Water Babies

Seen as evil spirits that steal human children and pull mortals into lakes and rivers to drown them, in the legends that they figure in, the water babies have to deal with the mistrust and misinformation of others constantly. It's true enough that they steal away human children, but only those who have been abandoned, orphaned or abused. They also will sometimes drown certain mortals, but only those that have despoiled the waters that the water babies protect, or those who have commited crimes against children. Water babies are able to breathe underwater, and allow those touching them to breathe there also. Also, when a water baby chooses to take vengeance on someone, their strength increases to help them pull the victim in the water and drown them. If the intended victim is actually innocent, their strength will not increase, and they will know that they are mistaken, and will release the victim. Water babies are dependent on water, and if they are kept from immersing themselves in a water source for morethan two days, they will begin to die. In their fae miens, water babies appear androgynous (legends indicated that all water babies were female because of this), have silvery eyes, webbed hands and feet, and gills.