The ancient red dragon known as Brigid among "lesser beings" has been collecting unusual and one-of-a-kind magic items and artifacts since before the dawn of human civilization. This is one of them, as viewed through the lens of the d20 System.
The Obsidian Mirror is a full-length mirror that is on a stand that allows it to be tilted or turned so its reflective surface is pointing away from any potential viewers. The mirror's frame and back is made of silver. There are a line of symbols on the back surface that seem to shift and morph into other symbols if they are looked at directly. On the mirror's front, the frame around the reflective surface is molded to look like a tangle of tentacles that emerge from a starburst at the center of the frame's top.
The strangest aspect of the Obsidian Mirror is its reflective surface, which is typically made from highly polished speculum metal or glass with a thin coating of silver, but is instead highly polished obsidian; the aspect from which it has been named.
While the Obsidian Mirror does indeed capture the scene before it, the reflected beings appear like shadows--shadows that don't always move in sync with the creature in front of the mirror.
Functions: If the Obsidian Mirror is inspected using detect magic, it exudes powerful divination magic.
If a character stands in front of the mirror, stares at his or her own shadowy reflection for one round, followed by a successful Willpower saving throw (DC18), the mirror suddenly shows a crystal clear reflection of the character at some other location, engaging in some important activity (fighting a Big Evil Bad Guy, moving through a maze of traps, scaling the wall of a mighty fortress, and so on). There is enough visible in the scene to give the character a hint as to where the location is and/or who the opposition is. As the vision fades back into strangely animated shadows, the character is filled with a sense of purpose--that what was shown in the Obsidian Mirror is part of an important destiny the character is to fulfill. Only the character to whom the vision relates can see it in the mirror.
If the Willpower save to view the vision fails, the character is struck with the effect of a confusion spell, cast at 12th level (no saving throw).
The only way to decipher the runes on the back of the Obsidian Mirror are to stare at them for a full round, immediately followed by a Fortitude saving throw (DC15). If successful, the shifting symbols are suddenly a legible phrase in the character's native language: "Gaze into the shadows and see not what is, but what could be and what should be."
If the Fortitude saving throw is failed, the character is struck with a headache so severe his orher vision blurs and he or she feels sick. All actions are taken at a -4 penalty, including Reflex and Willpower saving throws.
History of the Obsidian Mirror: In a time before time, the world was controlled by dragons. The Elder Gods had created them with the intent of feeding off their worship; however, it turned out that dragons worship only themselves. Worse, the chromatic dragons (black, blue, green, red, and white) were constantly at war with each other, as well as the metallic dragons (copper, gold, silver). When the gods tried to bring their creations in line, the dragons united and destroyed them. (Ever since, the dragons have had a fragile peace between their various breeds, with the black and silver dragons being the primary keepers of the peace.)
At the time, Brigid was a very young dragon. She found the Obsidian Mirror when she was exploring the ruins of the Elder God of Destiny and Time. It was the first major magic item she added to her hoard and it remains an object of jealousy among other surviving ancient dragons.
Even Brigid does not know who created the mirror, but she has always assumed it is the work of the elder god itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment