Catalogue of Scintillavir

Below is a compendium of the know scintillavir I have encountered in my study of cryptozoology. Because each one is so unique, is seemed prudent to keep an ongoing list.

Admani, “The Dancing Flame”

Provenance: An ember from a ceremonial fire

Admani was born from celebration, and as such is a reveller through and through. He loves to dance with those who lit his spawning fire and brings passion to his every move and gesture.

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Alectryon, “Warrior of the Stone Gaze”

Provenance: A stone fragment from a petrified soldier

Alectryon has the soul of a warrior, and is thus a fierce fighter, highly skilled in the use of his spear and shield. His mount, Petra, is a cockatrice, the same type of beast which petrified the soldier from whose fragment he was born. While combat may be his main focus, he is also a reveler who enjoys nights by the bonfire and sharing wine with his comrades.

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Amphinome, “the Sea’s Bounty”

Provenance: A broken piece of shell from the crown of a mermaid princess

Amphinome is queen of a small, aquatic domain. The fragment of shell which spawned her, she now wears as a crown for herself. She often fluctuates in form between that of a merperson and that of a human, depending on her mood. Apparently the merprincess whose crown fractured to create Amphinome’s provenance was somewhat obsessive over the notion of becoming human herself.

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Anastasius, “the Drake Knight”

Provenance: A plume from a knight’s helm

Anastasius may be a knight of the realm, but he quite gentle at heart. He prefers quiet afternoons sitting by the pond with his stalwart mount, Guillermo, to fighting, but will readily take up his sword to defend his home and companions.

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Baphemy, “Lord of Ash and Bone”

Provenance: A chip of demon horn
Baphemy is one of many splinterfolk of demonic origins, and thus is one to be wary of. While he is not particularly violent, he has quite the penchant for arson, so you would do well to keep anything flammable away from him.

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Brana, “The Gaggle Valkyrie”

Provenance: A goose feather

Vigorous and valiant, Brana diligently patrols her native skies on her winged mount. Her steadfast companion, Sigrun, cares very much for her rider and the two fight fiercely together when the need arises. Sigrun brings the savagery of goose-kind to bear when her dear rider is injured, though this is a rare sight as Brana is quite skilled in the art of defense using her round shield.

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Briony, “The Blooming Meadow”

Provenance: A petal from the first flower to bloom in spring
Briony is as bright and cheerful as the flower which spawned her. She loves the bright colors of wildflowers and the warmth of sunshine on her face.

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Calico, “the Stitcher”

Provenance: Clippings of enchanted thread
Calico is one of the few scintillavir I’ve had the pleasure of a continued relationship with, as she was born in my very own workshop when I was enchanting thread to stitch a collection of protective spells into my clothing. Being born of thread, she is naturally a gifted seamstress, stitcher, and weaver. Having bonded over the craft, she has decided to stay in my workshop and now oversees it as her own domain.

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Castor & Pollux, “twin starshine”

Provenance: drops of distilled starlight
Castor and Pollux, adopting their names from the mythological twins of the gemini constellation, are curious and playful scintillavir. While both of the twins exude their own light they are also delighted by all other sources of light. Castor is the silver sibling and adopts a more femenine demeanor, while Pollux, the gold sibling, adopts a more masculine one.

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Celia, “the Sporesower”

Provenance: Spores from a magical species of mushroom
Celia can most often be found exploring the forest floor, among the moss, leaves, snails and soil. She is a friend to all living things who dwell there, plant, animal, and fungus alike. Celia delights in collecting spores from mushrooms she comes across in her wanderings, keeping them in the pouch she wears at her waist until she finds a good spot to sow them and grow new mushrooms across her domain.

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Corwin, “the raven-clad”

Provenance: a stray raven’s feather
Corwin is a friend to rooks, ravens, and crows. Born of their feathers, he can often be seen wearing a black cloak, which he uses to soar with his avian comrades. He can be a little dramatic at times, but mostly he is curious and playful, enjoying any time spent among his adoptive murder.

