The Vanir are a race of small humanoid creatures that mainly live beneath the spheres of Aensetr Derrum. Although they have no supernatural power, they are sometimes referred to as Machine Spirits Due to the iridescent glow of their wings.
Physical Atributes
Vanir have both male and female genders. They stand roughly four inches tall with the tallest ever recorded being seven inches. Their general attire consists of relatively simple clothes with the most common article of clothing being a smock.
The most defining physical attribute of the Vanir are their wings. They come in a variety of colors, but all of them have a glowing iridescent sheen to them. Two of them extend from their back. While flying, their wings beat to an upwards of ninety times per second. They can fly backwards and can even hover in mid air. The top speed while flying can get up to 10 m/s. Their wings emit a very faint humming noise during flight.
However, their ability to fly comes at a hefty price. The average metabolism of a Vanir is a dozen times faster than even a fit Toa. The regular heart rate when measured during rest is a whopping 1,200 beats per minute. As a comparison, an Toa at rest has an average heartbeat of about 75 beats per minute. As such, Vanir must be constantly eating. Even after a full meal, a Vanir is mere hours away from death by starvation. They generally gorge themselves before falling before resting at night. While asleep, they enter into a hibernation-like state and their breathing and heart rate plummet dramatically thus reducing the need for food. Vanir must eat their weight in food every day or face starvation.
Their average diet consists mainly of fruits and other such sweet objects. They have been known to enjoy chocolate. For the most part though they view the sweets that Matoran create to be rather bland. However where they get the most subsistence is in an exotic juice that they refer to as ylf. What blend of juices they put into it or if they add other materials to it is unknown. To Matoran tongue the liquid is extremely sweet, almost to the point of being undrinkable. However to the Vanir it is a delectable treat.
Vanir usually travel light due to unnecessary weight making it harder to fly. They rarely carry anything other than a canteen in which contains some ylf and an implement with which to defend themselves. In order to be as light as possible, it is a common practice for both males and females to completely shave their head. It is a sign that you are well off amongst the Vanir if you have hair.
Of a more interesting note are their eye runes. Encircling the Iris of each eye are a variety of glyphs of different shapes and size. There is no set number of glyphs per eye and the number varies from person to person. The purpose of these runes are completely unknown. Are they genetic? Are they tatooed on? Do they denote hiearchy within the Vanir culture? Are they magical and help boost their vision? No one knows for sure except for the Vanir.
Culture and Personality
The Vanir are unlike any other speices on Aenster Derrum, whome the Vanir refer to as the Fenir, not only in their looks but also their personality. The Vanir value ingenuity and beauty above all else. It is for this reason that they live beneath the surface amongst the machines that keep the spheres afloat. They regard the contraptions with a sort of reverent awe. They enjoy concocting riddles, tongue twisters, and puzzles that confuse and befuddle the operator. However the virtue they extoll the most is simplicity. For them, the shortests distance between two points is a straight line. But this does not correlate to easiness however. While simple and plain, their puzzles and riddles are deceptively difficult. The knots that would take hours for a Fenir to undo simply unravel in the hands of a Vanir child. Puzzles that are simple to them perplex even the scholars.
However despite this, most Fenir regard the Vanir as mere pests. Vanir have been known to steal food from kitchens, particularly sweets. However, they are picky about what they will choose. The frosting from a cake. The chocolate chips from a cookie. They will often leave behind a small trinket, such as a spring or a metal contraption, in payment for the food. However as most of them travel light, they will make do with what they can procure on site. Jamming a lock. Reorganizing the spices. Tying a tricky knot in a length of rope. As such, they are hated by most cooks who do not understand what they are doing.
Most Vanir have an intense fear and hatred for most Rahi. As the Vanir are a rather weak race, they prefer flight to fight. Communities have few if any weapons and as such they house high above ground where normal creatures can not reach. Recently, kitchens have started keeping around small pet Rahi in order to keep the Vanir from stealing their desserts.
The native language of the Vanir is all but incomprehensible to regular Fenir. It is a spoken rapidly and most have trouble keeping up with it. It is not uncommon for them to say whole sentences in less than a second. Some Vanir have learned to speak the tonue of the surface dwellers, but many find it cumbersome and unweildy. As such they often momentarily switch back to their tongue when speaking to others. Somethimes a word. Sometimes whole paragraphs. The Vanir have not made any move to teach the Fenir their language as most regard them as too foolish and their tongue too slow to learn it.
The senses of a Vanir are sharp, but it has nothing to do with genetics or superiority. From an early age, the children are taught and trained in their senses. By the time they have left adolesence, their senses are just as sharp enough to note the slightest chagne in pitch, the smallest difference in texture, and the most minute difference in taste, and the tinniest shift in color. They only improve from there. To speak of a Vanir's senses in a deragotry manner is the ultimate insult in their culture. To do so not only will you call into question what they esteem but also the training of his or her family. One would do wise to watch how he talk's about a Vanir's senses while they are around