Shattered Kingdoms

This are the sprites’ “royal” bloodline, sometimes having a yellow or orange streak on otherwise normal sprite skin or in their hair. Most striking are their yellow eyes. Only sprites with two Sunspark parents are born with yellow eyes, but some mixed-blood Sunspark develop yellow or yellowish eyes later in life. While during normal sprite operations, the Sunspark behave and are treated just like those in the more common bloodlines, in times of trouble, sprites rally en masse around the Sunspark leadership, as sprites see them as symbols of their rich heritage. Sunspark prefer to live in the tropics.

The Springfoot is the most common sprite bloodline. They may have any combination of relatively pale colors of skin, hair, wings, and eyes. Found living in moderate climates in any kind of tree or treelike structure, they delight in shiny, tasty, silly, and beautiful things. The Springfoot have more of a sense of history and of their heritage than all other sprites but the Sunspark. Most sprite shamans are from the Springfoot bloodline because they relate well with their ancestor spirits… That is, because of their interest, they can sit still -just- long enough to communicate successfully with the spirits.

Watersong sprites, as their name suggests, live near large bodies of water. They jokingly divide themselves into Salt and Sweet, referring to the type of water they live by. These sprites all tend to have more blue than most in their body coloring, sometimes with stripes or swirls of blue or blue-green. Watersong are especially adept at swimming and have muscular, extra-graceful bodies as a result. Further, this bloodline is famous among sprites for the lavish, extended parties its families throw, and especially well-known for the culinary delicacies at these parties. It is also a well-known fact that members of this bloodline have very high alcohol tolerance, and several have publicly embarrassed humans and elves by drinking them under the table.

The Cloudrunner bloodline, found mostly living in high-altitude areas, has several distinctive features: First, its pureblooded members all have snow white wings veined with black. Second, the more Cloudrunner blood a sprite has, the better he or she can survive extreme cold. Third, Cloudrunner people include among their small number some of the most powerful of the sprite mages. Anyone with any blood links to the Cloudrunner are subject to speculation about whether or not they will be more magically inclined than most other sprites (and that’s saying a lot, as sprites are magical in nature). Cloudrunner sprites are generally short and stocky compared with other sprites.

Greensands people are desert sprites, hiding out in hollowed-out cacti near oases. While during the summer months they are almost completely isolated from the rest of sprite society (no other sprite in his or her right mind would bother to endure the heat out in the desert), the cold desert winters chase the Greensands sprites to warmer areas, bringing them into contact with people of other bloodlines. During this period of contact every year, the Greensands re-establish themselves as the best pranksters of all sprites. It’s a wonder that most “big people” haven’t figured out why their seat cushions somehow get filled with cactus quills during the winter. Sprites with a lot of Greensands blood have varying shades of grass-green skin and wings, and strangely, purple or lavender hair. Their bodies are generally long-limbed and willowy.

The Duskdancer bloodline is not a true bloodline, but it may become one in time. It is composed of sprites from all other bloodlines who have chosen, due to curiosity, to adapt to and become more involved in civilization and the societies of “big creatures.” A Duskdancer sprite, when asked about his or her bloodline will usually give an answer such as, “I am a Duskdancer of the Springfoot bloodline.” Duskdancers have the advantage of being more in touch with the rest of the world, therefore having far more access to new and exciting things. Duskdancers are not looked down upon, though sprite families are often sad to see one of their own fly off to live in a city. Instead, they are welcomed back whenever they return with friendly cries of, “What did you bring us? What did you see? Were there shiny things? Tasty things? Tell us!!”