Location and General Information
The Portunes are a type of faery found almost anywhere where farmland is present, though more often in rural areas as the owners of farmland around cities are less friendly to creatures of magic.
Description
The Portunes look like old men with long beards that they tie around their necks when working and have abnormally large ears. They often wear coats covered in pockets, presumably for keeping the strange things they find on their journeys. They are roughly the size of a finger in height, however the record height for a Portune was two and a half fingers (a Barthum Mugnus, who died at the age of twelve-hundred and seven; his name was given to him by a farmer that thought he looked remarkably like his deceased grandfather). Sometimes they have extra large noses instead of ears, but this is very rare. They are remarkably friendly during the day and helpful. At night, however, they become a nuisance, unable to resist engaging in acts of mischief (such as leading tired travelers into ditches or ponds, and other such cruel, but relatively harmless activities). As such, they are often locked up at night by farmers; the Portunes don’t like it, but they usually forget about it when the sun rises.
Magic
The Portunes don’t technically have any magic to speak of. They are exceptional gardeners and are of great use to farmers who need a little extra hand in the fields. Whether this is just a natural talent or actual magic isn’t exactly known. The only magical thing about them, if one must have something to say, is that they live an average of four-thousand years.
Creation
Mud is the life force of the Portunes. That’s where they are born and that’s where they like to sleep. Humans who see Portunes regularly are always surprised by how clean they are, and they should be, for Portunes never shower; they are just naturally clean. During the fall of every year, just when the rains start to kick in, new Portunes appear from the mud, growing like little weeds until they are whole and can walk. Humans have to be careful of them from time to time because they have a tendency to grow on roads and it’s considered a bad omen to kill a growing Portune, knowingly or not.
Culture
The Portunes have a simplistic culture that revolves entirely around the farmlands they live in. Because they are mischievous at night and hard workers during the day, they don’t really have the time to come up with anything on their own, so they follow their human “friends” as best they can, mimicking them during the day. This becomes a bit of a joke among humans who find it rather funny to see the little creatures trying to act the part of housewife or farmer.
