Astral Mirror of Scrying
An oval mirror standing nearly as tall as a person, its frame carved from pale Mystaran heartwood inscribed with flowing script that changes subtly with each new communication session. Its surface is not glass but a permanently sustained membrane of condensed astral energy, dark and still as a windless lake at night, that ripples silver when activated.
Artifact Details
- Type
- Vessel
- Rarity
- Rare
- Origin
- The design for the Astral Mirrors was standardized by the Mystaran Conclave as the backbone of long-distance communication across Mystara and with carefully chosen external contacts. Each mirror is individually attuned during its creation to resonate with its counterparts through the ambient arcane field rather than any physical medium.
Overview
Astral Mirror of Scrying is a rare vessel in Landorya. Its known origin is The design for the Astral Mirrors was standardized by the Mystaran Conclave as the backbone of long-distance communication across Mystara and with carefully chosen external contacts. Each mirror is individually attuned during its creation to resonate with its counterparts through the ambient arcane field rather than any physical medium.. Its most cited abilities include Enables real-time communication and observation across any distance between two attuned mirrors, Stores a log of all past sessions as immersive sensory replays accessible to authorized users, and Detects attempts at interception or scrying by hostile third parties and obscures the session accordingly. Accounts also warn of a drawback: Extended use without rest erodes the operator's sense of physical presence, long-serving Mirror-keepers report difficulty distinguishing their own location fro…
History
A network of Astral Mirrors forms the nervous system of Mystaran governance and scholarship, allowing the Conclave to coordinate instantaneously regardless of the physical distances within and beyond Mystara. On at least one documented occasion, a Mirror belonging to a Mystaran diplomatic envoy stationed among the Eldorians was seized, the captors found only their own reflections, as the mirror had sealed itself completely upon detecting unauthorized hands. The envoy's fate and whether that particular mirror was ever recovered remain subjects of quiet speculation.
Powers & Abilities
- ✦ Enables real-time communication and observation across any distance between two attuned mirrors
- ✦ Stores a log of all past sessions as immersive sensory replays accessible to authorized users
- ✦ Detects attempts at interception or scrying by hostile third parties and obscures the session accordingly
- ✦ Can be briefly opened as a window onto the astral plane, permitting limited observation of that realm
Curse or Drawback
Extended use without rest erodes the operator's sense of physical presence, long-serving Mirror-keepers report difficulty distinguishing their own location from the distant places they have observed, occasionally reaching for objects that exist only in a viewed scene.