Shimmerling

Shimmerlings were miniscule fey known for their swarming behavior.

Description
Shimmerlings resembled elves only tall and weighing only. They had dragonfly-like wings and glowed the same colors as their skin and hair, which could be any color of the rainbow.

Behavior
These small fey were nearly mindless, and lacked any inclination to good, evil, or organization.

Abilities
Shimmerlings on their own were no more dangerous than sparrows, but once they began to swarm, they gained a group intelligence that might seek vengeance on what it thought triggered the swarming behavior, as well as several magical abilities. Because of the nature of swarms, weapons were useless against them.

Firstly, a swarm of shimmerlings could concentrate their natural glow into a dazzling luminesence that shed light akin to the daylight spell, dazzling any creature with its eyes open within of the swarm. Additionally, the multicolored nature and movement of the swarm was hypnotic, potentially fascinating any creatures viewing that were within of the swarm.

Secondly, any creature vulnerable to the damage dealt by the shimmerlings might be nauseated by the swirling, colorful light display; certainly, the display made casting spells or doing anything that required patience and concentration difficult.

Combat
Swarms formed when a population of shimmerlings was put under some environmental stress, and collected primarily to move the entire population to another location. Typical triggers for swarming behavior included a lack of food sources or loss of habitat, or overhunting by predators. Under the influence of the hive mind, shimmerling swarms were known to seek out when they perceived as causing the stress on the population.

They preferred to start combat while flying out of reach and hypnotizing foes, before picking out and surrounding one in a more injurious attack.

Ecology
Shimmerlings lived in temperate forests and fed on pollen.

History
In Kythorn of 1371 DR, a shimmerling swarm attacked the village of Grimstad, after which the survivors abandoned the village to be overrun by the Winterglen.