors. This means Sprout Sprites may have matronymic, toponymic, cognominal, or other surnames.

Name structure and example

An example of what a Sprout Sprite’s name may look like is as follows:

Harold – given name

Samamor – middle name

Roberts – his family’s chosen name

mac Nyth or Nythin – “son of Nyth” (Nyth is believed to be the mother of all sprites)

de Brocéli – “of Brocéliande Forest”

Birthdays

Sprout Sprites consider birthdays to be extremely central to each individuals journey through life. In celebration of birthdays, these earthy Sprites gather to discuss what one has learned, accomplished, and struggled with in the past year. It’s speculated that Sprout Sprites follow some form of a tree calendar based on the cycles of tree life.

Social Classes

Sprout Sprites’ social system functions fully based on reputation. Everyone has something to contribute to society, and is ranked based on their compassion, knowledge, empathy, and personal reputation amongst their community. Those with the most knowledge focus on training young sprouts. Adolescent Sprout Sprites with no current reputation may apprentice under a knowledgeable adult Sprout Sprite to gain their own skills and opportunities to prove themselves. Thanks to this system, all elder (adult) Sprout Sprites play a key role in their community, regardless of which skills they possess.

Sprout Scouts

The Sprout Scouts was a one-time popular childhood education program in Harold Roberts’ home village. This group was very much like the modern day human Boy Scout organization. It offered special training for young sprouts, teaching them how to forage in the Enchanted Forest, build basic contraptions and tools, contribute to their local community, and assist in the care of the local Sproutling patch. Elder Sprout Sprites would often do guest appearances for Sprout Scout events, sharing some of their knowledge and skills with the young spites.

The program is not currently functional due to a lack of available Sprout Sprites to run the program. It is Harold’s dream to step up to this challenge and head the organization once he is ready to become an adult!