Mirror of Scrying should look like....?

[Vorput]

Hello all!

So my diviner 5/alienist 2 has just recently hit 7th level. I also learned the spell scrying (complete with a lot of vomiting and the absolute certainty that the walls were watching me... but in so doing- they taught me how to 'see').

Anyway, I have a feeling that scrying is going to become second nature for this character- so I want to make sure his mirror
(SRD Quote)

Wizard, Sorcerer, or Bard Focus
A mirror of finely wrought and highly polished silver costing not less than 1,000 gp. The mirror must be at least 2 feet by 4 feet.

fits the character very well. He's a CN air genesai- traveling with a party of irritating good-doers. He sees the Far realms as being a place of greatly expanded insight and perception- of such a level that it crushes mortal minds who view or dwell on it (This has also led to a slight customization of the alienist class replacing the hit point gain with perception altering abilities)- and of course tentacles... lots of tentacles.

Other characteristics (if they matter) involve being very paranoid (and with all the betrayal this campaign has seen- he has good reason)- quite the megalomaniac- and having a better relationship with his Albino Hawk familar (See my avatar!) than anyone in the party.

I'm currently stuck in a jungle, so I have some time before I commission the mirror be made- what are some good ideas as to how it looks, any minor variations on the scrying spell when i use it, etc.

Thanks!
Vorp

 

[dave_o]

Why not have it be the bulbous, reflective back of some terrible, tentacled beast that you carry around? It doesn't necessarily need to be a mirror.

 

[frankthedm]

Solid one piece construction, irregularly oblong shaped…almost amoeboid, but within the size confines allowed for use of the spell. The sides of the mirror look like melted silver dripping away, with conglomeries of bubbles in random locations.

Hold on, you are an alienist in a good aligned party and you are complaining about betrayal? You are betraying the Multiverse by having dealings with the Far Raelm. As a DM well versed with the flavor of that place I would not fault the party if you should happen to be killed in your sleep.

 

[Sejs]

The reflective surface?

Thick, squirming layer of mercury pressed between two glass or crystaline plates

The frame?

A heavy, twisted thing of wrought iron, tarnished silver, and oxidized copper. Oblong, irregular, and vaguely obscene in ways that are hard to describe.

 

[VirgilCaine]

Hold on, you are an alienist in a good aligned party and you are complaining about betrayal? You are betraying the Multiverse by having dealings with the Far Raelm. As a DM well versed with the flavor of that place I would not fault the party if you should happen to be killed in your sleep.

Copy that. You don't screw around with the Far Realms, man.

 

[frankthedm]

The reflective surface?

Thick, squirming layer of mercury pressed between two glass or crystaline plates

The frame?

A heavy, twisted thing of wrought iron, tarnished silver, and oxidized copper. Oblong, irregular, and vaguely obscene in ways that are hard to describe.

I like that... Alienist do need objects one does not dare break.

 

[frankthedm]

Copy that. You don't screw around with the Far Realms, man.

I am not against the far raelm, but when you have dealings with it in a game where the other players intend to make the world a better place, You have to accept;

That the Fluff of the far realms requires those who deal with it get screwed over by it.
Sometimes that screw over is on an apocalyptic scale.
That the Good guys might kill you to protect you or the world.
You might be Reducing the Fun the other players have in the game.

Every time i played character influenced by Far Realm material, I accepted the fact that the heroes would be making the right decision if they killed me. Even if I was morally indifferent or even well meaning, calling upon that place is just a Bad Idea tm.

 

[Vorput]

Hold on, you are an alienist in a good aligned party and you are complaining about betrayal? You are betraying the Multiverse by having dealings with the Far Raelm. As a DM well versed with the flavor of that place I would not fault the party if you should happen to be killed in your sleep.

We toned down the Far realms a little bit in order to make the alienist a playable PC class. It's still a realm of madness and insanity outside of time and space... but it's more that way now because it holds vast stores of knowledge and power that likes of which mortals can't penetrate, and Gods are wary too.

An alienist starts to penetrate its mysteries... but it carries a high risk. The Party's BBEG is an alienist who (we think) is Epic... he was the consort of an evil Goddess (whom he managed to bring to the material in mortal form, and led a war in ages past that almost destroyed the world. He was defeated (barely) and locked in a prison plane for the past couple centuries... Alas, the prison plane is weakening- and unfortunatly while imprisoned, the BBEG has had plenty of contact with his evil goddess buddy and several far relams entities the likes of which would probably fracture my poor alienists mind to pieces (as of now).

On the other hand- the prophet of one of the Gods of good, who helped the party out at one point, also has had dealings with the far realm... and in fact it was him who introduced my character to it, and told me some of its lesser secrets.

So... long story short- it's still a mighty crazy terrifying place (The BBEGs ultimate plan to is to find some way to create a permanent gate between the material and there, flooding the world with insanity and destruction)- but it's not evil or good, and there are secrets open for the taking of those wise and smart enough to do so.

Vorp

 

[frankthedm]

On the other hand- the prophet of one of the Gods of good, who helped the party out at one point, also has had dealings with the far realm... and in fact it was him who introduced my character to it, and told me some of its lesser secrets.

Why is my Nyarlathotep warning siren going off?

So... long story short- it's still a mighty crazy terrifying place (The BBEGs ultimate plan to is to find some way to create a permanent gate between the material and there, flooding the world with insanity and destruction)- but it's not evil or good, and there are secrets open for the taking of those wise and smart enough to do so.

Thats what Alienists always say....

 

[Vorput]

Thats what Alienists always say....

Yep... we're an elite cocky bunch.

Anyway, playing this character has convinced me I need to read Lovecraft, so I got a collection of his stories

The statement of Randolph Carter -- The outsider -- The music of Erich Zann -- Herbert West, reanimator -- The lurking fear -- The rats in the walls -- The shunned house -- The horror at Red Hook -- He -- Cool air -- The call of Cthulhu -- Pickman's model -- The case of Charles Dexter Ward -- The colour out of space -- The Dunwich horror -- The whisperer in darkness -- At the mountains of madness -- The shadow over Innsmouth -- The dreams in the Witch House -- The thing on the doorstep -- The shadow out of time -- The haunter of the dark -- Chronology

and plan to start reading them as soon as I finish 'The club Dumas'

Vorp