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''""Indeed, Mirrors was here just before you arrived," adds Apples."''<ref name = "inquire other masters">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_after_the_other_Masters|Inquire after the other Masters|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote> | ''""Indeed, Mirrors was here just before you arrived," adds Apples."''<ref name = "inquire other masters">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_after_the_other_Masters|Inquire after the other Masters|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote> | ||
'''Mr Mirrors''' is a curiously missing [[ | '''Mr Mirrors''' is a curiously missing [[Master of the Bazaar]]. Its identity and duties have been assumed by another Master in its absence. | ||
==An Assumed Identity== | ==An Assumed Identity== | ||
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==Through the Looking Glass== | ==Through the Looking Glass== | ||
<blockquote>''"For years she stalked one Master, Mr Mirrors. It's gone. It's been gone for years. She lured it into dreams. And dreams – nightmares – are her weapons."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Take this secret, and go: every dream imprisons its dreamer."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_a_gift_to_the_serpents|Offer a gift to the serpents|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote>[[File: | <blockquote>''"For years she stalked one Master, Mr Mirrors. It's gone. It's been gone for years. She lured it into dreams. And dreams – nightmares – are her weapons."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Shallows|The Shallows|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Take this secret, and go: every dream imprisons its dreamer."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_a_gift_to_the_serpents|Offer a gift to the serpents|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote> | ||
[[File:October small.jpg|alt=A black and gold mask.|thumb|[[October]]]] | |||
Around the Wake, Mirrors' other dreams have also manifested,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_The_Beggar%27s_Wake|Ambition: Nemesis - The Beggar's Wake|Fallen London}}''"Signs point to the 'Pedlar King', 'the Convocation of Runts' and 'The Court of Honey and Spice'. A fourth sign lies toppled in the dark grass."''</ref> although these may each portray Mirrors as a reflection of another Master. The Court of Honey and Spice<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_a_gift_to_the_serpents|Offer a gift to the serpents|Fallen London}} ''""No. Don't want to dream of this again," [...]"''</ref> represents its capture by other [[Curators]], though the name at least is suggestive of [[Mr Spices]];<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_a_gift_to_the_serpents|Offer a gift to the serpents|Fallen London}} ''"The shrill cries of the hunters above echo through the tunnels, and the bat-thing shivers. "No. Don't want to dream of this again," [...]"''</ref> the Convocation of Runts<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Convocation_of_Runts|The Convocation of Runts|Fallen London}} ''"The lone, [...] one with the box glares at you. Its eyes are mirrors. "What are you doing in my dreams?""''</ref> shows Mirrors joining the [[Masters]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_Convocation|Approach the Convocation|Fallen London}} ''"Monstrous, winged, batlike. There are eleven; ten together, one alone. [...] One stands before the rest. [...] "Take me with you," the creature whispers."''</ref> though it seems to have entered [[Mr Eaten|a devoured Master]]'s dreams here in order to witness its own memories;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Convocation_of_Runts_2|The Convocation of Runts 2|Fallen London|}} ''"The lone, scarred, whispering one with the box glares at you. Its eyes are mirrors. "What are you doing in my dreams?" it hisses. Its tone is possessive, wheedling, pleading."''</ref> and the Pedlar King<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Entreat_the_Pedlar_King_to_forgo_its_demands|Entreat the Pedlar King to forgo its demands|Fallen London}} ''"This place, all of it, is the dream of the one shackled at its heart."''</ref> represents its desire to become a king, though this may reflect the overthrown king [[Mr Wines]] instead.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Pedlar_King|The Pedlar King|Fallen London}} ''""We would have been an excellent sovereign, were it permitted." [...] "But these things are only allowed to us in dreams. And I am only a king in the glass.""''</ref> Notably, Spices, Wines, and the one now known as [[Mr Eaten]] were all competitors with Mr Mirrors over the domain of dreams. Perhaps it is this detail that makes the Beggar's Wake "a prison" of Mirrors' failures. | The original Mr Mirrors was imprisoned in [[Parabola]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dreamer%27s_End|Dreamer's End|Fallen London}} ''"[...] the Beggar's Wake is the dream of the [...] creature chained at its heart, that the creature is the last remnant of Mr Mirrors [...]"''</ref> sometime after the [[Fall of London]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Piece_your_clues_together_(1)|Piece your clues together (1)|Fallen London}} ''"[...] one stands in opposition to Mr Mirrors [...] October. To your knowledge, October has not been seen in London for years."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_an_old_friend|Ask an old friend|Fallen London}} ''"October achieved her goal and vacated the Council."''