Cabinet of Curiosities

The Jewel Cabinet

As soon as you open the door to the Jewel Cabinet, your eyes are dazzled by a myriad of shining colors. There are flecks of rainbow lights everywhere, the crystals hanging from the ceiling creating a hall bathed in sparkles. The room itself is darkly colored, and so the sparkles make it almost seem like starlight. You are drawn into the room, wondering what kind of interesting jewels will compete with this incredible setup.

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There are dozens of stand-alone glass displays with ropes keeping people a certain distance from the glass. Each one of the displays has at least one gem or jewel, some raw while others are cut, polished, and set in some kind of wearable piece. You think you recognize one of the gems: a large, dark blue diamond surrounded by smaller white ones. Isn't that the cursed Hope Diamond? You walk up to the display and read the engraved metal plate explaining the piece.

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Possibly the most well-known modern cursed jewel is the Hope Diamond, on loan for the duration of the Grand Hotel's celebrations. The Hope Diamond has taken the lives of several of its owners, which has earned its reputation.

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Whether or not it's actually cursed, you find the necklace beautiful and alluring. Perhaps too alluring. You pull yourself away from the necklace and wander to the next display. Your demon, however, seems stuck on the Hope Diamond. You go over and try to snap them out of it, but they are transfixed. Nothing you do can budge them.

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You look around to try to find someone to help. This doesn't seem normal at all! You call over a couple of summoners who are enjoying the displays, and they all come over to help with their demons. Some try to shake your demon, and others try to physically move your demon from their spot. Nothing works, and soon you all notice that it's not just your demon who is stuck on the Hope Diamond. Other demons who have snuck a peek at it are now staring at the jewel, mesmerized.

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A young boy with wings and riding a two-headed demon strides up to you all, sighing. "Who activated the curse?" he askes, annoyed.

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You're not sure if you did, but you explain that your demon was the first one to fall under the spell.

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The boy rolls his  eyes and jumps off his mount. He climbs up onto the display and, without hesitation, plunges his hand through the glass to touch the stone. Somehow, the glass doesn't break, almost as if he was able to meld through it. He whispers something to the stone, and his eyes glow a bright, golden yellow. You can almost feel the power rolling off of him, and you honestly don't know how to feel. He's such a young, small boy, probably no older than eight or nine, and yet this power is enough to make your hands shake.

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Then, your demon blinks and shakes their head, as if they've just woken up from a deep sleep. You're relieved that they're okay, but you have no idea what just happened.

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The boy sits on the glass and glares at you. "Did you not read the warning? Do I need to make it bigger?" he asks, pointing to the red and yellow sign. "DO NOT LOOK RIGHT INTO THE STONE." He huffs and crosses his arms. "If you see your reflection, the curse starts, and it is a PAIN to convince it to go back to sleep."

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Your demon apologizes and asks how they can make up for it.

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"Shiny things," the demon says. "I can get gems whenever I wish, but I like other shiny things too. Give me something pretty."

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He gets back up on his two-headed demon and wanders off, patroling the area.

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"That's Valac," one of the other summoners says. "Don't let his youth fool you. He's older than most of the demons in the hotel!"

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You don't know if you've ever come across him before, but the summoner seems a little wary of him. Perhaps it's best not to anger him again...