Event || A History of Light and Darkness

[eternitymods]

Who: Brave Explorers and/or Those Poor Souls Being Dragged Along by Friends
When: Oct 15-30th
Where: Thilmit Border Post, inside the Old Heranean Doll Museum
What: The Heroes of Light received a strange letter, and are now being asked to investigate the strange occurrences at the old doll museum.
Warnings/Notes: OOC Post Warnings for Spookiness, Creepy Dolls. Post toplevels for each group. Please post warnings as needed for memory fragments and exploration. For random numbers, use the dice functions on Plurk or Discord.



The Old Heranean Doll Museum is a small building, but somehow the dark, dusty windows and poorly maintained roof give it a menacing feel as you approach. The sign says, "OPEN"...although, as you approached, you think it might have been turned to "CLOSED".

The door creaks as it swings open, though there is no one from the museum to greet you as you enter. A cold breeze blows in behind you, sapping any lingering warmth in the room. The building is dark, and cobwebs are starting to form in the corners of the lobby and on the velvet rope stanchions that guide the flow of traffic in and out. Out of a shadowy corner, a large centipede skitters across the floor and into a crack low on the wall.

At the reception desk, one of the antique dolls sits, unmoving, unblinking. That goes without saying. Its eyes do not follow you as you enter.... The hairs prickling up on the back of your neck are just coincidence, that's all.

There is another doll perched on the wooden brochure display stand near the door. It's strange that the curator leaves the display pieces out where visitors can touch them....

As you enter, you hear something whistling through the air toward you a moment before it makes a impact. A tiny pebble, too small to do any damage other than a brief stinging. During this moment of distraction, the door slams and locks.

When you look at the spots where the dolls were perched a moment ago, there is now just empty space. There is movement in the shadows, and the nearly imperceptible sound of tiny shapes creeping around.

As you move past the lobby into the exhibits, a sign above the entryway declares:

Welcome to the Old Heranean Doll Museum. We hope you enjoy our historic Heroes of Light displays.

Comments

Preservation Section – Room 1 – Treat

[princeandscholar]

The lobby was unnerving, more so when the door slammed shut, and Orcelito was watching Mari's little white paws rubbing at the glass from the other side. He couldn't hear what she said, but she gave him one of her firm, reassuring looks. She'd be fine, and she'd find a way to get that door open!

Tactician sensibilities guided him down the hall, and he stayed close to his team. (Weren't there other teams here? Why was it quiet?)

And so, the group entered the Preservation area.

-

The first room is silent and still. Glass plaques outlining the restoration techniques hang on the walls - quite interesting, really, if antiques are your hobby. But it looks as though the glass cases that once housed the dolls are empty. The staff took them out for repair. Probably.

Orcelito takes the time to read one of the framed information sheets by the dusty light trailing in from the window. "They are over one hundred years old, aren't they? It seems strange that anyone would choose to puppet something so fragile." He comments softly.

(Should the party look around, there may be something in here that’s a little out of place….)

[chatwithdeath]

While Antiquing wasn't exactly Naomi's hobby, preservation techniques could be. She took her time to examine the one or two that caught her eye, not even really caring that the glass cases in here were unoccupied. It was a preservation room for repairs - it wouldn't be too odd for the dolls not to be here if they weren't being worked on.

"Perhaps, but under a Puppet Master's control, they can be a little more robust..."

Claws tapping against a table, there was something to note of the corner of her little eye. A lone pouch... but should they really touch it?

[poisonwish]

Apple fluttered to the door and stared at Marigold on the other side. It had been so sudden, she'd felt the breeze of the door as it passed right by her wings. She looked over her shoulder at the others, reassured by Mari's confident nod. "I'll stay behind and help her get in!" she offered.