</ref> The party responsible was [[October]] of the [[Calendar Council]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_her_heart%27s_desire|Ask about her heart's desire|Fallen London}} ''"I used my reward to cast one of the Masters in a prison of its own failures. [...] October sighs wistfully, "I understand that most of them have had second thoughts about the game since then.""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_for_Gregory_Beechwood%27s_heart%27s_desire|Ask for Gregory Beechwood's heart's desire|Fallen London}} ''"I said after the Mirrors incident that we should put an end to the d_mn thing."''</ref> who disguised herself and won the [[Marvellous]], the Masters' game that awards winners their heart's desire;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_her_heart%27s_desire|Ask about her heart's desire|Fallen London}} ''"I asked for my dreams to come true [...] I spent years constructing a false identity in order to join the Marvellous."''</ref> she used her wish to gain great power in Parabola<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_her_heart%27s_desire|Ask about her heart's desire|Fallen London}} ''"I asked for my dreams to come true, and the Masters arranged certain accommodations with the powers of the Is-Not."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Leave_October|Leave October|Fallen London}} ''"Perhaps October's powers are not wholly spent."''</ref> and chain Mirrors in a "prison of its own failures",<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_about_her_heart%27s_desire|Ask about her heart's desire|Fallen London}} ''"I used my reward to cast one of the Masters in a prison of its own failures."''</ref> destroying its presence in reality.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dreamer%27s_End|Dreamer's End|Fallen London}} ''"I am only a splinter of myself, now. A dream, dreaming. A reflection, cast by nothing."''</ref> All that was left of Mirrors after this was a "reflection, cast by nothing."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dreamer%27s_End|Dreamer's End|Fallen London}} ''"[...] the creature is the last remnant of Mr Mirrors [...] The chained thing spits [...] I am [...] A reflection, cast by nothing."''</ref> | ||
Mirrors is chained to a post in the '''Beggar's Wake''', a crossroads<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_A_Guardian_(2)|Ambition Nemesis %E2%80%93 A Guardian (2)|Fallen London}} ''"A [...] fence-post stands at the centre of a crossroads [...] Chained to it is an emaciated winged creature, clad in [...] robes."''</ref> that guards the '''Grave of Mirrors'''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Journey_to_the_Beggar%27s_Wake|Journey to the Beggar's Wake|Fallen London}} ''"This is the Beggar's Wake: you must pass through to reach the Grave of Mirrors."''</ref> and is a manifestation of one of Mirrors' dreams.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dreamer%27s_End|Dreamer's End|Fallen London}} ''"[...] the Beggar's Wake is the dream of the pitiful creature chained at its heart [...]"''</ref> The '''Claiming Wind''', a tempestuous entity that was once its pet, was set free<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Accept_the_creature%27s_help|Accept the creature's help|Fallen London}} ''"The wind is hungry. [...] used to be mine. Now free and angry."''</ref> and now vengefully torments its former master.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Speak_its_name,_and_unchain_it|Speak its name, and unchain it|Fallen London}} ''"[...] you speak the words – "Mr. Mirrors," [...] The Claiming Wind is not pleased [...] you have freed its toy. [...] It is [...] full of vengeance."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Find_the_Grave_of_Mirrors|Find the Grave of Mirrors|Fallen London}} ''"[...] given to my own pet as a toy—" [...] it shoots a wounded look [...] to where the Claiming Wind harries the heathers [...]"''</ref>[[File:Parabola_medium.png|thumb|100px|Every dream imprisons its dreamer.]]Around the Wake, Mirrors' other dreams have also manifested,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_The_Beggar%27s_Wake|Ambition: Nemesis - The Beggar's Wake|Fallen London}}''"Signs point to the 'Pedlar King', 'the Convocation of Runts' and 'The Court of Honey and Spice'. A fourth sign lies toppled in the dark grass."''</ref> although these may each portray Mirrors as a reflection of another Master. The Court of Honey and Spice<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_a_gift_to_the_serpents|Offer a gift to the serpents|Fallen London}} ''""No. Don't want to dream of this again," [...]"''</ref> represents its capture by other [[Curators]], though the name at least is suggestive of [[Mr Spices]];<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Offer_a_gift_to_the_serpents|Offer a gift to the serpents|Fallen London}} ''"The shrill cries of the hunters above echo through the tunnels, and the bat-thing shivers. "No. Don't want to dream of this again," [...]"''</ref> the Convocation of Runts<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Convocation_of_Runts|The Convocation of Runts|Fallen London}} ''"The lone, [...] one with the box glares at you. Its eyes are mirrors. "What are you doing in my dreams?""''</ref> shows Mirrors joining the [[Masters]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_Convocation|Approach the Convocation|Fallen London}} ''"Monstrous, winged, batlike. There are eleven; ten together, one alone. [...] One stands before the rest. [...] "Take me with you," the creature whispers."''