**Shadow Reflection | Realm of Memory | Domain of Fear** --- ### ❖ Overview The **Mirror Veil** is a distorted echo of reality, a demi-realm woven by [[the Shroud of Hexa]] from fear, memory, and spiritual echoes. It is not its own plane, but a parasitic overlay—feeding off the real world by copying it in mourning and horror. Entire cities, ruins, or regions may be mirrored in this realm, though only those deeply connected to sorrow or betrayal are susceptible. The Mirror Veil’s appearance marks a phase shift in the Shroud’s growth. Where the fog is thickest, the Veil may bloom into existence—trapping souls, rewriting space, and drawing its own creatures into being. No gods walk here. Divine intervention cannot pierce its membrane unless empowered by relics or legendary acts. --- ### ❖ Nature & Structure - **Mirror of the Material World:** The Veil replicates existing locations in Solare but in altered, haunted forms—where temples weep blood, voices echo without source, and history replays in loops. - **Time Dilation:** Time flows strangely; days may pass in minutes or linger forever. - **Emotion-Imprinted Terrain:** Landscapes change based on those trapped within—cities grow taller with pride, sink deeper with guilt, or fracture where trauma lingers. - **Silent Divinity:** No deity can speak here. Their voices are drowned by the fog’s will. --- ### ❖ Entry & Exit - **Entry Triggers:** - Prolonged presence within the Shroud (DM discretion). - Failing a memory saving throw. - Being targeted by the [[Shroudcaller]]’s Mirror Rift. - Dying within the fog without soulbinding protections. - **Exit Requirements:** - Resolving a deep trauma or facing a memory beast. - Reaching a Shroud Rift or divine anchor. - Defeating a Guardian of the Veil in that region. Very few who enter ever return—and those who do often return changed. --- ### ❖ Inhabitants - **Memory Beasts:** Manifestations of internal fear, past trauma, or spiritual guilt. Each is unique. - **Twisted Reflections:** Mirror versions of people from the real world, often acting out alternate fates or corrupted motives. - **Echobound:** Former mortals unable to escape, now partially fused to the terrain. - **The [[Shroudcaller]]:** Can walk freely here, though rarely seen. --- ### ❖ Mechanics - **Fear Cycling:** At rest, characters must make DC 20 Wisdom saving throws or experience vivid dream-loops of their worst memories. Failing 3+ times may result in psychic damage or level exhaustion. - **Magic Instability:** Spellcasting requires a concentration check even for instantaneous spells. Failure causes the spell to backfire or fracture. - **Map Warping:** Navigation rolls (Survival or Arcana, DC 18) are required each hour to avoid looping or falling into deeper layers. - **Relic Response:** Artifacts glow faintly here and may whisper forgotten truths or offer cryptic guidance. --- ### ❖ Campaign Usage - **Psychological Horror:** A session—or even an arc—set in the Mirror Veil can explore a character’s psyche. - **Haunted Quest Zones:** Veil-mirrored ruins can contain alternate versions of objectives or events. - **Source of New Monsters:** Use the Veil to birth custom enemies from player backstories. - **Divine Silence Challenge:** Prevent access to cleric powers and force creative survival strategies. --- ### ❖ Quote "This is the truth beneath the world’s lie. You called it pain, but the Veil calls it memory. And now it remembers you." --- The Mirror Veil is a place of sorrow and revelation—a reflection not of what is, but of what was broken and what might have been. To survive it is to endure truth unmasked. To escape it is to rewrite what was once unchangeable.