THE ORIGIN OF STILLGLEAM

A Foundational Treatise on the World’s Primary Magical Substrate

1.0 Introduction: The Living Light of the World

Stillgleam is the foundational magical substrate of the world—a pervasive, non-sentient essence that permeates all matter, life, and memory. Though invisible to mundane senses, Stillgleam hums beneath reality like pressure in the air. It is the quiet engine of wonders, the wellspring of spells, and the subtle chorus that responds to will, symbol, and belief.

To practitioners, Stillgleam is not merely “energy.”
It is potential—raw, flexible, omnipresent potential.

When gathered, shaped, and released, Stillgleam becomes spellcraft.
When misused or left corrupted, it becomes the Spoil, a blight upon land and living things.

This chapter explains the nature of Stillgleam, how Adepts interact with it, and the consequences of drawing upon the world’s most primal force.

2.0 Nature of Stillgleam

2.1 Origin and Genesis

Stillgleam is inherent to reality. There has never been a time when it did not exist; in every age, culture, and cycle, it has served as the first cause behind magical traditions.

Though omnipresent, Stillgleam is:

• Non-sentient — it has no will or agenda
• Infinite — cannot be depleted
• Pervasive — exists in all environments
• Responsive — reacts to thought, symbol, action, and ritual

Stillgleam is sometimes modeled as a fluid, a breath, a lattice, or a chorus depending on cultural lens, but its behavior is universal.

2.2 Pure vs Tainted States

Stillgleam exists in two major states:

Pure Stillgleam

• Clear, unresisting, stable
• Safe to shape
• Naturally replenishing
• Supports flourishing ecosystems

Tainted (“Dirty”) Stillgleam

• Produced after spellcasting
• Turbulent, unstable
• Accumulates in stagnant pockets
• Causes:
• Soil decay
• Fungal blooms
• Hostility in animals
• Physical and mental mutation in extremes

A region overwhelmed by tainted Stillgleam becomes Spoiled, unable to sustain magic or life without cleansing.

3.0 Fundamentals of Stillgleam Interaction

3.1 Aura and Affinity

Two traits govern all interactions with Stillgleam:

Aura

Represents a being’s natural attunement.
Higher Aura → greater capacity for shaping.

Affinity

Represents resistance to Stillgleam saturation.
Lower Affinity → easier storage or enchantment.

Rules Summary

• Sentient Affinity = 10 – Aura
• Inanimate Affinity = 10 (unless changed)
• Vessels must be reduced to Affinity 0 to store Stillgleam

3.2 Capacity for Storage

Storage represents how much refined Stillgleam a vessel (person or object) can safely contain.

Inorganic Vessel Storage

(10 – Vessel Affinity) × Capacity

Organic Vessel Storage (Adepts)

Aura × Capacity

Where Capacity = average of Intelligence and Willpower.

This determines the maximum Stillgleam an Adept can manipulate at once.

4.0 Stillgleam Access and Gathering

4.1 Accessibility

Stillgleam is freely accessible in nearly all environments.

• Category: Freely Accessible
• Ease: Completely Accessible
• Manifestation: Ambient
• Availability Level: 10

Even in Spoiled lands, Stillgleam persists, but it is tainted and dangerous to draw.

4.2 The Gathering Ritual

Adepts draw Stillgleam through an hour-long meditative rite.

Gathering Formula

Stillgleam per Hour = Primary Trait + 15

Interrupted rituals yield half the result—Stillgleam is always partially responsive to a prepared mind.

5.0 Shaping Stillgleam: Preparation and Paradigms

5.1 Preparation Aspects

Shaping Stillgleam into a spell-like structure (a Paradigm) requires a blend of physical, mental, esoteric, and symbolic components.

Required Components

• Law of Contagion
• Solidification
• Shape Affinity
• Magical Language

Optional Enhancers

• Symbols
• Ritual gestures
• Material components
• Memory-commitment
• Concentration

Stillgleam responds especially strongly to symbolic resonance, the idea that meaning shapes outcome.

