Mirrorspace: The Wonderseekers

…another puzzlestone for Mirrorspace, or:
"The truth behind the Wonderseekers"

By chance, I read their MC-entry in “Lost Ships” today, and immediately the
idea was born. Crucial was the following sentence: “to become a
wonderseeker, one must have access to potions of longevity, find a way into
space, and survive.” – it couldn´t be SO easy, I thought. It sounds like an
oversimplification, or like a half-truth used to cover something below it.
But what? …then I remembered Mirror… :o)

I typed the relevant parts (not the whole entry) from SJR1 below for
reverence.


Before it´s fall, Mirror was a place of beauty, decadence and vanity. The
most hated foes to it´s populace were not neogi, mind flayers or other
monstrous inhabitants of wildspace, it were imperfection and boredoom.
Everyone strifed to be perfect in his or her chosen profession, and
constantly looked for new entertainment to fill out the leisure time. One
fashion-trend hunted the other, at a pace that would make the citizens of
Selune (the moon of Toril) look like steadfast folk (concerning fashion, at
least…).

A few trends, however, survived the constant “what´s en vogue today?” –
struggle. One of them was “The Show”: Exceptional individuals, often
youngsters from noble or merchant houses, competed with each other for
being the most entertaining “Watched One”. They all carried a small magic
item that was linked to a small network of scrying instruments. These items
were most often small, round gems that were swallowed or implanted. In the
modest (if “modest” could ever be used to describe something on Mirror…)
beginning, it was attended only by the families who had members among the
Watched. The scying instruments soon changed from crystal balls and scrying
pools to more convenient forms like picture frames or tapestries, some of
them being several square-meters large.

It was not long until one of the families found that they could make money
with The Show, lots of money: They constructed the thitherto largest frame,
a monster reportedly being five meters high and almost ten meters broad,
and built a new theatre around it. After carefully spreading rumors about
the by then semi-secret Show, several weeks later they grandly opened the
theatre (the first five evenings were entrance free) and later charged
outrageous high entree fees for all interested in watching The Show. They
were almost banned from the game and the sphere, and averted that fate only
after disclosing the secret of making such large scying screens to the
other families. Quickly, a new guild was founded: The Wonderseekers.
Thoughout Mirrorspace, many new theatres or “Showhouses” were built, but
the most magnificent were found on Mirror Prime, naturally.

The Show centered around it´s participants; the stated goal was to be the
most clever, smart, devious, wily… in short: the most [I]entertaining[/I]
character. There were only few rules, among them the ban on killing another
participant personally. Before that ban was decreed, many of the most
enthralling plots in The Show centered around multiple plans of murder
among the Watched Ones, but the guildmembers soon recognized that in the
long run, not only would they run out of willing attendees (which would
force them to admit [I]common[/I] people to partake – what horror!) but
they would also lose competent and loved family members. Instead, “The
Death of Seven” was devised, a Ritual that adhered to the twisted rumors
and distorted legends about the Wonderseekers that survived the centuries
and are told nowadays.

While many of the Watched Ones used The Death of Seven to devise
interesting plots (and thus, win the show), others – the more creative and
peaceful ones – tried to bring diversion to Mirror by “going out to seek
adventure, exploring the wonders of the known spheres – and the places
beyond”. Many of them were among the survivors of the Empire of Splendors
(a synonym for Mirrir that only present-day Wonderseekers still use; it
fell into oblivion soon after Mirrors fall like so many things from this
sphere), and while The Show was over after the fall, many of the longtime-
participants had nothing other to do; it had become their way of live to go
out adventuring [I]with style[/I]. They eventually sought out and buried
old feuds among each other, happy to have found other folk from now-
vanished Mirror. Perhaps a score of them founded “The New Wonderseekers”.
Where  their base of operation is, nobody has ever come to known. It might
be anywhere in the known spheres, most certainly on the base one of the
founding members used before Mirrors fall as headquarter during The Show.
It is possible that more than one of those old hideouts was converted after
the formation, as contribution from it´s respective members.

