May 2025

The Looking Glass of Maltheris

Humans are strange creatures, prone to diminishing themselves. No other creatures construct invisible boxes, with steel bars made of thoughts and belief, in which to imprison themselves.

Many years ago, Maltheris, a powerful wizard whose brilliance had not been seen in a generation, used this human eccentricity to outwit and remove his rival.

With an ego to match his intellect, Maltheris rose swiftly through the ranks of the Mages’ Order, borne upon the wings of his genius and ambition. But there was another, John the Spellwright, who was less gifted in spellcraft, yet far more beloved. John walked the Arcane Halls with laughter on his tongue and warmth in his eyes, and though he could not match Maltheris in academia or rigor, he drew admiration and inspired confidence wherever he went.

Maltheris, who valued intellect above all else, believed John’s popularity a dangerous seduction for the mages. He regarded sentiment as weakness and empathy as inferior to logic. He deemed John unfit for leadership and determined to rid the Mages’ Order of his influence. Being a clinical and prideful man, he justified his actions by couching them in terms of duty and strength. He did not understand that humans are emotional creatures who think, not thinking creatures who have emotions. Had he understood this, perhaps he would have seen what John’s leadership offered: wisdom rooted in compassion and strength that bends without breaking.

But I digress from the poisoned parable. Let me leave the tangled weeds of human folly and conceit, and return to the tale.

Maltheris commissioned a beautiful looking glass, ornate and gilded in gold, from the finest craftsman in the Horngate. Upon arrival, he spirited it away to his private sanctum and began weaving the enchantment. It took nearly a year to embed the sophisticated glamour, invisible and insidious, deep into the mirror’s heart.

On John’s thirty-second birthday, Maltheris gifted the cursed mirror to his rival. John was delighted with the gift. Unaware of the doom he had welcomed into his home, he hung above his mantle, gazing upon it with pleasure.

Over the weeks that followed, the Looking Glass of Maltheris did exactly what it was designed to do: it reflected not the face, but the soul. It found John’s quietest fears, hidden deep within his heart, and magnified them. Whispers of inadequacy and unworthiness became echoes. Echoes became beliefs. And belief, as all enchanters know, is the most powerful spell of all.

Within a year, John had left the Mages’ Order, returning to his parents’ farm and resuming the family business. He did not live an unhappy life for he was not an unhappy man, but he did have one deep regret—one deep wound—that never healed.

The Looking Glass of Maltheris now resides beneath the Arcane Conservatory, sealed in the Underground Archives under Sylwen’s personal lock and key. Its enchantment still shimmers faintly in the dark, whispering one’s deepest fears as if they were manifest.

This cursed mirror exists in many forms in our world: statistics, comparisons, images. Demoralization does not require a wizard’s hex; it only needs a mirror, time, and an imagination awash in fear. Have you, perhaps, been looking into the cursed depths and mistaking the whispered lies as truth?

Look no more, fair adventurer, for you must remember, the most powerful spell is belief. These cursed mirrors warp this precious gift.

You are more talented, more clever, and more powerful than you dare to believe.

Starfall Rest News from Benign Chaos

Hello, friends, and happy May!

In Starfall Rest, I have several things planned for the month.

The Chapter 8 audioplay will be released in the first week of May, and I’m so excited to share it with you. Iris and Lord Darkwood have arrived at the Aerie, and mysteries deepen.

I’m hard at work on Chapter 9 and currently in the writing phase. For Chapter 9, we’re taking a small breather as our heroes spend a day at the Aerie, free from intrigue or danger. No one gets chased, stabbed, or framed… mostly. ????

In other fun news, I’ve finally settled on a vendor for the online store! Everything is so expensive right now, so I struggled to find an affordable vendor. Merchize, a vendor based in Hanoi, Vietnam, offers affordable, whimsical products. I’m excited to finally start filling the shelves of the online shop with Starfall Rest goodies! I hope to open the doors of the online shop, the Evernight Emporium, sometime this month!

There are two Evernight Emporiums (which can be confusing): the IRL Evernight Emporium which is the online shop, and an in-world Evernight Emporium. But, I’ll let Sylwen tell you of the in-world Evernight Emporium

As spring exhales her last breath for 2025, I hope you find time to savor her gentle days.

Kindest regards,
Benign Chaos

Note from Sylwen the Lorewarden

Shhhh, seeker of knowledge. We must keep our voices low. Come, this way to the secluded alcove. The Evernight Emporium is not a thing one discusses in the daylight.

I hear you wish to visit the Evernight Emporium. I will not ask your reasons for surely they run deep.

There is a portal hidden in the back alleys of both the Horngate and Darkenfell. It opens at sunset on the night of the full moon. On the other side of the portal, you will find the Evernight Emporium.

No one knows who runs the Evernight Emporium, though many assume the Vamfyre, the shadowed cousins of the Vampyre.

It is an underground marketplace where secrets are currency and dreams are for sale. You can engage the services of the Thieves’ Guild, or trade the macabre secret of a lovelorn princess for entrance to the Gryndlewynde. You may find the object of your desire, but beware the price, for it is rarely as plain as it seems.

And I must warn you, seeker: the rules are strict and absolute. Anonymity is the highest law. You see no one at the Emporium, and no one sees you.

Godspeed and stay safe,
Sylwen Faerondil
Lorewarden of the Arcane Conservatory