Mirror

The Submerged City Of Light

written by Tom Harrison

City— From above, an enormous, perfectly still lake ringed by mountains has a crudely carved stone model of a city suspended above it with chains. Step into the water and enter the reflection, and find a sumptuous city of impossible beauty as artists and poets carve light itself like wood into constructions unfathomable anywhere else.

The People

The citizens of Mirror have hometown pride unmatched in Ald-Amura. Living for extended periods in the reflection acclimates the body to it, such that leaving it causes minor but chronic headaches and nausea, not that any Mirrorites have much desire to leave. The city is irresistible to ambitious artists taken with the city’s unique medium of workable light. Guilds will frequently spend a night surreptitiously preparing their newest masterpiece of public art, carving dazzling helices of light that refract the sunrise into colors that leave citizens in tears and visitors speechless.

Mirrorites do not have a conception of private property and hold each member of the community as closely as a family member, bonded with the shared joy of their impossible home. Mirrorites are delighted to welcome tourists and traders, who are invariably dazzled by the sights but slightly put off by the Mirrorites’ surprisingly intense devotion.

Local Monster

The city exists only as a gift of the Mirror Fish, the guardian Monster so beloved by the citizens that it is the city’s de facto deity. The Mirror Fish can weave light as easily as a human breathes, and loves both to create beautiful works and to enjoy those of others. From the model city hung above the lake, the Mirror Fish augments the reflection into glittering towers of crystal carved from top to bottom in meticulously detailed frescoes. The Mirror Fish is around six inches long and has an extremely delicate constitution, requiring around-the-clock care to ensure its living conditions are perfect. There is no law requiring it, but few Mirrorites would wish to ignore the custom of spending ages 18-20 as an attendant to the Fish. Most Mirrorites consider their time as the Fish’s steward as the most profound and spiritually rich of their lives, with many extending their tours of duty or taking on the calling for life. They know that without the Fish’s generosity, the city itself could not exist. Though every Mirrorite knows the Mirror Fish, none have seen it–its body emits light too bright to look at directly, and those who have tried end up with little more than spots in their eyes for their trouble.

Notable Sublocations

  • The Guild District—The most visually stunning area of the city, where buildings tower overhead in impossible shapes. This is the home of Mirror’s famed Artists’ Guilds. The Guilds save their most ambitious and challenging works for the District, making it a favorite among tourists and citizens alike. The Guilds have open enrollment and have friendly rivalries with the others, each Guild favoring particular styles of lightwork.
  • Market Square—Mirror’s worked light cannot leave the city, as its existence is a gift from the Mirror Fish and cannot exist outside its lake. Thus, Mirror’s Market Square is the economic heart keeping the city alive. An enormous open-air conglomeration of stalls, moneychangers, and merchants, the Market Square is the first location in Mirror one arrives at when they enter the lake. Many first-time merchant visitors are understandably spooked upon arrival. Mirror’s main export is fish and seaweed, both plentiful in the lake. Though the Market Square is perhaps the most conventional area of the city, with a high concentration of outsiders and many stalls made from non-lightworked materials, the contrast with the rustic valley before is stunning.
  • The Mirror Fish’s Temple—The most sacred building in Mirror, a massive gossamer orb of worked light atop an impossibly thin pillar towering far above the city. The Temple is open to the public and is populated with stewards of the Fish, dressed in lightworked vestments. Throughout the temple are the Mirror Fish’s favorite artworks, selected by the Fish itself–all longtime Mirror citizens can hear the Fish’s call in their heads when it selects a new work for its collection. The Fish has a more populist taste than the artisans, leading to a more crowd-pleasing gallery than one finds at the more avant-garde Guild District. The Fish’s chamber is only entered by the most senior stewards. Despite the opulence on display throughout the city, the Fish creates for itself a simple room that shines modestly with warmth and comfort.

What Happens When You Arrive

  1. The model city that hangs above the lake must be expanded–the Mirror Fish can augment reflections a great deal, but even it has limits. However, unexplained earthquakes are hitting the valley, threatening to cause the model to fall during the delicate expansion process.
  2. A Guild’s new public art piece has been woven throughout the aisles of the Market, causing it to become functionally impassable. The Guilds and citizens truly believe the beauty of the work is worth it, to the fury of hundreds of visiting merchants.
  3. The pH level of the Fish’s chamber is off and the stores of ground root used to adjust it have disappeared from the Temple.
  4. A prominent Guild member has resigned, dedicating themself to mundane painting with real paint, like colored goop (not magic). Their betrayal strains the fabric of the community.
  5. A massive rainstorm approaches–citizens prepare to shelter in their homes, as the reflection becomes unstable when the lake’s surface is disturbed. However, several elder stewards of the Fish are out of the city to retrieve sensitive materials for the Fish and will likely have to traverse the city during the storm.
  6. The Fish has become infested with the False Gold. The city has hours before it is destroyed forever.