Cost: 10 motes; +5 if subject not the caster
Perfect recall of past events is uncommon even among the Exalted, yet sometimes the details of a past encounter can prove invaluable - especially those details which went unnoticed at the time. The graduation experiment of Ledaal Kebok Ice-Petal, this spell enables a sorceror to view in detail a scene she personally experienced by drawing on the subconscious awareness all intelligent beings have of their surroundings.
The scene must have occurred within a number of months equal to her permanent Essence. The spell requires a mirror or similar reflective surface, which is coated in a layer of frost when the spell is cast. In order to start viewing the scene, the caster concentrates on the event she wishes to view; as long as the sorceror retains some memory of the event, however fleeting, she may view it in the Frost Mirror. Once the memory is in the caster's mind, she wipes the frost away from a portion of the mirror to begin viewing the scene.
The event will be played out to her without omission, though only those parts of it for which she was present. The replayed events may last as long as one scene, and the sorceror may direct the mirror to move about at will; anything within range of her senses at the time of the event may be seen or heard, even if she did not notice it at the time. This may include the effects of any perception Charms which the caster possesses, such as Precision Observation Method or Spirit-Detecting Glance, but only if they were in use during the scene being viewed. The scene will only play through once, and cannot be paused, slowed down, sped up or caused to repeat parts of itself. Sound and vision only are clear, and are as if the caster had been standing at the mirror's "location" and looking where the mirror is directed. No other sensations are transmitted via the mirror. Once the requested scene is over, the frost evaporates from the mirror, and that scene cannot be called again by the spell for at least a full day.
Usually a sorceror will view events she took part in herself, but for an additional five motes the sorceror may recall events which happened to another individual. This individual must be present when the spell is cast, and if willing, need only bring the desired memory to mind. If the subject is not willing, the sorcerer must force or trick the target into recalling the events she wishes to view, and then succeed in a contested Willpower roll against him. A separate target is subject to all the same restrictions as the caster with regards to what may be seen and heard in the mirror.
Example: Ice-Petal is watching a meeting she had with her mother and her brother, Raijuu. Raijuu left the room during the meeting. If there was an unbroken line of site between Ice-Petal and Raijuu during his absence, then Ice-Petal can direct the mirror to reveal what she would have seen if she had been looking at him, even though she was actually paying attention to her mother at the time. If Raijuu had the presence of mind to close the door behind him, then she cannot see what he was up to during his absence. If the meeting had taken place during a party, then Ice-Petal may choose to direct the mirror to view - and listen in on - other conversations in the room, which at the time she heard only as background babble.