The Mirrorbound One
Seen only when you're not looking. Remembered only when it's too late.
Mike’s Personal Thoughts
Don’t like mirrors, lad. Never did. Not since I caught my own reflection smilin’ back at me while I was scowlin’. That ain’t right.
And the Celestial Refractor? That big star-forged lens in the Conclave?
There’s a woman in it.
Or behind it.
Or made of it.
They call her the Mirrorbound One, and trust me — that ain’t a poetic nickname. It’s literal. She’s trapped, sure enough. But not like a prisoner.
More like a lure.
She don’t speak. Not with a voice, anyway. She appears in reflections — never direct. In puddles. Polished armor. The glass of a potion bottle.
And when she looks at you?
You remember something you never did. And you wish you hadn’t.
Character Overview
Character Type: NPC or Ambient Encounter
Build Type: Mystery Apparition / Roleplay Catalyst
Build Role: Lurking Watcher, Emotional Puzzle, Plot Bait
Who She Might Be
The Mirrorbound One is woven into the Celestial Refractor — some say she was its original operator, others say she is the refractor, or what’s left after it turned inward.
She doesn’t speak, but she interacts. Through mimicry. Emotion. Illusion.
What she shows players is never random. It's always personal — a regret, a betrayal, a version of themselves that shouldn’t exist. Sometimes helpful. Sometimes cruel.
Her presence is:
Reflective
Nonlinear
Unnerving
Never accidental
What She Looks Like (When You Dare Look)
Skin: Pale, semi-translucent — like glass left out in the frost
Eyes: Mirror-polished, ever shifting with starlight reflections
Hair: Cascading like liquid silver — ripples when no wind blows
Clothing: A gown made of shattered glass and constellation threads
Voice: Nonexistent — but her gaze thinks in full sentences
Presence:
She doesn’t walk. She doesn’t move.
She is seen — and then she isn’t.
But she remembers every time you looked away.
Narrative Role & Gameplay Use
The Mirrorbound One is a living question. She’s not here to stab or preach — she’s here to unravel. She shows the party things that might be true, might be alternate, or might be future failures yet to come.
She is best used as:
A nonlinear truth-deliverer
A puzzle piece the players don’t know they’re missing
A bridge to the Voice Beyond or to the players’ own darkest fears
Lore Function:
She resides in the Celestial Refractor — that massive starlens buried deep in the Conclave. But she ain’t stuck there. She appears in anything that reflects.
Mirrors.
Metal.
Water.
Dreams.
Even the eyes of someone they trust.
She doesn’t speak, but she shows:
A party member betraying another
A ruined world where the players failed
A third version of the truth — neither lie nor reality
She’s a truth fracture, and every time she appears, something in the players cracks.
Optional Mechanics (Use Sparingly)
Glimpse of the Shattered Self
Any player who gazes into the Refractor when she’s active rolls a Wisdom save (DC 16). On a fail:
They see a version of themselves that never made it out of the Conclave
They gain 1 point of Insight — but also 1 level of emotional exhaustion (roleplay-only)
Whisper Through the Lens
If a party member touches her reflection, they may receive a secret: a hidden name, a false memory, or a clue from the wrong timeline.
She does not lie.
But neither does she correct.
Touch of the Glass Crown (Optional Boon)
If a player performs a significant act of self-sacrifice or truth-telling near her, she may gift them a crown-shaped shard:
Effect: Advantage on Insight and Perception for the next 24 hours
But mirrors no longer reflect them correctly — sometimes showing them doing something they haven't done yet
She Doesn’t Want Out. She Wants You In.
👉 Don’t run her like a boss. Run her like a haunting — a divine echo of a moment not yet lived. Let her deepen the mystery, derail party certainty, and whisper one step ahead of the Voice Beyond.
Peer into the Celestial Refractor
Follow Naelo of the Prism Pact
FAQ
Q: Can she be spoken to?
A: Not with words. But if players draw something, write something, or reflect something meaningful, she may respond.
Q: What does she want?
A: To prepare them. Or test them. Or remember them before they forget themselves.
Q: What happens if they break a mirror she’s in?
A: You’ll find out. Probably twice.
Don’t Look Too Long
👉 She’s not here to scare. She’s here to reveal. Use her when the party needs doubt, depth, or a question that unsettles the room. And when she vanishes… let them wonder if she was ever there at all.
About Mike’s Tavern
Contact
Return to the Starfall Conclave
Related Lore Across the Conclave
The Voice Beyond the Star – It has not spoken aloud. Not yet. But it’s been listening since before the sky cracked.
Celestial Refractor – The glass that remembers. Even if you don’t.
Naelo of the Prism Pact – He won’t look into it. And he won’t say why.
Ilyra of the Folded Sky – “She was my sister,” Ilyra once whispered. “In a version that never happened.”
Starcaller of the Shrine – Claims she is “the question that undoes the answer.”
The Thirteenth (Unwritten) – She always turns toward the sky when it flickers. As if awaiting the next one.
About Mike’s Tavern – “I saw her once in a puddle outside me tavern. Didn’t sleep that night. Or the next three.”
Contact – Her answers aren’t typed. They’re felt.
What happens when you see the truth and live? You become this.
The Mirrorbound One don’t want yer help — they want you to stop looking. For the chamber that broke ‘em, descend into the Chamber of the Chained Stars. And if yer party’s dumb enough to ask questions? Ask Berenzaar what it cost.
