{ mirror mirror }

[dreamposts]

MIRROR MIRROR

With the sleepwalking curse over, everyone will have some time to rest and recuperate—until Jack Frost comes barging in with news of a clue on how to help his beloved Ice Queen who still remains asleep. The clue was the mirror shard that was in her chest, and there are theories that it may have been a fragment of a much stronger, powerful mirror she had been given some time ago. Problem is, he can't find it nor can he remember who gave it to her. He does, however, have a magic incantation that will allow people to enter mirrors and hopefully find a trace. Unfortunately, this horrendously backfires and we have mirror chaos instead. Dammit, Jack.

More details on everything can be found here. We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC .

I. REVEREIN

II. MIRROR WORLD

COMMENTS

I. REVEREIN

It all begins in Reverein, where there's a strange shift in the air upon Jack's attempt to cast the spell. But instead of affecting just one mirror, it reflects off the surface and spreads out to the entire town, hitting every reflective surface instead. Ripples can be seen before the surfaces still, but it's too late. Every reflective surface—glass, mirror, window—is under a different effect because of the botched spell.

And some are being unwittingly pulled into them.

Fortunately It is possible to communicate and even watch people from the other side of the mirror, but it's only through certain mirrors and at certain times. It also will be temporary, so while one mirror might work one time, it may not work again.

A. Strange Reflections. While some mirrors may still reflect proper images, many will have…unusual changes.

🪞 You are what you see. Whether it's an odd hairstyle, change in skin color, or style of clothing in the reflection, suddenly the viewer will look exactly like what's reflected. The most extreme is a different form entirely.
🏡 Glimpses of home. Everyone will have a rare glimpse of their home world, and these can be instances from the past, present, or even a limited future. They are just reflections and cannot be interacted with, and future reflections may be blurry to prevent the person from seeing too much. For those who have memory issues, such visions will also be blurry, but perhaps they can help stir some things…
🔮 Most desired. Mirrors that have a bit of a pink hue to them will reflect the viewer's most desired "thing." It could be an object, person, place, or even a general idea. However, if not careful the viewer may become trapped in a trance and will need to be removed or smash the mirror.

B. Clone Wars. Mirrors that do not show any kind of reflection are to be quickly taken away and covered as it will begin to create duplicates in Reverein of what is reflected within it. Yes, even people, and they will be very obviously fake: wrong colors, different voices, odd behavior, etc. and will usually be harmless. These "clones" will continue to appear and multiply until the mirror has been covered, and will need to either be destroyed or captured and shoved into the mirror, where it will lose its "no reflection" status and become a proper mirror again…only for them to appear on the other side in Mirror World.

C. Mirrorsnatched. A mirror with a black rim has the chance of absorbing a significant personality trait or memory of the one looking into it, and when this happens, the person will walk away feeling very muddle-headed and off. The mirror will "keep" this part of the person and someone from the Mirror World side must find their essence and "shove" it back out onto any mirror surface so that the original owner can break the mirror and retrieve it. The downside of this method is that breaking a mirror means one less mirror those on the Mirror side can use, so they need to choose carefully.

D. The Unknown. Appearing in both the Mirror World and Reverein will be a strange mirror masked, black cloaked figure called "The Unknown." It traverses through the mirrors and through the walls, seeking those with happy reflections and will try to corrupt them with nightmares. People on both sides of the mirrors will be able to confront and try to stop the Unknown, though beware its chocolate attacks.

II. MIRROR WORLD

Everything in this "Mirror World" is, in a word, chaotic. Imagine an AI-generated monstrosity based off of Picasso, Escher, and Dr. Seuss, where everything seems to be upside down, backwards, colors everywhere and nowhere, and everything feels so fragmented that one step feels like walking towards the edge of a cliff. In a way it's nightmarish in an unusual sense, and those inside can feel that touch of "madness" that seeps through the cold air.

Beware the strange creatures in the Mirror World. They are grotesque monstrosities, many of them looking as if they were stitched together from different parts. Fortunately they are susceptible to weapons and dreamotion and those inside the Mirror World will find they are able to use different abilities, especially those with reflective properties.

A. Fragment of their old self. In order to get out of the Mirror World, those inside will need to catch a small fragment of themselves that has escaped and is running around. This fragment is actually a piece of their old self prior to arriving in Songerein. For some, this self may not be so different, but for long-time residents, they may seem a lot more different. To make things more interesting, this self can be from any point of the character's past. It just has to be a version of the character from before entering Songerein. This version will also appear "homesick" and "want" to return to their original home, regardless if the character actually feels that way. Thus the fragment will seek out mirrors that will reflect anything of their home world. Shattering these mirrors will weaken the fragment until it can be caught. But that's only half the challenge. If the fragment is injured, the original will also feel the damage but to a lesser degree. If the fragment is destroyed, then the original will be "knocked out" for a few seconds before a new fragment appears. However, this fragment will be much more distorted and worse than the one before.

B. Distorted Memories. At random points while traversing, characters may come across strange pockets of the world that they will feel drawn to. Following said instinct will lead them to a shifted landscape that will reflect images of home from different points in time (past, present, maybe even future) as if they've just walked right into it, but just like everything else, they are distorted. The changes can be as subtle as the wrong color of clothes, having too many limbs, to something major like the sky now being the ground. The only way out will either be destroying the anomalies or correcting them, and they will be rewarded with a mirror shard that will aid in their escape.


C. Warped Sense of Self. The longer a person stays within the Mirror World, the less "coherent" they will feel, and sometimes sound. Their memories will slowly become more disjointed, their personality feeling a bit "off", and they may even forget who they are or where they are from. Even their physical selves will start to twist and change, starting with something subtle (e.g. eye color) and then growing more drastic as time goes on (where did those extra fingers come from? Or why are they suddenly much shorter?) Finding those reflections of home will help with these anomalies, but those weak of heart be warned: the distortions may only exacerbate the issue and make them believe that they are the truth instead. Help anyone who might be caught in fixing these so that they can recover.


D. Finding an exit. To leave the world, those inside must find a mirror that will connect back to Reverein, and those on the other side can also try to help by posing as "anchors" for those inside to recognize. Otherwise, there are many mirrors in the Mirror World that will lead to different places within Songerein—presumably. However, perhaps due to the magic or needing something else, they will be unable to pass through any mirrors that are not connected to Reverein. This is where players have the fun opportunity to make up whatever kind of location or place the characters may see reflected on the mirrors. They could be existing locations in the game, or new ones that could be explored in the future. One unique place we can mention will be reflections of a city covered in night.

Only upon finding a mirror that leads back to Reverein, but they will also need help from the outside. Someone from within Reverein must also be there to physically reach in and pull them out—while hopefully not accidentally be pulled in themselves.

I. REVEREIN

II. MIRROR WORLD

COMMENTS

Comments

[pactmarshal]

I...know this scent.

[ It goes digging up old memories, ones that used to live in the forefront of his mind, but have since faded since his death, and arrival in Songerein. His hand remains firmly in Zhongli's, but he turns, and steps forward.

When his foot connects with the ground, it sinks into what feels like wet sand. In a ripple from the connection, the colors swirl, fade, and take on the visage of scenery more realistic.

Damp, dark sand. Dull seas, a gray sky overhead. Towering, ruined arches loom in the far distance, gleaming a faded gold in the absent sun. An eerie cry of an alien bird pierces the silence, and Trahearne's head snaps back to look at Zhongli.

His eyes are wide, partially in fear, and partially in awe. ]

Zhongli...

[gentryofhermitage]

[Zhongli watches in both awe and surprise as the scenery around them unfurls and solidifies from colour and shape into sand, sea, and sky. His gaze moves to the tall arches standing like silent sentinels before them, foreign and yet fascinating. Though Zhongli is shocked, he quickly regains composure when Trahearne calls to him. He squeezes Trahearne’s hand back, as a means of keeping the sylvari grounded.]