5.2 Solidification of Spells

A paradigm becomes “solidified” after being cast successfully 20 times, forming a permanent schema in the Adept’s memory.

Solidified spells gain:

• Reliability
• Enhanced potency
• Reduced preparation difficulty (-5)

Magic becomes second nature.

5.3 Memory and Paradigm Retention

Adepts can store a limited number of prepared paradigms in mental form.

Memory Capacity

2 × (Intelligence + Aura)

Paradigms must be recommitted to memory each morning, representing renewal of structure and intention.

6.0 Casting Effects

6.1 Spell Release

Paradigms are cast by releasing the shaped Stillgleam into the physical world.

• Casting time = Preparation time
• No fatigue unless stated
• Area, range, and duration are variable

All “pure” Stillgleam becomes “tainted” after release, unless the spell specifically prevents contamination.

6.2 Resistance

Targets may attempt:

• Active Resistance (Counter)
• Passive Resistance

Success dissipates or nullifies the incoming effect.

6.3 Tainted Release

Casting always creates environmental impact:

• Pure → Tainted
• Tainted accumulates
• Excess leads to Spoil

Even helpful spells have ecological consequences.

7.0 Stillgleam Province Structure

Stillgleam expresses itself through six Archetypes and six Dominions:

A combination of Archetype and Dominion defines the metaphysical structure of all possible paradigms.

8.0 Environmental Impact and Spoil

8.1 Mild Contamination

• Plants wilt
• Colors dull
• Animals grow irritable

8.2 Moderate Contamination

• Rot spreads
• Fever-dreams haunt the night
• Fauna mutate

8.3 Deep Spoil

Entire regions become hostile, often deserted or sealed.
Spoiled areas require massive rituals or coordinated societal efforts to cleanse.

9.0 Cleansing Stillgleam

9.1 Purify Stillgleam (Paradigm)

Purify Stillgleam

School: Creation / Spirit
Cost: 17 Stillgleam
Effect: Converts 100 tainted Stillgleam → pure per minute
Maintenance: Concentration Trial each minute

This paradigm is foundational in maintaining healthy regions, preventing magical fallout, and reversing Spoil creep.

10.0 Cultural Interpretations of Stillgleam

Though Stillgleam’s nature is universal, cultures interpret it differently:

Scholars see it as:

• A fundamental substrate of reality
• A measurable metaphysical “field”

Mystics view it as:

• Breath of the world
• A living light or proto-spirit

Animists treat it as:

• The memory of creation
• A resonance shared by all living things

Warlike peoples consider:

• Stillgleam as weaponizable essence
• Power to crush foes or defend borders

Spoil-worshipping cults believe:

• Corruption reveals “truth”
• Mutation is evolution

These interpretations often shape magical traditions, rites, and taboos.

11.0 Advanced Topics for the Game Master

11.1 Region-Level Stillgleam Balance

Each hex or region can track:

• Pure Stillgleam
• Tainted Stillgleam
• Spoil Threshold
• Cleansing Difficulty

A GM may introduce:

• “Spoil Surges”
• Mutation storms
• Faultline contamination
• Cleansing festivals

11.2 Stillgleam as Narrative Catalyst

Stillgleam contamination can create:

• Magical disasters
• Lost ruins
• Sorcerer-kings
• Tainted beasts
• Cursed forests
• Societal collapse

Or become the foundation for:

• Magical academies
• Guardian orders
• Mage wars
• Arcane technologies
• Ancient sealed places

Stillgleam is a perfect driver for quests and campaigns.

12.0 Summary

Stillgleam is:

• The universal magical substrate
• The source of all paradigms
• Both infinite and dangerous
• Responsive to will, symbol, and ritual
• Corrupted by use
• Restorable through cleansing
• A force shaping the world’s ecology, societies, and myths

This chapter establishes Stillgleam not merely as a mechanic, but as a living element of the world—a cornerstone of the Mythborne setting and its unfolding histories.