Editing Narcissus (section)

==Culture==

The city is ruled by many nobles, who convene in a body of government known as the Diet – which is one of the most ineffectual political bodies known. Effectively the city is governed by shifting cabals of the wealthiest nobles and the sorcerers in their employ. The city is defended by many towers housing artillery-mirrors that can cast deadly beams of burning light miles away. It has an army, but its officers are mainly petty nobles who accept commissions for the privilege of wearing the handsome uniforms; they rarely report for duty.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

The ceremonial garb which the nobles of Narcissus wear in Flower Wars includes their mirror armor, round and highly polished metal shields, and their obsidian-edged swords.

These traditional armaments are more suited for the ceremonial combat of Flower Wars, than for in actual battle. Nonetheless, they are preferred exclusively by the nobility, for whom tradition and ostentation are more important than effectiveness. The nobles of Narcissus spend their time planning Flower Wars and sponsoring eccentric projects. Commerce, and the Guilds, are the real power in Narcissus, and they prefer to hire mercenaries rather than rely on the nobility and their odd habits of warfare.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

====Navy====

The fleet of Narcissus is mainly a brown-water fleet, although it also ventures into the Gulf of Achrum which is surrounded by the Thousand Flowing Waters. Large, paddlewheel riverboats, whose steam engines are powered by solar furnaces, transport people and goods throughout the river system of the north. Small, swift feluccas patrol the rivers and gulf, propelled by solar sails and armed with burning mirror cannon.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

====The Honorable Guild of Mirror-Casters====

Mirror-casting creates mirror-wraiths from the imperfect reflection of a person. (Mirror-casting a perfect reflection calls forth the doppelganger of that person.) The art of mirror-casting influences what kind of mirror-wraith is called forth, by choosing the imperfections of the reflective tool, the illumination upon the reflective tool, the subject it is to be cast from, and what emotions and desires that the subject acts out during the casting. It is an imprecise art, and even with all these planned for, the resulting mirror-wraith may not be what was anticipated.

Mirror-casters prefer to hire skilled actors as their subjects, for they better portray the emotions and desires to be cast into the reflection. Necessity or other factors often force them to rely on using apprentices or clients. The process of casting a mirror-wraith is long, and can be arduous for the subject, which adds to the imprecision of mirror-casting. There is a joke in the guild, about the journeyman who attempts to cast a mirror-wraith of lust, to use upon the object of his desire, who hires a courtesan as his subject and gives her detailed instructions to act out before his copper mirror, only to find he has called forth a mirror-wraith of confusion, all because of his muddled intent and skill.

It is, of course, easier to create random mirror-wraiths, and even possible to create accidental mirror-wraiths (particularly in Narcissus, where the mirror-world is so close). The guild scorns such things, of course. But journeymen mirror-casters often make their living dealing with and unmaking these unintended or accidental mirror-wraiths.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

====The Worshipful Guild of Mirror-Fishers====

Mirror-fishing is the art of pulling forth wonders and prodigies from deep out of the Other Side. It is an expensive undertaking – the only reliable lure is mirrorfruit from a crystal tree – and the results are essentially random. Most of the time, mirror-fishing only brings forth dross, the flotsam and jetsam of the mirror-world. Occasionally mirror entities are hauled forth, usually irritated and hostile. Rarely they bring out unique and magical things that mirror-fishers call “ephemera,” which make gambling on the expense and risk worthwhile.

Mirror-fishers use flawless glass mirrors, which must be large enough to pass whatever they bring forth. Their lures are reels of steel wire or woven steel cord on mechanical wheels and ratchets. Their lures are always baited with mirrorfruit. Mirror-fishers will cast many baited lures into mirrors at once – success takes time, and even then the results may be dubious. The lured mirror must be watched at all times. If unobserved, the mirror returns to being a mirror, the line is severed and the bait is lost. Apprentices are given the task of watching baited mirrors.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

====The Munificent Guild of Mirror-Smiths====

The Great Purge in the aftermath of the Second Shattering demilitarized the mirror-smiths.  They formed their guild to further pursue and adapt their reflective sciences.  Although they continued to design and maintain burning mirrors for use in warfare, the mage-smiths began to explore and develop other applications of reflective science.  Originally they resisted cooperation with the guilds of what they saw as cruder sorceries, such as the mirror-casters and mirror-fishers.  By the golden age of the Time of Clarity, however, they willingly combined their arts to create wonders of reflective magic.

The original mirrors created by mirror-smiths were polished obsidian reflectors, polished bronze and copper, and eventually sophisticated and delicate silvered glass.  The basic forms of mirrors used by mirror-smiths are:  flat mirrors (simple reflections), concave mirrors (reflections converge), convex mirrors (reflections diverge), and mirror arrays (combinations of mirrors).  Mirror-smiths are skilled at the delicate science of creating mirrors – which is where apprentices are put to work.  Other sorcerers such as mirror-fishers and mirror-casters rely on mirror-smiths to craft the tools and mirrors needed for their arts.  However the true art of the mirror-smith lies in designing and installing mirrors and arrays of mirrors, to produce wonders such as the Mirror Towers and heliocamin cannons.

-- by Kakita Kojiro

====Founding Day====

Once a year, on the anniversary of Narcissus's founding, their crystal tree darkens to a shade of obsidian black. Travelers and first-time tourists assume it is an omen of misfortune. 
In reality, is a confirmation from their founding Twin Sister. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people flock to the tree. If one is patient, one will glimpse her ebony reflection. The crowds hush to hear the whispered words of her ancient dialect. She typically assures the citizens that she will watch them and guard them for eternity.
The stubborn antiquarians state," If obsidian is good enough for her, it should be good enough for you."

-- by shanoxilt