Stillwater Broth with Faded Fungus 77

From: Silent Veil Polypore 42

Description: A clear, very pale consommé or broth, almost colorless or with a slight greyish tint from the polypore. It is served warm and is notable for its almost complete lack of discernible aroma and an incredibly subtle, clean, and pure taste that is hard to define – some describe it as tasting like “quiet water” or “cool air.” Thin, translucent slices of the Silent Veil Polypore float gently within.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized fresh Silent Veil Polypore [42], sliced paper-thin.
• 4 cups pure spring water or clear vegetable/bone stock made from very neutral ingredients.
• A tiny sliver of Moon-Pearl Onion (an onion with a very mild, almost sweet flavor).
• A single, unbruised sprig of “Still-Leaf Herb” (a Saṃsāran herb known for its calming, non-aromatic properties).
• A few grains of crystal salt.

Tools:

• Sharp slicing knife.
• Cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid.
• Ladle.
• Fine sieve (optional, for extra clarity).

Process:

• Prepare Ingredients: Slice the Silent Veil Polypore [42] as thinly as possible; the slices should be almost transparent. Finely mince the tiny sliver of Moon-Pearl Onion.
• Gentle Infusion: In the cooking pot, combine the spring water/stock, minced onion, and the sprig of Still-Leaf Herb. Bring to a very slow, barely perceptible simmer over low heat. Do not allow it to boil vigorously.
• Add Polypore: Once the liquid is warm and gently simmering, add the paper-thin slices of Silent Veil Polypore [42] and the grains of crystal salt. Cover the pot tightly.
• Steep: Remove the pot from the heat (or keep it on the lowest possible heat setting if using magically regulated heat) and allow the polypore to steep in the warm broth for at least 20-30 minutes. The goal is a gentle infusion, not active cooking, to preserve the fungus’s subtle properties. The broth should remain clear.
• Serve: Gently ladle the warm broth into bowls, ensuring each serving receives some of the translucent polypore slices. The Still-Leaf Herb sprig is usually removed before serving.

Resulting Magical Effect & Roleplay: Consuming Stillwater Broth [77] induces a profound sense of inner calm and quietude. For roughly two hours, the consumer feels mentally “quieter,” their thoughts less racing, and their emotional responses more muted and composed. External noises might seem less jarring, and the urge to speak or engage in busy activity is lessened. It’s a broth favored by those seeking to meditate, focus on intricate mental tasks without distraction, or simply find a moment of deep tranquility. It doesn’t directly make one physically unnoticeable to others in an active way, but the induced state of quiet composure can lead to them being less likely to draw attention through agitated behavior or loud speech.

• Positives: Excellent for mental clarity, meditation, or calming frayed nerves. Helps in maintaining composure under pressure. The food itself is incredibly light and easy to digest.
• Negatives: The deep calm might border on lethargy or apathy if a more energetic response is needed. The taste is so subtle it can be unsatisfying for those seeking robust flavors. The lack of aroma might make the meal feel incomplete to some.

Lore: Long ago, monks of the Shrouded Tranquility Covenant discovered that a simple broth could mirror the mind’s deepest calm. While tending silent groves in the Veiled Vale, they observed how the Silent Veil Polypore’s translucent caps faded into the still waters of hidden springs. By steeping those paper-thin slices alongside a single sprig of Still-Leaf Herb and Moon-Pearl Onion in pure spring water, they crafted a clear consommé that seemed to capture the very essence of quiet. Tales claim that during the Rite of Inner Reflection, each sip guided novices into a meditative state so profound that even wounds ached less and whispered voices of doubt fell silent.

Tier 1 Stats

• Tier: 1
• Rarity: Common
• Type: Consumable (Food/Brew)
• Weight: 0.5 lb per serving
• Cost: 8 gp
• Use: Consume (1 action)
• Duration: 2 hours
• Cooldown: One serving per long rest

Slot: Belt Pouch (holds up to 3 servings) – each flask counts as one miscellaneous item slot

Temporary Skills Gained (for duration)

• Trained in Insight checks
• Trained in Arcana checks
• Advantage on Concentration saves

Passive Magic

• Aura of Still Waters – Allies within 10 ft gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Will saves against fear or confusion effects.
• Mental Clarity – You remember any information studied or read within the last hour with perfect accuracy.
• Calm Aether Flow – Regain 1 additional hit point at the end of each short rest if you have not taken damage since your last meal.

