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

[eternitynpc]

Wh-what insolence! [King Moggle Mog glances at the copies, unable to decide which to attack.How dare the purple haired one take advantage of his divided attention while he was being attacked! He points his scepter at Red.]

Thou behavest as a knight, then thou shalt die as a knight, kupo!

[He waves his scepter and summons a Moogle wearing Ranger garb. Wordlessly, she pulls back her bow and fired an arrow at Red, disappearing into smoke immediately after.]

[mythmaker]

[Azusa walks slowly behind Red and places a hand on his shoulder, casting Benefic on him. That should get his HP up to full or near full.]

No one is going to die on my watch. It's not too late to apologize, Moggle Mog.

[She's stopped using the word 'King' because she doesn't quite think it's worth being polite anymore.]

[strawberryredgrave]

Gotta give him credit for sticking through it all. I'd give him more royalty points than you, there.

(Red, you're an honest to god trooper and Dante's of the opinion that you deserve to kick this guy's butt the most. That's why he's prepping you up with another Haste to show him how knightly you are.)

[mech_and_mutt]

[By the time that last arrow strikes, it's more insult than injury. Red barely even seems to register the pain of the arrow sticking almost comically into his shoulder, if only for the frustration that had been steadily building since they'd entered this creepy old museum in the first place. And even if his teammates always made sure he stayed on his feet, he'd been frogged, zombied, and literally and figuratively slapped in the face more times than he could count.

And he'd had enough.]

You think I'm goin' down to the likes of you?! Get it through your tiny little head!!

[The flexible metallic fingers of the DAHAK's arm tightened into a fist as a faint whine began spinning up from inside the its core. A flicker of arcane energy glowed through the seams of its armor plates.]

Once I get to work...

[And, as all that power shunted itself into the rear of his mecha's frame, a set of thrusters on its backside suddenly snapped open and sprung to life, the soft whine of electricity was drowned out by a roar of engines.]

There's just no stopping me!



[With a final booming rush of air, Red's magitek armor literally rocketed forwards, and the actual impact of the DAHAK's fist against the 'King' was thundrous enough to rattle the museum's windows. Against an enemy that size, it might even have seemed excessive. But after taking those blows to to the brain and to the face? He was more than happy to put a little flourish on his regicide.

Following with a more graceful swoop back from his own attack, the engines steadied a more mild burn that 'merely' kept the DAHAK nimbly in midair. And since that doll was now hopefully half-embedded in the far wall of the room, Red wasted no time in making the most of his own boosted speed and sending one last bolt of dazzling blue energy into the Moogle-doll-- one last little •Magitek Judgement to drive the point home.

And even if it actually lived through the assault? Oooh, Red felt better after doing all that.]

[eternitynpc]

[Azusa distracts Moggle Mog long enough to have his attention slip from the other participants in battle. He puffs up his soft and huggable chest.]

How presumptuous of thee! Thou drainest my power and disrupt the reforming of my magnificent and majestic body the entire month, and now you seek allegiance? Kupo! I fall not for your petty--

[At this moment, Red's Melody strikes Moggle Mog from the side, pressing him against the wall violently enough that the seams at his side burst. Stuffing poked out of the doll's sides while he wiggles his royal appendages in an effort to pull out. Unfortunately for him, the second attack struck him in the back, nearly cutting his body in half.

King Moggle Mog loosens himself out of the hole in the wall, and his lower half hags by an inch of fabric. Stuffing pours out while he flutters away.]

Look at what thous hast done to me! Mine fluff! Mine fluff! [As nobly as one can when nearly sawed in half, Moggle Mog Flees the battle, floating out of a window.]

I swear I shall enact swift and bloody vengeance, kupppoooo...!

[The Curator's Office can now be entered.]

1/2

[mech_and_mutt]

[All that talk of reforming and allegiance had to take a backseat to Red's slowly-declining adrenaline... as well as the delicate post-battle landing of his Magitek Armor. He was the one that did it, and it still took him a moment to process what had just happened.