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Cybil, “the Farseer”

Provenance: A torn scrap of tarot card
Cybil is a master of divination, using her considerable talents to glimpse the possibilities of the future. She is skilled with a variety of different prophetic devices and will find methods suitable to the individual seeking her guidance. She is most well known for her use of tarot cards and seeking visions in her crystal ball, but has been known to read tea leaves and cracked bone as well.

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Droma, “The Raptor Rider”

Provenance: A fossilized claw

Both strong and resilient, Droma is a dweller of the wildlands where large and powerful creatures roam free. He is a skilled hunter of these beasts; with the help of his deinonychus companion, Mags, they can take down fearsome monsters many times their size.

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Düe, “the Moon Beast”

Provenance: A single acontium flower

Düe is as wild as the wolves he calls family. Reveling in the light of the full moon, the pack plays, hunts, and howls together. While he is generally curious and playful, Düe also has a fierceness not often found in scintillavir.

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emeric, “the Survivalist”

Provenance: A fragment of a wolf’s tooth

Emeric is most at home in the wildlands, preferring the sole company of his wolf companion, Aka, to the business of settled areas. Working in tandem they are skilled trackers and wayfinders, always having a strong sense of direction even in the deepest wilderness.

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Grey, “Master Steeper”

Provenance: A chip from an old ceremonial teapot

Grey is an expert in all things tea-related, and can prepare a perfect cup or pot no matter the blend he’s working with. He is also quite good at developing his own special blends and infusing them with his magic to produce a variety of effects within the drinker. Most are medicinal in nature but he has been known to brew something more unusual upon request.

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Gwylion, “the forest sage”

Provenance: a twig from an enchanted oak tree
Gwylion is both a dweller and scholar of the forest, delighting in befriending and learning all about the myriad flora and fauna who live there. She keeps a journal of those who meets, with sketches and notes from her many encounters. Gwylion also carries a pouch with treasures she finds on her wanderings. Seeds, mushrooms, feathers, and small bones are among her favorite items to collect. Her special pouch of goodies was made by a good friend and fellow splinterfolk, Calico.

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Harlan, “THE Deepwalker”

Provenance: A fragment of glowing crystal
Harlan is a splinterfolk very attuned to mother Earth, most at home surrounded by deep caverns of stone. You can always tell when he’s near because his magic resonates with crystals, causing them to glow.

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Hazel, “THE Gardener”

Provenance: A pinch of soil
Hazel is most at home when she’s surrounded by greenery, whether that’s out in her vast gardens or in her meticulously kept greenhouse. She delights in caring for plants of all kinds and loves meeting fellow garden enthusiasts.

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Jacques, “The Satndard-Bearer”

Provenance: A scrap from an ancient nation’s flag

Jacques is a knight in form and demeanor; while he is a capable contender on the battlefield, he does not often swing a sword for his company. Instead he serves as the standard-bearer, and he performs his duty admirably atop his styracosaur companion, Aldon. Despite his diminutive stature, Jacques’ magic allows his banner to be seen by his entire company even from across the theatre of war.

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Jaqueline, “THE Spook”

Provenance: A pumpkin seed
Jacqueline embodies the spirit of Halloween, and loves giving those around her a fright. She delights in all things eerie and those who share in her love of scares.

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Jerimoth, “The Necromancer”

Provenance: Bone dust from a reanimated skeleton

Jerimoth’s ghastly visage is indicative of the company he most commonly keeps: the dead. A skilled necromancer able to manipulate a myriad of skeletal constucts, he appears a grisly character. But despite his penchant for reanimating corpses, he is not a nefarious personage in the least. In fact, his constructs serve more often as servants than warriors.

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Kermit, “the Bayou-Dwelling Bard”

Provenance: Unknown

Kermit is a bit of an anomaly amongst the splinterfolk because he is unaware of the nature of his provenance. Still, he is a jovial character and a talented musician who often accompanies the choruses of frogs and birds who live in the wetlands he calls home. Few who hear his music can help smiling.

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Kian, “Of the Ancient Wood”

Provenance: A primordial acorn

Kian is one of the oldest known scintillavir, spawning from an acorn dropped from Great Grandfather Oak, an ancient tree spirit who is said to be the father of all the world’s forests. Kian is a wanderer and a guardian of the woods, and all thoe creatures who dwell amongst the trees know and respect him. He travels alongside a spirit beast named Oisin, who often takes the form of a brilliant white stag.

