Races of Fae

Fae are a Humanoid Species most notable for their common ancestry with birds. Fae lay eggs, have down feathers until puberty, and share many other similarities with their airborne ancestors. In fact, a Fae’s “hair” is actually a specialized kind of feather! However, they are not birds, and more closely resemble “Elves” from traditional fantasy in many ways, particularly their pointed ears.

Due to their longer lifespan, Fae eggs take nearly 4 years to hatch, so Fae families tend to feature just one or two children. They don't necessarily pool their eggs, as child rearing is still very important and personal, but some may choose to get other members of their community to watch over their eggs if both parents are quite busy, otherwise, each parent takes turns watching over the egg for a few days at a time. Additionally, fae will often make "Nests" for their eggs, which in modern times is often a mixture of straw, linen, and other textiles. In colder climates, they'll often have wool blankets to cover the egg.

Fae Eggs are quite large, twice as large as an Ostrich Egg, and is often slightly flexible like a hard plastic rather than a stiff, fragile shell. The colour of a Fae Egg depends on the species, Fairfolk will often have Greenish or Warm Brown eggs, whereas Guidfolk have Speckled, Pale Brown ones. They're slightly more spherical than an ostrich egg, being nearly a sphere.

While Fae can have children with Humans who have the compatibility gene (See Nerevar Biology), Half-Fae children are often stillbirths (still-hatchings?) or heavily disfigured. Half-Fae will almost always die during birth if the Mother is human (due to Human pregnancy not lasting long enough to ensure proper development), though it's slightly more stable if the Mother is a Fae. VERY Rarely, a Half-Fae child can be born mostly healthy, though they may have unseen defects or behavioural/developmental issues.