[BGilkison]

So, a friend and I were discussing the nature of pixies in preparation for a possible pixie PC to join our runners' party. As part of the discussion, we have combed through numerous sourcebooks (besides Run Faster, we've looked at Aetherology, Running Wild, and Paranormal Animals of Europe, among others), trying to find out more about how pixies have been portrayed in Shadowrun's past.  Because of the Run Faster "Vanishing" ability (I know, that's a completely separate debatable topic!) and the species designation of "Insufficient Data for Classification", we're wondering if, in fact, we should maybe treat the pixie as some sort of permanently manifested spirit? Especially since they do seem to be native to the Plane of Faerie

Thoughts?

[Reaver]

Not sure. They don't have the typical abilities of manifested, inhabited or possressed spirits....

They are not immune to gases, or injection toxins as spirits are. (No lungs or circilarorty systems in spirits).

But they do go *poof* when killed... and are awakened

[Mirikon]

Pixies are not spirits. Those who know their Earthdawn lore would recognize them as Windlings.

[BGilkison]

FWIW, my Earthdawn knowledge is decidedly lacking (other than knowing that the Earthdawn is Shadowrun's Fourth World). The question arises because of the passage in Aetherology which states:

Brocéliande, the land within the metaplane, is covered with a mix of rolling hills, lakes, grassy fields, thickets, and one forest, all resembling Brittany itself. The fae here are called the korrigan (the People) and while mostly consist of picti, there are various other types of korrigan fae, like domovoï, lutins, polvaks, and pixies.

This suggested to us that Brocéliande itself, like the Seelie court, is not actually on the material plane. Re-reading Aetherology just now, perhaps Brocéliande is a fractured metaplane—partly in Faerie, partly in the material plane. Nonetheless, since one cannot depend on knowing the history of Earthdawn and its relation to SR, by going strictly on Fifth edition sources, it seems that pixies are native to the Plane of Faerie; so how do they get here?

[MijRai]

Maybe they are native to both?  I mean, they naturally have Astral Perception, which allows them to become Dual-Natured at will, but means their base is in the Material.  Could be their people all fled to a Metaplane when magic was going on the ebb to avoid dying, and are finding their way back now. 

[Mirikon]

One can depend on Earthdawn sources, to a point. (Namely, the point that the two properties changed companies.) Regardless, pixies, along with other sapient critters, are indeed races that existed in previous ages of magic, but they needed more magic to return to the world than, say, elves and dwarves. As for the residents of the plane of Faerie, there are two possibilities. One, some pixies got trapped there during the downtime after travelling bodily to the metaplane. Two, those aren't actually pixies, but spirits taking that or a similar shape. In my opinion, the second is more likely, as we know that (meta)human thought and myth affects the metaplanes, and vice versa.

[Dal Thrax]

Not sure. They don't have the typical abilities of manifested, inhabited or possressed spirits....

They are not immune to gases, or injection toxins as spirits are. (No lungs or circilarorty systems in spirits).

But they do go *poof* when killed... and are awakened

So a nosferstu who has a bunch of optional abilities qualifies as a spirit?

[Reaver]

Not sure. They don't have the typical abilities of manifested, inhabited or possressed spirits....

They are not immune to gases, or injection toxins as spirits are. (No lungs or circilarorty systems in spirits).

But they do go *poof* when killed... and are awakened

So a nosferstu who has a bunch of optional abilities qualifies as a spirit?

No, nosferstu are created by the HMHVV... which makes them snowflake vampires.

the reason I was willing to entertain Pixies is like I said, they are very different from all other meta-humans. Doesn't mean they ARE spirits... but it does make you wonder.


and for the record. Don't care about ED, nor anything that got shoe-horned into it as a retconn to the history of SR....