Faerie dragon

Faerie dragons (also known as sprites, sprite darters, blink dragons, fey dragons, fae dragons, or fey drakes ) are diminutive, intelligent creatures that look like flying lizards (much like a chameleon with butterfly wings). Though not actual dragons, these mystical looking creatures police the Emerald Dream from magic. As such they are immune to magic.

The night elves used fey dragons, including Flicka, against the Horde in the War of the Thorns, and Moon Priestess Lasara used the Altar of Elders to transform Alliance players into faerie dragons at the Battle for Darkshore.

Background
The faerie dragons of Ashenvale are known for their playful demeanor, seemingly disappearing on a whim. The more mischievous ones will often materialize out of nowhere to save their allies, or simply to mock their foes. One wouldn't know it from looking at them, but the lovely faerie dragons can be truly fearsome if trained properly. They can do amazing things to magical energy: absorb it, redirect it, even nullify it entirely. They're nearly harmless alone, but in large numbers, they can have a stunning effect on a battle. Faerie dragons can speak, but few of them choose to do so. The faerie dragons that dwell near Nordrassil in Mount Hyjal can see through enemy illusions. They are quite intelligent and able to speak, albeit with broken grammar.

This creature resembles a dragon in some respects, but feathery antennae sprout from its head and its wings are moth-like. Its turquoise scales shimmer in the sparkles that dance from its body. It turns its head to look at you with a beady black eye before emitting a small keen. They have a powerful natural defense against magic and the unique ability to phase out of reality. Their defense seems to work by the dragon encasing itself within a strong energy shield that repels most magic and conventional attacks. While in this form they can siphon the unused magical energy wasted in basic spell casting, and then focus, amplify, and direct it back at the unfortunate caster in a sort of "feedback" attack. This ability is very powerful but requires a great deal of effort, and can only be used sporadically, requiring the dragon to rest between uses. For this reason, the faerie dragons often travel in packs.

After the second invasion of the Burning Legion, Malfurion Stormrage summoned faerie dragons from the Emerald Dream to help purge the night elf forests of demonic magics. The creatures were also briefly called into service during the night elves' hunt for Illidan Stormrage. However, the faerie dragons were not part of the actual military hierarchy of the Sentinels. The faerie dragons and chimaera are simply somewhat intelligent animals with ties to the Emerald Dream and Nordrassil, respectively. These beings all assisted the night elves not due to a desire to help them in particular, but because the night elves were the largest local force who opposed the Burning Legion. Short of a planetary threat, it is rare to see mountain giants, faerie dragons or chimaera fighting with a mortal army. In any case, the vast majority of the faerie dragons have since returned to the Emerald Dream, with only a few populations left on Azeroth.

Locations
The only large population left on Azeroth is located in the untainted forests of Feralas. Many also live in Ashenvale. However, they seem to lack the powers that a normal dragon has, possibly attributed to their lack of connection with the Emerald Dream. The Grimtotem tribe of tauren has recently been endangering the group in Feralas, capturing them for experimental use. There have also been reports of the faerie dragons in the Talon Den in Stonetalon Mountains. It is likely that when the druids of the den awoke from the Emerald Dream, the dragons came with them in some way. One notable is Nal'taszar.

These creatures have also been found in Dire Maul's west wing. It appears in their instinctual duties of policing magic, these hapless dragons wandered into the wing in an attempt to disrupt the corrupting energies pulsing through the ruins, but fell prey to the ghostly Highborne and now serve them as pets. One faerie dragon can also be found in the Barrens, inside the Wailing Caverns. Altered by the Emerald Nightmare, this one is called a "Deviate" Faerie Dragon. It counts as a rare boss, with players having a small chance of encountering it when visiting the dungeon.

Faerie dragons can also be found in the Whispering Forest in Tirisfal Glades, where they converge around the mushroom ring at regular intervals to sing to one another, lighting up the forest with their strange ritual. Some can also be found in Mount Hyjal, the Blade's Edge Mountains, and even in Pandaria. The of an alternate Draenor's past also features wild faerie dragons, found on the Shimmer Moor.

Draenor
Enormous faerie dragons are also found in on the alternate Draenor, where they serve as mounts for the draenei. Many of them dwell in the Shimmer Moor, and the Draakorium is a draenei town where the dragons are raised and trained to become mounts.

It is unknown how there can be faerie dragons on Draenor, considering the fact that the Azerothian faerie dragons are closely tied to the Emerald Dream, which was created specifically for Azeroth.

As a mount
The Enchanted Fey Dragon is available from the Pet Store for $25US or €20/£17 and requires a Battle.net account to receive.

As a companion pet

 * Sprite Darter Egg is a rare world drop in Feralas.
 * Nether Faerie Dragons can be captured in pet battles around Dire Maul in Feralas.
 * Sun Darter Hatchling drops from the Oddly-Colored Egg in the Caverns of Consumption in Winterspring.

In the RPG
Faerie dragons are not related to true dragons, though they share similar traits in appearance. They are mystic creatures that protect the Emerald Dream from hostile magic, occasionally they join their night elf allies in Azeroth's battles as well. Faerie dragons are thought to be unable to speak.

Gallery

 * World of Warcraft