Shard of the Adversary's Eye

by Frazer 👁 52 views

This jagged piece of oval mirror is roughly the size of a hand. Its edge is darkened as though burned, while the glass itself remains perfectly clear except for slow-moving threads of crimson and blue beneath its surface. A narrow rim of tarnished silver clings to one side, engraved with tiny eyes, clenched teeth, and an unfinished line of script. In ordinary reflections, the shard shows the viewer normally; in the presence of hostile intent, its surface briefly clouds like breath on winter glass.

Hostile Reflection While holding the shard, you can use an action to gaze into it and name a creature that regards you as an enemy. The shard shows your reflection as that creature most fears or despises you: perhaps a murderer, traitor, monster, rival, or symbol of everything they hate. The image lasts for 1 minute and is visible only to you. If you have no specific enemy in mind, the shard instead shows you as viewed by the creature physically nearest to you that is hostile toward you.

A Glimpse of Judgment After viewing the reflection, you gain advantage on one Wisdom (Insight) or Charisma (Intimidation) check made against the named creature within the next hour. Once this property grants advantage, it cannot do so again until the next dawn.

The Small Obligation When you finish attuning to the shard, a faint inscription appears on its silver backing, stating a minor obligation chosen by the DM and thematically connected to an enemy or unresolved conflict. Examples include delivering a message, returning a stolen token, speaking a certain truth, sparing a defeated foe, or carrying an enemy's name to a distant shrine. Until you fulfill the obligation, you have disadvantage on the first saving throw you make each day against being frightened or charmed. The obligation must be reasonable, take no more than a day of ordinary effort, and cannot require certain death or the betrayal of the attuned creature's core principles. Once fulfilled, the inscription vanishes and this penalty ends.

Uncomfortable Truth The shard never invents the named creature's genuine feelings, but it may express them symbolically. The reflection can reveal that an enemy fears, pities, admires, or misunderstands you, at the DM's discretion.

Lore

The shard is said to come from the Mirror of Antipathy, an enchanted looking glass commissioned by a tyrant who wished to see himself through the eyes of every rebel. The mirror shattered when it reflected not hatred, but the tyrant's own fear of being forgotten. Each surviving fragment supposedly retains the perspective of one unseen adversary.

History

The best-known shard was recovered from the ruins of Veyr's Hall after the tyrant's death. A traveling mediator carried it for years, using it to understand enemies before negotiating with them. She passed it to a young noble with one final obligation: return a stolen family seal to the rebel who had once tried to kill her. The noble completed the task, but the shard's inscription immediately formed again with a new name.

Created by Frazer 👁 52 views