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Laguna, “Spirit of the Pond”

Provenance: A drop of water splashed out of a pond from a frog’s dive
Laguna is a carefree scintillavum, enjoying quiet afternoons in the cool water of his home pond. He is a great admirer of fishes and frogs, and has made friends with all his animal neighbors.

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Lluvia, “the spring rain”

Provenance: The first raindrop of spring
Though rain always follows Lluvia wherever she goes, it is a warm, gentle rain that breathes life into the earth upon which it falls. She loves watching plants sprout under her showers, and hear the frogs calling happily from their newly-filled pools.

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Lucas, “the Husk Warrior”

Provenance: A fragment of shed beetle carapace

Lucas is a skilled and powerful fighter, akin to the ancient warriors of the fallen kingdom of Hallownest. His sword has felled many a vicious monster in his extensive travels. Lucas affectionately refers to his stag beetle companion as “Jaws,” an apt name given the large, strong mandibles which he often uses to assist his comrade in battle.

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Melena, “The Apiculturist”

Provenance: A drop of honey

Melena is a kind and diligent splinterfolk, utterly devoted to the hives under her care. Her bees, in turn, are fiercely loyal and treat her as one of their own. The honey she collects (with the hive’s consent, of course) is a prized substance for its magical properties, but it is a commodity she does not part with easily.

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Pelleas, “the Defender”

Provenance: A shard from a holy knight’s sword
Pelleas is the picture of a knight, staunch and stalwart as the man whose sliver of sword became his provenance. While he may be small, he is strong and will take up arms to defend those whom he considers to be his companions.

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Posey, “The Fae-Touched”

Provenance: Spores from a fairy-ring mushroom

Posey is a cheerful and carefree character, often found admiring wildflowers or spending sunlit afternoons in the cool shade of toadstools. She often adopts the form of a faerie, as one of her favorite activities is dancing through the sky with her butterfly friends.

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Qadir, “The Lamp-Bound”

Provenance: A drop of oil

Qadir takes the form (and displays the magical prowess) of a genie, bound to a magical oil lamp which he inhabits. Unlike in most stories of djinn, he is not beholden to those who possess his lamp, but will freely grant boons to those with whom he has an affinity. Additionally, though his existence is tied to the lamp, this does not appear to restrict him in the traditional way, as he can use his magic freely and can move his lamp around at will.

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Roche, “The Dark Lurker”

Provenance: An urban legend

Roche is a nocturnal splinterfolk, preferring to avoid sunlight when possible. He tends to spend his days in tree hollows or shallow caves but loves exploring the wilds when the sun begins to set. His glowing red eyes have startled more than a few people hiking the woods at night, but this not his intention. Roche is actually a quite curious and playful creature despite his eerie appearance.

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Ronwe, “Lord of Blood and Wine”

Provenance: A drop of demon’s blood
Ronwe is one of many splinterfolk who have demonic origins. Even so, he is not one to be feared as he enjoys revels over violence any day. He does, however, have a penchant for making mischief, so it’s best not to get roped into his schemes.

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Ruprecht, “Artiste Extraordinaire”

Provenance: A splotch of magic paint

Ruprecht is an exceptional painter and is always working on his next masterpiece. He tends to favor landscapes and scenes from nature over portraits and still-life subjects. and will use his artistic talent as well as his magical abilities to bring his paintings to life.

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Saturn, “The Mothbound Aviator”

Provenance: Moth wing scales

Saturn is a free spirit who loves nothing more than the open skies and the feeling of wind on his face. He is a loyal companion to his moth mount, Phoebe; the two have little fear of birds or other flying creatures as Saturn’s magic allows them to fly and maneuver at incredible speeds. Saturn and Phoebe are intrepid explorers, travelling far and wide across the vast world.

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Serafin, “The Huntress”

Provenance: A bear tooth kept as a trophy by a veteran hunter
Serafin is a wild spirit born with a keen eye and a strong resolve. While she is a hunter at her core, she is also fiercely protective of the animals in her domain, recognizing the delicate balance between predator and prey.