</ref> though it seems to have entered [[Mr Eaten|a devoured Master]]'s dreams here in order to witness its own memories;<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Convocation_of_Runts_2|The Convocation of Runts 2|Fallen London|}} ''"The lone, scarred, whispering one with the box glares at you. Its eyes are mirrors. "What are you doing in my dreams?" it hisses. Its tone is possessive, wheedling, pleading."''</ref> and the Pedlar King<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Entreat_the_Pedlar_King_to_forgo_its_demands|Entreat the Pedlar King to forgo its demands|Fallen London}} ''"This place, all of it, is the dream of the one shackled at its heart."''</ref> represents its desire to become a king, though this may reflect the overthrown king [[Mr Wines]] instead.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Pedlar_King|The Pedlar King|Fallen London}} ''""We would have been an excellent sovereign, were it permitted." [...] "But these things are only allowed to us in dreams. And I am only a king in the glass.""''</ref> Notably, Spices, Wines, and the one now known as [[Mr Eaten]] were all competitors with Mr Mirrors over the domain of dreams. Perhaps it is this detail that makes the Beggar's Wake "a prison" of Mirrors' failures. | |||
In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, the original Mr Mirrors is called the '''Saint in the Glass''' by the Cult of the Sanctified at [[Avid Horizon]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Jolly_Anchorite#Interactions|Recite the litany of the dead|Sunless Skies}} ''"It's true. They were lost before the rest. The Saint of Tapers and the Saint in the Glass. We never speak their names. One we have hope of seeking, the other is gone. That saint will not be with us again."''</ref> | In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, the original Mr Mirrors is called the '''Saint in the Glass''' by the Cult of the Sanctified at [[Avid Horizon]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Jolly_Anchorite#Interactions|Recite the litany of the dead|Sunless Skies}} ''"It's true. They were lost before the rest. The Saint of Tapers and the Saint in the Glass. We never speak their names. One we have hope of seeking, the other is gone. That saint will not be with us again."''</ref> | ||
Latest revision as of 00:41, 9 June 2025
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Beyond this point lie major spoilers for Fallen London, Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, or Mask of the Rose. This may include endgame or major Fate-locked spoilers. Proceed at your own risk. You can find out more about our spoiler policy here. |
"And Mr Mirrors?
""Ah, well, you just missed Mirrors," says Wines.
""Indeed, Mirrors was here just before you arrived," adds Apples."[1]
Mr Mirrors is a curiously missing Master of the Bazaar. Its identity and duties have been assumed by another Master in its absence.
An Assumed Identity[edit]
"The frangible and the fine!"[2]
In modern London, Mr Mirrors trades in "the frangible and the fine:"[3] all kinds of glasswork, such as mirrors and windows.[4] It also has an interest in dreams;[5] according to its version of Mr Sacks,[6] it wishes to reflect dreams, not rule them,[7] unlike Mr Wines and Mr Spices.[8][9] Mirrors has other odd hoards to its name, such as a large quantity of First City coins[10] and crates with "growling" contents.[11]
Mr Mirrors never appears in public,[12] but can still be contacted and typically responds via letter.[13][14] The "Mr Mirrors" known to current Londoners is an alias taken on by Mr Cups.[15] Cups is also the true "Original"[16] of Mr Mirrors' version of Mr Sacks that appears in modern London.[6][7] This information is not known to the public,[17] who typically assume[18] them to be separate.[19] Cups took on this role after its colleague disappeared under mysterious circumstances.[15]
Through the Looking Glass[edit]
"For years she stalked one Master, Mr Mirrors. It's gone. It's been gone for years. She lured it into dreams. And dreams – nightmares – are her weapons."[20]
"Take this secret, and go: every dream imprisons its dreamer."[21]
The original Mr Mirrors was imprisoned in Parabola[22] sometime after the Fall of London.[23][24] The party responsible was October of the Calendar Council,[25][26] who disguised herself and won the Marvellous, the Masters' game that awards winners their heart's desire;[27] she used her wish to gain great power in Parabola[28][29] and chain Mirrors in a "prison of its own failures",[30] destroying its presence in reality.[31] All that was left of Mirrors after this was a "reflection, cast by nothing."[32]
Mirrors is chained to a post in the Beggar's Wake, a crossroads[33] that guards the Grave of Mirrors[34] and is a manifestation of one of Mirrors' dreams.[35] The Claiming Wind, a tempestuous entity that was once its pet, was set free[36] and now vengefully torments its former master.[37][38]
Around the Wake, Mirrors' other dreams have also manifested,[39] although these may each portray Mirrors as a reflection of another Master. The Court of Honey and Spice[40] represents its capture by other Curators, though the name at least is suggestive of Mr Spices;[41] the Convocation of Runts[42] shows Mirrors joining the Masters,[43] though it seems to have entered a devoured Master's dreams here in order to witness its own memories;[44] and the Pedlar King[45] represents its desire to become a king, though this may reflect the overthrown king Mr Wines instead.[46] Notably, Spices, Wines, and the one now known as Mr Eaten were all competitors with Mr Mirrors over the domain of dreams. Perhaps it is this detail that makes the Beggar's Wake "a prison" of Mirrors' failures.
