Deep Run Mites

Mana Mites start out as miniscule creatures no bigger than 1 centimeter in length. These creatures are so small that they can crawl inside of cracks in armor to continue feeding from their victims. As their name suggests, these animals feed off of mana. They are capable of consuming mana from their surroundings, but can also latch onto a mage like a tick and leech mana directly from the spark of the mage. When Mana Mites feed, they start to swell up as their bodies expand to accommodate for the growing supply of mana within them. These creatures do not often feed until full, especially if they would grow too big to escape through cracks in armor afterwards. Mana Mites that do feed until full may measure to be around 3 inches at the most and will appear rather plump.

All forms of Deep Run Mites are incredibly fast creatures. They arrive, feed, and depart in quick succession, burrowing away in small holes and cracks of the caverns. They also tend to travel and feed in groups/waves, but it is rare for there to be more than one Mite variation (Mana, Shakti, Aura) among a wave of Mites. When a Mite finishes feeding, it will immediately detach itself from the food source and flee to avoid being discovered and killed.

Deep Run Mites have a total of eight legs. They are teardrop shaped and feed through microscopic fangs that are capable of painlessly latching onto a target for those that cannot feed from their surroundings. Their heads have two large eyes and two smaller eyes directly beneath. The larger eyes can see in even pitch black darkness but may be temporarily blinded by bright flashes of light. The smaller eyes are able to see the food source of each particular type of Mite. In the case of Mana Mites, the second set of eyes are capable of identifying and locating sources of mana.

Distribution

Mana Mites are found almost exclusively in the Deep Run. It is very rare for them to venture to the surface world as they can usually obtain everything they need to survive from the Deep Run. In the Deep Run itself, these creatures are relatively common.

Habitat

Mana Mites are attracted to sources of mana and tend to crawl around nearby. They will also be drawn to mages. The more mages there are in a specific area and the more mana those mages have, the more likely it will be for Mana Mites to be lured out for feeding.

Diet

Mana Mites strictly feed off of mana and nothing else. They are capable of feeding both from an area and from mages themselves.

Relations

Mana Mites almost always travel in large groups made solely of other Mana Mites. It’s rare to see different types of Mites in the same area, but not completely unheard of.

Mechanics

• If there are Mana Mites currently feeding on mana in an area, or if Mana Mites have recently fed from the area, all Feyspeak abilities will have doubled cast times.
• Mana Mites that feed on mana by leaching from a mage directly will each consume 5 mana per turn from the mage.
• Each Mana Mite can carry a total of 10 mana at most.

Material Properties

• If a Mana Mite is eaten by a mage, it will restore 10 mana to the mage.
• If a Mana Mite is crushed, it will reduce the cooldowns of a Feyspeaker’s abilities by 1 turn.

Alchemical Properties

• When Mana Mites are crushed up by a skilled alchemist, the liquid from their insides can be distilled to produce 100 ML of liquid mana.

The World of Aethius • The Multiverse of Aethier