Active Magic

• Inner Reflection – As a free action, enter a meditative state: for 1 minute, you gain resistance to psychic damage and a +2 bonus to Insight or History checks.
• Memory Surge – Once before the brew ends, reroll one failed Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based check; you must use the second result.
• Emotional Shield – As a reaction to being targeted by a mind-affecting effect, you gain immunity to that effect for the next 10 minutes.

Tags: broth, consumable, tranquility, meditation, clarity, fungal, tier-1, common, aetheric, calming, mental-calming, insight-infused, concentration-aid, tranquility-brew, serene-essence, clarity-sip, aether-balance, reflective-elixir

In Saṃsāra the Stillwater Broth with Faded Fungus [77] appears on menus ranging from humble inns to exalted meditation halls. Each venue offers its own ambiance, purchase method, and price point:

• Wayfarer’s Hollow Inn: A modest roadside tavern just off the caravan trail, where weary travelers seek simple nourishment and a quiet corner. Stillwater Broth is offered alongside stew and flatbread. Patrons order by sliding a copper token stamped with the inn’s crescent‐moon mark across the wooden counter. Cost: 5 gp per bowl.
• Merchant’s Reflection Teahouse: A mid-town establishment in river-docked Veridale, styled with low tables, floor mats, and tranquil water features. Broth is served in shallow porcelain bowls after selecting it from an illustrated menu scroll. Payment is handled by placing gold or credit‐bars on a lacquered tray. Cost: 8 gp per serving.
• Stillwater Sanctum: A secluded monastic dining hall attached to a shrine of silent contemplation. Visitors request the broth at an oil‐lamp–lit counter after offering a small service (scribing three lines of verse in the monastery’s guest ledger) or depositing 3 gp into the donation chest. Those who complete a short guided meditation receive it without payment.
• Luna’s Aether Spa & Dining Pavilion: A luxury airship-port restaurant renowned for combining fine cookery with restorative aetheric treatments. Broth is presented in crystal chalices under aether-lit canopies, accompanied by a guided breathing ritual. Reservations require advance payment of 12 gp plus one “aether‐charge” token (obtained from the spa’s reception).
• Coral Grotto Subaqueous Café: An underwater restaurant in the Glass-Dome Reef City, where patrons dine seated on submerged platforms. Broth arrives in sealed bronze bowls passed through water-lock hatches. Payment is in shell-coins or standard gp; merchants sometimes accept rare clam pearls as barter. Cost: 10 gp or one polished pearl.
• Sky-Loop Spice & Broth Caravan: A drifting hot-air balloon eatery that tours the aether-currents. Serving bowls of broth with a side of spiced rice crisps, they sell “meal tickets” at ground bazaars before departure. Cost: 7 gp per ticket, or 10 gp if purchased aboard after take-off.

Roleplay in different environments:

