Leviathan
PENUMBRAL MIRROR
- Intent: To create a location for characters to literally tame their inner demons, and submit an entry into the new Netherworld Contest.
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- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
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- Structure Name: Penumbral Mirror
- Classification: Force-Infused Mirror Maze
- Location: Within Oblivion, a realm of the Netherworld
- Affiliation: Unaffiliated
- Accessibility: The Mirror is easy to find. It makes no attempt to hide itself within the Netherworld, traveling within a constantly-shifting cloud of star-like lights. Once a way to fly to it is acquired, the difficulty comes not with it's location, but in surviving it's perils if caught within it.
- Description: As one gets closer to the Penumbral Mirror, all ground gives way to smoke and open space, as the world around emulates the night sky. Small, heatless orbs of multicolored light lie suspended in the darkness, accompanied by a swirling purple mist. The Penumbral Mirror itself looks like a large fogbank from the outside, a slowly-drifting cloud of stars and smoke. Piloting a ship into the cloud will have little effect, as the driver will simply pass through to the other side, but entering it physically will transport the traveler to the inside of the Mirror, within a realm of infinite space.
- Lucidity: Outside of the Mirror itself, high. There is barely a shift in perception, beyond the strange feeling of floating. Once inside the mirror, however, reality doesn't seem to move at the same pace, and the mind tends to cut in and out on oneself.
- Hostility: There appears to be no adverse presence outside the cloud of stars. There are wayward souls, both still-living and past, that have lost their minds in the Mirror, gone mad by staring at their reflections for too long. Once inside the Mirror, however, there is an enemy, hiding in the adventurer's reflection. That enemy will attempt to kill the person at random times during their stay, but cannot be affected back until the traveler reaches the Burning Glass.
- IC Rules: Around the Penumbral Mirror, a person may not even realize that the ground disappears, as they begin to float. Locomotion is propelled by thought rather than muscles. Once within the Mirror, this property disappears, replaced by a few others. For one thing, despite being surrounded by mirrors, the traveler only ever has one reflection, that moves from mirror to mirror as the person does. Secondly, one is able to step through mirrors in this realm, although the experience is rather disorienting, and can change the orientation of the person, as they may walk through their reflection, and fall through, only to stand up at a ninety-degree angle on the other side.
The Miasma
Located within Oblivion, there is a section where the ground slowly grows translucent as one walks forward, until everything beneath oneself is replaced by endless nothingness and slowly-drifting clouds of purple smoke and starlight. This change happens suddenly, as the traveler will notice, often after the blink of an eye or when the person is distracted, that they suddenly are not standing, but floating. They can propel themselves through the air with just a thought, and while it can be disorienting at first, the movement comes naturally after a little time. The travel to the Mirror itself is variable, with travelers reporting that it takes anywhere between five minutes and two days of constant floating. There is a strange signature in the Force here, which is dark in nature, but not particularly threatening or malevolent.
Penumbral Mirror
From the outside, the Mirror looks like an enormous stormcloud, hundreds of miles across. This cloud is thick, with dancing glowing lights that tempt the traveler forward. Once passed into, the traveler may feel queasy as a new world orients around them. They right themselves to find a realm tinged in purple, with the same glowing lights in the millions around them, reflected in mirrors as far as they eye can see. This is a shared realm, anyone can enter and find someone else who goes in, armies can clash within it's infinite reflections, the dangers can be accompanied by a friend.
These mirrors reflect the lights, but do not reflect any travelers, save for one reflection that is constantly moving from mirror to mirror as they walk. This reflection does not always mirror their host, however. At rare times, it will smile evilly at the real one, move slightly differently, or in the most extreme cases, attempt a single attack at the host with the reflection of a weapon on them. During this stage, the traveler cannot attack their shadow back, as any attempts simply pass through or break mirrors, which slowly heal themselves. This realm is strong in the dark side of the Force, as thoughts of the regrets, fears, and dark secrets of the traveler are brought to light, especially as they stare at their reflection, which seems to stare back.
Staring at oneself for too long in the Penumbral Mirror has extreme adverse effects. The longer one stares, the more dark emotions take over the mind, until the face you see doesn't register as your own. At that point, your reflection disappears, and you are doomed to wander the Mirror for eternity, unless you can find yourself again; A monumental, but possible, feat. Other unfortunate beings wander the Mirror, both as malnourished sentient creatures who were living and lost themselves, or the spirits of the Netherworld that have become trapped in this place of eternal reflection.
