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=== Wickblood Mosquitoes ===

==== Origin: ====
Not natural.

These bloodsuckers are native to magically tainted marshes. Generations of exposure to alchemical runoff, necrotic plant life, and residual leyline seepage have altered their biology. They're still ''technically insects''—but barely.
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=== Physical Traits ===

* About 1.5x the size of a normal mosquito.
* Legs and wings shimmer with faint iridescence (a side effect of ley saturation).
* Abdomen is '''reddish-black''', bloated even before feeding. Some believe they feed not just on blood, but on '''essence'''—your emotional or magical aura.
* Emit a high-frequency '''click-whine''', too soft for adults to hear clearly but extremely irritating to young children and animals.

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=== Behavior ===

* '''Hive awareness'''—not quite a hivemind, but they ''coordinate''. If one finds prey, others follow.
* '''Avoid light''' unless absolutely necessary. Swarms usually emerge at dusk or just before dawn.
* '''Nest in insulation''', damp walls, crawlspaces, and inside vents. Use chewed-up mold, hair, and stolen cloth to line nests.
* Will bite once, then flee—but if their prey doesn’t react, they will return ''in increasing numbers''.

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=== Bite Effects ===

* Causes burning welts that last up to 72 hours.
* Some people (especially children or pregnant individuals) may experience:
** Low fever
** Vivid, often disturbing dreams
** Slight memory fog or confusion
* The bugs are '''drawn to magical bloodlines or fae ancestry'''—the more “different” someone is, the more intensely the Wickbloods target them.

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=== Lifecycle ===

* '''Eggs laid in moldy, warm places''', especially near slow drips or rotting wood.
* Larvae resemble short, red "threads" with flickering glow at one end—often mistaken for glowing mold or hair.
* They can reach adulthood in as little as '''2 days''' during high humidity or magical storms.
* Adults live for up to '''3 weeks''', unless they're fed regularly—then they can live nearly two months.

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=== Repellents / Weaknesses ===

* Strong winds or fans disorient them.
* Sage smoke, cedar oil, or ''certain wards'' drive them back.
* Iron and silver filings are avoided.
* One local myth suggests they won’t cross over blessed salt… but this only works temporarily.