The Mirror Vault

The Mirror Vault rises in the eastern reaches of Arevael Isle - a tall, monolithic structure carved from black reflective stone. It towers above the cliffs like a blade driven into the earth, its surface smooth and unbroken by windows or carvings.

Its height is symbolic - not of ambition, but of memory pressing down. The higher the Vault reaches, the more weight it seems to carry. From a distance, it appears as a single, seamless pillar. Up close, the air around it feels heavy, and sound is dulled, like standing underwater.

The Vault is not open to the public. There are no visible entrances unless it chooses to reveal one. Those called to it see a vertical slit open in the stone, just wide enough to pass through. Others find nothing but cold stone, no matter how they try.

Inside, the walls stretch upward beyond sight, covered in tall glass panels. These panels contain preserved echoes of Aetheri who died in service - not simple recordings, but fragments of memory, sealed in Aetherglass.

Only High Aetheri and Saenari'an may access them. Some contain words, others brief glimpses of powerful magic, betrayal, or final thoughts.

At the core of the Vault is the Pool of Recall, suspended on a raised circular platform. The pool is filled with a liquid like molten silver, perfectly still. When a name is spoken, it may show a truth — a voice, an act, a hidden choice - or nothing at all.

There are no plaques. No decorations. Just names — carved directly into the stone walls in thin, shifting script. Some fade in and out. Others stay solid. No pattern has been found.

Once every century, the Vault pulses with light. No one knows why.

Yet, in times of great need, the Vault has been known to respond - revealing long-buried truths or unlocking forgotten magic. It is not a place of honour or comfort. It is a container for legacy and consequence. A living archive that remembers what others try to forget.