View source for Midnighter Archivist Badge

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{{Image|Badge midnight mistery.png}}

== Overview ==

Unlike other history badges, the [[Midnighter Archivist Badge|Midnighter Archivist]] badge requires the player to click on items instead of plaques.  These items are revealed by hover the cursor over them, which changes to a hand when the item is clickable.

A total of thirteen items are required for the badge, and a progress bar indicates how far a hero or villain is to acquiring the badge.

Please note that all of the entrance lobbies in the [[Midnighter Club]] are identical.  An item in one lobby is identical to the same item in any of the other lobbies.

== Description ==
You have learned the secrets of the Midnighter Club.

== Associated History Items ==

=== The Skull of Tommy Arcanus ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_01.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The Skull of Tommy Arcanus, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

Once a member of the Midnight Squad... always a member of the Midnight Squad.

[[Tommy Arcanus]] delved so deeply into the metaphysical arts that his very being was affected.  Not only was his daughter born with magical powers, but even in death Tommy's spirit is unable to pass on.  Now, all that remains of him is this skull and the spirit that haunts it.

As midnight draws near, a mystery unfolds.  Throughout these halls are hidden secrets regarding the [[Midnight Squad|Midnighters]], each with a clue leading to the next.  If you seek answers, continue on.

Next mystery: Behind its protective reflection, mysteries lie.

'''Location'''

This location is a skull sitting on the desk just inside the entrance of the [[Midnighter Club]].
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=== Forbidden Relics ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_02.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Forbidden Relics, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

The objects concealed behind the glass have all been taken from the [[Circle of Thorns]]  Each description reads more bizarre than the last:

Hordling Jawbone<br />
''found in an ancient cave''

Crystal Shard<br />
''stolen from [[Serafina]] by [[Archus]]''

Sword Hilt<br />
''broken off a [[Circle of Thorns#Behemoth|Behemoth]]'s weapon''

Immortal Severed Hand<br />
''the right hand of [[Akarist]]''

Spectral Leather<br />
''taken from a [[Caleb]] demon during the original battle of [[Oranbega]]''

Flesh of a [[Circle of Thorns#Death Mage|Death Mage]]<br />
''note the unique rune pattern along the collar bone''

[[Lilitu|Lilitu's]] Corset<br />
''inappropriately acquired by [[Alistair McKnight]]''

Next Mystery: These are like wooden soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, in a line with spines ramrod straight.

'''Location'''

This location is the entrance lobby of the [[Midnighter Club]].  As you enter from an outside zone, the relics are in a case in the downstairs part of the lobby, in the back right of the area.  The case is next to a mission door that currently cannot be entered.
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=== Rularuu Library ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_03.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Rularuu Library, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

A small bronze plaque at the top of this book shelf has a single word etched into it:  [[Rularuu]].  You glance over some of the book titles.  They include:

Crafting the Dagger of Jocas<br />
- by [[Pontice Doub]]

The Many Faces of Rularuu<br />
- by Wylie Galloway

Shadow Life and Other Oddities<br />
- by [[Montague Castanella]]

A Discourse in Realities<br />
- by [[Faathim the Kind]]

How I Beat the Devil with a Dream and Other Adventures<br />
- by The [[Dream Doctor]]

The Rulu-shin: The Zealot Followers of Rularuu<br />
- by [[Darrin Wade]]

Next Mystery: A dusty tome sadly forgot, read by lamplight as often as not.

'''Location'''

This location is the lobby of the [[Midnighter Club]].  The bookcase is on the back wall of the upstairs library before entering the caves.  It is the far left bookcase on the left side.
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[[Category:Shadow Shard Lore]]

=== Why I Left and Why You Must Stay ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_04.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Why I Left and Why You Must Stay, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]
by the [[Dream Doctor]]

Hopefully, when you read this, my name is not forgotten.  I don't know why that's so important to me.  I guess after all I've seen, a part of me is still human.  I wonder if the same can be said for my counterpart, [[Rularuu]].

