The allay are a strange sort of sprite. Unearthly spirits, seemingly tethered to the world by the simple desire to collect. Though they lack mouths, I've found they respond with some excitement when presented with sweet-tasting goods such as cookies and cakes.
They appear quite simple-minded, but their sense of hearing, and the cognition therein, is like no other! They respond to musical stimuli exceedingly well, and can be trained to deposit their held treasures at a drop-off point with at the ding of a note block. How clever!
Most Allays in this realm have fallen prisoner to the Pillagers. When their captors rub off on them, and the desire to collect becomes a desire to smash and grab, one may as well consider any imprisoned Allay lost - these lost souls are what we call the Vex.
The pillagers equip these fiendish foes with specially crafted iron swords, small enough for their hands to wield with brutal efficiency. During raids, the Vex appear to lay on standby, until they rush into battle at the beck-and-call of the foul sorcerers known as the Evokers. Their arrival is near-instantaneous, and, unlike their pure counterparts, the Vex can forego their own safety in order to phase through solid matter entirely.
These combatants can be a real annoyance, but, unlike their commanders, they dont seem to hold a grudge against the villagers themselves. They simply serve as barrier breakers, to cut down any defending forces so the other attackers can complete the mission.
final layer count (minus signature, refs, sketches etc.): 32
Silent enforcers of the night, these quick-footed plantfolk are native to the Pale Garden clusters of some dark oak forests. When night falls, the Creaking are awakened in droves. They make little to no sound when stalking trespassers, and freeze up entirely upon locking eyes with its prey. This trait makes them exceedingly difficult to study, as their regular behavioural patterns are entirely interrupted with so much as a glance.
What *is* known is their anatomy. They possess the biological hallmarks of a plant, but with the logical processing and motor skills of a lesser animal. Furthermore, they appear to have quite an animalistic organ, with the cavity in their chest allowing sunlight to reach a heart-shaped construct, dubbed a Creaking Heart. Despite the appearance and name, the heart also seems to serve as the brain of the Creaking, and serves as the only way to truly slay one - Their bark exterior has proved completely impenetrable to any weapons, and nobody is quite sure how. A well-placed strike to the heart, however, will neutralise the threat for good.
Additionally, they seem to have formed a symbiotic relationship with the Pale Garden's Eyeblossoms. The flowers grant the Creaking the gift of sight, while the Creaking serves to share its 'meals' with its Eyeblossom colony. Tests with Creaking subjects who have had their Eyeblossoms removed show that they cease to stop movement when they have no vision of their own. However, given the nature of the subject therein, this cannot be considered a viable way to study how wild Creaking would act without this property.
During the day, the eyeblossoms naturally close up, and the creaking cease all activity - seemingly even neurological - until the sun sets once more.
final layer count (minus signature, refs, sketches etc.): 25
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