The surface of the mirror ripples as Perrin passes through. Looking nervous, Kelian turns to Kazador for reassurance. "So um... you ever dealt with something like this?"
Mel knows that the empathic link between a master and a familiar functions at a range of up to 1 mile. She also knows that the mirror hideaway spell creates an extradimensional space. It's up to her to draw her own conclusions there.
You are immediately disoriented as you enter a hall where floor, walls, and ceilings are all mirrors. To make matters worse, the angle of gravity in this place is about 30 degrees different than the orientation with which you entered and you immediately slump to the floor. Certain rectangular portions of the walls of the hall 3 by 8 feet are outlined in a less reflective silver that matches the mirror's frame.
”Something like this? Nay, lad. Heard of something like it once...” He thought about it. Was it safe to discuss anything of his people with this human? No. Best not to risk it. The greed of man was legendary. The last thing he wanted was for adventurers to come looking for loot in the tombs of his ancestors. ”...but never seen it myself. But don’t worry. Perrin probably knows what he is doing.”
Out loud, she addresses the bat fluttering about the room. "Well? Err ... Ev, is it? Anything?"
You can see through to the other side but, when you attempt to pass back out, there's a buzzing sound and your hand is repelled from the surface. Ev was emoting concern to you but the connection dropped when you passed through the mirror.
Kelian looks curiously at Kazador, his curiosity piqued by Kazador's vagueness. "Really!? What did you hear?"
Ev flutters around awkwardly. You're not entirely sure what she's doing. Eventually, she settles down on a step.
She's trying not to send a misleading signal but flying around in this tight basement is a little tiring and she can't roost as that is a signal too since bats usually roost upside down.
She's also distressed because she is trying to emote to Perrin and getting nothing back. Normally, she would be able to sense his emotional state, even if it were perfectly calm.
So he shrugged. ”Just heard this magic is used to hide things. That’s all.”
As Perrin steps near each of the others mirrors he sees his own reflection ripple in their surface as he disturbs the nearby air. This didn't happen when he tried to go back through his original mirror. There are no signs of footprints on the silvery "floor" but he looking very, very closely he sees a few small traces of dust here and there, tiny smudges of dirt, and a few small threads of fabric. People have been here before. There are eight mirrors lining the hall and one larger one at the end of the hall.
Kelian stares at Kazador for a second, wondering what secrets the dwarf contains, then glances back toward the mirror, shifting his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot.
Seeing glowing threads of magic connecting each of the mirrors, Perrin concludes that they are all part of the same spell. The one he came from and the big one at the end of the hall are the strongest pieces of the aura.
Mel looks at the little bat uncomfortably. "Kirottu," she mutters. "That wasn't one of the signals, and it looks as though the bat's tired. And unhappy. I bet Perrin's message can't make it back, as I suspected."
She sighs. "Well, we don't know if David's in there, but Perrin definitely is. Listen, you two," she says to Kazador and Kelian, "I'm going to go in. As soon as I get in there, I'm going to turn around and try to leave immediately. So if I'm not back in a few moments, then you'll know that the exit isn't working, or there's some barrier preventing people from using it. In that case, if you come in after me you'll be stuck too, and it might be a better idea to go get magical help. Perhaps the Bishop knows someone who might have more insight into what's going on with the wretched thing."
"And me without my bow," she sighs as she steps forward. "I knew I should've just bought one instead of crafting my own spare."
And with that, Mel reaches a hand forward to the mirror and steps through it.
You are immediately disoriented as you enter a hall where floor, walls, and ceilings are all mirrors. To make matters worse, the angle of gravity in this place is about 30 degrees different than the orientation with which you entered and you immediately slump to the floor. Certain rectangular portions of the walls of the hall 3 by 8 feet are outlined in a less reflective silver that matches the mirror's frame. There are 8 such mirrors. At the end of a hall is a larger mirror. An erratic line of scone crumbs lead from where you entered to the large mirror. You immediately try to leave back through the mirror you entered but your hand is repelled from the surface with a tingling sensation.
As you step through the big mirror, you hear a gasp and a thump that sounds like Mel. You step through the big mirror with no problem. On the other side, you find yourself standing on a ledge over a silvery chasm that goes down as far as you can see. Jagged platforms that look like shards of broken glass the size of barn doors hang at various heights and distances from you. About 100 ft away, you see a large, reflective icosahedron flickering erratically with light on a bigger platform.
Kelian waits a minute then abruptly announces "She hasn't come back! What should we do?" He looks to Kazador, hoping the dwarf has some wisdom here.
"What in the world is a thing like this doing in the basement of an inn?" she wonders.
