*Shattered Reflections: The Lair of the Forgotten One*
Setting: The Mirrorwood Grove
The encounter takes place deep within an enchanted forest known as Mirrorwood Grove. The trees here have glistening, silvered bark and capricious leaves that shimmer like mirrors. The air is thick with mist that distorts sound, making every whisper feel amplified, and every rustle feels ominous. It is said that this forest once belonged to a powerful sorcerer who crafted a mirror that could show the truth of one's soul. However, over time, the sorcerer vanished, and the mirror shattered, scattering its shards across the grove.
Not all is peaceful here; a creature known as The Forgotten One, born from the sorcerer's lost memories and rage, now dwells within the shattered remains of the mirror, using its power to create illusions and summon distorted shadows of the past. This has drawn the attention of adventurers eager to reclaim the shards of the mirror, for they hold immense power. However, retrieving them will not be easy, as The Forgotten One will stop at nothing to protect its lair.
Characters
The Forgotten One
The Forgotten One appears as a swirling mass of broken glass and shadow, with eyes that flicker like distant stars. Its abilities include creating illusions of the players' greatest fears and desires, as well as summoning shadowy duplicates of the characters that mirror their abilities. It wields a powerful curse that seeks to draw players into their own past regrets. It only reveals its true form when weakened.
Stats: Use the stats of a Shadow Demon but add illusions mechanics.
The Guardians of Reflection
Scattered throughout the grove are the Guardians of Reflection, twisted echoes of those who once sought the mirror's power. They manifest as Barbed Devils with reflective skin that can deflect spells back at the caster. The Guardians are patrolling areas near the shards, ensuring no one reaches them and trapping those who are unwary.
Shard Spirits
Additionally, some shards are alive with lingering memories, causing them to manifest as small, mischievous spirits resembling flickering will-o'-the-wisps. The players can interact with these spirits, who might provide hints or guidance if treated kindly.
The Goal
The adventurers are on a quest to retrieve three powerful shards of the shattered mirror located deep within Mirrorwood Grove. Each shard grants unique magical properties, and collecting them will help the players either enhance their abilities or forge a powerful artifact. However, the party must navigate through the illusions and traps set by The Forgotten One while engaging in combat with its guardians.
Encounter Preparation
Before entering the grove, the players should get an inkling of what awaits them from local villagers or mystical creatures who respect the remnants of the sorcerer's magic. They will also receive a warning about the deceptive nature of the forest and the dangers posed by The Forgotten One.
Historical Research
If the players seek information from libraries or sages, they could learn about the great sorcerer, the mirror, and its shattered fate. They might learn that the shards, when brought together, can restore a fraction of the sorcerer's lost power, which can be used to banish The Forgotten One.
Encounter Structure
1. Entering Mirrorwood Grove
The players will enter the grove under a thick canopy, the light altering as they move. As they step further in, they will experience shifts in distance due to the illusions created by The Forgotten One. A clever player might suspect the warped perception and make an Intelligence (Investigation) check to recognize the need for focus and guidance, gaining advantage on checks made in the grove.
As they traverse the grove, the party will encounter fields of shimmering lights—hidden traps activated by stepping on specific points. A series of DC15 Dexterity saving throws are required to avoid stepping on these enchanted glyphs, which will pulse and cause minor psychic damage (1d6) while also blinding them temporarily. Players might spot reflective shards scattered across the ground, hinting at the power of the larger shards deeper in the grove.
2. Confrontation with the Guardians
As the players delve further, they will provoke the Guardians of Reflection. The Guardians will emerge from amongst the trees, ready to protect the shards. Players must engage in combat, facing unique challenges as the Guardians' reflective skin can reflect spells back at those who fail a DC14 Wisdom saving throw. Also, each time a player is hit by a reflection, they must roll a d4 and take that much damage from their own reflected attack.
After defeating the Guardians, the players will discover a piece of a shard embedded in the ground. To recover it, they must solve a riddle presented by the refraction of light:
“What can be broken without being touched, seen without being looked upon, and held within the mind?”
Players have the chance to answer correctly— "A promise." If answered correctly, the shard will rise to them, glowing with ancient power. If they fail, they will be ambushed by the shadow duplicates summoned by The Forgotten One, mimicking their own abilities in a fierce confrontation.
3. The Final Confrontation: The Forgotten One
With one shard collected, the players now have two more to retrieve before facing The Forgotten One directly. Each shard is hidden behind its set of Guardians and traps in various parts of the grove, requiring strategic planning to avoid confrontation with the duplicates that seem to be on their every move.
As the party ventures deeper into the grove, they will encounter the second guardian, and ultimately the main chamber where the final shard lies—revealing The Forgotten One residing within its fractured egg of glass.
The Forgotten One will challenge the players, casting illusions of their past failures and fears, forcing players to make Wisdom saving throws (DC16) or become incapacitated by their own fears for one round. The players can break free by making an Intelligence (Arcana) or Charisma check (DC15) to recognize and confront the illusion.
Once weakened after sustaining significant damage, The Forgotten One will merge the shards into a blinding light that grants the players limited insight into overcoming the creature based on what they face as it manifests once more, but now as its true form.
As the players battle it out, using their gathered shards, they can cast powerful combined spells or attacks. The challenge comes not only from dealing damage but also from resisting the sorcerer's rage and staying together as a party, drawing strength from partnership to overcome its curse and succumb to its final demise.
Resolution
Once The Forgotten One is defeated, it dissipates into shimmering motes of dust that twinkle like stars against the darkened grove. The remaining shards coalesce into one potent artifact—the Mirror of Truth.
The players will have the chance to use the mirror’s power, and they finally learn that it can be used to reveal hidden truths about themselves and their future paths.
Survivors of the grove now hear a soft echo—a whisper of memories and hopes fulfilled. The once sinister forest begins to change; sunlight filters through, reflecting the return of the grove's natural beauty.
The adventurers exit the Mirrorwood Grove, thicker and stronger from what they have faced. The rewards of the shards include newfound abilities or unique spells, depending on how they choose to forge the artifact, leaving them with an ongoing relationship with the reflections of their past that they now carry forward.