• Battle-Scarred Ramparts
  • Defense: Before the walls quake under trebuchet fire, the captain and her officers sip Stillwater Broth in the command tent. Their minds settle like a deep pond—fear’s tremors fade, replaced by measured resolve. When enemy volleys shatter the air, they issue orders without hesitation, their voices steady as they rally the archers and reinforce breach points. Under pressure, they shrug off panic, standing firm even as smoke and screams swirl around them.
  • Offense: As dawn breaks, the captain calls for only the most critical stones to be hurled. Guided by quiet clarity, she pinpoints the weakest sections of the besiegers’ siege towers. Her orders slice through the chaos, her calculated target selection felling a tower’s wheel with uncanny precision, tilting the balance of the siege.
• Vaulted Arcane Repository
  • Defense: A scholar-mage exploring a silent hall of spell-scrolls pauses to drink the clear broth. Her thoughts still like polished crystal. When a warded glyph flashes to life, intent on disrupting her focus, she weaves her counter-chant without missing a beat, the mental shield granted by the broth softening the mental lurch of arcane backlash. She steps backward unshaken, ready to repel further surges.
  • Offense: In the same silence-cloaked vault, she studies a complex runic array. Under the broth’s influence, she recalls a half-forgotten theory from her academy days. With precise arcane gestures, she redirects the ward’s energy back against the stone door’s locking runes—each motion crisp, each calculation exact—cracking the barrier open on her first try.
• Opulent Merchant Court
  • Defense: Negotiations at the marble-pillared trading hall become heated as rival merchants clash over spice routes. The envoy takes a discreet draught of broth before entering. His breathing slows, his heart steadies. When a rival’s cutting remark seeks to unsettle him, he remains composed, meeting the insult with thoughtful silence rather than brash retort. The envoy’s calm aura deflects the merchant’s aggression, turning the tide toward more polite bargaining.
  • Offense: As the council votes, he quietly cites obscure shipping statistics and precise risk assessments—details he recalls with perfect clarity thanks to the broth. His logical presentation dazzles the merchants, swaying the vote in his favor before rivals can muster their heated rhetoric.
• Sunlit Jungle Outpost
  • Defense: A scout stationed at a remote waystation drinks the soothing broth before his dawn watch. When predator calls echo through the mist, his nerves remain unshaken. He methodically loads his crossbow, listening for the faintest crack of twig. His steady hands and composed mind ensure his aim is true, protecting the camp from ambush without alarm spreading among the sleeping caravans.
  • Offense: Spotting a marauder slip toward the supply tents, the scout recalls the exact patrol pattern he planned before sipping the broth. He anticipates the thief’s shadowed path, stepping from cover and loosing a bolt that catches the marauder unawares—his strike born of quiet foresight.
• Aether-Powered Airship Deck
  • Defense: During a sudden engine flare in the cramped engine room, the engineer takes a careful sip of Stillwater Broth. As steam hisses and alarms blare, her thoughts glide free of panic. She refocuses on her gauges, rerouting power through backup conduits without flinching each time the deck shudders. Her steady composure prevents a cascade of failures that would have sent the airship plummeting.
  • Offense: Later, facing a rival pilot in a high-stakes sky chase, she uses the broth’s sharpened memory to recall precise wind-shear patterns encountered earlier. Calling out the optimal throttle adjustments over the comm, she maneuvers the ship through a narrow thermal corridor, overtaking her rival in a calculated, decisive burst.

Perception of Activation:

• User’s Perspective
  • Sight: The world seems gently sharper—edges of objects take on a faint halo of stillness, as if noise has been peeled away from each outline.
  • Sound: Distant clamor fades to a soft murmur; even nearby footsteps and voices recede into the background, replaced by an almost unheard whisper of silence.
  • Smell: The air takes on a clean, mineral chill—like inhaling mist over a hidden spring—overlaying any stronger odors with a note of pure calm.
  • Taste: A cool, water-clear flavor washes the tongue, leaving only a quiet emptiness, free of spice or sweetness.
  • Touch: A warm, soothing pressure settles in the chest and temples, as if unseen hands cradle the mind and steady the heart.
  • Extra-Sensory:
    • You feel the usual currents of anxious thought slow and flatten, replaced by a steady tide of inner calm.
    • Fleeting “ripples” of emotion in those around you register as distant echoes, no longer jarring or urgent.
• Observer’s Perspective
  • Sight: The drinker’s movements grow unhurried; their posture relaxes into a gentle ease, as though buffered by an invisible cushion.
  • Sound: Their voice, if they speak, emerges in measured tones that carry less urgency—each word seems chosen and soft.
  • Smell: A subtle trail of cool spring mist lingers around them, drawing faint curiosity rather than attention.
  • Touch: Anyone standing beside them might feel a light, almost imperceptible warmth radiating from their chest.
  • Extra-Sensory:
    • Sensitive aether-readers detect a low-frequency field of tranquility surrounding the drinker, dampening chaotic magical pulses.
    • Empaths perceive the drinker’s emotional state as a flatline of calm, blocking out spikes of anger or fear.
• Positives
  • Heightened mental focus and composure under pressure.
  • Advantage on willpower or concentration checks and saves against fear, confusion, or charm effects.
  • Enhanced recall of recently studied or observed information.
  • Allies within 10 ft gain a +1 morale bonus to saves vs. fear or psychic effects.
• Negatives
  • Apathy and lethargy: you may feel sluggish or slower to react in sudden, high-energy situations.
  • Disadvantage on Persuasion or Performance checks—enthusiasm and flair are muted.
  • Over-calm can feel isolating, as though your own presence has been dimmed.
  • Effect ends after two hours or if you take damage, potentially leaving you vulnerable once clarity fades.

