Mite

Mite

Species	faerie
No. Appearing	6-24
Behaviour	resentful
Range	subterranean, urban
Size	2 ft. tall
Weight	10 lbs.
Intelligence	12 to 14
Armour Class	5
Hit Dice	2
Action Points	5
Max. Stride	8
THAC0	20
Hp/Die	d2
Attack Forms	by weapon type
Damage	1–3
Special Attacks	curse, experience levels, skulduggery, stealth

Mites are not a race unto themselves, but are are grotesque, spiritually poisoned sprites consumed with baleful vice and malevolent compulsions. These creatures hate the light and seek to dwell in dark, underground sewers and dungeons, where they can be near those they wish to hurt. They hate other sprites as well as themselves. Their minds have been twisted with malignance and a desire to perpetrate cruelty, while having little love for existence; a sprite would rather die causing pain to another than to preserve its own life ... though it does desire to cause the most pain possible before shuffling off its coil.

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Origin

It is legend that sprites seek to rid the world of evil persons, which relies upon their ability to distinguish evil from good. On occasion, a small group of sprites will error in this racial quest — and though they will seek to make amends, the knowledge of their error will prey upon their conscience. Further chance errors will set these sprites upon the road to corruption. As they begin to hate themselves, they brood, transforming themselves as a group, day by day, into mites. These new mites will separate from their own kind and form a "nest" ... where their malevolence will grow. In a year or two, they will begin to see the evil in every creature, just as they see it in their own hearts, and begin to hate every thinking creature, everywhere.

Sprites know of this danger, and see to protect themselves from it; more than anyone, they will seek to find mite lairs and bring peace to their lost brethren — though this can be managed only by death. There have been many small wars fought in tiny underground realms between mites and sprites, and the latter do not always triumph.

Habits

Wherever they dwell, mites will seek to create complex tunnel systems too small for most humanoids to enter, with access to victims and stores they can either plunder or destroy. These passages may be no more than 4 inches in diameter. Mites are particularly fond of targeting a single row of houses or court, or an underground culture, waiting for their chance to kill off unsuspecting dwellers one by one. They are usually careful enough to go undetected for months, even a year or two, but eventually they will be rooted out by those who begin to recognize the signs. Whenever a lair is exterminated, a few mites will sometimes escape. If they become alone and isolated, however, their hatred becomes so consuming they'll usually expose themselves in a few days, usually by attacking a target in the open.

If mites can cause long-term suffering, they will. A chance to imprison a victim with a trap will enable them to torment the victim for days or weeks before death occurs. If given the opportunity, they will steal needful items, notes or medicines, deliberately destroying these things to wreak unhappiness or desperation.

Mites are cannibalistic by preference; if possible, they will sup upon the corpes of sprites, pixies and brownies in particular, but will eat any humanoid, including themselves, if given the opportunity.

Advantages

The bite of a mite is toxic in its malevolence, having the possibility of imparting the mite's malefic nature until any creature that is bitten.

See Bestiary