Turning to the mirror she entered through, she attempts to make herself seen, or to see through it, or both.
Kelian nods sharply to Kazador. "Ok. Let's do it!" He follows Kazador up the stairs and, as they rush out, mutters to Alice in a low tone. "It's tough but we're ok. We're just getting some people to help." The young woman nods gratefully and keeps working to get things served. The two rush out and towards the Cathedral.
They arrive there huffing and panting. Oddly enough, their request to see the bishop immediately is denied by a middle-aged, pudgy cleric.
"No no no, sirs. No one sees his Holiness so immediately as that." You see a brown-haired man listening curiously to your conversation.
You see a dwarf and a young human rush into the foyer of the administrative section of the Cathedral of Helm. They look exceptionally concerned. The dwarf is quite nicely equipped. They seem to expect a personal meeting with the Bishop. You are also hoping to speak to the Bishop or one of his senior aides.
You can't see back through. You don't know if they can see you at all.
"Well," she sighs after a moment, "I'd better go after Perrin before he can get himself into too much trouble. I wish I could leave a note or something, but ..." -- she rummages around in her belt pouch a moment -- "Nothing to write with. Blast. I should really get some chalk or something. Hopefully this breadcrumb trail will do."
And so saying, she follows the trail and steps through the large mirror at the opposite end of the hallway.
Mel bumps into Perrin as he is standing just past the mirror. She nearly bumps him off the ledge he is standing on into the reflective chasm!
Perrin's hand is not repelled but passes into the mirror with no problem.
"Hello, glad to see you're in one piece. As for what to do ... I mean ... we seem to be stuck in here. At least, I couldn't leave through the first mirror when I came through. Also, no sign of David so far. I told Kazador and Kelian I was going to try to come back immediately, so if I didn't come back they should go find help rather than sending more people in. Perhaps the Bishop can send some kind of arcanist or something who might know more about what's going on with this ... thing." She gestures at the surreal landscape surrounding them.
"Quite a place, isn't it?" Mel looks around with interest. "I mean, not exactly homey, but it's got a certain ... grandeur. Do you suppose all those side mirrors go places, too? Maybe we should go try them, since I don't see any obvious way to get across this chasm."
"Yeah, this place is remarkable - I'm glad you found me." He studies the nearest platform. "I've got a spell that could lift us up and down, but not sideways. And if worst comes to worst I still have those teleportation scrolls we confiscated at the prison." Perrin glances back at the mirror they came out of. "Or we could try those one of those mirrors along the side, like you said. We might not be able to get back, but that probably applies wherever we go in here."
Perrin can freely withdraw his hand.
"Anyway, we could use that to throw and hook onto an edge and pull forward. But it sounds dangerous and error prone -- and we don't really have any reason to get over there, do we? Somehow I doubt David had a levitation spell ready to go, so he probably couldn't get across there at all if he came this way. Let's go back and check out the side mirrors first before we start suspending ourselves over an apparently bottomless void."
Suiting action to words, Mel steps back through the mirror behind her, makes her way to the first mirror to the right of the initial entrance, and waits for Perrin to join her before touching it.
"I'm more puzzled by how such a weird magical device got into the basement of the Cozy Badger. It seems odd to find such a thing in the basement of an ordinary inn!"
"Anyway -- if these mirrors are portals, then he could be behind any of them. Let's see if this one does anything." And with that, she reaches forward cautiously and presses her hand against the mirror.
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Kazador stood there. He had no armor, he had no hammer. He dearly wishes that he could just teleport himself straight to the Bishop, as suicidal as that might be. But right now that wasn’t an option. Part of him wanted to leave. He was being told to, that there was no way he could see the Bishop. Why try? Why bother? It would just make the failure even worse.
He almost listened to that voice in his head. The same one that had led him down such a dark path. But now? Now his friends needed him. Summoning up his courage, he looked the man in the eye and said ”A child might be dead. Two of my friends tried to save him, and they might well be lost too. There is old magic at work here, and only the Bishop can determine what needs to be done. I cannot leave when doing so means that three people might die. Can’t ye see that?” A small measure of his past confidence crept back into his voice. His jaw was set and his began to harden. But still the fear was there, being fought back out of dire necessity.
You slip through the mirror's watery surface and enter a small room about 10x10 ft. You are immediately assaulted by a horrible stench of excrement and urine. Massive piles of extremely questionable brown material lie in the room.
The man's eyebrows raise considerably at the mention of dire old magic and mortal danger. He considers for a moment then, putting his hands in front of him in a placatory manner, he says "Alright sir, I can't go to the Bishop directly about this but I can speak to my superior." He calls an aide over to man his station and shuffles back through a door, robes swishing.
