Reception Bell from the Hotel California

Appearance
A fine brass reception bell, similar to those found in most hotels.

History
The exact origin of the bell is currently unknown, but tests done by Agent Draco have shown that the brass comprising the bell is far older than The Eagles song would lead one to believe. The metal is at least 4000 years old. Agent Draco has researched the artifact extensively, and is convinved it may have been owned at some point, perhaps even created by, the Lotus Eaters from the ancient Greek stories of Odysseus.

It is assumed at some point to have been encountered by The Eagles, suggesting it had been in circulation for many years before recovery.

Collection
Collected quite by accident by Agent Draco, when he walked into a hotel full of people that were concious, but extremely vacant. Attempting to ring the bell to call a concierge to question, he accidently triggered the effect and found himself effected by the artifact. The exact details of the event are hazy, as Agent Draco claims to remember little of the event, an apparent side-effect of the ordeal. It is known that Agent Draco broke free of the phantom hotel, thus de-activating the bell and freeing the other patrons. It was explained that the bell had been purchased a month beforehand, and the bellboy was the first to be affected. Upon checking his phone, it was revealed that Agent Draco had been in a trance for three days, and he quickly bought the bell. A few months later when he was hired by the Warehouse, he presented it to the staff and it was added to the collection.

Effects
Ringing the bell puts the user into a trance-like state in which they are trapped within their own minds. During this time, they see themselves as if they were in a luxourious hotel, personalised to suit their preferences. As soon as the trance begins, they completely forget what they were doing and are completely absorbed by the experience. To free oneself from the effect, they have to conciously force themselves to leave the hotel. This is obviously difficult to do, and it is suggsted that the staff try to persuade the victim to stay. Succesfully breaking free of the bells effect will neutralise the artifact, freeing anyone else who was trapped.

It is not uncommon to have difficulty remembering the details of the trance, this is assumed to be the artifacts way of making sure that one person cannot simply give away their escape story. While affected, the victim experiences their stay at the hotel in real time, so a week in the hotel equates to a week in real life. The victims seem to require to food or water while effected, though.