Tales of a shattered world - Gold Root Files

12 - Notrious House

Notrious House

Location: ????

The following is an account of the mysterious 'Notrious House,'

The Notrious House is a mysterious structure involved in multiple disappearances. It was first sighted in the elemental realm of life; however, since then, it has disappeared and reappeared in numerous locations. Attempts to track down and analyze the Notrious House have been made; however, each time, the House disappears before investigators arrive. The following account is based on witness statements and the limited investigation that could be conducted.

Appearance

The Notrious House has been described as a large shack or a small one-room cottage. Through aggregating the statements, it has been determined that the House uses or replicates nearby materials, primarily wood or other similar materials, for its construction. This suggests that the 'House,' rather than teleporting, deconstructs and rebuilds itself at each location.

Though the material used for the House differs, the build appears to stay reasonably consistent:

A one-story cottage with an area of little less than 100 square meters. Up front is a small patio with a rickety set of stairs that lead up to the door. The steeply sloped roof is constructed from hardened dirt or clay scales. It has been noted that while appearing abandoned, the House looked well-kept, seemingly undamaged by natural wear and tear.

The interior consisted of a single room in much the same condition. A small bed had been pushed to the corner, and on the opposite side was an empty cupboard. Against the wall facing the window was a single large writing desk, and on it was a single book and quill. The book on the desk was blank. However, the pages were well-worn, with the occasional ink splotches dirtying them. The cover was made of simple leather and had no discernable markings.

Along the walls were blooming flowers in clay pots placed on mounted shelves. In each Ntorious house, the type of flower was always consistent: Notrin flowers, a native plant of (redacted), a realm under the control of heaven. They are flowers with dark purple petals that grow in bunches, their stems short, keeping them low to the ground. The consistent presence of these flowers aided in coining the name 'Notrious House.'

Behaviour of the House

The House seemingly always appears in lush environments, just on the outskirts of populated areas. It does not appear to be limited to any realm. However, far more sightings have been reported in the human realm than any other. Please note that this may just result from the human realm being more closely monitored than others. It is unknown how long it resides in the location; however, once discovered, it disappears in less than a week. It has also been noted that, at the time, no powerful mages or beasts were near these locations.

While the Notrious House is believed to be responsible for multiple missing persons, approaching or entering the House does not always pose a danger. Some trespassers have even taken it upon themselves to vandalize the 'House,' shattering the flower pots and leaving profane carvings on the wall with no consequence. It is thus speculated that more complex conditions must be met for someone to be taken; however, what those are has yet to be determined.

Behavior of the Victim

Days before disappearing, the victim appears to show odd behaviors. While these odd behaviors are minor enough to go unnoticed by most, those closest to the individual seem to describe some oddities. The following is an account by (redacted), a friend of one of the missing persons.

"... So yeah, we found it, and it seemed like a nice enough place. Thought we could hide out there for a while. Avoid getting snagged by the enforcers. I decided to get some shut-eye while (redacted) decided to stay up and read. Apparently, they found a neat book...

...When I woke up, would you know it, they were still reading. Thought I'd take a peek and see what was so interesting. The strange thing was the book was blank. When I mentioned it to them, they looked shocked and kept insisting there was this really fascinating story in it. When I asked what it was about, they just froze. Gave me the blankest look I'd ever seen, as if they couldn't quite remember it. I figured they were either messing with me, or it was just the stress of being on the run.

Though, guess that should have been my first clue that something wasn't quite right, but back then, I didn't think too much about it. Call me an idiot if you want, but how was I supposed to know this would happen. Now that I really think about it, something changed in that House while we were sleeping. Those flowers seemed to have grown a little, and there were now these vines creeping along the walls. I know some plants grow fast but I'd become very well acquainted with that forest over the years, nothing like that around these parts...

...We headed back, figuring things had cooled down. Spoiler, they hadn't. Anyway, we got locked up, and I figured I might as well rest up and enjoy. Days later, I was dragged out and questioned about (redacted) escaping. Though from what the enforcers were asking, it was clear they weren't too sure how (redacted) did it or if they escaped, just that they went missing...

.. When they were satisfied that I knew nothing, I was locked back up. On the way, I passed by where they were keeping (redacted), and creeping along the walls were those same vines I saw in the House. Guess that's when I realized I'd never see my friend again..."

Statements from the (redacted) enforcers corroborate this story. Similarly, in other cases involving the Notrious House, all others besides the victim saw it as blank. The victim was unable to disclose the contents, seeming to become dazed if questioned. Statements also show that no one has attempted to take the book out of the House or disturb it aside from the victim. This suggests that the book or the House contains psionic enchantments to discourage anyone other than the chosen victim from interacting with it.

The vines at the scene are called "slow wheel vines," a common vine found across many realms. They are known to spread quickly, but not at the rate observed in the 'Notrious House' incidents. Analysis has found trace amounts of life magic within the vines, which could have encouraged growth. Analysis of the scene where the House Once stood shows no physical or magical anomalies. The victims, nor even a trace of them, has ever been found.

Conclusion

Due to the incredibly complex magic that would have been required, powerful fey are believed to be involved in the 'Notorious House' incidents; however, this cannot be confirmed. The investigation has been transferred to the (redacted) sector, and all future incidents should be reported to them.

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