Lifeforms · Ethereal · Tundra/ Arctic
Blue Fires
The Dancing Lights of the Ice Wind are one of the great dangerous in the Land of Snow and Ice.
Full Description
These are small (4' or 10cms) balls of what appears to be glowing blue fire. These ball float through the air at a better than walking pace. They are somewhat intangible; they can slowly force their way through solid objects. Their appearance of rolling blue fire in a small balls allows them to give off light with no heat. In fact, they actually make the world around them colder (as they absorb ambient heat to 'feed' themselves). Any place they touch is made icey cold, leaving ice and snow (depending on conditions) in its path.
The Dancing Lights of the Ice Wind (as they are sometimes known) can actually entrance those who look at them long enough. (Actually they can effect the emotions of most lifeforms who look at them long enough).
Blue Fires will often 'strike at' living things by flying into them, absorbing their body heat... chilling them to the bone. The average human can take five or so attacks. However many times they will 'cultivate' living things, helping them so they can absorb the heat they generate. Causing people to 'get together' makes extra heat that they can absorb. They will make humans careless so they can freely absorb heat and the humans will not care while they do it. They can make couples 'couple' or make people giddy and dance or any number of emotional shifts at the right time.
Additional Information
Some more intelligent and tame ones will make light for caves and the Humans inside the cave somewhat peaceful, all in exchange for extra heat from its fire.
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- Bizzare Life-Forms Challenge manfred
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Hey, I have made nearly identical lifeforms in my norwegian version of Coldforged. Cool. I know from experience that these are nice 'Will o' the Wisp' replacements.
I like it, but it's too much like will -o wisps and too much like numerous other heat-draining/eating insubstantial creatures to get more points from me for originality.
How intelligent are they? If a nasty wizard snuffs one out with magic, do the others get to hear about it and come in swarms to freeze him to death? Do they like ovens, pyres, ect?
They would need to be moderately intelligent to manipulate people to produce heat for them. So yes, the mage might be in trouble (or they could manipulate the people around them to make his life complicated).
They like any heat source they can get. RE the 'However many times they will 'cultivate' living things, helping them so they can absorb the heat they generate.' and 'Some more intelligent and tame ones will make light for caves and the Humans inside the cave somewhat peaceful, all in exchange for extra heat from its fire. '
Interesting. Perhaps their intelligence could increase when they are gathered in mass - or perhaps it could decrease. Either could be interesting.
That is a nice touch. Consider it adopted. (can't believe I didn't say that a year ago)
The size and the brightness determines the intelligence. Since size and brightness is directly related to the amount of heat taken in, it is a darwinian development (those that can absorb enough heat get smart enough to be able to absorb more, those that can't shrink and go away).
So a Blue Fire could 'canabalize' itself, sacrificing some intelligence and processing power for a few more days of subsistance.
Actually, relating to Iain's comment above, perhaps this could be related to the elementals eating other elementals thing that was discussed a while back? Perhaps they eat each other and thus grow in size, intelligence, AND in power. So they must 'eat' more heat to survive, but they also can affect emotions more. Comments?
I am not sure they would 'eat' each other. However, their intelligence seems to be somewhat variable. Some are pretty simple, while others have an animal cunning, while others a Chimpanze or Dolphin intelligence. It is more than just heat absorbed.
I think their intelligence would be based upon the amount of contact with intelligent minds. Perhaps their empathic abilities create a link between them and the other minds. The more contact with intelligent minds, the more 'intelligent patterns' they would absorb/ duplicate in their own matrix. The smarter they are, the more efficient they can be at manipulating emotions, thus spending less energy for the effect. Thus the crafty old ones could be pretty dangerous.
An interesting creature. I could seem them having use in medicine and refrigeration as well :P
What if one of these was placed right next to a blazing fire? How clever/large could it get,given ideal conditions?