In the Sunless Skies timeline, the original Mr Mirrors is called the Saint in the Glass by the Cult of the Sanctified at Avid Horizon.[47]
Appearance and Personality[edit]
"To be reduced to this. Undone by a perfidious revolutionary, given to my own pet as a toy, and now at the mercy of some anonymous Parabolan vagrant. Miserable."[48]
"It is a kingly gift you ask of us. But then we are a king. And what better demonstration of our quality than charity?"[49]
In the Beggar's Wake, Mirrors' eyes are mirrors.[50][51][52] Notably, one of its aspects has a chip in each eye,[53] a trait shared with the mirrors[54] in its now-abandoned London home.[55]
In its current state, Mr Mirrors is miserable and self-pitying, bemoaning its incapacitation and wounded pride.[56] Furthermore, Mirrors does not consider the Bazaar a worthwhile recipient of the services it once provided.[57]
The Glass-Whisperer[edit]
"Monstrous, winged, batlike. There are eleven; ten together, one alone. One stands before the rest. Its monstrous face is scarred, its jaw hanging by a thread of gristle. Its wings are torn. It limps. An accumulation of mistreatment, over years and years. It clutches a heavy box, which bucks and rattles. From inside it, you can hear a howling, like the wind on the moor.
"'Take me with you,' the creature whispers."[58]
Mr Mirrors, along with the other Masters, is a Curator,[59] a bat-like being who scoured the High Wilderness for treasures to hoard.[60] It was hunted down by other Curators[61] for "glass-whispering:" a forbidden ritual to commune with the Fingerkings.[62] To escape further torment, the now heavily-scarred[63] Mr Mirrors chose to join the other Masters at Avid Horizon,[64] bringing it under the employ of the Echo Bazaar.[65] Mirrors brought with it a box containing its pet, the Claiming Wind.[66][67]
During the era of the First City,[68] Mr Mirrors was responsible for sealing the Sleeping Merchant in Parabola,[69] as the Merchant had made a dangerous deal with the Creditor on behalf of the Echo Bazaar.[68][70]
The Crocodile Plot[edit]
"But what was Mr Mirrors doing? I haven't the foggiest clue, but I can pretend that I know. Isn't that just as good? After all, what can the Master of Mirrors desire, except what others desire? Balance, perhaps, between reality and reflection. If the balance is off, from which side does one add or subtract the weight? What is the weight? It's probably more than honey."[71]
During the era of the Second City, the Pharaoh's daughters[72] began exploring Parabola. For their glass-rituals, they needed a creature with an equal presence in both reality and dream,[73] so they created one called the Yolk-in-Yearning:[72] a crocodile possessed by a Fingerking.[74][75] Typically, host animals possessed by Fingerkings are considered their "retainers", but the Yolk was unique, as the crocodile and Fingerking formed a singular self.[76] The Yolk-in-Yearning later became a bodyguard for Mr Mirrors, even battling October when she strove to destroy the Master.[77]
Mirrors wanted to achieve balance between reality and dream,[78][79] and the Yolk was "balanced" by its metrics.[80] It made many attempts to replicate its own bodyguard, but these failed, and many of the test subjects were fed to the crocodile.[81]
References[edit]
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