Bees were born millions of years ago on Gondwana. They began as flying, stinging hunters, splitting later into more aggressive wasps. But then, the more gentle pollinators evolved, bringing us the Apidae family: the bumblebees. Forming a relationship with flowering plants, the cute, fluffy bugs soon caught the attention of fae.

Fae felt a sort of kinship towards bumblebees, as humans may towards dolphins. You are not related, but you do similar things, which makes you feel like family. Soon, fae began domesticating bumblebees, using them for gardening and honey. Then, they had an idea. Through complex rituals and magical engineering, the fae (under the elf, Canridamas) created the first Messenger Bees, imbuing them with the ability to predict events and communicate through color-coded signals. Essentially, they became pets and living notification systems.

Animals of superstition

Messenger Bees are a type of organism known as an AOS: an Animal of Superstition. AOS' are magically engineered animals linked to omens and foresight. They are the origins of superstitions, old wives' tales, and expressions. Some AOSes are linked to danger (Red AOS) or fortune (Green AOS), but Messenger Bees are generally inconsequential and part of everyday life, a Blue AOS. All Animals of Superstition are creations of ancient fae.

A product of advanced technology, Messenger Bees were experimental bumblebees programmed with new behaviors and organs, like a minor well; wells are organs responsible for AOS' supernatural characteristics and generate energy known as magic.

Minor AOSes are living tools generally used for three purposes:

1) Helping with repetitive or mundane tasks;

2) Communicating;

3) Generating and harvesting magical energy.

As creating an AOS consumed vast resources, took at least a century, and required great sacrifice, most AOSes are minor (having only diminutive magical potential energy); for many, the cost of moderate and major wells for more powerful creations was too high.

the Golden Age of Messenger Bees

Messenger Bees were once common wherever fae resided (courts, kingdoms, and rings), as well as in the wild. They alerted their keepers and friends of the weather, possible dangers, and the arrival of visitors, glowing one of many colors connected to a singular meaning. Some fae altered the bees further, customizing them with unique color codes and signals, sometimes for fun, but predominantly for privacy or secrecy.

Fae families took great pride in their apiaries, carefully tending and breeding colonies. It is somewhat comparable to the explosion of dog breeds brought about by human domestication of the canine.

Then came the humans

As fae civilizations declined, apiaries lost their keepers, and hives were soon abandoned. The bees returned to the wild, though domestication left them less resilient and able. Facing predation from magic-eating creatures and collectors, their populations took a dramatic decline. Over time, the insects evolved, discarding their magical properties for more useful ones. The Queen Bees, however, retained their magic; they were safely hidden inside their colonies and could cause their denizens to glow, if they so chose.

In the millennium that followed, humans discovered Messenger Bees and their odd queens. The queens, sensing a potential keeper, began to move closer and closer, forming a symbiotic relationship with rural communities; these humans, in turn, grew to understand the bees' colors, seeing their patterns and gleaning messages from them. Families throughout eastern North America became adept at attracting and keeping Messenger Bees. In exchange for food and protection, the bees improved their crop yields and provided weather forecasts.

the Age of Superstition

By the 17th and 18th centuries, Messenger Bees were well-integrated into the lives of farmers and mountain folk. Manuals and almanacs even included care guides and common message colors or codes. As attitudes towards magic soured, so did opinions on Messenger Bees.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a wave of anti-magic sentiment swept through the country. Stories of malevolent spellcasters and dark magic fueled fears and led to widespread paranoia. Even Messenger Bees became targets, symbols of witchcraft, associated with malicious creatures, like Wicks, and black magic; many believed they were signs of the demonic, offering keepers up for witch trials. Countless hives were destroyed, and hive-keepers murdered. The Messenger Bees suffered yet another loss; their numbers dwindled as they struggled to survive and evade those who sought to eradicate them.