Lachryphage
Added 2021-11-04 18:35:49 +0000 UTCLachryphages, or Tear Drinkers, are moth-like fey that feed on the emotional energy of other creatures by drinking their tears. Using their proboscis, they have the power to temporarily relieve a creature of its sorrow, or its joy. Lachryphages treasure the passionately shed tears of intelligent magical creatures, such as unicorns and dragons, though they usually subsist on those of sleeping woodland animals.
Beings of Sorrow. Lachryphages are drawn to tragedy and melodrama like moths to a flame. They love theatrical displays of grief, frustration, or heartbreak, and can’t help but evoke these emotions from creatures they meet. Their presence has the potential to overwhelm any who draw close with sudden catharsis, causing a complete meltdown. These outbursts have the dual potential to help alleviate the burden of unreleased tension, or further a suffering person’s descent into depression. Although their intent is not to cause harm, lachryphages frequently cannot tell the difference. Lachryphages were born when the tears of a fey goddess showered the wild beings of her sylvan demesne. Her overwhelming sense of loss at the death of her lover transformed the creatures that dwelled there into magical beings of sorrow.
Nocturnal Visitors. Lachryphages are not violent creatures, and prefer to dine in peace while their tear-donor sleeps. Their ability to change size allows them to flutter undetected through open windows, perch on thin twigs, or cling to a sleeper’s cheek while drinking their saline supper. Lachryphages also possess a near-suicidal attraction to bright light, and will consciously avoid heavily populated areas that might tempt them with campfires or furnaces. Townsfolk privy to this weakness may purposefully light unprotected flames to ward themselves against intrusion, though this is more likely to backfire spectacularly.
