The Darkhollow Mirror

It has been suggested that very powerful divination and abjuration magic has been enspelled into the very fabric of the mirror and its reflective imagery. This would account for the significant use of the magic enhancing Arcane Silver, Cold Iron, and the Silver Oak, as well as the arcane etchings and filigree scrawled around the borders of the mirror. It is believed that the silver, iron, oak, and magical wards weaken and protect against lycanthropes, vampires, demons, and magical entities that approach the mirror and reveal their true forms in the refection.

Though the complete method has been lost to the ravages of time, fragments of alchemical notes, ruined tomes, and oral traditions suggest a forbidden, highly intricate process, one that bordered on soulcraft and planar binding. The following is the most widely accepted reconstruction by arcane scholars and the White Wands:   1. Harvesting The Silver Oak: The mirror’s frame began with the felling of a mature Silver Oak, a sacred tree that only grows atop leyline nexuses. Felling one required a ritual of reverence, overseen by druids who were later silenced or disappeared. The wood was soaked for thirteen nights in moonlight-infused water blessed by a truth-bound celestial.   2. Smelting Arcane Silver And Cold Iron: The reflective surface was forged by binding Arcane Silver to Cold Iron, a fusion requiring extreme alchemical precision. The metals were heated in a crucible enchanted to remain balanced between elemental fire and shadow-cold, while incantations of revelation, abjuration, and unmasking were chanted continuously by seven seers in a dream-trance state.   3. Soul-Binding Ritual: To awaken the mirror’s perceptive intelligence, a shard of an ancient truth-bound entity, likely extraplanar, was imprisoned within the silver during the moment of fusing. This being, sometimes referred to in lost texts as "The Witness Without Eyes", became the mirror’s secret engine of discernment. Blood from a willing oathbreaker, a traitor, and an innocent were mixed with powdered diamond and used to anoint the glass.   4. Filigree And Warding Etchings: Once cooled, the mirror’s frame was etched with abjurant wards using ink composed of basilisk bile, ghost ash, and mirrored mercury. The etchings included layered sigils in three ancient languages, designed not only to detect deception but to compel truth to rise to the surface of all reflections.   5. Final Consecration: The last known step involved the Chamber Of Silent Reflection, a mirrored sanctum deep beneath Darkhollow Keep. There, the finished mirror was placed in total silence for one full lunar cycle while attended by masked monks who performed a ritual known as The Binding Of The Seven Sights, a ceremony now completely lost to history.   Note: No surviving text contains the full sequence. It is rumored that the only complete record was inscribed on the Silversight Tablets of Ivenmar, which were shattered and scattered during the Siege of Darkhollow.

Past Usage

  Forged in the twilight years of the Vigilance Era, the Darkhollow Mirror was placed within the narrow entry-hall of Darkhollow Keep, a militarized bastion of unyielding scrutiny. All who entered, even emissaries, kings, or priests, were required to face the mirror. Many would-be spies, doppelgängers, and cursed wanderers were revealed and executed before even crossing the second threshold.   Over the centuries, it became clear that the mirror did not only reveal but also remembered. Some accounts speak of it shuddering or glowing at the approach of particular bloodlines, as though it could detect generational echoes of past deceits.   When the Keep fell not by war, but through betrayal and political fracturing, the mirror was seized by agents of the capital. It vanished en route, its escort reportedly ambushed by the Cult Of Whispers, who believed the mirror could reveal divine truths meant to remain hidden.   For centuries, it passed through unknown hands, leaving a trail of murdered sorcerers, vanished aristocrats, and insane scholars in its wake, until it was finally discovered deep within a sealed vault below a ruin in the Mirusi Lands.   Now, the Free City of Memoria, a haven of knowledge and philosophical debate, claims the mirror. It is studied under heavy guard by the mysterious Sonians, and fiercely protected by an elite guard.   Yet even in this sanctuary, few dare to look directly into its glass.  

Modern Usage

  The Sonians allow the mirror’s use only under the highest directive of the Memorian Government, during critical trials or in the testing of magical artifacts. Once per year, it is brought to the Mirror Hall, where citizens may request to gaze upon their true self, for a steep price, and under the eye of mages who ensure they do not succumb to despair or madness.   The White Wands, a controversial arcane order from the East, are obsessed with recreating the mirror. Their field agents seek out forgotten lore, cursed woodlands, and ancient metal caches for components, while rumors swirl that they experiment on imperfect prototypes.

The Darkhollow Mirror is more than a magical artifact, it is a symbol of unflinching truth and arcane vigilance. Its presence once guarded the gates of Darkhollow Keep, ensuring that no deception, disguise, or cursed soul could pass unnoticed. In a world of illusions, shapechangers, hidden pacts, and cursed bloodlines, the mirror became a final arbiter of identity and intent.   It was feared, revered, and ultimately coveted, not only for its unmatched power to reveal the true nature of all beings, but for the political and spiritual control it represented. Entire wars and betrayals were shaped by its influence, and its disappearance marked the beginning of Darkhollow’s downfall.   In modern times, it remains one of the most enigmatic relics in the known world, a relic of an age when truth itself could be weaponized, and when seeing one's reflection might mean the difference between life, death, or damnation.    

