Nobles of the Waning Court - The beauty of ripe fruit blended with the dread within autumn’s long shadows, every noble of the waning court is a vision to behold. Black, pupilless eyes dominate their fine-boned faces while sharp teeth lurk behind plush lips. The faeries’ ears are pointed like an elf’s, but slightly shorter. This is due to the antelope-like horns spiraling from their temples, the base of which are riddled with red-stained honeycombs. Waning court nobles wear their hair long, often braided with bones and sticks, and is a color of fall leaves. Their skin tone can best be described as bloodless. Commonly, these fey wear leathers cured of eldritch animals, cloaks made from a nightmare or displacer beast pelts, black iron plates, and amber adornments with petrified insects within. Most find their mien more savage than aristocratic. Stray direflies are their constant companions, always buzzing cryptic prophecies as they crawl about.

Dedicated to the cultivation of direflies, hive crofters are a rare breed of waning noble. Their pock-marked horns grow thicker and shorter with time, arching back toward the nape of their neck to the point where they almost appear to be a helmet. Besides the bizarre horns, crofters can be identified by the staffs they carry which are made from a crystallized hive grown in that shape instead of steel or wood.

Swarm Sculptor. A crofter’s understanding of magic hangs on a lattice of arcane principles patterned off of direfly hives. Their gestures form hexagonal shapes, and the accompanying incantations are easily likened to buzzing insects. Thus the spells they cast are infused with an arcane afterimage of direflies. The burst of magic tears at the sanity of the target as crackling phantasms crawl over them, whispering fragments of forbidden knowledge.

Sinister Shepherd. The connection between a crofter, direflies, and hives goes deeper still. Direflies never attack a crofter and will go out of their way to defend them. The same extends to the monstrous honeycombed horrors . The ooze-like hives act like affectionate hounds for crofters. Often a crofter will help transition the horror into an actual hive within its charnel orchard. In times of war, however, they drive the horrors into enemy fortifications as living siege engines.

Hive Crofter

Medium Fey, lawful evil

Armor Class 15 (studded leather armor)

Hit Points 112 (15d8 + 45)

Speed 30ft

Str 12 Dex 16 Con 16 Int 11 Wis 18 Cha 14

Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +7

Damage Resistances lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons

Senses darkvision 120ft, passive Perception 14

Languages common, sylvan.

Challenge 5 (1800 XP)

Magic Resistance:

The fey has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Spellcasting.

The hive crofters's spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following druid spells prepared.

Cantrip: infestation, resistance, thornwhip

1st Level (4 slots): beast bond, entangle, faerie fire, healing word

2nd Level (3 slots):vgust of wind, healing spirit, spike growth

3rd Level (3 slots): conjure animals (swarms only), erupting earth

4th Level (2 slots): blight, giant insect

Swarm Eruption:

When the hive crofter casts a spell it may, as a bonus action, target a creature it can see within 30ft with a cloud of direflies. The creature must make a DC 15 Constitution save or suffer disadvantage on all saves and attack rolls until the end of the crofter’s next turn.

Actions

Infested Staff:

Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+3) bludgeoning damage and if the target is a creature it must make a DC 14 Constitution save, taking 18 (4d8) poison damage on failure and gaining the poisoned condition for 1 minute. On success, the target takes half damage and is not poisoned.e.

Reactions

Buzzing Shield:

When struck by an attack the hive crofter may use its reaction to have a swarm of direflies within 10 ft immediately move into its square and the damage the hive crofter takes from that attack is evenly split between it and the swarm of direflies. The movement of the swarm of direflies does not grant an opportunity attack.