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7
Lost reflections of the Past:
A Study and Exploration of the Wicked Stepmother's magic Mirrors
Manuu, Elven Wizard and Historian, Seventh Kingdom
Although the circumstances surrounding their recovery were most unfortunate and perilous,
I am extremely pleased to announce the unearthing of relics from the Golden Age of our
fair Kingdoms--the five magic mirrors once possessed by Queen Lydia, Snow White's wicked
stepmother, and passed down to her successor, the recently vanquished Evil Queen. Upon her
death and his coronation, King Wendell White of the Fourth Kingdom invited me to examine
and study the mirrors, and I am proud to say that I have not only ascertained how they
may be used, but what their functions are and how they operate.
All but one mirror, I have learned by examining their frames and perusing concealed
records kept by the Governor of Dragon Mountain, were made in the mirror mines at the
express order of the wicked stepmother. The sum paid for each was, in modern terms,
equal to one hundred thousand gold Wendells, an amount so costly that virtually no other
monarch of the time could have afforded it. The Dwarves did not work willingly. Queen
Lydia coerced them with threats against their lives and their families, and even cast
spells that physically compelled them to work as slaves until the crafting was complete.
The first mirror thus created was the simplest in usage, if the most ornate and massive
in size. It is, as far as I can tell, the earliest Spying mirror ever devised
(Figure 1). Oval and with a frame of carved granite upon wrought iron, fashioned into
the shapes of demonic figures, it is quite hideous, but its magic is elegant. The glass is
composed of exremely quicksilver of course (element Hg), but it also contains quartz
(SiO2). When looking at the Spying mirror, it appears to reflect nothing but an
impenetrable blackness. But when asked to summon a particular individual, or to show a
particular place, a reaction takes place between the quicksilver and silica
(Figure 2).
The reaction is incomplete and somewhat crude, and thus it appears that countless cracks
raze the surface of the glass, accompanied by a disconcerting crunch and crackle. After a
time, however, the cracks smooth away, allowing the user to see as if through a window
covered with condensation. The person summoned by this mirror hears a deep, sonorous voice
in the vaults of his mind,
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Figure 1 - Spying mirror
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4Hg + 2SiO2 ---------> 4HgO + Si2
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Figure 2 - Spying mirror, reaction of activation
demanding he seek a mirror to converse, and a headache soon
develops if the call is resisted. Prolonged exposure to the call leads to brain
hemorrhaging and death if it is not answered. This aspect of the mirror may be altered by
voice command, a function that King Wendell intends to implement, since he wishes a
personal Spying mirror to keep abreast of events and to contact his servants and fellow
monarchs over long distances.
The second mirror is a potent one, for it contains the waters of the River Lethe mixed with
quicksilver, a deadly combination if ingested in too great a quantity. The mirror
(Figure 3), carved of rich maple into the shape of intertwined serpents, is
full-length, although it is advised never to step into it. This is because the phosphorus
contained in the river water reacts violently with the quicksilver (Figure 4).
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