#valdas

To see where the players end up, if they all go quickly, essentially on the same initiative count, they all end up in the same spot. If they hesitate, they end up in a different room. This is determined by rolling 1d6.

Room 1: An open cavern with mirrors lining the wall. The cavern top and bottom are a black obsidian. In this room, if the Oracle is in the cavern, it triggers a Crystalline Sliver to appear and attack according to the Oracle’s bidding.

Room 2: There are no mirrors in this room (therefore, on a roll of 2 on the d6, the player instead is transported to Room 7) but there are two Beasts of Ill Omen that protect the door. I ran these as more Lawful Neutral beasts than their given alignment as they’re meant to be guard dogs for this dungeon.

Room 3: Two mirrors face each other and act as a trap. If there is a creature unknown by the mirrors or the Oracle reflected in the mirrors, 1d4 Mirror Mephits appear out of either mirror and will keep populating until the mirrors are broken or until the players move out of the way of the mirrors. When the mirror is broken, it can no longer be transported through.

Room 4: I wrote this as the Oracle’s bedroom to give a little depth to the use of this cavern. The mirror here is a reflected pool on the ground. The use of the vertical and horizonal surfaces are meant to give the players a sense of severe vertigo if they go too quickly through these.

Room 5: This room was another library nook to offer more information to the players who wanted to investigate their legitimacy. Some of the items in there were books about divination as well as books about getting rid of curses. A couple of unique items could be uncovered, primarily books that told truths and lies as well as books that were blank and could be used for divination.

Room 6: The two pockets to the left on the map each had one long mirror in the back. They reflected what was seen in the opposite mirror. Nothing particularly unique here, but it’s meant to be incredibly unsettling.

Room 7: This is the Oracle’s base. The entire cove is filled with mirrors, and if the Oracle is in the cavern when the party finds them, they will summon the Crystalline Sliver and more Mirror Mephits to their aid. The Oracle can have powers or none at all depending on how you want to run your campaign.

Between Room 1 and Room 3: This hall is lined with mirrors on either side, giving it that infinity effect that can be really cool or really creepy. However, in one side of the mirrors, the players will see something that calms them or something they’re looking forward to achieving. In the other, they will see the darkest form of their future - their greatest fears. Choose your right and left sides accordingly. These mirrors are not meant to be transported through.

So that’s one of the first really intensive encounters I’ve built! My players thought it was fun, exhausting, and stressful to be jumping so much, but the stakes were also pretty high - their wizard went in alone and the rest of the party caught up a few hours later when they followed the Oracle.

The Mirror Mephits were also a bigger problem than I anticipated, but the players handled it alright, so that may need to be adjusted.