Scintillavir
Michael MacWolff
Cryptologic Name: Mikromageia scintillavir
Planar Origin: Materia
Habitat: Various
Diet: Manavorous
Appearance & Morphology
Scintillavir, also known as splinterfolk, are small creatures with wispy, colorful bodies in a variety of hues. Their heads are unique to each individual often resemble something related to their provenance (a topic that will be discussed in the next section). These creatures are semi-corporeal, as they are essentially a coalescence of mana with a spark of consciousness, but they can manipulate the mana that makes up their bodies in order to become more or less solid, such that they can interact with the material world as they desire. Furthermore, they can alter their shape and form in a variety of ways, though they are most commonly seen as humanoid in appearance.
Behavior & Magical Abilities
Scintillavir are purely magical in origin, and as such do not reproduce biologically. Each individual springs to life from something small that is imbued with magical energy; these are referred to as the scintillavir’s “provenance.” The provenance is generally a small piece or amount of something, and can be nearly anything which contains mana. Often when a piece of a magical object or creature is split off from the main body, it retains some of its magical power, and these small fragments of magic can come to life as scintillavum. It is unclear why only small slivers of magic can become alive in this way, as much about how these creatures come to be is still a mystery, but we do know that it is a rare phenomenon.
The provenance of a scintillavum is often incorporated into their being or effects, depending on the nature of said provenance. For example, a scintillavum birthed from the ceramic chip of a teacup, that chip might become a part of the scitillavir’s body or perhaps they will turn it into some sort of jewelry to wear. Not all provenances are physical objects, however, so they can manifest in other ways as well. A stray moonbeam which spawns a scintillavum may manifest itself as a pale glow emanating from their body which changes with the phases of the moon.
Splinterfolk can sustain themselves by continuing to absorb mana from their surroundings, and can also manipulate mana that is similar to that which spawned them. Because each provenance is different, this means each individual has unique magical abilities.
As you’ve gathered by now, splinterfolk are a very diverse group of beings because their magical origins are so varied. It should come as no surprise that the range of personalities and behavior patterns can be wildly different between individuals, and that the nature of their provenance has a great impact on their temperaments and identities. One common ability scintillavir all seem to possess is the ability to communicate. They do not explicitly have a language (though a few whose origins were closely tied to language can speak and/or write in a collection of languages related to their provenance), but they can communicate thoughts and feelings telepathically. It can take some time to learn how to interpret them, but these unique little creatures can have quite a lot to “say” when they find someone who is willing to listen.
Field Notes
Because they don’t reproduce biologically, scintillavir are sexless. They do, however, often express gender as part of their identity. While it is unclear why exactly this happens, I believe splinterfolk are impacted by human perception (or the perception of other sentient beings in their vicinity). While this is still only a theory, it might explain why these creatures often choose humanoid forms, and why they tend to surround themselves with things that we would connote with their provenances.
As these delightful creatures are so varied in characteristics, personalities, and powers, I’ve decided to keep a catalogue of all the individuals I’ve met in my tenure as a cryptozoologist. You can find that record HERE