They taught their children “The Way of the Wonderseeker”: Living with
style, seeking adventure and entertainment, danger and excitement
throughout the known spheres. When a parent was too old to go out
adventuring, and their children old enough, the “Show- Gems” were handed
down to them, among with some useful mundane and magical equipment, and a
spelljamming ship. The size of that “seed capital” varied, as the
Wonderseekers were varying successful in their adventures: some may have
defeated dragons and seized it´s hoards, others never were overly
interested in treasures at all. With the seed capital, the motto of the New
Wonderseekers was handed down to each new generation: “The Show must go
on!”.


Adventure- ideas centered about the Wonderseekers:

- the “watch-gems” might be used somehow for communication among
their occupants, and one of the PC accidentally swallowed one. Now he
is “hearing voices in his head”…  :o)
- A Wonderseeker approaches the PC with a mission to Mirror Prime or
one of the tributary colonies. She wants to find an old painting – in truth
one of the old Scrying screens used in The Show. How much she tells the PC
is up to the DM. The plot can be used to introduce Mirror in the campaign,
or to establish the Wonderseekers as longtime-adversaries, or to rescue a
party that´s stuck on one of the dangerous asteroids (or Miror Prime) in
the sphere.



MC- Entry from SJR1: “Lost ships”:

„Wonderseekers“ are spacefaring humans who roam space in search of
entertainment, conducting elaborate games among themselves in which other
beings may become unwitting accomplices or pawns.

Wonderseekers are nothing like “Seekers”, who quest after knowledge.
Rather, they are dilettantes, dabbling unpredictably in other´s lives and
affairs for personal satisfaction alone. They may aid or inform others, or
attack or torment them.

Wonderseekers favor frilly, fantastic garb, with cloaks, gems, and body
adornments. They often carry magical gemswords and wands of paralyzation.
They use elaborate, courtly manners and flowery speech, and have a taste
for wild adventure coupled with innate wanderlust.

Combat:
Wonderseekers may appear bored and effete, but all are warriors (66%) or
rogues (67-77% thief, 78.90% bard, 91-99% dualclassed, wizard  and one of
the classes already listed; 00% dual-classed and having inherited spell-
like innate magical natural ability).

Wonderseekers are proficient in the use of longswords and in a variety of
other weapons, usually hand crossbows, throwing axes, darts, and daggers.
If fighters, wonderseekers specialize in longsword use. They use wits and
tongue to avoid needless combat – it´s messy and brings trouble with local
authorities. Most pursue duelling as a hobby.

Habitat /Society:
Wonderseekers are misfits who go their own ways to seek their own pleasure
and achievements. Decadent and bored, most achieve satisfaction in
fullfilling personal wants through sheer time, persistence, and decising or
acquiring magical items. They feud among themselves, but also share mutual
honor and respect – and will aid even hated rivals against neogi,
illithids, and other monsters. Zhey rarely duel another wonderseeker to the
death – but instead favour “The Death of Seven”, a ritual in which one
anonymously hires seven assassins to slay each other.
Each assassin must work alone, making a single attack at least one day
after a previous attempt. Each must leave a single clue as to their
sponsor´s  identity (the sponsor devises and supplies these clues). The
terms of the ritual stipulate that a wonderseeker can never try another
Death of Seven against anyone surviving all seven attempts, and that the
survivor should have received clear clues to know exactly who sponsored the
Death against him.

To become a wonderseeker, one must have access to potions of longevity,
find a way into space, and survive. Most are adroit traders, thieves, and
explorers, and have acquired magical wands, potions, and such mundane but
useful magical items as a decanter of endless water and a Myrlund´s spoon.

Wonderseekers often seem calm and uncaring in the face of great danger.
Following them or their advice can be deadly; to them, entertainment is
all. They always seek novelties and experiences, and battle all who would
impose order on them or others.

Ecology
Wonderseekers are essentially gadflies and parasites. They serve as wild
cards working unpredictably against other powergroups, such as the Arcane,
slavers, pirates, and all others who seek to rule by might or to impose
authority. Many wonderseekers are invaluable to adventures as allies,
informatns, hired rescuers, and fences of stolen property.

From: SJR1: Lost ships (Ed Greenwood)



tauster

p.s.:
ironically, the potions of longevity (which were part the sentence that
aroused my interest in the beginning) have not made it into the story! :o)