Mirrorborn
The Mirrorborn were a mysterious and powerful ancient race of shapeshifters born at the crossroads of mortal dreams and Fey sorcery, long before the rise of the known courts and even before The Fracture War had torn the realms apart. Now extinct, the Mirrorborn were said to be living reflections of consciousness, creatures who could become anything—not through imitation, but through complete understanding. They were not simply shifters of flesh, but shifters of truth.
In their natural form, the Mirrorborn were said to be fluid figures of silver and glass, humanoid in shape but devoid of features. Their bodies shimmered with iridescent hues that changed with their emotions or with the presence of others. Those who gazed upon them saw not just a face, but possibility—a flickering glimpse of themselves, their desires, or their fears. To speak to a Mirrorborn was to feel seen in a way few could endure or understand.
Unlike changelings, who are born with mutable forms, the Mirrorborn were born for empathy—so attuned to others that they could adopt not just appearances, but mannerisms, voices, languages, and even memories. Some believed they could momentarily hold the pain or joy of another being, wearing it like a cloak to better understand or ease suffering. Others feared them as manipulators of essence, able to become you so completely that even you might forget who you were.
They lived in small, wandering enclaves that existed on the borders of realms—never fully of The Feywild, nor of the mortal world. Some say their capital, Vessira, was a place that could only be reached through honest self-reflection or profound transformation. In that shifting city of mirrored towers, it is whispered that the Mirrorborn practiced the lost art of identity weaving, crafting entire personas like tapestries and gifting them to mortals who had lost themselves.
But the Mirrorborn bore a tragic flaw: they could not remain unchanged. Every form they took, every life they tasted, stayed with them, layering over the last. Over time, many were lost in the tangle of borrowed selves, unable to recall their origin or true shape. It is said the last of the Mirrorborn chose extinction by sacrifice, scattering the seed of their essence to give rise to the first changelings—less powerful, more grounded, and more capable of choosing their own identity without drowning in others'.
Though their cities are dust and their memories half-forgotten, the Mirrorborn are remembered in whispered legends and Changeling bloodlines. Some claim their souls linger in shattered mirrors, dreaming of lives they once wore. Others believe that one day, a Mirrorborn will awaken again—not as many, but as one, whole and knowing, the first and final face.