As I used the blade, I shaved off a piece of myself.  I am not the same man anymore.  I still work among you - looking for answers.  But I've also begun searching in the dreamspace for a way to protect you, and the rest of the world, from a fate that grows closer with each passing day.  Something is coming and I must find out what it is before it's too late.

I have never been afraid to ask for help.  If you remember anything about me, please remember that.  But this...this is something I must do on my own.  I'm going to try and save the world... again.  But by all means, don't let that stop you from trying to save it first.

-The Dream Doctor

Next Mystery: Cosmopolitan it is not, but it has its charms like the pages of a magazine.

'''Location'''

This location is the lobby of the [[Midnighter Club]].  The book is laying closed on a table on the right side of the library upstairs.
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=== The Death and Rebirth of Numina ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_05.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The Death and Rebirth of Numina, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]
by [[Tommy Arcanus|Tommy]] & [[Numina|Tammy Arcanus]]

The commie was standing at the center of the earth, ready to blow us all to pieces.  The [[Red Threat]] got it in that loony mind of his that if he could explode, so should everything else.  My, Tammy, [[the Monolith]], and some of the other Midnighters were there to stop him.  If it wasn't for the protective spells I cast, we'd have died days ago.  As it was, things were hotter than a new car in [[wikipedia:New Jersey|Jersey]].

The Threat was crazy!  I'm sure it was from the [[Crimson Dust]] those so-called doctors fed him back in [[wikipedia:Siberia|Siberia]].  I could see it in his eyes.  Tammy must have seen it, too, because she was on him before I could even think my first spell.  That girl is twice as fast as me and ten times fiercer than her mother.  She hit him with a possession spell and wasted no time flipping that guy's light switch to a permanent 'off'.  The only problem was, his body was like one big chemical reaction.  It didn't need no brain to continue along its course.  He was still going to blow!

My first thought was that we was all gonna die.  But my second thought was just a little bit worse: only I was going to die.  I knew of a deflection spell that would allow me to absorb most of the explosion and save the earth, but it would probably kill yours truly in the prcess.  Spells aren't normally designed to kill their casters, but the Threat's explosions were so strong that there was no other way it would play out for me.  As I said, this was my second thought, but it was Tammy's first.

She told me she loved me and cast the spell just as Boris blew.  That's the last thing I remember.  When I woke up, we were all back on the surface... well, almost all.  The Red Threat was there, but there was no Tammy.  Her body was gone.  The Threat was still a vegetable, but I noticed something about his eyes, they'd changed.  They were violet; the same color as Tammy's.

The Monolith said it first, but I already knew it to be true.  Tammy was in the Russian's body, even if she couldn't say or do anything to let us know.  She was there.  I will find a way to get her out of there.  They tell me they're going to move her to a new prison they're building in [[Brickstown]].  They're going to keep her there until I can bring her out of that body.

I'm not worried.  I know I can think of something.  And if I can think of it, well, Tammy will think of it twice as fast.

Next Mystery: The smell of salty air fills your nostrils, even on a grey day, the shipping industry awaits.

'''Location'''

This location is the lobby of the [[Midnighter Club]].  The book has a red cover and is standing up with two other books (a green one and a blue one) on a table on the left side of the library upstairs.  It is on the table just to the left before you go through the wooden doors into the caves.
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=== Arcane Items Lot# 49 ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_06.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Arcane Items Lot# 49, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

The crate label on this box lists a handful of magical objects.  The contents are as follows:

Mental Monocle: Looking at someone while wearing this object will grant you the ability to read the uppermost thoughts of someone's mind.  Recently modified by [[Sister Psyche]] to draw out the thoughts of one [[Vanessa DeVore]], as well as drawing out the psychic essence of [[Giovanna Scaldi]].<br />
Note: Does not work on [[Trolls]].

Sicilian Stone:  Wearing this stone close to your chest will cause your soul to be sucked into the stone.  This can only be reversed through using a psychic cleaver potion.

