Plague Sprite

Fairytale creatures are commonplace wherever you may roam. Tales of trolls, elves, fairies, giants, and other fantasy paraphernalia dominate many of these stories. Of course, most stories have been watered down for a younger audience, and others have been lost altogether. It stands to reason then, that certain magical creatures are much darker than anything parents would dare to tell their children. 

Plague Sprites are distant relatives of fairies, yet exactly which fairies are anyones guess. Distinguishable by their bright neon green body and pus-yellow exoskeleton, they shine and thrum with devastating microbial energy. Some say Plague Sprites are former fairies who have forsaken a life of peace/mischief for a life of chaos, then passed down their emotional and physical alterations to their children, warping each generation more and more. Others say Plague Sprites were always co-evolving alongside conventional fairies. The final(?) result of both theories are apparently creatures that no longer resemble humans at all, but rather something far more alien and monsterous, with an appetite for rot.

These creatures exist in a simultaneous state as both a flying etheric monster and a cloud of sentient bacteria. These two forms share a deep symbiosis: The bacterial cloud breeds and gestates microbes (so many in fact, that it is almost guaranteed the Plague Sprite will have one perfect or at least close to perfect for its desired goal), and the ghostly avatar serves as the link between the bacterial cloud and the physical realm... backwards as that seems. With one prick from its blackened fingers, select bacteria enter the victim... and thus anchor themselves into the real world, able to spread independently of the Sprite. Plague Sprites have limited magical offense and defense, since most of their essence relates to microbial concepts, but they share the resilience and danger of their smaller allies.

One cannot judge the strength of Plague Sprites. Each individual seems to be different, as though it weakens and strengthens with some other unknown force. But Plague Sprites are notoriously tricky, and will do anything to compensate for their inabilities, or failing that, recruit yet another Plague Sprite to help them. Because of this, and the differences between the members of the species, it is anyones guess how powerful a creature is, even to the one fighting it.

Plague Sprites are curious, mischevous creatures, yet their "games" are games of life and death.