Mite

Mites were a type of fey, distantly related to jermlaines and snyads. Some believed they were a species of gremlin.

Description
On average, mites grew to be tall. They had humanoid bodies with large, triangular heads sporting bat-like ears and a long hooked nose. There was a bony ridge down the center of their skulls and they often grew goatees. Their skin was hairless and warty, varying in color from light grey to bright violet.

Many mites were known to wear filthy rags that they had stolen from their previous victims. Their voices were high-pitched and twittery, conveying only the simplest of ideas to each other.

Personality
Mites were known to be quite mischievous and curious creatures, with a penchant for waylaying adventurers solely for the purposes of profit and their own enjoyment. They delighted in causing and playing minor irrational pranks. They generally did not attack openly. They aimed only to kill if threatened with direct violence.

They had a fondness for bones, wearing oversized clothing, as well as bright and shiny gems. They would sometimes drag the skulls of great monsters to their lairs.

Abilities
The eyes of these creatures were well adapted to underground habitats, being capable of seeing in areas of total darkness from a range of up to. In addition, their bodies emanated a vexing presence that made other creatures become irritable and more easily frustrated to the point of violence. Simple tasks became increasingly difficult and overwhelming, filling them with a sense of frustration that needed to be given an outlet in the form of destruction and violence.

Beyond these supernatural abilities, mites were deftly experienced in burrowing and climbing.

Combat
Much like their cousins the jermlaine, mites relied upon a variety of traps - including pit traps, trap doors, trip wires, and nets - to immobilize their enemies before swarming upon them and beating them with weighted clubs. The bodies of their unconscious victims were then bundled off before help could arrive, binding their head and feet, and dragging them into their lair. The mites would proceed to chatter with and tease their victims for a period of one to four days. Once they grew bored of a victim, they would strip them of all possessions and drop the victim somewhere that would cause them great discomfort or embarrassment.

History
In 1357 DR, mites could occasionally be found in the sewers beneath Waterdeep.

During the 14 century DR, some were known to dwell inside the depths of Undermountain. Some could be found in the lair of Muiral, where they had a large hoard of gemstones.

Creation
Whenever creatures became so irritated with an event or situation that they lashed out in violence, a mite was likely to arise from their frustration. In such circumstances a creature experienced strange dreams the next time they slept, then they sleepwalked to the nearest tree or other large plant and dug a small hole. The creature would then scream into this depression and refill the hole, feeling strangely refreshed when they awoke. On the night of the next new, the place where that small hole was dug would stir and a pack of mites would emerge from it.

Diet
Mites were an omnivorous species. They typically hunted vermin and pests, but especially loved to eat iron rations as they considered them to be a delicacy.

Lairs
Mites sought out cave warrens or dungeons, where they would build interconnected networks of narrow tunnels that wrapped around pre-existing passages and corridors. From inside them they watched the comings and goings of other creatures or adventurers. They would set traps in those main corridors in anticipation of them  and their foot steps could often be heard. These tunnels had many entrances to the dungeon they were built around, but were all incredibly tiny to human-sized creatures and hidden by carefully placed stones.

Deep inside mite tunnel systems was always a single, large chamber with a low-ceiling. This was the throne room and living quarters of their kings. These chambers were quite filthy and stolen belongings were typically strewn about them, including armor, clothes, weapons, and coins.

Habitats
Mites originated in the Feywild. On the Prime Material plane, they typically inhabited subterranean areas. On the surface, they could be found in the Cloak Wood and within areas of the Old Elven Court. Underground they lived in the Upperdark. There their lairs were built along major trade routes, allowing them to prey upon unwary travelers.

Beyond that plane, mites could be found inside the Great Dismal Delve of the Elemental Plane of Earth.

Languages
Non-gremlin creatures were typically incapable of understanding the jittery language of mites. Besides possessing their own language, mites were capable of speaking Sylvan and Undercommon.

Relationships
Many monsters viewed mites as bite-sized snacks, with evil-aligned giants sometimes having them as appetizers. Though their alleged cousins, the snyads, often worked in cooperation with them, distracting the targets with their traps as the snyads swooped in to steal from them.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Ruins of Undermountain II: The Deep Levels