The Mirror has always been an unsettling object within our collective folk tales, myths and communal experience. Although we feel it necessary to have one around for points of vanity and social acceptance, much like the reflections in the mirror, there has always seemed to be something haunting us from the shadows behind but not quite within reach. Even starring at our own reflections too long can have detrimental effects; lost in our beauty like Narcissus or losing focus and maybe catching a glimpse of the warped reality just hiding inside waiting for the mirror to expose.
Art by Shadowheart69: Mirror Mirror on the Wall
Better yet the age old superstition that, if you break a mirror, you get seven years bad luck. This goes back to our ancestor’s belief that mirrors somehow trapped a fraction of the soul’s essence and, if it were to be broken after being looked into, that fraction would be broken…shattered. And it took seven years to get past this bad luck because this was how long they believed it took the soul to regenerate.
Stories of trapped souls, mischievous if not outright malevolent reflections and even doppelganger like beings who could switch places with you permeate our legends and cultural stories. And it is this bit of nightmare fuel that inspires our latest journey into some forgotten D&D lore!
Mirrors on the Forgotten Realms date back to Nethril (-1874 DR) where they were first known to be produced and used. And many religious rituals involved their use. From THE EMPOWERER (an aspect of the Naga Queen, Shekinester) to those who follow the goddess of lies and deception, Leira, to the goddess of beauty and passion, Sune, the mirror became a way to either ‘reflect’ upon one’s self and deeds or beseech your deity for an answer to prayer or a vision of the future.
There were also a myriad of mirrors used as magical objects across Faerun. From enlightenment, to perfection or flattery or even life trapping, there was a magic mirror for it. There was also a time when Turmish outlawed mirrors due to a fear of FETCH, nasty abyssal invaders who used them as portals. But the most popular magic mirrors led to a different plane of existence.
OF COURSE, THERE’S A MIRROR PLANE
It does seem if there’s an emotion, thought, element or legend, there there must be a plane for it in Dungeons and Dragons. And they do not disappoint when it comes to our stories about mirrors and it’s denizens.
The Plane of Mirrors (also called the Mirror Realm) gets sourcebook treatment beginning back in Third Edition Manual of the Planes about 2001. But really didn’t come into its own with full lore with Monster Manual 3 in Fourth Edition in a complete rundown of one of its residents which we will get into soon.
Basically, just any ole mirror wouldn’t do. It was rare to find, but certain mirrors and even reflective surfaces like pools of water, shields, shiny floors and just about anything else that reflected your image back at you were doorways into the Plane of Mirrors. One could even open such a portal in any mirror with the right spell or ritual.
The Plane of Mirrors is said to ‘transitive‘ which is a fancy way to say that it is a connection to other planes of which one could travel to other worlds!
But traveler beware! Entering such a mirror is not without its risks. Once a being from the Material Plane steps through ‘the looking glass’, a copy of this individual will be made. And, before you get excited about having a traveling buddy, you must know that this copy is your diametric opposite! If you’re left handed, they’re right. And, if you’re good, they’re evil.
It’s the age old dungeon trick of walking into a room and facing your evil self in combat. Only, you may be releasing this ‘evil you’ to run amok on your world. Imagine coming back from a trip through the mirror to find you’re wanted across the Realms? So tread lightly cause some legends say your doppelganger from the Plane of Mirrors can’t escape into the Material Plane unless it eliminates the competition; namely YOU!
Also, there may be more than just ‘evil you’ staring back at you from that mirror. The Mirror Plane is inhabited and they probably don’t have good intentions!
THAT THING IN THE MIRROR
To us, mirrors are way to check our appearance before gracing the public with our amazing look. To the Inhabitants of the Mirror Plane, they become intriguing entertainment and ways to learn new things. Enter the Mirror Mephits.
As I said there was a plane for every thing imaginable, there’s also a Mephit for every one of these planes. Mirror Mephits and the lowest level of challenges that come from there. CR3 and no real direct challenge, they run in packs usually and are more interested in spying on you and causing trouble than actually attacking anything. Much like Gremlins, they are into everything. Ever wondered where that sock match is? It was probably a Mephit.
They gather round the busiest mirrors and wait till anyone passes the front of the mirror. They tend to distort the image as to get their attention and follow that up with a ‘prophetic image’ of some sort. It’s probably something that will send the mortal off on some insane quest or do something that will humiliate them. A lot of the time, some of the Mirror Mephits will cross over to watch the festivities.
Another trick they like to play is creating a duplicate of said person into the material plane to make trouble for the target. But the most dastardly thing is that, is the subject gets too close to the mirror, they can be dragged into the Mirror by a pack of Mirror Mephits. They’re known to ask ransoms (not always gold), but they ultimately want to frustrate the other mortals into smashing the mirror. This WILL free the prisoner as well as all the Mephits involved. They wish for nothing more than to be unleashed upon the Material Plane to cause all the havok to their little heart’s content.
At least, these Mirror Mephits make great spies, hiding behind the mirror glass waiting to catch a glimpse of a magic item or weapon they can steal. Or maybe a spell book for their superiors.
Mirror Mephits can summon other of their kind, reflect spell reflection that, if I were to convert this to 5E would cause a disadvantage on magical attacks made against them, and even do damage with a minor breath weapon of tiny glass slivers.
The main inhabitant are the mysterious Nerras. They appear to be humanoid but with no face and made of reflective, mirror-like substance. Sometimes the lowest caste displays cracks or many cracks. And, YES, I said Caste, because they have their own hierarchy within the Plane of Mirrors.