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Trevais, “The Magpie”

Provenance: A small bell kept in a curious shop
Trevais is an explorer and collector. He loves travelling far and wide, collecting bits and bobs on his journeys to bring home to his nest. He is very fond of his myriad souvenirs proudly shows them to and visitors or passers-by.

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Venti, “The Afficionato”

Provenance: An enchanted coffee bean
Venti is an espresso expert, skilled at every stage of the process from growing coffee beans, roasting them, grinding, and brewing them to perfection. If you are a coffee lover, he is a good friend to have, as he’ll assure you are always properly caffeinated.

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A Primer on Planar Theory and the Nature of the Soul

Today’s topic, or really series of interrelated topics, are something that I am quite frankly underqualified to be discussing. So why am I including them in these notes? Well, because they do relate to the field of cryptozoology and are quite fascinating on the whole. And it will help those of you who are reading through my field notes, whether you are a mage or not, to understand a little more about the magical world (which presumably you have some interest in, or why would you be reading any of my writing in the first place?)

WHAT IS THE SOUL?

The nature of a creature’s soul is fairly complicated to explain in layman’s terms so I’m going to start with a more technical definition so as to put it as concisely as possible.
The soul is the etherial seat of the consciousness.

Ok you know what I started with the wrong topic, there’s another theory that needs to be discussed first for that sentence to make any kind of sense. [come to think of it, I’m probably going to have to jump between my three topics a fair bit since they’re all interrelated and understanding any of them is best served by understanding all of them to some extent]

PLANAR THEORY

The planes of existence are another fundamental theory required to understand the nature of the soul, magic, and the universe on the whole, thus we’ll start there. People call them by a variety of different names, “worlds,” “planes,” “realities,” "dimensions,” etc. but all refer to the same concept, that there are distinct universes existing alongside one another. Our multiverse contains more planes than I can possibly name, and more than we are, or likely ever will be, aware of in the history of our species; each plane has a distinct set of laws [by that I mean natural laws, not societal laws. For example: gravity, conservation of mass, thermodynamics, etc. Many planes share a lot of these laws, but honestly the material plane is rather mundane compared to some others we are familiar with, as many planes… you know what that’s not overly relevant to the current discussion, so allow me to attempt to steer myself back on course here]. The relevant planes today’s topic are two closely related ones: the material plane (the plane on which we live), and the ethereal plane, which exists adjacent our own and interacts with it in ways that may or may not be perceivable to us.

Note: When reading through my field guide entries, one of the first things included on each creature’s page is their planar origin. This refers to the plane that creature originated on. Eventually we may discuss planar travel and why we have creatures here that come from such a vast variety of planes on our own, but that is a topic for another day.

THE VEIL

The veil is another concept that is fairly important to understanding all of this. The veil is a barrier that exists between the material and ethereal planes. It is perhaps more precise to call it it a membrane because certain things can pass through it, which we will talk about later. [the phrase “lifting the veil,” or “drawing back the veil” is actually an ancient magus saying that meant to observe the secrets of magic, though nonmagical folk generally attribute it to the act of removing a cloth/shroud/curtain from something to reveal what is behind it, thus “exposing a secret,” but the original meaning was somewhat more literal]

SO… WHAT IS THE SOUL?

When I say that the soul is the ethereal seat of the consciousness, what I mean is that our consciousness does not exist purely on the material plane, it also exists on the ethereal plane. You can think of the soul as an organ that houses our consciousness and exists in between the material and ethereal planes (though it is generally thought to be rooted in the ethereal plane). Another potential way to think of it is a bridge between our material and ethereal selves, though the soul can also be said to be our ethereal self, but this is somewhat misleading as the soul is usually existing between the planes.

If you’re still not entirely clear on things (which this is a complicated topic so that would be entirely understandable), take a look at this crudely-drawn diagram and see if the visual helps make things any clearer.

I realize now that I mislabeled the material plane as “physical plane” please forgive this oversight and my lack of motivation to scribble another picture with the proper label.

