What Are Mirror-folk?

Mirror-folk are liminal beings tied to reflective surfaces who can live convincingly as human but retain the ability to sense and, with care, traverse reflections. In Baltimore the Glasswrights recognise three broad kinds:

• Pane Walkers: cross through stable mirrors and silvered glass; require calm focus and controlled lighting; best at discreet egress inside buildings.
• Silvered: custodians of antique mirrors and “anchored” panes; mend glamours and stabilise crossings; treat cracked glass as a wound.
• Shadowglass: specialists in polished stone and dark metal reflections; can bend sightlines and nudge cameras, but crossings are shorter and riskier.

Common traits: excellent low-light vision indoors, acute spatial sense, instinct for angles and sightlines, talent for glamour repair. Limits & taboos: crossings need a clean, steady reflective surface; sirens/strobes can eject a walker; shattered glass harms; water reflections are not doors unless invited by the Lodge; public spectacle is forbidden. Most mirror-folk pass as human and respect territorial schedules to avoid friction.

Overview

The Glasswrights keep Baltimore’s masks tidy: they mend glamours for anyone who pays and keeps order, stage “now you don’t” exits for sticky situations, and advise venues on sightlines and reflective hazards. They are neutral by policy and obsessive about no witnesses. Whispered talk of short, unnatural boosts — “gold on the air” letting amateurs cross hot — is filed under stories until a clean artefact appears.

Maxim: “Angles first, then promises.”

Leadership & Faces

• Mr Calder (Master Glasswright) — Haberdasher by day; repairs masks and marriages of convenience. Never photographs well.
• Viera Holt (Pane Warden) — Keeps the mirror vault; inventories safe panes; bans cracked divas and cracked glass alike.
• Arun Desai (Anglesman) — Theatre consultant; sets sightlines; can “turn” a room so cameras miss.
• Miriam “Mim” Vale (Fetcher) — Retrievals via hotel corridors; specialises in “you were never here”.
• Silas Penn (Ledger) — Books, chits, neutral scheduling; enforces neutrality with a smile and a shut door.

PC/NPC hooks: Mask repairs via Calder; safe pane access with Viera; venue fixes through Arun; discreet extractions by Mim; bookings/payments with Silas.

Structure & Shops

Order (craft guild): Master → Wardens (Panes • Angles • Doors • Ledger) → Journeymen → Apprentices → Clients (vetted)

Guild Shops

• Pane Vault: catalogued antique mirrors; loan by bond only.
• Angles Shop: set-dressing kit (drapes, gels, diffusers) for emergency glamour control.
• Door Book: a ledger of reliable “between” sites (never public, never online).

Protocol & Customs

Neutrality

• No faction favours over others; first paid, first served — unless exposure risk says otherwise.
• Crossings are escorted by a journeyman; clients do not step alone.
• No jobs in Free Court salons, Harbour red rooms, Iron Belt tracks, or Lodge slips without written invitations.

Client Etiquette

• Arrive unarmed or peace-bound; drape your reflections on request.
• Speak plainly; leave gossip at the door; pay the balance in full.
• Never tap on a working pane. Ever.

Guild Law

1. Veil the crossing. No public spectacles; no crowds; no cameras.
2. No broken doors. Damaging a working pane is exile; shattering one in anger is a blood debt.
3. Do not abduct. Crossings are for exits, not kidnaps; consent is written.
4. Respect the neighbours. Honour territorial boundaries and schedules.

Resources & Fronts

• The Looking-Room: backstage salon; rehearsal mirrors; velvet drapes; kettle always on.
• Prop Warehouse: crates of framed glass; decoys; rolling screens; blackout cloth.
• Hotel Corridors: a rota of friendly managers and night clerks; “maintenance” keys.
• Restorer’s Bench: silvering kits; putty; safe chemicals; burn kit for glass cuts.

Relations (Boundary-respecting)

• Meridian Commission (Baltimore FO): Quiet consultancy on exposure control (camera lines, sight blocks). No raids through panes.
• Crimson Harbour (vampires): Professional; venue sightline audits; no work inside red rooms without Prince’s countersign.
• Iron Belt (werewolves): Minimal overlap; no mirror-work audible from park tracks on moon nights.
• Free Court (fae/spirits): Delicate; the Court hosts masks, the Guild mends them — by appointment, never mid-gala.
• Highland Concord (djinn): Friendly; clause-craft reviewed for mirror clauses; tea paid in favours.
• Lodge (water-folk): Courtesy only; reflections on water are not doors unless invited.

Emerging Rumours (GM Guidance)

• Hot Crossings: Two amateurs reportedly “stepped through” polished metal during a fight, then collapsed; no pane on scene.
• Gold Sheen: Viera notes a faint golden bloom on a rehearsal mirror after an altercation; wiped clean by morning.
• Room Tilt: Arun logged unexplained camera compliance at a hotel — lenses “looked away” for twelve minutes, then jittered.
• Policy: Verify twice, act once. No new doors added; no crossings for clients reporting “gold” exposure.

Known Havens & Working Rooms

• The Looking-Room (North Howard): guild salon; rehearsal panes; lockable drapes.
• Arcade Backroom (Antique Row): mirror storage and repair bench; appointment only.
• Hotel Service Corridor: a numbered hallway kept friendly by gifts and perfect behaviour.

Membership (Sample NPCs)

• Mr Calder — Master; stitches masks and tempers; hates humming fluorescents.
• Viera Holt — Pane Warden; can tell a safe pane by breath alone.
• Arun Desai — Anglesman; speaks “camera” like a second language.
• Miriam “Mim” Vale — Fetcher; never caught on CCTV twice.
• Silas Penn — Ledger; remembers every debt and every apology.

Open Slots: 2–3 journeymen; 1 apprentice; 1 mortal venue manager with perfect taste.

Hooks & Episode Seeds

• Pane to Nowhere: A mirror listed as safe now “rings wrong”. Who touched it, and why?
• Hotel Exit: Mim needs a distraction while she walks a client out between corridors — without crossing other factions’ lines.
• Gala Sightlines: Free Court asks for an emergency sightline fix; Crimson Harbour booked the room tomorrow. Keep them from tripping over each other.
• Shattered Debt: Someone smashed a working pane; pay the blood debt or find the real culprit before the Guild closes all doors.
• Golden Bloom: A rehearsal mirror shows that faint gold sheen again — Meridian wants the pane; the Guild wants it studied here.

GM Notes (Backstage)

• Tone: urbane neutrality; artistry over aggression; danger in the angles.
• Pressure Dials: Exposure □□ • Rumour Heat □□□ • Boundary Friction □□
• Escalation Path: rumours → clean “gold bloom” artefact → client pressure to cross hot → Guild split (close doors vs. monetise).
• Fail State: a public crossing on camera; mirrors seized; neutrality torpedoed.
• Win State: proof gathered quietly; measured stance; doors remain safe and unseen.