MEERAK NERRAS are the warrior drones of their species. Although their bodies are covered with reflective services, they appear most broken among the NERRA. In fact, they bodies are so broken from a lifetime of battle that they have jagged shards jutting from their bodies causing slashing damage if anyone gets too close. I would venture to say that they are the weakest of the Nerra, but stronger than the Mephits: Say, 4 or5 CR. They would also have a reaction called MIRROR DEFENSE, if they receive damage from melee weapons, to automatically get an attack of opportunity. And, if that seems a bit too much, just allow a D6 of the same damage mirrored back.
Lurking in the shadows or deep within that reflection you keep staring at, are the VAROOT NERRAS (7 CR). The Varoot are the scouts and spies for the Nerras. They lay the ground work and gather the intel for their higher ups to use to make their plan of invasion. They are able to use an ability called REFLECTION THIEF and duplicate one creature within 10 feet and, if the Nerra takes damage, the copied creature will possibly take all or part of the damage.
The KALAREEM NERRAS (9 CR) are the Mirror Knights of the Plane and will gladly put themselves in harms way to protect the others especially the SILLITs. They carry swords forged of sharpened glass/mirrors and their attacks are as graceful as they are deadly. They also have the ability to mark an enemy if they do damage in any way. This creature and this creature alone can trigger this warrior’s MIRROR IMAGE ability. If the marked creature is within melee range of the Kalareem and makes a melee attack against another Nerra, that attack targets the Kalareem instead! These knights also have the Mirror Defense ability.
art by Albino-Z
The SILLIT NERRAS (12 CR), if they are present, are the command of the force wielding magic and instigating the plan. All Nerras look to them for leadership and direction. If destroyed, the rest of the force will probably retreat. Their answer to a melee attack is their MIRROR PORTAL where they are teleported next to an ally within 20 feet. Upon teleportation this way, all enemies within 5 feet take 3D8 damage with no attack of opportunity. This ability should probably be limited.
Another specialty of the SILLIT is CAPTURED IMAGE. Range is 10 feet and the target gets to make a Wisdom Save DC17 or be removed from play. Any damage the SILLIT takes, the target takes half. The target rerolls a Wisdom Save at the end of their turn; upon a successful save, the target reappears in an unoccupied space 5 feet from the Sillit. If the SILLIT’s hit points drop to 0, the effect ends also.
There is mention of DELPHAR NERRA which are general Nerras if you need a mini ‘big bad’ along the way. They are mostly tactical fighters and a commanding force. The TELTARYM NERRA are more of a berserker/barbarian sort. They are the labor force of the Nerra. They also have the REFELCT PAIN ability which shares the damage with one marked opponent much like before.
WHERE DID THE NERRA COME FROM AND WHAT DO THEY WANT?
Just after the Dawn War, a cabal of ‘powerful invokers’ called the SECT OF SEVENTY appeared with a strange philosophy. They believed the gods were too removed from the plight of mortals and, therefore, could not properly protect them in the face of new threats that erupted out of the former war. They encouraged men, not to oppose the gods, but to take a more direct role in their own protection.
Made with AI
Whether they were able to make much headway or not, they built a construction called the CONSTELLATION OF EYES which allowed them more able to watch the whole of the mortal realm. They had planned many more observatories much like this one, but, as with many mortal pursuits, their ambition became their ruination.
What the sect didn’t know is that they had been infiltrated by devotees of Asmodeus hoping to use the Constellation of Eyes for their own nefarious plans. Unfortunately, they did not uncover this until they were already into a powerful ritual. As the Constellation of Eyes flared with power, the two factions fought; good vs evil over the watch care of the Material Plane. This got the attention of the gods who sent emissaries to check into it.
Mirror of Lost Souls by J. Edward Neill
But they were too late. The Sect of Seventy corrupted the ritual which turned its magic against both the agents of the Nine Hells and the priests of the Seventy. They were both seemingly destroyed, but the end result was the creation of the Nerra race. They found that they were reflections of their surroundings whether light or dark, good or evil.
They found themselves in a mirror dimension commanding a reflection of their Constellation of Eyes where the many mirror give access across the Material Plane of which they could watch the world outside. For a while, they simply watched. They scribed the most complete history of the ages etched on shards of broken mirrors left over from the battle.
This was enough for millennia. But soon, more and more of the Nerra travelled through the mirrors onto the Prime Material. Slowly they began to abduct mortals; taking them back to their Constellation of Eyes and making copies which were morally opposite. Some say they released both to do as they wish, but others claim that the Nerra have become strategic in their abductions and replacing the original to see where things go from there. They have also been known to join all sides of the conflicts that ensue. For what reason, is unknown.
From here, you or your DM can decide. Maybe since they’re created from good and evil, they are struggling against themselves. Or maybe they are studying us to see what will win in the end: Good or Evil. Possibly, they have become protagonists of the greater balance of the Prime Material; replacing both good and evil as to preserve balance between the warring entities. Whatever their intentions, their end results seem to always erupt into chaos and war.
CAMPAIGN PITCH COMING
Be on the lookout within the next few days as we will be pitching a campaign including the Plane of Mirrors and the enigmatic Nerras. Possibly, the more we study them, the more we are convinced that there is an organizing force behind them. This entity of ultimate balance may be sending the Prime Material into an apocalyptic end in the name of equalizing the cosmos. Or maybe it’s a regional conflict that the party finds is being fueled by these mirror creatures and find that they must find a way to cut them off from destroying the kingdom.
Follow us and keep watch for this exciting adventure pitch!!
AoE Table Top 