Did he just finish off a famously-powerful foe with a rocket punch?

DAHAK's feet touch the floorboards. The music fades. The rush abates. Did his teammates see that?! Furballs, he had to put one last little flourish on the deed and pull off a one-liner, quick--!!]



...Knight takes king.

[Yessss]

2/2

[mech_and_mutt]

[...And a turn back to the others. There were a few blows traded all around, there, but thankfully nobody seemed too worse for the wear.]

Everyone holdin' together?

[strawberryredgrave]

(To be perfectly honest, Dante was still processing this. Sure, the initial shock of King Moggle Mog's presence has worn off by now, but to actually see him repelled? And rocket punched so hard, he was torn in half.

The zora's motionless, blinking a few times as he makes the automatic switch back to Chemist. He's just. Gonna get a Mega Potion going to help refresh everyone after that.)

Yeah...yeah, I think we're good.

(He'll give Red a pat on the shoulder. Good work, buddy. Seriously, he's kind of. Awestruck.)

[mythmaker]

I'm doing better than he was, at least...

[She turns from the window to the door.]

I think someone's inside. Did anyone else hear them?

[rivieran]

...Good grief. [ It all happened so fast. Red's Melody was impressive. Moggle Mog's demise was, er, impressive. Would they really have to worry about him showing up later? Hopefully not. Ena glances out the window where he vanished, and sighs.

She takes a step towards the group, and her copies vanish. She tilts her ear towards the door, but doesn't quite catch anything. She shakes her head. ]

...Should we go in?

[mech_and_mutt]

After all that?...

[...Well, it wouldn't feel right to take out a foe like that and just walk away from the door it was guarding, right?

Red gave his Armor a quick roll of its arms and a performance check. All green, or at least close to it. Whatever was in there probably couldn't be too much worse than what they'd seen already...]

...Yeah. Let's get to the bottom of this.

[Clank, clank. Focusing up and taking a deep breath, Red made his way for the Curator's office.]

[mythmaker]

[Once at the door, Azusa raps her knuckles against the door, neither quietly nor loudly. Politely.]

This is the curator's office, isn't it?

[She pauses, sighing in relief again now that the battle is over and she's unwinding from all of...that. Still, she can't help but feel something is a little off.]

Curator? Is everything alright?

[eternitynpc]

[The Curator opens the door and scans the room behind them.]

Is he gone? You drove him off?

[Sighing with relief, she gestures them inside of her office.]

Please, come in and rest. My name is Celain, and the monsters that have been lurking around won't enter my office. You're safe to rest here. Tell what what you've seen in my museum.

[rivieran]

[ Ena, on the other hand, is extremely relieved to see that the curator is not a threat. She puts on her most diplomatic smile and strides over to the door, hand extended in greeting. ] Curator Celain? It is a great pleasure to meet you and see that you're safe.

My name is Ena, and these here are my companions who have accompanied me through the museum. One in particular has taken many a blow and put on a spectacular show to drive away the Moggle Mog. [ She gestures back to the party, specifically towards Red. ] We will certainly tell you all we saw on our way here, but please, let the poor wolf sit first. He needs a rest.

[mech_and_mutt]

[Unlike Ena, Red was still a tad bit bristled, having taken one too many blows on his way to the office to feel comfortable even in the face of a warm welcome such as this.

...Though the kind words from his teammates actually did seem to take some of the edge off. His tense posture eased with a quiet, exhaling sigh, and he gave a casual wave.]

I'll be fine. It'll take more than zombies, frogs, and mogs to stop me. [A casual dusting of his coat accentuated the point. Even if he was dog tired, why stop looking cool now?]

Did they have you trapped in here?

[strawberryredgrave]

A bunch of spirits have been making themselves comfortable with the dolls. Even Moggle Mog back there's one of them.

....That ain't the real Moggle Mog, right?

(Look, he has to ask for posterity.)