An Exercise in Self-Reflection¶

2022-Nov-05

• Oz doesn’t look good, so Rowan performs some battlefield healing on him
• The party realizes that when Heavy Peter’s orb shattered and the mirrors all cracked, the ground shuddered and the blackness of the sky seemed to start growing closer
  • Fearing the collapse of the mirror dimension, Rulkorf quickly heals Kleb and they group takes off, with the fighter carrying Oz (despite his protestations that he can walk now)
  • The group sees that the cabin seems unaffected, but they are fearful of being trapped there in the case that its runes don’t protect them, and opt to keep scrambling for the gate they used to enter this dimension
• All 5 members jump through the mirror gateway and back over the threshold, but Rowan feels a familiar tug from the strings of a marionettist that is trying to pull him back
  • After he yells out to the others for help, Kleb starts hacking wildly behind the paladin while Rulkorf grabs onto him for support
  • Rowan has his feet pulled out from under him, but manages to anchor himself to the ground and stays fixed in place. After a few more tense moments, the strings go slack and the mirrors become cloudy.
• Without even a moment to process everything, the newfound silence is broken by a second Rulkorf who comes running around the corner. He insists that he is the real dwarf who was separated from the group in the chaos, while the Rulkorf who is with the party came from the mirror dimension
  • Kleb and Rowan tell the two Rulkorfs to stand next to each other so they can be compared, but as their Rulkorf walks towards the newcomer, he looses a spray of poison
  • Kleb tackles the sprayer and threatens to kill them both to solve things more easily
  • They perform a few tests, including questioning both Rulkorfs telepathically. The fake one, who is apparently the newcomer, cannot transmit through his ring, and realizes he has been discovered
    • As Rowan approaches the dwarf-impostor, he bolts away and disappears around the corner. The paladin gives chase
    • Rowan instinctively tosses a handful of his Generic Problem Solver brand ball bearings, which trip up Fake-korf and lets Rowan close the distance.
      • Rowan grabs the body double and frogmarches him back to the group
• Body doubles of Rowan and Kleb round the corner, but fail to fool anyone since their scheme has been figured out already

• There are two components to the lengthy exchange between the two groups (described here achronologically for simplicity)

  • Information
    • Fakekorf confirms that they were molded into these forms and gained free will recently (likely when the mirror dimension collapsed), and they have no power to shapeshift or otherwise control it
      • However, Fakekorf can wild shape, which he demonstrates by becoming a bear briefly
    • Fakekorf knows that he is not the original Rulkorf, but possesses essentially all of his memories as well (including pre-maze events)
    • All body-doubles from the mirror dimension have a tattoo of a particular symbol on one of their forearms, which the party had already seen on the pedestal in the guardian construct’s room
      • The body doubles claim not to know what that symbol means, or any other information about it, and appear to be genuine
  • Actions
    • The Klebs immediately launch into a contest of strength to discover the real alpha male
      • The pair are evenly matched in their arm wrestling, and both are ambidextrous, but the real Kleb slowly gains an advantage over Fakekleb because of his gauntlets (as the other’s items are fake), and eventually emerges victorious
    • Rowan and his counterpart take turns flipping a coin, repeatedly calling the correct side and demonstrating either an innate connection or some divine luck.
      • Rowan borrows the Fakerowan’s bag of holding and realizes that it alone is real and original. The party regains their lost items (but not money)
    • Kleb checks the forearms of Oz and Beezer and confirms they’re clean
      • Oz and Beezer await their own duplicates (and items) but no one appears

• The trio of impostors heads off into the maze, and the party decide not to interfere (although Rulkorf is initially uncomfortable with the idea of his body double potentially running around in the real world)

  • Fakekorf hesitates as well before leaving, and offers a gesture of goodwill: he uses a power he remembers possessing from before he gained his free will to activate a mirror to his side. It loses its cloudiness and the surface regains its shiny-as-chrome finish

• After a short rest, the whole group of real adventurers steps through the portal in turn, emerging at the Sword Coast Carnival right where the party had originally entered

  • From their harrowing ordeal, our intrepid trio all level up!
    

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• They retrieve the treasure that was hidden by the fey con-artist running the chess tent. They were true to their word, and the party finds 176 silver, 5 gold ingots, and a brass candelabra buried there

  • They use their new income to buy a couple potions of healing from the potion seller before setting off in search of Lavender
• They encounter a group of carnies and Kleb lodges his complaint about the carnival…
  • …in two of their heads. Upon smashing into the picnic table, both immediately fall unconscious
• One of the remaining ones, in absolute terror, leads the group to the ringmaster, who is talking to Lavender
  • The ringmaster claims that the mirror dimension was only discovered about an hour ago, and will be removed imminently. He is exceedingly apologetic, but not initially willing to do much. After some convincing, he agrees to replace the stolen money and equipment
  • In the discussion, Lavender rolls up her sleeve and reveals the tattoo that the group saw on the arms of the mirror-dimension impostors.
    • The ringmaster admits he is from the mirror dimension as well, but insists that until very recently they had no choice but to lead unsuspecting travelers into the trap. This seems to be consistent with what Fakekorf told the party earlier
  • Oz believes that this Lavender is a different woman from the Scarlet who conned him and Beezer, but they do look similar
  • Lavender tells them that long ago, a scholar noticed the mark on her arm and left the carnival in a hurry. She doesn’t want to reveal any more details, earnestly claiming that she can’t remember any more
    • At Rulkorf’s behest, Kleb copies down the symbol from the tattoo into his journal
  • With permission from the group, the ringleader leaves to retrieve his coinpurse, and returns to reimburse Kleb. He also provides Beezer with a new wand and Oz with a new bow
    • After more urging, he gives the duo an extra sum of gold so that they can return home
• The ringleader and Lavender take their leave and get away from the group as fast as possible