*Updated * Demon Slayers of the Drinking Crow Session #61- To The World of Reflection

 Fr. Bert had gone missing. The errant friar got sucked into another dimeson by a trap that only left behind his sandals. After some frantic investigating around Orm, the remaining Demon Slayers decided to recruit some extra assistance for their efforts to rescue the missing clergy man. They picked up a new regular from the Drinking Crow before heading off to the Athenaeum of the Dying Sun. They could be overheard discussing with the Magician Phasmo children's tales of a place called "The World of Reflection", the Mirror Tongue, and the infiltration of the Crooked Hand by otherworldly beings. The following party was since descending into the cellar of the Athenaeum:

• Armeen of the Two Rivers (Level 4 Cleric of Danu)
• Jubal (Level 2 Beast Master retainer)
• Minotaur (hunting dog)
• Copra Kaan (Level 6 Vat Spawn Antaur)
• Crambo (Level 4 Magic-User)
• Agera (Level 2 Fighting Mutant retainer)
• Kobys (Level 1 Lunar Elf)
• Phasmo (Level 4 Magic-User)
• Lirazil (Level 2 Elf retainer)

Late that night, they were recorded by the on-duty librarian as ascending out from the cellar with Fr. Bert in tow (with his sandals returned to his feet). A faint scent like the air after a lighting strike lingered after they passed.

Map of the World of Reflection by Crambo’s player Rob B.

The retainers Jubal, Agera, and Lirazil are seen around Orm's taverns and waterholes sharing tale of the adventure of their employers. The beginning of the expedition was filled with what is now pretty typical of a delve into 'The Complex': bribing Gorilla Folk guards, collecting crystal pears, and making deals with listless Ogres. It was in a subterranean gallery and with what was behind a long red curtain where things took an unusual turn.

In the Demon Slayers' last expedition, the party had found a very long mirror behind the red curtain that runs the length of the gallery's southern wall. In that mirror, they had found their sinister reflections ready to pull them through to the other side. The group decided to have their visiting magic-user Phasmo become invisible to scout what was on the other side of the mirror. If the coast was clear and the surface able to be passed through, Crambo would cloak the rest of the group in magical Darkness as to not create reflections.

By the time the retainers had passed to this other world through the pool-like surface of the mirror, Phasmo in mid-conversation with a phantasm of the deceased adventurer Scamandros. This spirit advised that, "the way forward was in how you framed it". As the vision faded out into nothing, some could swear they heard Scamandros mutter something about a "red beard".

This room the group had arrived in was a exact reflection of the room in 'The Complex' barring that a thin layer of water flooded the space. Before anyone could stop him, Armeen took a sip of the water. The cleric started to fall into a stupor before shrugging it off. He relayed fighting off terrible visions and hypothesized a process for attempting another drink. Phasmo's strong protests that the liquid seemed to be the same substance the Magician subbed "Complex Water" and was too dangerous to imbibe was enough to stop Armeen's efforts. 

The other only noticeable difference was that the one painting in the gallery- one of a blue-green celestial orb was greatly deteriorated in comparison to one found in the Unreflected World. Based on this, Kobys suggested traveling in the direction of the room with the trap that took Fr. Bert. Armeen strongly agreed, thinking that perhaps this place follows the same layout.

The next room to the 'east'* matched the one the Demon Slayers had seen in a similar direction in 'The Complex' except in two ways. One of them was a pattern of arrows inlayed into the floor. The other was idyllic, garden-like scene on the walls had a more warm, yellow cast while in the Unreflected World it was as if it was bathed in a pale blue light.

Before this space could be explored further, Phasmo wanted to see what would happen if a picture frame from this reflected gallery was placed in a doorway. When Lirazil set it into the doorway, it was a perfect fit but nothing else of note occurred. When Phasmo inspected another frame, he discovered it possessed snaps on the outside of the frame and grooves for something similar to fit on the inside. After quickly placing the frames in the gallery one side another, a dark tunnel the party could crawl into was formed by the frames.

After a few tests with rope, Crambo decided, "what the hell", and walked in. His polymorphed goblin height kept him from having to crawl. What he found on the other side was like a body of water wear his horizonal axis became a vertical one. But, whatever the substance was, it evaporated quickly outside of it. It was decided those that don't wear armor would swim through and secure a rope. While this benefited  the armored party members, the rope was a saving grace for Copra Kaan whose giant ant legs were incapable of allowing him to swim properly.

