Nexus Mirror (Patreon)

Armor (shield), rare (requires attunement)

This silver shield is polished to a mirror finish. Its front is made from a pair of metal doors with lion-headed fixtures. Reflections seen in the shield's surface appear distorted, as if they're seen through a strange fog. While attuned to the shield, you suffer none of the appearance or frailty of old age, although you can still die from it.

The shield has 4 charges and regains all expended charges daily at dawn. While holding the shield, you can cast either dimension door (4 charges) from it as an action, or misty step (2 charges) as a bonus action. When used to cast a spell in this way, the shield's doors open up to reveal a swirling portal through which you, the shield itself, and any other teleported creature or object are pulled as part of the spell. The doors close again when you reappear in the new location.

In addition, while you're attuned to the shield, a creature can use it as a tuning fork required for the plane shift spell, although the shield itself can't be used to cast the spell. You must be a willing creature that's also targeted by the spell in order for it to be used in this way. The shield can be magically attuned to any plane of existence you choose as part of the spell, which you determine at the time the spell is cast.

Curse. This item is cursed, and attuning to it extends that curse to you. This curse doesn't prevent you from ending your attunement to the shield, but you remain cursed by it until you're targeted by a greater restoration spell or similar magic. While cursed, you age 1d10 years each time the shield is used as a tuning fork as part of the plane shift spell. You are only made aware of this curse when you are magically aged by it for the first time.

Henry was reading in the parlor with a cup of tea on the table beside him. He'd just gotten to the good part—when the young hero defied the odds to save the world again—when a rapping at the door stole his attention away.

"Knock knock!" called a voice from outside.

Only Harry, his twin brother, ever knocked like that. Harry's boisterous and eccentricities had a habit of getting him into trouble, but his upbeat charm and effortless pleasantries were enough to make up for the minor inconveniences that followed him and his visits.

As Henry opened the door to welcome his brother inside, he came up short, "Hello again, Harry. How can I he—Oh, my!"

There before him at the threshold stood Harry, albeit many, many years older, and covered in a layer of phosphoric ash.

"Hello, brother! Mind if I hide out here for a while? Things got a little heated on my last trip and I could use a place to lay low for a bit."

With a devil-may-care grin, the now elder twin walked into the doorway, trailing dirt and ash into the parlor behind him.