Bands of Shu:  Allows the wearer to be transported to the psychic plane.  Carvings of a figure seated upon a throne.  Her hands are lifted above her head; draped over them is the star-studded body of the goddess [[wikipedia:Nut (goddess)|Nut]], who represents the sky.

Pan Pipes:  If played properly, grants the musician the ability to transmit his deepest desire into the minds of those who hear his music.  Effects last for 24 hours.  If played improperly, causes hysteria, paranoia, and suicidal tendencies to those within earshot (includes musician).

Cloth of Phoebas:  Worn by the sibyls of Phoebas.  Said to grant a pure maiden who wears it the ability to heal themselves and others as well as long life and beauty.

[[Talos|Talos']] Ring:  Grants the wearer the ability to pass through solid objects, leaving all material objects behind, including clothing and Talos' Ring.  Used only once by the crafter who promptly perished within a wall.  Only his clothes, this ring and his index finger remained.

Next Mystery: Answers hidden within this box are the key to the tragedy of its necessity.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the western (left) alcove on the left just as you enter.  The box's color is slightly grayer and more worn than the other boxes it is sitting on.
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=== The Remains of Tielekku ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_07.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The Remains of Tielekku, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

This strange nearly black box claims to hold the remains of [[Tielekku]], a goddess.  The note accompanying it states the following:

These are the remains of one Tielekku, goddess of knowledge and wisdom.  Tielekku was best known for banishing the [[Banished Pantheon]], thus their name.  She is also credited as either teaching magic to humanity or learning magic from them, the translation is unclear.  These effects were discovered in an underground city deep beneath the [[wikipedia:Sahara Desert|Sahara Desert]].  They were collected, cleaned and cataloged by yours truly.

- [[Pontice Doub]]

P.S.:  Do not open.

Next Mystery: The white-tailed Eagle soars high above, a perspective that lends itself to knowledge.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the western (left) alcove on the right side, on top of a table behind the first column on the right.
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=== Authentic Cimeroran Urn ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_08.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Authentic Cimeroran Urn, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

There's a small tag attached to this urn.  It reads:

Authentic [[Cimerora|Cimeroran]] Urn.  Recently gifted to [[Montague Castanella]] who donated it to the Midnighter Club.

The urn has a pictogram carved around it.  The image depicts five men bowing before a tree with the sun shining down upon them.

Next Mystery: It is so old that moss has covered its landscape.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the western (left) alcove in the back right side of the room.  It is the urn closest to the back right column.
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=== Midnighter Club Register ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_09.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Midnighter Club Register, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

This old green book appears to be a register cataloging the date when every Midnighter joined the club and when they either resigned or died.  It dates all the way back to the 1920s and includes such names as:

[[Pontice Doub]]<br />
[[Dream Doctor|The Dream Doctor]]<br />
[[Ross Coldwell]]<br />
Wylie Galloway<br />
John Knox<br />
Bentley Berkeley<br />
[[Tommy Arcanus]]<br />
The Monolith<br />
[[Alistair McKnight]]<br />
[[Hinckley Rasmussen]] <!-- listed in-game as Hinkley Rasmussen --><br>
Edgar Torvald<br />
[[Tammy Arcanus]]<br />
[[Montague Castanella]]<br />
[[Nathan Crane]]<br />
[[Percy Winkley]]<br />
[[Kadabra Kill]]<br />
[[Sigil]]<br />
[[Ashley McKnight]]

As you read towards the end of the log, a number of the deceased dates correspond with the day of the [[Rikti|Rikti's]] [[Rikti War|first invasion]].  The number of deaths is astounding.  However, on the last page you see the numbers of the new members has gone up substantially.  The final name at the bottom is yours.

Next Mystery: To be truly aware of its value, you must first compare it with the words in the book.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the eastern (right) alcove.  The book is on the right side of the bottom shelf that is to the left of the doorway into the room.
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=== The Memoirs of Pontice Doub ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_10.jpg|right|thumb|400px|The Memoirs of Pontice Doub, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

The book in the upper left hand corner glows softly.  As you move closer to it, without even touching it, words begin to unfold in your mind.

