Artifacts Explained

This is a new side project of mine, where artifacts that require a bit more explaining can be done in a narrative setting. Got a theory about a canon artifact that was never expanded upon? Made one yourself, but its database page doesn't do it justice? Write a short story here where the artifact is the star and help us understand.

Bed & Breakfast Painting
Painted in 1952 by then-proprietor Mungo(?), who had devoted most of his life to the Warehouse agents by that time already. All of his love for his work poured into every brushstroke and, after three years, the paining was finished to a satisfactory degree. Mungo would state that he'd work the B&B until his last breath, and he did. He died peacefully in 1996 at the age of 82, a rare fate for someone so tied to the Warehouse.

As the longest running owner of the B&B he was granted a full military funeral for his unwavering service to the Warehouse and it's staff. As a tribute to him, his room was archived in the Warehouse, the first non-agent or Regent to have the honor, and his painting hung on display in the living room of the B&B.

This would prove to be the catalyst for the creation of a powerful artifact. The day after the funeral, none of the agents could leave the B&B. Doors looped in on themselves, windows either didn't go anywhere or led to other windows. Flushing the toilet caused water to come down the chimney. Other agents and supervisors came in to see what was holding up the rest of the staff, only to be stuck themselves.

In the end, over fourteen Warehouse agents and staff were stuck in the building. It didn't take long for Mungo's name to be thrown around, his passing being the most significant recent change. It wasn't until a young girl around the age of five, the granddaughter of the new proprietor, pointed out the painting on the wall that things began to click.

The painting had changed, showing shifted furniture and jumbled knick-knacks that had be moved by the large volume of people in the real room. The girl explained that the painting was trying to make the agents comfortable, and was confused about why they wanted to leave. It was Agent Fishings who finally figured it out. Mungo's passion for the B&B and its residents as he'd finished his painting had turned it into an artifact, one that only desired to keep its patrons safe and comfortable.

Gathering some neutralizer from the assembled agents, he sprayed the painting. It sparked intensely, filling the whole building with a pale blue light. Fishings gently removed the painting from the wall as other tried the doors, finding them able to finally leave. Fishings and the small child were commended for their decisive actions and the painting was safely stored in the Warehouse.

Things did not end there, however. A week after its storage, several alarms were triggered. The Warehouse had gone through a small unplanned expansion (by .78 acres) and several crates and shelves had been disturbed around the Art Gallery. Several agents rushed over, only to find a full-scale replica of the B&B where Mungo's painting had been shelved. The rest of the artifacts had been gently moved aside to make room, and there was no structural damage to the surrounding area, the building had simply made room and reformed around the artifact.

An exploration of the building found it to be identical in every way, the decor in the rooms, the way one of them had left a deck of cards on his bedside table that morning. It even had running water and power. It also had the same properties as the first incident, in that no-one could leave until the painting was neutralized. Doing so caused the building to crumble into dried painting oils and the issue was put to rest.

A week later the building was back, exactly the same. The artifact was neutralized again, but regrew the week after. Constant goo-ings were becoming impractical, and the Dark Vault was dismissed as a possibility in case the B&B tried to rebuild inside. In the end, since the artifact was benign and simple enough to escape by a sufficiently prepared agent, it was allowed to stay. A perfect copy of the B&B has stood in the Warehouse since.