Diorama Dollhouse

This creepy little Diorama Dollhouse, a box of places, is a cleansed cursed object. Though cumbersome and heavy, it is versatile and useful in Augury.<ref name=":1" />

Particulars

As a magic dollhouse any effects it creates or events it represents will use a doll motif.<ref name=":0">“One person presently on this Trail isn’t supposed to be here,” the opossum by the wayside told her.
[...]
Who wasn’t supposed to be here? Herself? Was it Snowdrop, if Snowdrop was non-virginal? One of the Others? An invader?
[...]
Avery blinked, trying to see. She made out a shape. A hand. A massive doll’s hand.

The doll’s face was beyond the thicket, lying sideways.

“I know what to do!” Snowdrop raised her voice. “I know what to do! I’ll help! I can bring help! I can save you!”

Then the hand receded. Taking Snowdrop with it. The face remained. - Excerpt from Stolen Away 2.9</ref>

Affecting the diorama will affect what the diorama represents, as with most augury looking is a two way streat.<ref name=":16"> Lawrence said, [...] ["]This device, empowered by this space, makes a fine lens.["] [...]

“It could be a trap,” Shellie said, looking closer. “There are things he could do to retaliate. [...]You’d be especially vulnerable if we targeted him or one of his subordinates directly. But we won’t. For now, before our man is out of the washroom and aware of what is going on…” Shellie mused. She picked up the photograph, [...] turning the photograph around and pushing it across the table.

Wye was at the bathroom door, frowning, it looked like he was moving fast.
[...]
“It’s your choice,” she said. “Lawrence wouldn’t think less of you if you chickened out.”

Kevin leaned down, staring at the figure at the pump. The background blurred, the details of the figurine shifted.

He looked closer, then closer still, until he could make out the expression, the lights in the eyes. The distraction, kids in the car. All cast under a green tint.

Holding the pump with one hand, he reached into the car to take a plastic toy from the hands of squabbling children.

Plastic generated static electricity, and static electricity became the spark.

The scene brightened, and Kevin was left blinking the bright orange light out of his eyes.
[...]
[Shellie] unfolded the box.

It was the same gas station, but cotton painted in orange and yellow and grey was stretched out to make fire.  Figures lay broken, cars had rolled, and the front windows of the gas station had shattered.

“Seems he took cover behind the car,” Shellie said.  “He’ll be harder than that to stamp out.”

The Wye figurine lay there by a crumpled car, one arm broken. - Excerpt from Gone Ahead 7.a</ref>

It has multiple ways of being opened and used though it shouldn't be opened the same way twice.<ref>

- Excerpt from Stolen Away 2.z</ref> Further it must have the power needed to manifest the diorama otherwise it might damage the user to make up the balance. Seemingly any source is suitable such as blood or even from the Demesne it is ensconced in.<ref name=":16" />

With regular infusions of power the dollhouse can be opened something like ten different ways, paying for more is possible but can't be targeted to the same locations.<ref>Alexander tapped his finger on the Chariot.  “Hmm.  You can close it up and open it again, if you want to see how the scene changes.  Don’t open it up in exactly the same way twice, or it may start getting nasty.”
[...]
“There are only two possible permutations left with the box’s configuration and opening,” Alexander said.  “You can get others, but you won’t be able to look at the same locations after that.  You’ll need to move elsewhere.  You’ll clean it and return it to me tomorrow?” - Excerpt form Stolen Away 2.z</ref>

Chronology

A magic item found and cleansed by Alexander Belanger for use as a versatile tool in his practice, he remains fond of it.<ref name=":1">She lifted up the dense, metal dollhouse, setting it in a metal box with about 20 segments. There were a horrendous number of figures, pieces of furniture, accessories, animals, and little colored blocks inside, sliding around, rolling down stairs, and falling out. The box itself had zipper-like creases at the edges of each segment, knitting them together. She centered the dollhouse and then collected the fallen bits, pushing them in through windows.

“This was a find of mine. A cursed object I cleansed. It remains an interesting tool for observation. A little cumbersome, but I have to admit, I like having an excuse to dust it off.”

She wiped off some dust.

“Most of the time, I prefer specialized tools for specialized jobs, but this is versatile, and has enough power left over from its past victims that it can power through some common defenses, like those runes you described.” - Excerpt from Stolen Away 2.z</ref>

2020

Alexander let his apprentice Nicolette Belanger use it as a tool for revenge.<ref name=":2"> - Excerpt from Stolen Away 2.z</ref> With this item Nicolette was able to steal Avery's incredibly important animal companion while the duo was within the Forest Ribbon Trail.<ref name=":0" />

Months later, inside Alexander Belanger's Demesne, Lawrence Bristow had Kevin Noone target another on of Alexander's apprentices using the dollhouse.<ref name=":16" />

Trivia

• By definition all open hatch dollhouses of this type are dioramas, the title is used anyway for simplicity.<ref>History of Dollhouses</ref>
• Some effects seen with this doll house recall the curse doll of popular culture; which actually has nothing to do with voodoo but rooted English folk myth.

References

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