Who Are the Looking-Glass Line?

The Looking-Glass Line sells unsanctioned crossings and leverage: doors-through for thieves and stalkers, and timed information leaks that corner rivals. Mirror-folk in the crew find or “season” panes; human partners handle drones, data, and bookings. Where the Glasswrights deal in bonds and witnesses, the Line deals in speed and blackmail.

Signature tells: masking-tape tabs on mirrors that are too clean; crate numbers that don’t match ledger; PDF leaks tagged GBX-###; a faint smell of silver polish and dust sheets.

Overview

The Line thrives on three markets: celebrity intrusion, corporate theft, and faction pressure. They stage crossings through hotel suites, rehearsal rooms, and “restoration” sites—then sell the timing or footage. They avoid violence; cameras and exits are their weapons.

Maxim (chalked on crate lids): “Angle first, then vanish.”

Faces & Inner Ring

• Lark Fen — Pane-Finder; mirror-folk lead; hears safe angles by breath; banned from the Looking-Room.
• Asha Kline — Producer; books rooms, forges permits, sets “install days”.
• “Grayscale” — Leakwright; human hacktivist; packages drops with immaculate metadata.
• Rooke Vale — Crate Boss; swaps panes, numbers, and straps; keeps three vans moving.
• Miyo Han — Drone Lead; roof access, RF scans, quiet net blockers.

Structure & Cells

Model: Finder (angles) → Producer (permits/cover) → Crate Cell (pane swap) → Leak Cell (drones/data) → Client broker.

• Finder Pair: mirror-folk + spotter; test panes; leave tape-tabs to mark usable glass.
• Crate Cell: 2–3 lifters with numbered crates; swap, strap, roll; return the “right” label on the wrong pane.
• Leak Cell: 1 operator + 1 editor; capture, scrub faces (selectively), tag GBX, schedule drops.

Methods & Habits

• Install Cover: drapes, dust sheets, and “closed for restoration” signs; staff see clutter, not doors.
• Second Room Rule: every job has a backup pane within 30–90 metres; the first is bait.
• Angle Poisoning: cheap strobes or reflective films to force rival crossings to abort mid-step.
• Leak Cadence: teaser still → 24h countdown → blurred drop → unblurred to the highest bidder.
• Dead-Hand: if pinched, a scheduled release posts “accidental art” that embarrasses everyone equally.

“Line Rules” (as they claim)

1. No blood on glass. Doors close when violence starts.
2. Pay the pane. Every crossing compensates the glass—coins, breath, or favour.
3. Never the same angle twice. Burn routes after use.
4. Footage first. If you didn’t capture it, it didn’t pay.

Note: Rule 1 is flexible when clients panic.

Resources & Kits

• Crate Stack: numbered, felt-lined mirror crates; spare straps; swap labels pre-printed.
• Angle Kit: gels, flags, blackout cloths; RF sniffer; “camera drift” meters.
• Permits Pack: forged work orders, courier lanyards, clipboards that make people nod.
• Leak Forge: laptops with clean serif templates; timed release bots; dead-drop servers.
• Quiet Tonics: a few “edge” ampoules (dry, cold, wrong) for nervous clients—offered, rarely used.

Relations & Enmities

• Glasswrights: active feud; vault lists are watermarked; Pane Warden Viera Holt wants their crates back.
• Free Court: wary; salons request “no-mirror” audits after Line jobs nearby.
• Crimson Harbour: transactional; Red Wake buy exits, then burn them.
• Meridian: cat-and-mouse; Meridian drapes panes, Line pulls them off “for install”.
• Gloam Families: theft of closed-stack panes sparked a quiet bounty in chits.

Emerging Rumours (GM Guidance)

• Silver Bloom: a faint, gold-tinged sheen on heavily used panes; crossings feel “too easy” for a breath, then shake.
• Hotel Ladder: four boutique hotels mapped as a chained escape route; one crate is a decoy full of glass shards.
• GBX Partner: a Grey Box-style leak cell is selling Meridian red-tag timelines to the highest bidder.

Known Angles & Pop-up Rooms

• Stage Right Dock (Howard St): crate swaps behind blackout drapes; forklift driver paid to look bored.
• Gallery Annex (Mt Vernon): “restoration” bay with perfect light; door book shows a missing entry.
• Hotel 9F Suite: mirrored wall with tape-tabs; room service staff speak of “installers” who never checked out.

Notable Operatives (NPCs)

• Lark Fen — pane-sense by breath; hates bonds, loves applause.
• Asha Kline — permits in a pocket; smiles like a clipboard.
• “Grayscale” — metadata priest; believes exposure is justice (for a fee).
• Rooke Vale — crate calluses; never lifts without a second exit.
• Miyo Han — drones whisper; roofs open; police scanners sing.

Hooks & Episode Seeds

• Pane to Nowhere: A rehearsal mirror listed safe now “rings wrong”. Find the swapped crate before a client steps through to nothing.
• Countdown Leak: A GBX-tagged timer targets a Free Court gala. Kill the drop, or make it show a harmless story.
• Hotel Ladder: The Line is running a chained exit through four suites. Which room is the genuine door—and which is the arrest?
• Angle Poison: A rival crossing aborts mid-step; someone’s arm is still “between”. Stabilise the angle without an on-camera rescue.
• Crate Buy-Back: Viera Holt offers chits for a full stack return. Sting the swap, or cut a deal?

Countermeasures (For PCs/Allies)

• Pane Watermarking: Glasswright micro-etch + bond cards; any swapped pane fails the witness bell.
• Install Trap: pre-approved “restoration” permits with contact numbers that route to Meridian & the Accord clerk.
• Angle Discipline: drape mirrors on arrival; kill strobes; appoint a single witness before any door talk.
• Crate Ledger Hunt: Gloam compare crate numbers across venues; follow the one bank account that didn’t move.
• Leak Poisoning: seed decoy footage with legal tripwires; unblur reveals a sponsor the Line cannot afford to burn.

GM Notes

• Tone: urbane burglary; cameras, angles, and timing; violence is failure.
• Pressure Dials: Exposure □□ • Rumour Heat □□□ • Asset Loss (panes) □□
• Escalation Path: tape-tab → crate swap → teaser still → countdown leak → on-camera panic or perfect vanish.
• Fail State: crossing accident on film; Accord fractures; hotel scandal.
• Win State: crates recovered, leak redirected, client walked out on the right angle; Line loses routes and face.