The Looking Glass is an organized criminal force primarily composed of Dolls: elegant, deadly creations that resemble a mix between human and ball-jointed doll, specifically crafted to be the perfect weapons. It is led by the Puppeteer, who functions as the handler of the operatives and the acting matriarch of the dysfunctional family of unorthodox 'siblings'.
The neutral group has no overarching agenda other than to gain more wealth and influence through lending out its Dolls to mercenary groups, performing assassinations, assisting other organizations, and forming political ties. While the Puppeteer and her eccentric empire have more wealth than she knows what to do with, the Dolls are not actually paid. Instead, they have free use of the organization's resources for their own personal ends and desires, as long as they remain loyal to the Looking Glass.
| organization
The Looking Glass is a very tight-knit sort of group, mostly due to the strange nature of its primary members. In the entirety of the organization's history, there has never been an outsider within the Looking Glass ranks, save for whoever is in possession of the Toymaker title. Those with the title have the impossibly rare ability to create items from absolutely nothing, and thus are able to design the arcane husks for Dolls to inhabit, making it possible for them to traverse through the realm of mirrors.
If you would like to maintain one of the Looking Glass openings below with a character of your own, please don't hesitate to message me! I'd love to add more Dolls to the official list of members. Weapons outside of what's listed below are permitted as long as they aren't taken from already existing members.
Situated near the city of Eisehelm, higher into the mountain tops, sits the main base of operations for the Looking Glass. Semi-secluded, tranquil, and rarely visited by outsiders, the white-stone mansion is home to the Dolls and their creators, enjoying a marvelous overlook of the glowing city below and the snowy, natural scenery all around. A statue garden decorates the landscape surrounding the mansion, while the warm interior is embellished with vibrant plant life, many mirrors, and a vast array of artwork.
| lebedev opera house β§ walden, ineru
When the Puppeteer founded the organization, she brought along her family's opera house and incorporated it into the criminal business. Now the elaborate and lavish theatre house conducts its shady deals and operative field training under the guise of an artful enterprise, catering to underground syndicates and those fond of Inerian opera and ballet. Puppeteer frequently attends the shows her opera house puts on.
| czarina tea houses β§ konΓstrian capitals
There is one tea house placed on each continent, residing in each capital of KonΓstra, and all of them are owned and managed by the Puppeteer. It is not only an avenue of income and magic liquid goodness, but it also serves as a rendezvous for information, reconnaissance, and packages exchanging hands. In addition to this, Czarina Tea Houses are ultimately considered neutral ground to those in the underground/criminal business, where opposing factions or shady politicians can meet with each other somewhere they are considered equals.
| the workshop
On the quiet outskirts of the mountainous city, there resides a secluded and decrepit shop. However, the run-down appearance only serves as a front and within the protected walls, the Dolls are created by the Toymaker and endued with the strange magic of the mountains by the Puppeteer. Many of the Dolls given arcane life either go mad with their new willpower and sentience while others have bodies that fail them completely, making them unfit as a weaponβand so, they are broken. The ones who are successful are given the proper training to become assassins, spies, and mercenaries for Looking Glass.
HISTORY undocumented events included for timeline purposes.
β β β β β β
| 837 a.f.
Mabuhm 8 β Crow spontaneously pays a visit to the Dollhouse, to which the Puppeteer invites him along to a ballet performance at her opera house and an after-party dinner. At the end of the night, she is invited to make a trip to Ebony Isle. | Luck adds ten platinum to 'the bet', Claudia adds one gold.
Mabuhm 16 β A meeting between Puppeteer and Bramirian emissary, Quinn RamΓrez, ends in tragedy, as an assassination attempt by a mysterious operative leaves Lord Jasper Tynes, the Puppeteer, and Luck injured in the aftermath.
Mabuhm 26β The Puppeteer pays Crow a courtesy visit as promised, accompanied by Poppy, and various circumstances lead to the cure of the poison that had taken hold within her during the previous assassination attempt she had narrowly escaped from. | Crow receives a personal painting with the name 'Circe' in the bottom left corner.
As the headmistress of the Looking Glass and its Dolls, some believe that Puppeteer's strange magic has begun to transform her into something else entirely. The most notable of these strange changes is the fact that it has become impossible to recall any of her features once she has left a person's line of sight. This "forgetfulness" is immediate.
While individuals can recall their interaction with the Puppeteer in perfect clarity, it is the finer details such as her physical appearance, smell, or the sound of her voice that are affected. When viewing memories through magical or occult means {psionics included}, the Puppeteer is viewed as a shroud of smoke with a distorted voice.