I want to remind all of you that I am a cryptozoologist and not a scholar of planar theory so I am not the best qualified person to be explaining all of this, but I hope that at least gives you a very basic idea of what your soul is. If you’d like to read further I can recommend a number of books by accomplished scholars on these topics.

Note: I wanted to make a comment on terminology with respect to “soul” and “spirit.” You’ve likely heard the two words used interchangeably, which in most contexts you’re likely to have heard is not incorrect, but imprecise. Strictly speaking the word “spirit” applies to things rooted in the ethereal plane that interact with the material plane [a broader definition is used when considering species from outside our known biplane (referring to the material and ethereal plane) but that is not particularly relevant to this discussion, beyond the fact that spirits from outside these bounds have similar properties to those we classify as such here]. In contrast, a s”soul” is a more specific term referring to the ethereal seat of consciousness for beings native to the material plane. To demonstrate the difference, there are beings that are native to the ethereal plane which do interact with the material plane, and as such qualify as spirits without being souls. This is hardly an essential distinction in our topics of discussion today but should give some context for when I use those terms in the future. I will endeavor to use them appropriately.

Minima Identification: Gjøltrolds, Gnomes & Smurfs, Oh My!

I was recently sent an inquiry into the genealogical relationships and identification of gjøltrolds, gnomes, and smurfs. While I haven’t done a great deal of personal study on any of these species, I’m always one to encourage cryptozoological intreset and exploration, so I compiled some information to help answer these questions! Eventually I’d love to do a little more personal research on these three distinct creatures and put together field guide entries for them.

Before we get started I do want to make a note on gjøltrolds. While commonly referred to as “trolls,” I’m using their proper name so as not to confuse them with jöthurs (the large, grotesque, humanoid creatures that are closely related to orcs, jötunn, ogres, and goblins), which are also commonly referred to as trolls.

Taxonomy

There are a wide variety of small humanoid creatures, and not all of them are particularly closely related from a genealogical/taxonomic perspective. In the case of these three particular species, two of them are much more closely related than the third. Gnomes are actually members of the faerie phylum, meaning they are native to the fae realm along with faeries, sprites, leprechauns, and many other magical species (including many small humanoids much like themselves). Smurfs and gjøltrolds are both native to the material plane, and are very closely related, being two species within the same genus, Minima.

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Identification

While at first the task of differentiating between these three species of small humanoid creatures may seem fairly straightforward, there are quite a few similarities and given the variation between individuals, particularly among gjøltrolds, it can sometimes cause some confusion.

• Gjøltrold: The most distinctive feature of a gjøltrold is the magical gem that grows in their belly button; these gems contain magical energy specific to the individual and that energy can be accessed by the troll. This feature is only seen on this species, so if you see a belly-button gem, you definitely have a troll. Most trolls wear clothes, though, so you may not be able to see their gem if their midriff is covered. Gjøltrolds’ hair is another hint at their identity. Many of these creatures have brightly-colored hair in fairly wild styles. These creatures can actually control their hair as though it was an appendage, so that is another surefire indication that you’re dealing with a gjøltrold.

• Smurfs: Their blue skin is a good starting point but many trolls have blue skin as well, so it’s not a surefire method of identification. Smurfs one main morphological feature that makes them distinct from the other species in question, their stubby tails (similar to a rabbit’s).

• Gnomes: Gnomes are most easily identifiable by their beards. Neither trolls nor smurfs are known to grow facial hair (with the exception of the progenitor smurf, aka “Papa Smurf,” but because gnomes do not have blue skin, that should be an easy distinction.) In gnomish culture, beards are as symbol of age and status and as such are almost never cut, so the length of a gnome’s beard can give you an indication as to their age. And yes, female gnomes also grow facial hair as well, though culturally they tend to be a bit freer in their trimming and styling than the men. In addition, of the three species we’re discussing, they are the only ones to have a full set of 5 digits on each hand (assuming they haven’t had any unfortunate accidents), whereas gjøltrolds and smurfs only have 4.

While these notes do outline the morphological differences between these three species, I feel like I would be remiss not to mention the fact that all three of them are highly intelligent and can communicate. They do have their own languages but many who live on earth also know local human dialects, so when in doubt, you can always try asking them.