Starsprite

Starsprites are a mysterious species found rarely in outer space.

Nobody knows for sure where the starsprites came from, or what purpose they serve, but they’re said to be last surviving remnants of Galaxy, the god who created the universe and then was destroyed. It’s very uncommon that they appear before mortal eyes, and to see one is considered a sign of impending good fortune. They’re incredibly skittish, and tend to flee when spotted.

Though incredibly rare, starsprites are of great interest to many. In particular, the Order of the Galactic Halo, the Order of the Event Horizon, and the Galaxian Protectorate are all keen to get their hands on starsprites and study them.

Biology and appearance

Starsprites are small, winged creatures with warm glowing bodies and two, bug-like antennae. They never stop physically growing, and so a rough age can be determined by their size, which can be anything from a couple of inches to two or even three feet tall. They have disproportionately large, star-shaped heads and big round eyes. They also possess two arms and two legs, and they’re capable of walking upright as well as flying.

Starsprites may be found in several different colours, with some variants being far rarer than others. Yellow starsprites appear to be the most common, for they are the ones most commonly seen, however sightings of orange, red, blue, pink, purple, green and white starsprites have also been reported. There are a number of theories as to what these colours signify, but one common belief is that differently-coloured starsprites possess either varying degrees of power, or different sets of powers altogether.

They’re naturally very warm, and they’re generally hot to the touch, though they can somewhat moderate their own body temperatures when they want to. They're also very bright, though they may choose to dim themselves when hiding. Their only predators are voidwraiths, although they’re often hunted by individuals and organisations who want to harness their power.

They don’t require food or water. Rather, they sustain themselves on the natural fuel that burns inside them. This energy is expendable, and so all starsprites do ultimately die, although this process takes an incredibly long time, and so starsprites can generally expect to live for billions of years. Although they don’t require food, they’re perfectly capable of eating and tasting it – it just gets burned up inside their bodies, and thus provides no sort of nutrition. They also aren’t technically required to sleep, although they frequently do. When sleeping, starsprites enter a low-energy state which conserves their fuel, dramatically increasing their lifespan.

Starsprites are an asexual species, and they appear to be incapable of natural reproduction by any means. All living starsprites were created by Galaxy’s own hand, and that means – without her around to produce more – they will ultimately go extinct. They are already very rare as it is. With the ancient cults hunting them down, and Blackhole’s dark malice slowly corrupting the rest, starsprite numbers are at critical levels, and they will only continue to dwindle.

Starsprites that have been turned by Blackhole’s blight become voidwraiths.

Language and communication

Starsprites are capable of communicating amongst themselves using an advanced form of language known as the ‘Chime’. To other beings, the Chime may appear to be little more than a strange assortment of sounds (like jingles, tinkles and whistles), but to the starsprites it’s a deeply complex language capable of expressing highly advanced concepts, far beyond mortal comprehension. All starsprites know the Chime from birth – it’s not something that must be learned, nor is it something that can be taught.

The only other being who was ever capable of using the Chime was Galaxy, and it was therefore the language that starsprites used to communicate with their mistress. It’s believed that voidwraiths may retain their ability to use it (they are after all corrupted starsprites), and it’s even theorised that Blackhole himself may know the Chime, due to his past connection with both Galaxy and the starsprites (although, why anyone would want to speak to him, we don’t know).

It’s perhaps possible that somebody could learn to understand the Chime, inferring meanings from the precise sounds, tones and melodies of the various vocalisations, but as for using it, mortal mouths are simply not equipped to make the array of sounds required.

Abilities

Starsprites possess a number of abilities which serve them in their role as Galaxy’s little helpers. As already mentioned, they communicate in a language called Chime, a tongue formed of a complex series of vocalisations which can convey vast amounts of information at a rate far faster than any mortal language. Chime is believed to have been the language of Galaxy herself, and it was therefore the language that she used to communicate with her starsprites and instruct them to carry out her bidding.

Being such powerful creatures of pure light, they can change their temperature and luminosity at will. They can use their tremendous brightness to light up their surroundings, just as they can extinguish their light and plunge them into darkness.

There are eight known colours of starsprite, and it appears that each kind has its own array of powers. These powers were granted to them so that they were equipped to serve Galaxy, but in her absence, they use them freely for their own mysterious ends. They are also capable on bestowing elements of these powers as blessings on others.

• Yellow starsprites have the gift of perception, and often see things that others (not even other starsprites) do not.
• Red starsprites have the gift of Galaxy’s all-destructing fire, capable of swiftly dispatching anything that threatens them.
• Blue starsprites have the gift of steadfastness, serving as unwavering shields against dark forces when other defences have failed.
• Green starsprites have the gift of speed, and are capable of traversing across the galaxy at an incredible pace.
• Orange starsprites have the gift of forcefulness and strength, capable of shifting anything in their path.
• Pink starsprites have the gift of healing and restoration, and can mend almost anyone, including other starsprites.
• Purple starsprites have the gift of bending the laws of physics and reality to manipulate the world around them.
• The gift of white starsprites is not currently known, for they are seldom spotted.

The starsprites’ only obvious weakness is their frailty. Though Galaxy made them to be powerful, she did not design them to be particularly adept survivors, for she knew she could always create more. Thus, they can only sustain so much without fleeing to recover, and they’re prone to being outnumbered when under attack – such as from the voidwraiths which hunt them.