Snow White watched her carefully before nodding. He didn't like this splitting-up business, but it didn't feel right to leave Mari alone, either... even though he barely knew her. Ugh, he was getting soft. "Alright. Be careful."

~~~~

In the Preservation Room, Snow White puffed up a little like a proud bird to hear Naomi's assessment of the dolls. Robust.

"Age is just a number, you know," he all but purred as he examined the displays. And yes, he thought he looked damn good for his own centuries. That pouch in the corner looked odd... almost like it was half-hidden. Well, if no one else was going to touch it, Snow would.

"Oh!"

[princeandscholar]

He steps away from the plaque to continue around the perimeter of the room, a slight frown being the only expression of his dislike of the topic. "Then they've been enchanted?" Thinking back to the lobby, that sounds plausible. It also means they may be dealing with an experienced Asterisk user. "Wouldn’t a Puppet Master need to remain within sight to use them, given the complex orders? We didn’t see or hear anyone, though." He glances to Naomi, since she would’ve been the most likely to notice.

Orcelito reaches Snow White’s side and tries to make sense of the lump of cloth. Thus far, everything in the museum has been of good make, if old. The sight of something plainly stitched leaves him puzzled for a moment. Where has he seen... ah! Orcelito gives Snow a startled glance. "This... I've seen these before, in the mines. Some of the monsters carried them."

He stiffens and looks around. The hallway they came from appears clear. The archway leading into the next room is also dark and silent.

[chatwithdeath]

"While I was at the Guild, I came to understand that Puppets could be ordered to do chores outside of the home if you're so inclined. So, no, it's not entirely implausible to give them orders that allow them to act outside of their visible range." So they could be dealing with an actual haunting or one wily Puppet Master that needed to give the commands to stop.

Watching the two of them examine the cloth, she would keep back. So, that was a pouch that monsters carried? Just lying out in the open. "It may be in our best interests to leave it."

[poisonwish]

"Why?" Snow White glanced up at Naomi. "Clearly there is no monster here now. And if one were to appear, I'm certain we could dispatch it with the three of us. Orcelito can keep watch if it makes you feel better."

The blonde man was already looking around like a startled mongoose.

A pouch carried by monsters in a mine? Whatever was inside could be valuable. And if no one else was going to claim it, Snow White would. He reached without further hesitation to open the bag and see what was inside.

Rolled a 3 because Plurk loves me like that

[princeandscholar]

Having maintained a deliberate distance from the Puppet Masters guild, this is new information that leaves him frowning. "Then they could be controlling them from a central location. Even from somewhere in the town." No, too much is happening right here. "I still believe someone is in the museum. It would be the most convenient place to operate from, given what we know."

Orcelito turns back to Snow, raising his eyebrows; he’d imagine Naomi would be the better watch. (Considering the extra eyes, which he is too polite and disturbed to inquire into.) Watching the bag ties come undone to a glimmer of coins doesn’t ease his growing worry. It could only be a hoarding monster… if they’re fortunate.

"If someone were going to steal from the museum, they wouldn't leave this out in the open… except as bait." The resident Tactician’s voice carries an edge in warning. "Or they were forced to drop it."

He steps into the doorway of the neighboring room, checking the corners with a flashlight. It is more of the same, save this one has a large (empty) shadow box table. Orcelito shakes his head, coughs. It’s dusty in here and… what’s this smell? It’s a little familiar, but he can’t place it.

[chatwithdeath]

"I'm just telling you what I learned. I didn't say that the master wasn't inside the museum." Besides that, a museum full of dolls was just asking to have them all controlled. Though, that was something she didn't know - how many puppets could one Master control? Something to consider as her eyes catch the glint of gold from the bag Snow still decided to open, and chose to still ignore in order to follow after Orcelito.

The scent and taste on the air changed as she approached, and it seems to be further filling the rooms. She had experiences sampling things like it before - experimental reasons for one, testing for another.

"... Huh, poison." Not the first trap she'd think would be resorted to, but perhaps because it was simple it was worth using.

[poisonwish]

"Hmph. More for me, then." Snow White had no qualms about killing. If this was meant as bait, then the creature who left it made a fatal mistake. He gathered the bag to carry with him. He could use the coin.

Following the others, he noticed the scent first. "Indeed," he had to agree with Naomi, but he shrugged it off. "No matter. It won't affect me."

Clearly, this gold was compensation for him having to save the others from this room. Let the Gourmand handle it. Except... as Snow White casually walked further into the room, he began to cough and his eyes began to water. His brow furrowed with confusion. This wasn't supposed to happen. He coughed again and covered his mouth.

"Ugh... this can't be right!"

[princeandscholar]

Checking the room again, he directs the beam to the ceiling, then the floor. It’s faint, but there is a growing violet haze sliding along the floor, previously hidden in the darkness. A more frantic search circles the room with light, but there is no one to be seen, nor even a vent into the room that would explain the miasma. It doesn’t matter. They sprang a trap, and it’s time to get out. His own alchemist's instructions to him in such an event were to hold his breath and get out into an open area as quickly as possible. For once, Orcelito agrees wholeheartedly.

He covered his nose and mouth with a cloth as soon as Naomi raised the warning; now he coughs a muffled, “Retreat to hall.” He does shoot a worried look to Snow White – Gourmands are usually resilient. And Orcelito has inhaled the result of his own miasma spell enough that it shouldn’t feel like this. Moving swiftly, staggering a little, he retreats to the previous room and towards the passage back to the main hall, though he will pause if one of his teammates falls behind.

[chatwithdeath]

Naomi doesn't say anything, but for all the effort to get them out here, should it really be a surprise the miasma was working on all of them? In another world, it wouldn't be abnormal for her to breathe this in - except for certain chemicals, but this cloud wasn't it. It was different enough that natural and asterisk-provided immunity weren't working; not that she would betray the fact she was being affected too.

"You two go first." At least that way they wouldn't notice her feeling ill if she began to show the symptoms nor would she possibly block one of them if it somehow overwhelmed her. But she thinks she can mediate the worst of it if they continued to be exposed beyond the hall.

[poisonwish]

This was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong! Every fiber of his being was screaming at Snow that this was wrong. His entire life had been spent developing a tolerance to all poisons, and even on Vaikuntha he should be shielded as a Gourmand.

He shouldn't feel this.

Snow White looked at Naomi when she said she'd go last. Was she serious? But... she was larger than he and Orcelito... And as a man with pride himself, he could understand. He nodded, covering his mouth and following Orcelito, picking up the other man by the back of the shirt whenever he stumbled.

[princeandscholar]

Orcelito pauses, looking back to make sure Naomi is following. When she does, he returns his attention forward. His throat burns too much to protest when the back of his coat is grabbed, though Snow's efforts pull him away from a collision with a door frame.

He was afraid someone would try to lock them in, but no such obstacle awaits; the doorway to the hall stands open, and he bursts gratefully into uncontaminated air. Immediately, the suffocating feeling ebbs, leaving a lingering soreness that marks a decline in his health. Ugh….