Communication Device

Upon entering the game, Mirrorbound are given a small device to communicate with. It has a limited array of offline capabilities and plenty more when connected to the network.

### “Watches”

Known by many names—watches, mirrors, comms—these magitechnical devices are the size of a large pocketwatch or hand mirror, typically backed by wood and with a flat, reflective, black surface on the front. When powered on, the black surface becomes something akin to a touchscreen. They're arguably the most advanced piece of technology to be found in this world, and allow for text, voice, video, and photo messages to be sent and received by residents.

Functions are simple outside of the network. On the back of the device, inlaid in the curve, is a small camera of a fairly decent quality, which allows for sepia-toned videos and photos to be taken and saved on and off the network. Where the microphone or speaker for audio are is hard to tell, but these allow for "phone calls" and recording audio to save to the comm or network as well. There is a voice-to-text (and vice versa) option for those who may need it, but its reliability is questionable at best. There are no games or apps, but drafts and notes can be saved to your personal device. In addition, there’s a very basic drawing feature that is the equivalent of MS Paint—but it can only draw in shades of grey and sepia.

Customization of the watches is minimal. The backing can be removed and replaced with different materials, ranging from wood to stone to metal depending on the aesthetic or needs of an individual. Chains can be added to help the user carry their watch, and carry pouches are also fairly common. "Wallpapers" can be used on the "home screen," as it were, but there is no "lock screen." The screen defaults to an analog clock when other functions aren't being used, part of why the nickname of a watch became so prevalent, and is the same face as the clock seen at Parliament.

Most natives cannot afford a watch, although new arrivals are given one during their induction to the city. As such, it's not something many people native to Aefenglom understand how to operate, and is unseen in the rest of Geardagas.

The watches are difficult, if not impossible,to break or shatter. They are also tamperproof. Attempting to break the device with force may cause the blow to bounce back, effectively countering the assailant.

Upon being dropped, a character’s watch is reclaimed by the Coven within a week’s time. If another character manages to take the watch before then, the latent magic connecting it to the network will run out within a week as well, rendering it inert.

### The Network

Upon receiving one of the watches, characters are prompted to designate their username. These can be whatever your character likes, and can include special characters. Be warned, however, that characters can only change their usernames once every three months. There is a directory of sorts for users registered on the network by their username, but locating it can be convoluted if your character’s seeking it out for the first time.

The network permits for posts of text, voice, and video varieties, but videos and photos will be in sepia tone. Special characters, such as emoji, are accessible, but they’re difficult to find and use for the first time. There is no search feature for keywords of posts—but characters are free to try to devise a spell that they can use to search for keywords.

Every post has a character’s username attached to it. However, anonymous posts are possible.

Privacy is limited, and while users can have private one-on-one conversations, or create group messages, they aren't unhackable. This also extends to the device itself—while they're assigned to one individual, a watch can be unlocked by anyone. Best not to lose yours, lest you find your identity and information stolen.

Should your character be a supergenius hacker, the network is hackable. Please confirm with the mods that your character’s method of hacking is viable beforehand, but characters can discover two neat details.

1. Any and all posts on the network, from anonymous to private ones. Each username is assigned a device address attached to every post and comment, anonymous or not. However, characters cannot access anything privately stored on a watch, such as photos or notes.
2. Corrupted data from before the first arrival of player characters circa May 2019. It’s a *massive* amount of data. It’s impossible to tell how far it spans. Attempting to access or decrypt any of it would be difficult at all to do, requiring a character to interface with it, such as an android—and would result in a temporary BSOD-like state.