[366 Days of Monsters] Day 199/366 - Nymph

For years, artists have attempted to capture images of nymphs in their work. The trouble is, the beauty these fey creatures exude is impossible to accurately describe. Much in the same way that the worst aberrations from Aspaeth are said to be unspeakable horrors, nymphs are beyond mortal words and ideas. Even celestials and other fey who are unaffected by such charms are only able to use non-euclidean mathemetical concepts, random noises, and familiar smells to describe nymphs. And it's not like those descriptions help pierce through the vagueness. (Note that the image above is not a nymph, but a dryad who wasn't pleased with having its portrait painted.)

The best we can do, then, is offer this description: they're beautiful. If you ask someone attracted to females what they look like, they will describe them as the most beautiful female they've ever witnessed (as they're wiping the blood from their eyes). If you ask someone attracted to males what they look like, they will describe them as the most beautiful male they've ever witnessed (blood from the eyes, etc.) Like most things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Nymphs are almost exclusively found away from civilized areas in quiet, eldritch groves, desert ruins, or even swamps. Some Pexian aberrationists believe that their fey magic warps the areas in which they live, imbuing it with exceptional beauty. The Fey Hunters of Rasgath argue the opposite—they believe that nymphs absorb the beauty from nature, leaving it unattractive in their wake.

Regardless, nymphs are sought by sages and adventurers for their knowledge of secrets. Whether it's the location of a fabled artifact, the entrance to a long, lost city, or the name of a fiend, nymphs are easily the best source for such information in all of Omeria.