Wysp

Wysps are tiny, spherical creatures native to the Elemental Planes and among the oldest of outsiders. They were formed by mystical vibrations between the Elemental and Ethereal Planes, coalescing pure ethereal energy into the first of these sentient beings. These tiny creatures gathered into nomadic groups that wandered the Elemental Planes. They approached their lives with joy and wonder, marveling at the spectacular beauty and vast bounty of new experiences that their home had to offer. They were sensitive to the subtle interactions and resonances between sources of elemental energy and perceived these resonances as a musical expression of the nature of reality. The wysps most skilled at reading and manipulating this music, called wysp conductors, rapidly rose to positions of leadership within their communities. These conductors largely operated independently from one another but occasionally collaborated on projects of a particularly grand scale. Perhaps the greatest of all of these endeavors was what wysps refer to as the “song of creation”—a performance in which a large group of wysps harmonizes with an Elemental Plane to give birth to new members of their kind.

As their numbers grew, the largely peaceful and curious wysps drew the attention of the elemental lords, demigods who inhabit the Elemental Planes. The elemental lords saw great value in the wysps’ understanding of elemental resonances, and sought to turn it toward their own ends. To make the wysps into better minions, the elemental lords revised their song of creation, producing new generations of wysps with innate tendencies toward service and self-sacrifice. Over time, these generations lost some of their connection to the music of the universe. These new wysps became specialized, turning into air, earth, fire, and water wysps as they were each attuned to a single Elemental Plane. Despite all these changes, these modified wysps retained the cheerful and curious disposition of their ancestors.

While most wysps lead lives dedicated to the service of other elemental beings, a few small groups of wysps have escaped the influence of the elemental lords and returned to lifestyles more akin to their ancestors. Led by wysp conductors who have regained their natural affinity for the music of creation, these bands of wysps rarely stay in one place for long. Free symphonies of wysps tend to be cautious around anyone they suspect may want to take away their independence, responding to potential dangers by fleeing across the planes rather than engaging in confrontation.