At the surface of the pool, the top was highly reflective. The pool sat inside a large natural cave that smelled like the sea but the 'northern' and 'southern' exits were carved out of the walls. To the 'south', the party moved through a series of heavy velvet curtains before exiting out on to a wooden stage. Out in audience seating, an apparition of a red-headed woman waited cradling a torch. When the party tried to speak to her, she waved the group back. Phasmo begged for her to speak and her reply was a terrified scream what did not match her somber expression.

Following her advise, the party traveled back through the curtains and to the reflecting pool. They instead traveled 'north' up some stairs where they found an egress to the 'west' and the front porch of a house craved into the cavern wall. On the porch, someone that looked very much like Viggo Hawke of the Crooked Hand dressed as a beggar whittled. When he was asked about Fr. Bert, the man pointed back towards the house's front door. The party decided to go in.

The inside looked like the front room of a cabin. Seated forms that looked a lot like Zathur of Mere and a Valtropis watched Fr. Bert roasting some meat in the fireplace. Fr, Bert was uncertain how long he had been here but was eager to leave. The others provided much harder to convince. When the topic of adventurers defeating their duplicates came up, Zathur dismissed them as conjurings. Phasmo asked Zathur where the 'true Mirror People' lived and got back a reply about some place 'by the sea".

Outside of Fr. Bert, none of the others seemed to be able to be convinced to leave. The idea of charming one of them to leave came up and Phasmo settled on the man that looked like Viggo Hawke. Lizaril attempted to enchant him with her elfin spell but he shook it off. Before further action could be taken, a nightingale** landed on the window sill and began singing. The party realized that the bird was warning them about a threat approaching through the western egress. They quickly dove back into the pool and down the rope.Inside the reflected gallery, Phasmo dissembled the frames and rehung them on the wall.  As the party was making their way through the mirror and back into 'The Complex', they could see mirror duplicates of themselves arriving.

With that, the retainers tale of the World of Reflection came to an end.

*The directions in recounting are known to be just uncertain as the group lost their point of reference several times.

**The nightingale was heard singing earlier in the expedition but none of the retainers could agree upon when.

The following missive was sent out of Orm under Armeen's seal:

From Armeen of the Twin Rivers

Dear Magi Naztab,

    I apologize for not being as frequent in my communications with the head church as my predecessor was, but I find myself more immersed in the local culture than he was. I have reached the second highest level of the Ervad level, and will hopefully soon become a young Magi like yourself. I have also had my consciousness transferred into the body of a woman. It is interesting, if not discomforting seeing my old body walk around in the streets. Apparently the entity that switched me from my body to this one, had done it another time, so the person in my body now is unknown to me. 

    I have acquired a branch of the most interesting tree. It is made of obsidian, and the leaves look like they are beautiful emeralds, just lightly hanging there. And it produces the most wondrous fruit, a pear made of crystals, that have the ability to heal when eaten. I took a branch, and I have vowed to never strike another with it. It is my hope, that with it never being used for violence, and channeling the healing powers of Danu through it, that one day it may become an artifact of our faith to heal those in need. I will hopefully become more diligent in my letters back, but until then, goodbye.

Treasure

• Crystal pears x 18
• Decaying world painting
• A branch from the crystal pear tree (claimed by Armeen)

Experience Points

• 500xp ea. for being the first to travel to the World of Reflection
• 50xp for rescuing Fr. Bert

Player Character Cut

• 510xp ea. (255xp to Agera, Jubal, and Lirazil)

Writing, art, and maps summitted as a play report earn PC Level x 100xp. Please let me know of any downtime activities anyone wants to perform.

Bors Redbeard Dreams

The night of the expedition to the World of Reflection, retired Dragon Slayer Bors Redbeard had terrible dreams. In them, he had his legs again. Scamandros was in the dream and so, too, was the drunken ghost he had met in Level 3. He dreamt of that mirror the Dragon Slayers captured in the sewers of Barbasso and 'Complex Water'. He saw the Altar of Law on Level 3. When he woke, he had broken out in a cold sweat. He couldn't fall back asleep even after his cousin Gabby brought him a drink to ease him back to slumber. All he could think about was his spiritual journey after visiting that altar and of the visions he had on Mischief Night three years back.