Stirge

Stirges were a type of a tiny magical beast that fed upon the blood of other creatures.

Description
A stirge resembled a monstrous cross between a large hummingbird and a mosquito. Their bodies were covered in feathers that ranged in shades of rusty red to reddish brown. Both their feet and eyes had a yellowish hue. They had a long, sharp dangling proboscis that was pink at the tip and faded to grey at the base. They used this to draw blood from their victims' bodies.

Behavior
The scent of blood often drew stirges to battles.

Abilities
The eyes of a stirge were capable of seeing in areas of total darkness,  as well as in areas with low-light conditions.

Combat
During battles, a stirge typically would indiscriminately attack any creature that was wounded.

Once a stirge was attached to its prey, the possible way to remove the feeding beast was by killing it. They were so persistent, that a swarm of ravenous stirges would chase their prey for miles if need be.

History
In 1357 DR, stirges were known to be occasionally encountered in the sewers of Waterdeep

In 1374 DR, the Shadowscale lizardfolk placed captured stirges inside sealed clay pots, which they would then hurl as grenades at their foes. The angry stirge would then attack the nearest living being, ignoring the undead Shadowscales.

Ecology
Singular stirges were rarely ever encountered, as these creatures tended to live and hunt in large groups. These were known as flocks or a "thirst".

While one stirge might not seem to be a threat, these creatures often clustered in large swarms, which could quickly slay a creature from all the stirges feeding at once on the same body.

Habitats
Stirges were typically found in forests, underground, in caves, in ruins, or in marshes in areas with a warm climate.

In north Faerûn, stirges inhabited Velarswood near the center of Harrowdale. In northwest Faerûn they could be found in the Ardeep Forest and Gaustar's Creek. And in south Faerûn they could be found in the Duskwood of the Lake of Steam region.

In the Unapproachable East, stirges inhabited the Umber Marshes of Aglarond.

Cormanthor
Stirges in Cormanthor lived in colonies that had a roaming area of around one square mile, and they slept by day. At night, they picked on weaker or smaller animals such as dogs, goats, or pheasants and sucked their blood. Female stirges outnumbered the males ten to one, and would fly to a distant area, usually the rimwood, to lay their eggs so that their young would not provide them with competition for food. The eggs were laid in a shallow hole in the ground and covered with dust or plants. The females then hibernated. Around ninety percent of the eggs were lost to predators such as badgers or wild pigs because they were unprotected and poorly disguised. When the remaining eggs hatched, the young would usually fly up to a hundred miles to establish their own territory.

The inside of broken or hatched stirge eggs contained a green foul-smelling jelly that would deter stirges from attacking for up to a whole day if it was rubbed on the skin.

Relationships
Some people were known to have stirges as familiars.

Both goblins and kobolds were known to sometimes capture stirges and use them in traps.

Appearances

 * Adventures:
 * Dungeon #18, "Irongard" • Dungeon #29, "Nymph's Reward" • Dungeon #30, "...And a Dozen Eggs" • Dungeon #39, "Below Vulture Point" • The Sword of the Dales • Undermountain: Maddgoth's Castle • Cormyr: The Tearing of the Weave • War of Everlasting Darkness • Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle • Hoard of the Dragon Queen • Out of the Abyss • Curse of Strahd • The Tortle Package • Waterdeep: Dragon Heist • Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage • Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit • Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus
 * Novels
 * Azure Bonds • Extinction
 * Video games:
 * Pool of Radiance • Gateway to the Savage Frontier • Menzoberranzan • Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
 * Board Games
 * Battle for Faerûn
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards