adventuring in the mirror realm [Archive] - Wizards Community

adventuring in the mirror realm [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
fionna
07-30-05, 04:31 PM A litle background: the PCs (5 characters, mostly 12th level, a rogue, sorceror, fighter/sorceror, fighter and a cleric/ranger) are on a quest to find out why is the kings’r sister behaving weird (like letting demons roam freely through her land and not doing anything about it). They believe she is posessed or charmed, but in fact her soul has been stolen by a very powerfull spell and while her body is stored safely within her castle (in her own bedroom!), she is being impersonated by a succubus.

The spell had 3 completion items – a white rose, a pearl necklace and a silver mirror and actived itself as soon as someone wearing the necklace and holding the rose looked at the mirror. Then the soul of the person looking got trapped in the mirror universe, leaving the body as if dead. The spell also has a catch – if anyone casts a spell on the body, the caster and those within 20 feet will get transported to the first layer of the mirror universe. The only way out both for them and for the poor trapped soul is to find a mirror image of the three spell completion item, which are missing in this mirror layer.

Now on to the question:
The reason for this adventure is that I want to give my players something special and unusual. Retrieving the quest items should be a challenge, maybe not so much in fighting, but also in reasoning, imagination and role-playing. And I am out of ideas what to present.

The adventure should be set on a chain of coral islands, therefore testing their ability to survive by the sea, which they have never tried before.

I was thinking that the pearl necklace could be guarded by the merfolk, but what feat would the merfolk request the PCs to perform to exchange it? Maybe destroy the elder water elemental that has been troubling them? Seems like I have already answered that question, but any suggestions are welcomed.

The mirror should be located in the hall of mirrors (ever been to one of those? full of corridors with mirrors that might destort reality, so you get lost and never know which way to go), where the PCs will have to fight their mirror images. I was dreaming about somehow incorporating the fact that once they enter the mirror halls, they will never know what is „real“ and what is a „mirror image“, likewise if fighting the mirror image they should not know what is the PC, what is the enemy mirror image and what is simply a reflection in the mirrors, but can’t think of any way how to handle this without going nuts (we are used to using miniatures, it’s just the mirrorness!)

The rose should be guarded by whomever, possibly the fey or a sorceress or something, and again I would prefer that there is another option outside killing everybody in sight ;)

Any ideas, suggestions etc are always welcomed!

fionna
Thomar_of_Uointer
07-30-05, 07:28 PM Use the situation in the mirror realm to give hints about the situation in the real world. If the mirror realm is ruled openly by a fey who lets evil fey (there's a lot on the WotC website, do a search on "Fey" and "Unseelie", and also look through the Monster Mayhem archives) run rampant in the same manner as the king's sister, the PCs may catch on very fast.

Hmm...

Oh! Everyone's name is BACKWARDS! Yeah!
fionna
07-30-05, 08:37 PM Thomar: thanks for the advice, I will try to investigate what can be mirrored. The thing is, this is not a real "mirror plane", it exists for the purposes of the spell only (the wizard who invented it was reaaally good) and the "real world" problems are pretty obvious for the PCs right now (a marilith lady demon is on a quest to destroy all elves and the PCs are the ones prophecised to stop her - or so they believe). But maybe the mirror might reflect somehow that time is warped in this place and they should hurry, otherwise they will come back to see all their beloved ones dead? :rolleyes:

I do like the evil fey idea, though. Finally I could you all the Fey installments I have downloaded! ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
fionna 07-30-05, 04:31 PM	A litle background: the PCs (5 characters, mostly 12th level, a rogue, sorceror, fighter/sorceror, fighter and a cleric/ranger) are on a quest to find out why is the kings’r sister behaving weird (like letting demons roam freely through her land and not doing anything about it). They believe she is posessed or charmed, but in fact her soul has been stolen by a very powerfull spell and while her body is stored safely within her castle (in her own bedroom!), she is being impersonated by a succubus. The spell had 3 completion items – a white rose, a pearl necklace and a silver mirror and actived itself as soon as someone wearing the necklace and holding the rose looked at the mirror. Then the soul of the person looking got trapped in the mirror universe, leaving the body as if dead. The spell also has a catch – if anyone casts a spell on the body, the caster and those within 20 feet will get transported to the first layer of the mirror universe. The only way out both for them and for the poor trapped soul is to find a mirror image of the three spell completion item, which are missing in this mirror layer. Now on to the question: The reason for this adventure is that I want to give my players something special and unusual. Retrieving the quest items should be a challenge, maybe not so much in fighting, but also in reasoning, imagination and role-playing. And I am out of ideas what to present. The adventure should be set on a chain of coral islands, therefore testing their ability to survive by the sea, which they have never tried before. I was thinking that the pearl necklace could be guarded by the merfolk, but what feat would the merfolk request the PCs to perform to exchange it? Maybe destroy the elder water elemental that has been troubling them? Seems like I have already answered that question, but any suggestions are welcomed. The mirror should be located in the hall of mirrors (ever been to one of those? full of corridors with mirrors that might destort reality, so you get lost and never know which way to go), where the PCs will have to fight their mirror images. I was dreaming about somehow incorporating the fact that once they enter the mirror halls, they will never know what is „real“ and what is a „mirror image“, likewise if fighting the mirror image they should not know what is the PC, what is the enemy mirror image and what is simply a reflection in the mirrors, but can’t think of any way how to handle this without going nuts (we are used to using miniatures, it’s just the mirrorness!) The rose should be guarded by whomever, possibly the fey or a sorceress or something, and again I would prefer that there is another option outside killing everybody in sight ;) Any ideas, suggestions etc are always welcomed! fionna
Thomar_of_Uointer 07-30-05, 07:28 PM	Use the situation in the mirror realm to give hints about the situation in the real world. If the mirror realm is ruled openly by a fey who lets evil fey (there's a lot on the WotC website, do a search on "Fey" and "Unseelie", and also look through the Monster Mayhem archives) run rampant in the same manner as the king's sister, the PCs may catch on very fast. Hmm... Oh! Everyone's name is BACKWARDS! Yeah!
fionna 07-30-05, 08:37 PM	Thomar: thanks for the advice, I will try to investigate what can be mirrored. The thing is, this is not a real "mirror plane", it exists for the purposes of the spell only (the wizard who invented it was reaaally good) and the "real world" problems are pretty obvious for the PCs right now (a marilith lady demon is on a quest to destroy all elves and the PCs are the ones prophecised to stop her - or so they believe). But maybe the mirror might reflect somehow that time is warped in this place and they should hurry, otherwise they will come back to see all their beloved ones dead? :rolleyes: I do like the evil fey idea, though. Finally I could you all the Fey installments I have downloaded! ;)