You learn of the life of the Midnight Club's founder [[Pontice Doub]].  This book is his personal memoir.  His tone and words begin elegantly enough, but as they progress they inexorably devolve into fingernail scratched pages of blood and spittle.  The last legible entry, December 1944, reads:

My dearest Midnight,

Soon I fear I shall take her carriage.  The carriage just for you and I.

The things I have lost, the things I have given up or traded away have left me hollow, nothing more than a husk on the current.

The others do not see the darkness as I do.  I pray that I have done enough to make sure they never have to.

- Pontice

Next Mystery: One of the worst things a poker player can be.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the eastern (right) alcove.  The book is on the middle shelf of the right three-shelf bookcase in the back of the room.  It is a blue-covered book on the left side of the shelf, and it standing by itself.
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=== A working history of the Path of Dark ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_11.jpg|right|thumb|400px|A working history of the Path of Dark, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

This book appears to be a collection of clippings and hand-written notes detailing a group or a process called the Path of Dark.

The account laid down here belonged to an un-named Roman imperial guardsman who had been assigned to guard the last Emperor of th Roman Empire, [[Romulus Augustus]].  One section details the deposed Emperor's attempt to contact a supernatural power:

I asked my Emperor, now that we have the power of [[Cimerora]] and we have beaten back [[Imperious]], what he would have of us.  We had done so much in so little time - the giant colossi alone...

...but Emperor Romulus raised his hand to silence me.  Me!  I felt the rage within me rise.  If not for Dorjan stepping forward with a hand raised in peace, I do not know what I would have done.  Dorjan explained that his family had arrived to aid this new empire and that the Emperor had bid him to take us to these new friends.  We were to meet with them and our future would be made clear.

Dorjan did as the Emperor bid him, and led us down to meet these friends in darkness.  We followed Dorjan deep underground through dark caverns until we found worked stone and great halls.  Then there were movements in the shadows, and we all felt surrounded by spirits.  A man came forth and welcomed Dorjan as a brother.  He welcomed the Emperor to the halls of the Path of the Dark, and bid us enter.  Then I saw that this man was not a man, nor were any of those who watched from the shadowed halls.  I looked to Dorjan for guidance, as we had fought together and stood side by side.  But now I saw that Dorjan was shifting form into a shape that was not his own.

I saw things moving in towards us.  The Emporer exhorted them.  Fear overcame me.

Through the darkness, I ran.

Next Mystery: Some of the best stories come in threes.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the eastern (right) alcove.  The book is on the table with the candle to the right of the entrance door.
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=== Tomes on the Sicilian Stone ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_12.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Tomes on the Sicilian Stone, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

These heavy volumes chronicle the history of the [[Madeleine Casey#Story Arc|Sicilian Stone]], its uses, and its dangers. The first book seems to detail the crafting of the stone and the setting in which it was placed. It's a large ruby pendant with an unusual setting shaped like a long-fingered golden hand.  The fingertips are said to 'caress' the deep crimson of the stone, in a gesture that is at once haunting and evocative.

The second book details the lineage of the stone: who owned it, how they acquired it, what if anything significant they did with the stone, and, finally, how it killed them. This is the largest of the three tomes. The most notable is a woman by the name of [[Madeleine Casey]] who, surprisingly, is still alive today.

The last book looks much more recent and is entitled, ''The Afterlife of [[Nathan Crane]]''.

Next Mystery: The eyes have it, the moon wants it, the fabric keeps it.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  Going north from the crystal to [[Cimerora]], it is in the eastern (right) alcove.  The books are on the leftmost short bookcase in the back of the room.  It the group of three books on the right side of the shelf.
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=== Midnight Squad Banner ===
[[Image:Plaque_Archivist_13.jpg|right|thumb|400px|Midnight Squad Banner, located in the [[Midnighter Club]]. Click image for larger version.]]

