Dark Fakes
Dark Fakes are magically bound spirits emanating from the Dark Domains which were first seen on Magicians' End in the years immediately prior to the Fall of the Old Pale Empire. They are servants of the Ancient and Glorious, acting as spies and sleeper agents inside those human societies which they manage to infiltrate.
Basic Information
Anatomy
A dark fake, is amorphous until it has become imprinted on a target, at which point it assumes the outwards geometry of the host and once actualised after a mirror substitution, it is unable to vary this form. Internally, the structure of the dark fake is enforced by a process known as a thaumatic imposition, which plays out in the shifted spaces of the shadow dimensions.
Genetics and Reproduction
Dark Fakes are conjoured into being as bound spiritual potentiality in the soul forges of the sorceror synthics of the Verdarian in the Dark Domains. At the moment of creation they are a pale milky liquid which dilutes readily in water until it is transparent. They can exist as unrealised potential in this form for many years but will eventually wither and die unless they can make the transition to their adult form.
Growth Rate & Stages
To mature into their adult form, the dark fake essence must first be infused into a mirror. The most reliable mechanism for this is to wash the mirror in a solution containing the infant potentiality, which instinctively moves into the reflected world, passing through the glass and readying itself for the next stage. Less common methods have been used to infect a mirror. The condensation from a boiling kettle is known to have sufficed in one infamous case. An indirect passage from mirror to mirror can also work, with the right accompanying enchantments, and provided the infecting mirror has itself been infused for less than two days.
Within the mirror the dark fake is initially passive until it is stimulated by the reflections of potential targets. Over time it becomes imprinted on a human invdividual who regularly uses the mirror, learning their form from their repeated reflections and eventually becoming capable of assuming it independently.
Mirror Substitution
Once the dark fake has assumed sufficient potential from the target it seeks to effect a transfer back into the real world, forceably imprisoning its victim behind the glass in its place. This process is known as the mirror substitution and it begins when the human subject starts to notice a subtle wrongness in the reflections they see in their mirror. This realisation is reputed to be both frightening and fascinating. Unexpected movements are caught deep in the reflected world, at first out the corner of the eyes and then later more openly as the dark fake starts to assert its right to the identity it now shares with the victim. There is a hypnotic symbiosis between the dark fake and the subject, drawing the original ever deeper into a desire to gaze at the mirror world, until the time is right for the fateful struggle which actualises the dark fake and traps the victim. Behind the glass, victims find that they can only copy the actions of the dark fake and must behave as if they are the image whilst the fake is free to do is it desires. After the mirror substitution, a dark fake is very often confused and disoriented. The process of mental acquisition of the victim's memories and thought patterns is not so simple as the physical copying of their shape. In order to complete this theft, the fake needs to spend further time on the real side of the mirror, interacting with the "reflection" and compelling them to share the strutures previously bound safely inside their mind. Victims, now fully aware of their condition, understandably find these sessions a particularly excutiating process as the gloating fake exults in its newly assumed powers. Should the fake remain undetected it will become ever better and better adapted to stealing the life of its template. The knowledge it gains is transfered back to the Verdarian sorceror who created it and who ultimately controls it. Fortunately there are limits to the power of thaumatic imposition. Even if it is reinforced by regular visits to the mirror, the stability of the fake declines over a period of between three and six years. This is due to a process known as "time pressure". Whilst the fake can mimic the original state of the victim at the time of the substitution in a near perfect manner it cannot evolve and age convincingly. This sets up a dissonance which becomes increasingly hard for the fake to endure. When the illusion finally shatters, the dark fake dies and the victim finds themselves restored back in the real world in front of the mirror and free at last.Additional Information
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Dark Fakes are magical constructs and are bound to their creator. Verdarian sorcerors manufacture them in the Dark Domains and distribute them to act as agents for their overlords, the Ancient and Glorious. They are mental as well as physical chameleons and adapt their behaviour and conscious thought patterns to their target. They may even become confused about their own origins, at least consciously, but unconsciously they always follow their directives to gather information and to find opportune moment when they might further the designs of the rulers of Novanoir.
Civilization and Culture
Historical Figures
Since dark fakes first began to appear on Magicians' End, there have been a number of celebrated cases. They were far more dangerous and common immediately after the Planar Conformation, when nothing was known about them, but once their propogation mechanisms were understood it became easier to guard against them. Nevertheless, mirror substitutions have happened sporadically ever since, and were particularly prevalent in the years preceding and during the Age of Shadows, when the Dark Domains became an active and feared threat once again. Even today, when the Dark Domains seem relatively quiet, the possibility of further dark fake mirror substitutions should not be ignored.
The case of Octavia Khol is the first known example of a dark fake and it is likely that she was also the greatest success for the Verdarian sorcerers. Octavia was the daughter of the Lightstaff at the time of the Planar Conformation and she was twenty five years old (in local units) when stolen away by a mirror substitution in 4 APC. Subsequently, the dark fake that took control over her life was able to provide its masters with a wealth of useful information about the Old Pale Empire.
The famous singer Laura Soosa was replaced in a mirror substitution on 13th Glim, 4114 APC during the Second Popular Ascendency. This was a troubled time when the Dark Domains were beginning to gather strength again after a long period of quiescence and it was one of the signs and portents that preceeded the First Incursions and the Age of Shadows.
The dark fake that operated as the pirate Rayth Halbert during the Age of Shadows in the 46th century APC was able to inflict much damage on the eastern coastal cities of Myruthea by co-ordinating his attacks with incursions from the Dark Domains.
Magicians' End - Dark Fake, Octavia Khol by DMFW with Midjourney
Magicians' End - Dark Fake, Laura Soosa by DMFW with Midjourney
Magicians' End - Dark Fake, Rayth Halbert by DMFW with Midjourney
Lifespan
Between 3 and 6 years, after Mirror Substitution.
Geographic Distribution
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