Chronicle of the Stillwater’s Whisper

Behold, in the time when the moon’s pale face was yet uncounted by mortal coil, there dwelt a brotherhood clothed in silence, whose halls knew neither clang nor call. These brethren, who named themselves the Shrouded Tranquility Keepers, sought a bath of thought so pure that no sorrow might stain its surface. They spoke in hushed cadence of a glen where hidden springs gushed beneath ancient stones, and upon those waters, the Silent Veil Polypore [42]—the fungus of absence—would drift as pale ghosts.

A novice, called by the elder name of Mira-Faint-Voice, was sent to gather these ephemeral blooms. She crept beneath vaulting boughs, each step softened by moss and memory. There she found the polypore, its scalloped veils arrayed like sleeping feathers. She sliced its caps as thin as a whispered secret, folded them into the womb of a bronze cauldron filled with clear spring water, a sliver of Moon-Pearl Onion, and a single sprig of Still-Leaf Herb. With no heat fierce nor boil unruly, she let the vessel rest beneath moonlight and murmur, until the broth became more a spirit than a soup—so pale it might have been water drawn from a frozen cloud.

Returned to the Keep, she offered the broth at the dawn of the Rite of Inner Reflection. Each sip, it was said, washed the soul in stillness, washing away the tremors of doubt and the snarls of fear. In that hush, the Keep’s novices could walk upon sharpened marble without echo, write the script of lost dreams without falter, and hold counsel with ancient memories untroubled by longing. Yet the elders warned: “Beware the mirror of perfect calm, for some hearts may choose its stillness over the pulse of living flame.”

In later seasons, pilgrims carried the recipe beyond the covenant’s walls. Merchants tasted its quiet, scholars drank its clarity, and wanderers found homes in its composed embrace. Some drank it too deeply, and their footsteps fell silent forever; others shared it but once, returning to the roar of life with newfound courage.

Thus the tale endures through fractured glyph and battered scroll, passed by lips that tremble between speech and silence.

Moral of the story: Even the purest calm may cradle the soul—yet too deep a stillness can still the heart itself.

Suggested conversions to other systems:

Call of Cthulhu (7th Edition) – Stillwater Elixir

• Type: Consumable (Common)
• Effect: When imbibed, you gain a +20 % bonus to Psychology and Library Use rolls for 2 hours. Once during that time, you may reroll one failed Psychology or Library Use roll and take the new result.
• Side Effect: You suffer a –10 % penalty to Fast Talk and Persuade rolls while the elixir’s effect lasts.
• Limit: Only one dose can be safely consumed per 24 hours.

Blades in the Dark – Broth of Quiet Resolve

• Type: Tier 1 Common Consumable
• Effect (1 effect): Add +1 d to any single resistance roll to avoid being Shaken or to the Resist (Demoralize) roll.
• Aftermath: Suffer 1 Stress.
• Availability: You may carry one Broth of Quiet Resolve into each Score.

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition – Stillwater Broth

• Wondrous Item (Consumable), common
  • When you drink this broth, for 1 hour you gain:
    • Advantage on Wisdom saving throws.
    • Advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) checks.
    • A special Reaction: once before the hour ends, you can reroll one failed saving throw or ability check; you must use the new result.
  • Drawback: You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks for the duration, as your speech and manner grow measured and muted.
  • Use: The broth’s magic is expended on use; you can’t benefit from another Stillwater Broth until after a long rest.

Knave – Draught of Still Reflection

• Type: Consumable (Common)
  • Bonus: As an action, consume the draught. You add +1 d6 to one Action Roll to resist fear or to recall lore (knowledge checks) during the scene.
  • Reroll: Once before the scene ends, you may reroll any one Action Roll (of any type) and must take the second result.
  • Penalty: You suffer a –1 penalty to Deceive or other Social Action Rolls for the duration, as your words become unnaturally calm.
  • Duration: Effects last until the end of the current scene.

