1 | Start

Welcome, adventurer! You stand at the crossroads of possibility. What world shall we explore today? A medieval fantasy, futuristic dystopia, magical realm, or something entirely different?

2 | 34. World/Story Setting: “The Tarnished Cycle” Premise: In a land where polished bronze mirrors are the fulcrum of statecraft, prophecy, and personal status, society thrives on a fragile triad: rare‑earth abrasives, master polishers, and humidity‑controlled vaults. When sea raiders sever the jade‑powder trade and monsoon intensity rises, mirrors cloud almost overnight. Reflections blur, auguries fail, and the Mirror Court’s legitimacy fractures. Rival factions scramble to restore clarity—some by resurrecting lost Etrurian recipes, others by bargaining with desert nomads who hoard volcanic pumice. For the GM: • Player Roles: Mirror‑Smiths (artisans chasing the perfect specular finish), Flux‑Cartographers (tracing broken supply networks), and Disciple‑Seers (diviners whose status hinges on reflection quality). • Core Mechanics: • Clarity Index: Track each settlement’s supply of abrasives, alloy purity, and humidity control; a falling index warps political decisions and spiritual readings. • Polishing Rites: Multi‑stage skill challenges—coarse grit, fine grit, oil burnish—determine how much prophecy or social leverage a mirror yields. • Oxidation Clock: Humid regions add time pressure; mirrors left unchecked spawn “Verdigris Phantoms” (folk myths made manifest by distorted reflections). • Campaign Hooks: 1. Recover a caravan of jade dust lost in monsoon‑swollen passes. 2. Infiltrate a rival guild that’s rediscovered charcoal‑finishing secrets from Vedic scrolls. 3. Decipher an Etruscan alloy inscription that hints at a self‑polishing mirror—if the metallurgy curse can be broken. • Systemic Themes: supply‑chain fragility, artisanal knowledge entropy, and how material degradation can unravel belief structures. Opening Phrase: “Your torchlight skims the mirror’s clouded face—two futures waver where one once shone, and the court waits for whichever truth you can polish into being.”

“Your torchlight skims the mirror's clouded face—two futures waver where one once shone, and the court waits for whichever truth you can polish into being.”

The Grand Mirror Court of Veridian stands anxious. Who are you in this tarnishing world? A Mirror-Smith, Flux-Cartographer, or Disciple-Seer?

3 | Mirror smith

You are Keras, a respected Mirror-Smith of the Veridian Guild. Your workshop—once bustling with apprentices—stands quiet, abrasive stores dwindling. A tarnished ceremonial mirror awaits your skilled hands, commissioned by Magistrate Cyrian for tomorrow's prophecy reading.

4 | Work on the mirror

You approach the clouded mirror, its surface dull with tarnish. Your remaining supplies are meager: a small pouch of coarse pumice, half a vial of precious jade dust, and dwindling olive oil.

The three-stage polishing begins. Which approach for the coarse grit phase—traditional circular motions or the riskier Etrurian cross-pattern?

5 | Cross pattern, I am a good master

With practiced confidence, you apply the Etrurian cross-pattern. Your hands move with precision as the abrasive grinds away corrosion. The bronze gradually awakens under your technique, revealing unusual markings beneath—symbols you've never seen in standard Veridian work.

The coarse phase succeeds, though it consumed more pumice than expected. Ready for fine polishing?

6 | Yes

You apply the precious jade dust with a soft cloth. Each delicate stroke brings more clarity to the bronze surface. The strange symbols become more defined—concentric circles intersected by wavy lines that seem to pulse in the lamplight.

Your fine polishing succeeds brilliantly, though the symbols drain jade dust unusually quickly. Only one small pinch remains for the final oil burnish.