He returns in a moment with a young man in his thirties wearing brown robes and introduces him. "This is Brother Thomas. He is a competent lay priest who helps investigate magical and spiritual disturbances. He will return with you and investigate the problem. If further intervention is required, he will aid you." Brother Thomas nods. "I am happy to help, citizen."
Kazador smiled, relief evident on his face. ”Ancestors watch us! Thank ye. We’ve no time to lose.” As they went, Kazador moving as fast as he was able, he went over the situation. Of the missing child, the mirror in the basement (and the child sized gap). Of how two of his friends went into the mirror to look for the child and hasn’t come back. Finally, he said ”We’re almost there. Glad as fook that you’re with us.”
Brother Thomas rushes along, collecting all the information that he can. He nods sharply ”Yes this sounds like quite the emergency!” Kelian nods while panting. ”It is! Please hurry!” You rush into the Badger and past a bewildered and worried Alice. You pound down the stairs and find the bat lying on a different crate, looking worried. Thomas examines the mirror and casts a few spells. ”Yes it certainly seems to be malfunctioning. Something is wrong with it. We might be able to restore its function if we could access the core of the spell.”
Kazador recalls a tale of an old dwarf who was a master crafter. He entered one of these mirrors and wasn’t seen for a couple of days. He returned haggard, cut, and bruised but calm. When asked why he had been in there so long, he simply responded that something needed fixing. That master crafter's motto was known to be "Anything can be fixed if a dwarf puts his mind to it. Most of the time, just comes down to a little symmmetry."
With but a modicum of hesitation, Kazador shared the story. ”...but I admit that I don’t know what he meant by it. Do we need to go into there to access the core of the spell? Or can it be done from out here?”
Kelian eyes the mirror and shrugs. "Nothing out here that looks much like a core." Brother Thomas nods, pondering. "That may be the case. But I, for one, will stay out here and contact my superiors should the situation worsen."
She casts one quick glance over the vile heaps, eyes watering, looking for signs of David's presence or passage; then immediately retreats to the main corridor.
And she follows Perrin through the mirror.
Mel and Perrin don't note anything of particular interest besides the massive amounts of waste. Perrin enters the mirror across the hall and finds a few small wood carvings sitting upon crates and boxes. On a pile of scraps of cloth and sawdust, a bedraggled man in his mid-fifties mutters "Go away. I don't feel like dealing with you right now."
Mel does a double-take as she comes in behind Perrin. "Oh. Err ... sorry to intrude. Did you happen to see a kid named David come through, by any chance? That's the only reason we're here."
She looks around the room as she speaks, taking it all in.
The man scratches his overgrown beard and shifts on his bed of refuse. In a growly voice that apparently doesn't get much use, he grumbles "A kid? That's a new one... Usually you hallus have a way out or something."
As he speaks, Perrin continues concentrating on his spell of detection, checking for magic on the man or the rest of the room.
You detect some small objects containing conjuration magic in his pocket.
It's a goodberry spell.
The man claps his hands up to his ears. "LA LA LA LA LA! I've told ya a thousand times! I can't HEAR yoouuu!" Then he rolls over and faces the reflective wall, away from you.
The man is muttering to himself "Sheila is real. Margie is real. They're not real. Sheila is real. Margie is real. They're not real."
"I ... see ..." she says slowly. "Well, so sorry to disturb you, we'll be going now. Bye!" And she hooks Perrin by the elbow and pulls him back through the mirror with her, into the hallway.
Perrin lets Mel pull him back through the mirror. Once they're earshot he mentions, "If we need answers I've got a spell that could make him friendly, but I'm worried he'll get angry if it fails. I sensed some magic provisions in his pocket so he might be a spellcaster."
Perrin looks back at the mirror sadly. "Still, it seemed like he really needed help - all that muttering about 'Sheila' and 'Margie.'" He turns to the adjacent mirror. "Ready for another?"
She sighs. "Okay, onto the next mirror. Let's do this one ... I mean we could go in order, but that's boring." And she steps through, carefully.
Mel finds a room containing two old empty crates and a few bits of garbage. It's almost completely empty.
A rock clacks onto the floor of the hallway with paper on it. The paper reads Hey in there, we went to the Bishop and got a priest. He seems to know what he is doing. Hold on in there! We’re trying to help. He mentioned something about finding the core of the spell and fixing it. You might need to do it from the inside! - Kazador
In the rest of the mirrors, you find more rooms like the ones Mel just discovered. One of them contains an old table and chairs with some broken plates, cups, and pitchers. In the second mirror on the left, you spy a small foot poking out from behind a crate.
Kelian looks at you nervously. "Do you think there's anything else we can do to help them?"