Architecture
If one wanders through the chaotic forests of the
Spring Court long enough, they might stumble upon small, pink crystals growing in old stones and patches of grass. Following this trail leads to larger and larger crystal formations, reaching knee height, then shoulder height, and finally ending in a circular clearing that's ringed by ten crystals, each twenty to thirty feet tall.
In the center of this clearing is a simple stone pedestal. When
Tek found the clearing, one of the orbs for
Queen Amaryllis' scavenger hunts had been set on top of it. The nine circumferal crystals are spaced evenly apart, and each has a flat, reflective side that's facing inward towards the podium, giving them a mirror-like effect.
There were no obvious runes or designs present in either the crystal or the pedestal, and even denizens of the Spring Court seemed unsure of where it came from or what it may have once been used for.
Effects
Dark Reflections
Locals to the area seem to think that the mirrors are cursed. Creatures that enter the circle tend to wind up dead along the borders of the crystal phenomenon. Apparently, the Queen has forbidden anyone from entering it for their own safety, and several dryads were surprised and alarmed to hear that someone placed an orb in the center of the crystal clearing at all.
The reason for their fear quickly became obvious. While investigating the area, the party was attacked by dark, shadowy copies of themselves, which seemed to spawn from unoccupied mirrors.
Squig was the only member of the party to not meet a dark double of themselves, perhaps due to his nature as a construct.
The shadowy creatures seemed to possess many of the skills and mannerisms that their real counterparts did, in addition to a resistence to falling prone, and an unnerving ability to drain vitality and strength from their victims. The party defeated the copies, but their victory left them with more questions than answers.
Planar Mirrors
Each of the "mirrors" seemed to reflect the viewer through the lens of a different
plane of existence. The party still isn't sure if these serve as doorways, communication portals, or simply unique viewpoints--but none of them are particularly keen to find out one way or another.
The Material Mirror
This mirror contained a fairly normal reflection. This was odd, as the actual background of the party looked anything but normal while they were in the feywild.
The Fey Mirror
The mirror reflected the actual world the party in, though colors were even sharper, things moved more than they should, and everyone looked slightly more dreamlike and whimsical.
The Ethereal Mirror
This mirror reflected a strange, grey world filled with a swirling fog. There were strange pools of multi-colored water on the ground, and in the distance one could see a castle - though it almost looked more like a watercolor painting than a building with physical depth. The party's reflections appeared wispier, more ethereal.
??
The party did not stop to look in this mirror due to the proximity of the celestial one.
The Celestial Mirror
Garrus saw himself reflected against a backdrop of a golden, cloud-covered world. He also saw a statue of
Ha'it sitting on a throne as he remembered him.
Tek saw himself reflected against a backdrop of a mossy swamp, with a headless figure (he later learned this was Ha'it) standing patiently on a patch of ground somewhere behind him.
Remmy saw an old library reflected in the mirror, and saw themselves wearing some kind of sword-shaped pendant necklace. The other two were surprised to hear that they didn't see anyone else in the mirror with them.
The Elemental Mirror
This mirror reflected back a strange and fluid version of the world, in which elements of the environment would slowly and constantly cycle between various forms - grass melted into a puddle, which evaporated into steam, which became an open flame, which sprouted back into grass, and so on.
Tek saw very little out of the ordinary about himself, but
Remmy saw themselves as something closer to a fully-fledged black dragonborn than their usual
half-dragon reflection.
??
This mirror was too chaotic to look at for very long. Their reflections seemed to vibrate and jitter as if threatening to fly into a million pieces, and the background was a mess of things colliding and scattering at violent speeds.
The Infernal Mirror
This mirror reflected
Remmy as a normal person, though they could tell that the background was some kind of throne room, with reddish walls and a number of bones strewn all over the floor.
Tek's reflection was of himself sitting on a throne, dressed in lavish clothing and appearing a little older. His horns were larger and his presence alone was powerful.
Garrus saw himself as a red-skinned demon warrior with black armor and a multi-eyed helmet resembling the one he'd picked out for himself for the
Monster Parade. They were surprised to learn that they could see each other reflected in this way, though Remmy couldn't see either of them.
Upon further inspection, Tek was also able to see that the throne he was sitting on had a carving along the side that matched the strange frescos he'd once seen in the
Lonely Hold, which depicted one army of monster-like creatures overtaking another. This was somewhat worrying, as the Lonely Hold was where Garrus had been imprisoned by demons for nine-hundred years.
As
tieflings, Garrus and Tek were able to ascertain that the mirror emphasized their demonic heritage, and was likely a lense of the
Infernal Plane.
??
This mirror seemed to show a place very different than the party's surroundings, filled with odd structures, angles, and colors, but it was hard to get a good look at it.
The Shadow Mirror
This mirror reflected back a dark and dysmal version of the world. Color seemed to be drained from everything. Plants appeared gnarled and ugly, and large, tattered-looking crows sat watching from tangled branches. A large, delapidated castle stood crumbling far in the distance.
Tek saw a version of himself that looked exhausted and haggered, and far more unkempt than he'd ever let himself get in the real world.
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