Infamous People And Creatures Revealed By The Darkhollow Mirror

The Darkhollow Mirror, throughout its long and dark history, has revealed the true nature of some of the most dangerous and deceptive individuals and creatures in the realms of Domen Aria. Below are a few notable figures whose hidden truths were exposed by the mirror, along with the fates that befell them:     Salavine Valtor, The Veiled Sorceress:   Salavine Valtor was once hailed as a powerful and wise sorceress, sought after for her knowledge of ancient magics and her supposed ability to commune with the dead. However, it was rumored that she could not walk in the daylight, and her pale complexion and dark eyes often unnerved those who worked with her.   When Salavine passed through the halls of Darkhollow Keep on a diplomatic mission, she was summoned before the Darkhollow Mirror. As she stood before it, her reflection twisted and began to reveal her true vampiric form, her once-beautiful face became deathly gaunt, her eyes glowing a faint crimson, and her fingers elongated into claws. Her reflection also showed a long trail of bloodshed, revealing the countless lives she had taken to sustain her immortality.   The mirror’s revelation led to a swift execution at the hands of the keep’s guards. Salavine’s real identity as a vampiric blood mage and her alliance with dark powers were exposed, and she was sealed in a tomb beneath the keep, where her body was said to remain frozen in time. Some rumors say that her spirit still wanders in the deeper vaults, seeking vengeance for her unmasking.     Tarion Blackhart, The Betrayer:   Tarion Blackhart was a renowned mercenary and leader of a feared group of rogues known as the Nightfang Bandits. He built a reputation as a ruthless killer, willing to take on any job for the right price, but he was also well-respected for his tactical brilliance and unwavering loyalty.   However, when Tarion entered Darkhollow Keep on a secretive mission to kill the lord, he was required to pass the Darkhollow Mirror as part of the tradition. The reflection that stared back was not Tarion’s true self, it revealed him as a doppelganger, a shapeshifter whose true nature was to deceive and kill in the service of dark masters.   Upon seeing the truth, Lord Marnel, the ruler of Darkhollow, ordered Tarion's immediate execution. But the doppelganger proved difficult to kill, vanishing in a flash of shadow before the guards could strike. Tarion was never found, though rumors persisted that the real Tarion Blackhart had long since been replaced by the creature, and it still roams the lands, masquerading as the original. Many say it now serves an ancient dark cult.     Kemreth The Unseen, The Phantom King:   Kemreth The Unseen was a legendary king from an ancient age, whose reign was marked by unparalleled wealth, power, and cruelty. Known for his ability to remain unseen and manipulate shadows, he was said to possess great magical powers. However, his kingdom mysteriously fell into ruin, and his disappearance was shrouded in myth.   Kemreth was later encountered by adventurers who discovered an abandoned crypt where they sought to uncover the truth of his disappearance. It was here that they brought Kemreth’s long-lost royal relics to the Darkhollow Mirror to see if it could reveal any clues about his fate. Upon gazing into its depths, the mirror exposed Kemreth’s true nature, he was an undead wraith, bound to the ruins of his kingdom, his mortal form long since decayed.   His appearance before the mirror sparked a chain of events that led to the unraveling of his curse. Kemreth’s soul was bound to the Mirror, and it is said that his spirit now resides within the glass, appearing to those who dare gaze into it, whispering forgotten truths, and showing glimpses of the lost kingdom he once ruled.     Lady Lyria Nightside, The Poison Queen:   Lady Lydria Nightside was a noblewoman renowned for her beauty, charm, and unmatched skill in politics. Known for hosting lavish balls and swaying the court’s decisions with her silken words, few suspected the dark secrets she harbored. However, it was suspected that she held strange powers, rumors of her using poisons and curses to manipulate others.   Lydria was invited to Darkhollow Keep to negotiate an alliance, but upon crossing before the Darkhollow Mirror, her reflection revealed her to be not just a powerful sorceress, but a demon-infused entity, her flesh twisting and burning as infernal energy radiated from her. The mirror’s power revealed the demonic pact she had made in exchange for her beauty and power.   Upon the revelation, she was forced to flee, but not before cursing the mirror itself. Lady Lydria’s demonic essence remains bound to her family’s bloodline, and those who are born into her house are said to be haunted by her spirit, forever watched by the Mirror’s truth, unable to escape the cursed pact she made long ago.     Kaeroth The Iron Tyrant, The Warlock King:   Kaeroth The Iron Tyrant was a tyrannical ruler who conquered vast lands with an army of infernal beasts. His iron grip was unchallenged, and he was feared as a warlock with incredible dark powers. His sudden rise to power was shrouded in mystery, and many feared the dark source of his strength.   When Kaeroth entered Darkhollow Keep as part of a diplomatic mission, his reflection in the Darkhollow Mirror revealed a horrifying truth: beneath his mortal guise, he was a demon lord, his flesh eaten away by infernal flames, his true form a massive, hulking beast of twisted, disfigured flesh. The mirror showed the horror he had hidden for centuries.   Enraged by the mirror’s exposure of his true form, Kaeroth unleashed his demonic wrath upon the keep, but the powerful wards of Darkhollow and the mirror's magic trapped him. He was sealed in a cursed vault deep beneath the keep, and his name was forgotten, only to resurface in dark rituals performed by those who seek to summon him back into the world.