Overview

The Looking-Room is a quiet, movable space where angles are measured, masks are mended, and doors-through are opened only with witnesses. To mortals it’s a fussy restoration floor; to those who know, it’s the Glasswrights’ neutral ground: a salon for negotiations, a workshop for glamour repair, and a launch point for escorted crossings through safe panes.

House Maxim (etched above the rail): “Angles first, then promises.”

Rooms & Layout

Stage Door & Vestibule

• Threshold Curtain: heavy velvet that dulls reflections on entry; visitors are “softened” before the room sees them.
• Cloak Niche: hooks, linen drapes, peace-bind ribbons; iron politely checked here.

Main Looking-Room

• Rehearsal Mirrors (on wheels): three silvered panes with safety tethers; numbered frames match the door ledger.
• Angles Rail: track-mounted screens and drapes to reshape sightlines; floor marks for “cameras cannot see”.
• Conversation Islands: low seats spaced so whispers never meet; tea tray kept hot.

Pane Vault

• Silver Cupboard: climate cabinet for antique mirrors; each pane has a history card and bond value.
• Crate Stack: numbered transit crates with felt, straps, and “do-not-tap” signage.

Angles Shop

• Set Bench: gels, diffusers, blackout cloth, velvet drapes, lens flags; Arun’s chalk plan of the week on the wall.
• Lens Kit: meter, grids, and “camera drift” tools for site audits.

Door Book Niche

• Door Ledger: a locked folio of reliable “between” sites; accessed by two keys (Master + Pane Warden).
• Witness Bell: small chime rung before any crossing; silence means “no”.

Green Room

• Calm Corner: tea service, dim lamps, soft chairs; used to steady clients before/after work.
• First Aid Box: for glass cuts (bandages, tape, no questions).

Service Hall & Loading

• Back Stair: keyed; returns uninvited feet to the lobby without fuss.
• Loading Bay: prop trolleys and dust sheets to hide sudden closures as “install day”.

Wards, Glamours & Safeguards

• Silver Net: a threaded lattice in walls and rails that stabilises crossings and eats camera flash into tasteful blur.
• Quiet Step: the floor forgets heavy tread; security can still “ask” to hear it.
• Shatter Geas: deliberate pane-breaking marks the breaker; debt is recorded in the Door Ledger.
• Flash Temper: strobes and sirens dull at the threshold; anything stronger aborts a crossing.
• No Water Doors: reflections on water are not doors unless the Lodge invites and attends.

Access & Schedules

• Salon Hours: Wed & Sat 18:00–22:00 (appointments only). Neutral talks, mask repairs, angle audits.
• Crossing Windows: by docket; escorted only; two-journeyman rule; no more than 2 crossings per hour.
• Neutral Handovers: daily 16:00–18:00 in the vestibule; no weapons, no entourages, no cameras.
• Pane Loans: by bond and signature; returns inspected under soft light.

House Protocol

On Arrival

• Present your name; let the curtain take your shine; peace-bind blades; drape reflections on request.
• Speak plainly; gossip belongs in the alley, not the room.

Crossing Rules

• Crossings are escorted; consent written; witness bell rung; no abductions, ever.
• Abort on flash, siren, or raised voices. Doors close when manners fail.

Boundary Courtesy

• No jobs inside Free Court salons, Harbour red rooms, Iron Belt tracks, or Lodge slips without written invitations.
• Meridian by appointment; interviews in the Green Room with drapes drawn.

Keepers & Regulars

• Mr Calder — Master Glasswright; stitches masks and tempers; never photographs well.
• Viera Holt — Pane Warden; keeps the vault; knows every safe pane by breath alone.
• Arun Desai — Anglesman; turns rooms compliant; draws maps that make cameras behave.
• Miriam “Mim” Vale — Fetcher; escorts clients between corridors; “you were never here”.
• Silas Penn — Ledger; bookings, bonds, chits; neutrality with a smile and a shut door.

Logistics & Cover

• Restoration Cover: receipts, solvents, and dust sheets sell the story; “closed for install” signs on short notice.
• Vendor List: glaziers, framers, and couriers who sign the silence card.
• Crate Ledger: pane numbers match crates and bonds; missing crate = closed doors until found.
• Lens Audit Kit: portable screens and flags for off-site angle fixes.

Hooks & Scene Seeds

• Pane to Nowhere: A rehearsal mirror listed as safe now “rings wrong”. Who touched it, and why?
• Gold Bloom: A pane shows a faint golden sheen after an altercation; Meridian wants the pane, the Guild wants it to stay.
• Hotel Exit: Mim needs a distraction to walk a client out between corridors—without crossing other factions’ lines.
• Crate Swap: A numbered crate returns with the right label and the wrong glass. Where’s the real pane?
• Flash In The Hall: Someone brings a strobe into the vestibule; a crossing aborts mid-step. Fix the fallout quietly.

GM Notes

• Tone: urbane neutrality; artistry over aggression; danger lives in angles and etiquette.
• Capacity: Main room seats 10 for talks; 1–2 crossings/hour safely; Pane Vault holds 12 catalogued panes.
• Complications: downstairs rehearsal noise, insurer audits, “lost” crates, rival fixers promising faster doors.
• Map Keys: stage door, cloak niche, main mirrors, angles rail, pane vault, angles shop, door book niche, green room, service hall, loading bay.