Fate Core – Broth of Still Reflection

• Type: One-Use Consumable
• Aspects:
  • Stillwaters Calm (Free Invoke, one use this session on any Mental roll)
  • Muted Tongue (–2 to Rapport and Deceive approaches while the brew’s effect lasts)
• Stunt:
  • Calm Recollection (Requires Stillwaters Calm): Spend a Fate point to reroll any single overcome action involving memory, investigation, or resisting mental pressure. You must accept the new roll.
• Refresh Cost: 0–1 (GM’s discretion)

Numenera & Cypher System – Stillwater Tonic

• Type: Consumable (Single-Use)
• Level: 1
• Effect: You gain a +2 bonus to task rolls involving Will saves, memory recall, or perception for the remainder of the current scene. Once before the effect ends, you may reroll one such task and must take the second result.
• Drawback: You suffer a –2 penalty to social tasks (Persuasion, Deception) until the effect ends, as your speech takes on a measured quietude.
• Cost: Approximately 10 credits (or equivalent barter)

Pathfinder Second Edition – Stillwater Broth

• Item 1; Price 8 gp; Bulk L
• Usage: Consume (1 action)
• Traits: Consumable, Common, Mental, Alchemical
• Effect: For 2 hours, you gain a +1 item bonus to Will saving throws and a +1 item bonus to Recall Knowledge and Perception checks. Once during that time, you can reroll one failed check that gains a bonus from this broth; you must use the new result.
• Drawback: You take a –1 circumstance penalty to Deception checks for the duration, as your demeanor grows overly composed.
• Craft Requirements: Alchemy Expert; ingredients include fresh polypore slices, Still-Leaf Herb, Moon-Pearl Onion essence

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition – Broth of Tranquil Mind

• Type: Consumable, Common
• Effect: The imbiber gains a +2 bonus to Smarts and Spirit Trait rolls when resisting fear, confusion, or recalling critical information until the end of the next scene (or up to 2 hours, GM’s choice). Once during this period, you may reroll any one Trait roll and take the second result.
• Drawback: You suffer a –2 penalty to Charisma-based Trait rolls (Persuasion, Taunt, Performance) for the duration due to your overly calm demeanor.
• Cost: 8 gp

Shadowrun Sixth Edition – Stillwater Calm Chem

• Type: Chem (Rating 1, Consumable)
• Availability: 3 (Street) Cost: 150 ¥
• Activation: Complex Action (ingest)
• Duration: 2 hours + 1 Complex Action
• Effects:
  • +2 dice to Logic + Willpower tests to resist fear, hacking attacks on the mind, or other mental effects
  • +2 dice to Intuition tests for perception, investigation, or memory recall
  • Once per dose, immediately reroll one failed Logic + Willpower or Intuition test; if that reroll also fails, you suffer –2 dice to all tests for the remainder of the duration
• Side Effect: –1 die to Charisma tests (Negotiation, Etiquette) while active
• Formulation: Conjuring 3 or Alchemy 2 Toxicity 1

Starfinder Roleplaying Game – Broth of Quiet Reflection

• Type: Consumable (Drug) Level 1 Price: 50 cr
• Activation: Standard Action (ingest)
• Usage: Single dose
• Duration: 2 hours
• Effects:
  • +2 morale bonus to Will saves and Perception checks
  • Once per dose, you may reroll one failed Will save or Perception check; you must use the new result
• Drawback: –2 penalty to Bluff and Diplomacy checks for the duration, as your speech becomes measured and subdued
• Preparation: Medicine 1 or Biology 1

Traveller (Mongoose 2nd Edition) – Elixir of Silent Waters

• Type: Chems (Consumable)
• Availability: Common Cost: 30 cr
• Activation: Immediate (ingest)
• Duration: 2 hours
• Effect:
  • +2 bonus to Willpower and Intelligence-based skill checks (e.g., Psionic skill rolls, Observation, Investigation)
  • Once per dose, reroll one failed skill check; you must keep the second result
• Side Effect: Endurance + Willpower vs. TN 12 or risk addiction; –1 on Leadership or Social skill checks while under effect
• Preparation: Chemcrafter 2

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition – Potion of Still Waters

• Rarity: Common Price: 1 gc
• Activation: Drinking the potion (Action)
• Duration: 2 hours or until the end of the current encounter
• Effects:
  • +10 % bonus to Will Power tests to resist fear, insanity, or terror
  • +10 % bonus to Perception tests to notice hidden threats or arcane clues
  • Once during the duration, reroll a failed Will Power or Perception test; if that reroll fails, suffer 1 level of Fatigue
• Drawback: –10 % penalty to Charm tests as your speech and manner grow overly calm and measured
• Contamination: 1