I am here, my dear. Take it slow and remain calm; I am here beside you.

[He looks up at anothet alien bird’s cry, a frown forming on his lips.]

I take it this place… is familiar to you?

[It was the only assumption he could make, given Trahearne’s reaction.]

[pactmarshal]

[ The touch is very much appreciated. The warmth of Zhongli's hand keeps Trahearne calm, where otherwise he might have lost his cool suddenly facing what he thought he left behind many years ago.

Zhongli looks away, and Trahearne does the same. The smell, the sights... ]

It is. [ He speaks absently. ] This is Orr, a dead kingdom whose corruption I spent my entire life fighting...

[ He falls quiet, but besides the ocean lapping up against the shore, there is no other sound for the time being. ]

It is not a safe place, but there must be a way out. Stick close to me.

[ And with a little tug on his hand, he sets off in search of an exit among the brine-rotted structures and towering cliffs. He does not seem to notice the sprigs of green sprouting from the cracks... ]

[gentryofhermitage]

This is a place from your world?

[How curious. Does that mean that this mirror had somehow pulled them into a fragment of their old world? Or created a domain based on their memories? It's hard to tell which is correct right now, but Zhongli does stick close as Trahearne begins to lead them away. His keen eye scans the area around them, and while Trahearne might not notice the tiny sprigs of green, he does.]

Can you tell me more about this place? How it became corrupted?

[pactmarshal]

[ It is hard to tell, because Trahearne's dormant instincts kick in and he remains on edge. His ears prick for Risen movements, but he can't pick out anything besides their own footsteps. ]

Yes—it is an ancient human kingdom south of the Krytan mainland. It was once a powerful nation, the pinnacle of magitechnical achievements and home of the human gods, but its rulers sunk it beneath the waves in the face of an oncoming army.

[ In the shortest terms. Words he has not thought about for many moons sit oddly on his tongue, and his gaze flits up to a nearby structure. He still does not see the green. ]

It rose again when the Elder Undead Dragon awoke, turning the kingdom and all its former inhabitants into its slaves. The dragon's rot permeated the ground, and nothing has been able to live here since.

[ Trahearne's frown deepens, since he does not recognize this particular corner of Orr... How odd. But then again, it is a dream, or an image, supposedly. ]

It was my duty in life to cleanse the corruption, and it took me all of it to accomplish that feat.

[gentryofhermitage]

Its rulers sought to destroy the city when it fell under siege?

[Zhongli frowns, but he can understand, to an extent; if one didn't want their city to fall in the hands of the enemy and couldn't defend it, destroying it to ensure the other side didn't get it was also a viable strategy. Still, he hums in thought as he hears the rest of the explanation.]

I see... so it is not unlike the god remains that permeate sections of Liyue, where the fallen bodies of slain gods fester. I can understand the importance and need to want to cleanse that corruption.

[He looks around, still noticing something off.]

So, not a single thing has lived here since?

[pactmarshal]

[ Trahearne nods solemnly. It's such a shame, in the eyes of a scholar, to lose such history and culture in an instant... A regrettable act, indeed. ]

No. Nothing but the rot Anything that may have once lived here only grows corrupted. Very few plants reach maturity without falling to the dragon's touch, and it is not nearly enough to sustain any meaningful life.

[ He peers curiously up at Zhongli when the sidenote about Liyue registers in his head. ]

It pains me to hear that there is a land like this in your home as well, Zhongli.

[ He does not wish this hell on anyone. ]

[gentryofhermitage]

I admit that clearing the corruption in Liyue took quite a while to do, and while much of the baleful presence had been cleansed there is still pockets of corruption scattered throughout Liyue. Still, with enough time and effort, even the most potent of god remains may be cleansed and put to rest.

[Still, the confirmation from Trahearne makes him frown, and he walks a few paces off before kneeling down near some of those tiny green sprigs.]

You say thay no life could grow here... yet these sprigs seem rather full of vitality.