This banner is much the same as the others, but for whatever reason, this one moves softly and is almost hard to touch, it eludes the grasp.

We gather in moonlight<br />
when the clock strikes midnight,

With intellect our torch<br />
and humanity our compass.

Quill or sword in hand,<br />
we move through the mysteries of the night,

Despite what horrors we face<br />
or dark lore we uncover.

We shall press on.

For this is the oath<br />
and the burden of the Midnighter.

Next Mystery: The words from a mouth without a face are useless to a wise man.

'''Location'''

This location is the caves of the [[Midnighter Club]].  It is one of the banners in the northern meeting room of the caves.  The banner is due west (left) of the large meeting table.  It is the solid banner, not the one with the slit down the middle.
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== The Clues Explained ==

Starting from any of the artifacts in the Midnighter Club, the item description leads you to another, until you come full circle and have viewed all of them, awarding the badge. However, several of the hints are extremely vague, so here the reasoning for each is explained. We begin with the skull, as it is the first clue most players will encounter.

{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|The Skull of Tommy Arcanus|Behind its protective reflection, mysteries lie.|Protective reflection is a reference to the glass of a display case leading to...}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Forbidden Relics|These are like wooden soldiers, shoulder to shoulder, in a line with spines ramrod straight.|Spines refers to the spine of a book. Lined up next to each other refers to books in a bookcase leading to...| (behind the glass of a display case)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Rularuu Library|A dusty tome sadly forgot, read by lamplight as often as not.|Refers to a book by a lamp leading to...| (bookcase)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Why I Left and Why You Must Stay|Cosmopolitan it is not, but it has its charms like in the pages of a magazine.|A magazine which is not Cosmopolitan is a very oblique reference to Red Book leading to...|, by the Dream Doctor (book on coffee table under a lamp)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|The Death and Rebirth of Numina|The smell of salty air fills your nostrils, even on a grey day, the shipping industry awaits.|Refers to a shipping crate leading to...|, by Tommy & Tammy Arcanus (red book on table)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Arcane Items Lot# 49|Answers hidden within this box are the key to the tragedy of its necessity.|Referring to the flight data recorder (aka. "black box") in planes used to identify what caused an accident, which leads to...| (shipping crate)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|The Remains of Tielekku|The white-tailed Eagle soars high above, a perspective that lends itself to knowledge.|A white-tailed eagle is an erne, which is a homophone for urn which leads to...| (box on table)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Authentic Cimeroran Urn|It is so old that moss has covered its landscape.|Moss is green leading to...}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Midnighter Club Register|To be truly aware of its value, you must first compare it with the words in the book.|A book that tells you the value of something, especially cars, is called a blue book, leading to...| (green book)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|The Memoirs of Pontice Doub|One of the worst things a poker player can be.|The worst thing a poker player can be is to be ‘read’ like an open book, leading to...| (blue book)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|A working history of the Path of Dark|Some of the best stories come in threes.|A story in three books is a trilogy, leading to...| (open book on table)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Tomes on the Sicilian Stone|The eyes have it, the moon wants it, the fabric keeps it.|The 'ayes' have it is a reference to a meeting. So, that means go to the meeting hall of the club. The fabric with the moon is the Midnight banner leading to...| (three books on the book shelf)}}
{{Midnighter Archivist Clue|Midnight Squad Banner|The words from a mouth without a face are useless to a wise man.|A faceless mouth is a reference to a skull, which brings one back to the '''[[Midnighter Archivist Badge#Skull of Tommy Arcanus|Skull of Tommy Arcanus]]''' at the beginning of this scavenger hunt.}}

== See Also ==

* [[Midnighter Club]]
* [[Midnighter Club Member Badge]]
* [[CoH History Badges]]
* [[CoV History Badges]]
* [[Badges]]

== External Links ==
{{BadgeHunter Badge}}
{{CIT Badge|ID=741}}

[[Category:CoH History Badges]][[Category:CoV History Badges]]