Burning-Glass
It is through following your reflection, and reflecting upon yourself, that you can make your way to the center of the Mirror, known as the Burning-Glass. Here, most reflective surfaces disappear, replaced by a metal dais, covered in sharp lines, cutting edges, and grasping droid legs. Upon the dais is one last mirror, surging and straining with blinding energies. Looking into it will reveal your own reflection for but a moment, before disappearing, and allowing something to escape it. This something is your reflection, that murderous spirit that has been following you since you arrived, given physical form in a last desperate attempt to overwhelm you. This reflection, while often being a dark copy of the individual, represents opposition within the person, and can take a multitude of forms, including that of an enormous shadow dragon, an army of shaded warriors, and a black Star Destroyer, among others. No matter the challenger, their shadow is always just a little more powerful, just a little better than their host at whatever arena of combat is attempted. Despite this fact, beings that have endured the trials of the Penumbral Mirror, and have used the opportunity to clear their spirit of what is false, gain an uncanny sense of how to defeat their opponent. A chink in the dragon's scales, the man to kill in the army, the right words to get the ship to stand down. Through conquering their reflection, the world shatters around the pilgrim, and they are forced out, once again floating within the Miasma, staring at the Penumbral Mirror once more, and with an innate knowledge of themselves, and Oblivion around them. Those that survive the challenge can re-enter the Mirror, are not beleaguered by their reflection, and they can leave at any point they wish.
Beings that have completed the Challenge of the Penumbral Mirror have reported having a greater sense of self while traveling these dark lands, having reaffirmed who they are. They may find themselves more lucid even within the more chaotic sections of the Netherworld, guided by an inner reflection.
Penumbral Mirror
These mirrors reflect the lights, but do not reflect any travelers, save for one reflection that is constantly moving from mirror to mirror as they walk. This reflection does not always mirror their host, however. At rare times, it will smile evilly at the real one, move slightly differently, or in the most extreme cases, attempt a single attack at the host with the reflection of a weapon on them. During this stage, the traveler cannot attack their shadow back, as any attempts simply pass through or break mirrors, which slowly heal themselves. This realm is strong in the dark side of the Force, as thoughts of the regrets, fears, and dark secrets of the traveler are brought to light, especially as they stare at their reflection, which seems to stare back.
Staring at oneself for too long in the Penumbral Mirror has extreme adverse effects. The longer one stares, the more dark emotions take over the mind, until the face you see doesn't register as your own. At that point, your reflection disappears, and you are doomed to wander the Mirror for eternity, unless you can find yourself again; A monumental, but possible, feat. Other unfortunate beings wander the Mirror, both as malnourished sentient creatures who were living and lost themselves, or the spirits of the Netherworld that have become trapped in this place of eternal reflection.
Burning-Glass
Beings that have completed the Challenge of the Penumbral Mirror have reported having a greater sense of self while traveling these dark lands, having reaffirmed who they are. They may find themselves more lucid even within the more chaotic sections of the Netherworld, guided by an inner reflection.
High: The Penumbral Mirror is unique in the fact that it's difficulty, and the chances for one's survival, scale with the power of the one who attempts it's puzzle. A Jedi Padawan or Sith Apprentice may find themselves in over their heads quickly, but a Jedi Master or Sith Lord will be equally challenged by a reflection of their own power. No matter how strong one becomes, the Mirror will always be just a little bit stronger.
There is a deeply unsettling emotion that grows when one looks into their own eyes through a mirror. The mind knows the reflection is just that; a reflection of itself, yet it cannot help but look on. The eyes are the window to the soul, and since you and your reflection blink in tandem, you never seen the other person break their gaze, as you endlessly stare into your own spirit. Staring like that for too long will make even the most sane wonder; if you look away for just a second, or blink at the wrong time, will the face change? Will it rebel from the reflection, and smile at you?
Netherworld scholars attest that the Penumbral Mirror is comprised of these thoughts. Over countless generations magnified by the four-hundred year darkness, the feelings of the dead who had forgotten themselves coalesced into a
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