Asrai

Asrai, also referred to as water sprites in the Beastlands and Sjöra on Ysgard, were shy, delicate and elusive faeries that lived in deep waters.

Description
Arai appeared as delicate, humanoid-shaped faeries that stood around tall. They had with long golden hair that was constantly growing, often reaching down to their buttocks or calves. Asrai rarely ever wore clothing, preferring instead to use their hair to cover their modesty. Their hair was sort of a living extension of them, twisting and flexing in unconscious reaction to their feelings.

Personality
Asrai were highly intelligent creatures, but shy and fearful to the point of never speaking for fear of being tricked into captivity.

Abilities
Asrai had only a single magical ability of note: when a group of them swam in a weaving, darting water dance, they created the effects of hypnotic pattern. Notably, charmed fish would refuse to attack asrai.

Their bodies had a severe sensitivity to true sunlight, to the point that exposure could kill them. However, artificial sunlight like that of the spell sunray had no effect on them. Upon death, they dissolved into small pools of water. Some types of deep-dwelling asrai, primarily those that inhabited the River Oceanus, additionally could not survive in air for any length of time and would die if captured.

Combat
These faeries never attacked out of malice or vengeance, but only to defend themselves. They carried no weapons and instead used their magic and their teeth if needed. Though the asrai that inhabited Arborea were known to wield small bows made of springy willow and braided water, with arrows smeared in fish guts that could potentially give those hit by them a disease.

Society
Asrai lived as wanderers, traveling their watery homes in schools, much like fish. The leaders of these schools were referred to as "pilots", who guided their yearly navigation from warmer waters to cooler ones. Competition between asrai to become a pilot's apprentice could be quite intense.

Asrai also had a love for pearls and other shiny, lustrous valuables, but were too small to carry such items. Instead, a school of asrai would have one or two small items of great beauty (but not necessarily great value).

It was said that an asrai lived for only nine years, after which she dissolved into water that spontaneously spawned two to five new asrai that were akin to the "mother" in all respects.

Diet
The asrai were a vegetarian species. They fed on algae and water plants such as kelp, as well as food thrown on the surface of the water (for this behavior, they were sometimes mistaken for minnows). They did not, however, ever eat meat; nor did other animals of the waters prey upon them.

Homelands
Asrai made their homes deep beneath lakes, rivers, and seas. They were strictly nocturnal, coming up to feed only at night. They could be found in both fresh and salt water bodies, though typically lived in bodies of freshwater and would feel sluggish for a few days following a transition from one type of water to another. In bodies of freshwater they laired in shadowy places such as caves, logs, or under banks.

On the Outer Planes asrai could be found in bodies of water in the Beastlands, Ysgard, and Arborea. Those in Arborea acted as protectors of its many warriors. The largest school of them in the Outer Planes could be found in the River Oceanus, though they rarely surfaced, except on nights when the algae bloomed.

Asrai also had loose ties to the Seelie Court, though rarely showed themselves there.

Languages
In addition to speaking their own languages, asrai spoke the languages of balaena, fish, mermaids, nixies, sirines, triton, and sea elvish. The asrai that inhabited Arborea additionally knew languages of various nature spirits, such as dryads and oreads.

Relationships
They were known to keep company with nymphs, sirines, selkies, and various aquatic animals. They were often welcomed by these creatures and sea elves within the Seelie Court. The asrai that inhabited Arborea often coordinated with the plane's nature spirits to carry out punishments on anyone that infringed Arborean waters. And the asrai of the River Oceanus sometimes acted as companions, guides, or translators for the balaena.

Because of their hypnotic pattern ability's tendency to make sailors fall into water, sharks, giant pikes, and various predatory species of fish sometimes followed asrai schools in hopes of preying upon such unlucky sailors. Though the fish rarely had any bond of friendship with the asrai themselves.

Some evil fisherfolk were known to set out bait for asrai and capture them inside of amphora enspelled with darkness for the purpose of selling to creatures of the Lower Planes that considered them to be delicacies, such as the hydroloths, marraenoloths, and slaadi. A captured asrai usually sold for around 200 to 300 gold pieces.

Asrai were known to act as servants of Deep Sashelas, Erevan Ilesere, and Hanali Celanil.

Rumors & Legends
According to ancient legends the asrai once served as guides across all of the River Oceanus, but had long since abandoned their duty. There also existed rumors of asrai possibly inhabiting the Elemental Plane of Water, the aqueducts and sewers of Sigil, and even the Prime Material plane. However, due to their elusiveness these rumors were unconfirmed.

Other rumors spoke of there being an asrai queen in the Seelie Court, hidden within either a bottomless well or a spring of pure, everflowing water.