Tsk! Yes, that would be rather inconsiderate of you. You’ve picked a rotten time to sightsee, but one must do one’s best even in these most trying of times. [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/forum_attachment/attachment/4526/2foodshop.jpg[/img][/center] [size=10]Oh, I do wish I had had more warning they were coming, more time to practice…[/size] Ahem! Welcome to Painted Feasts, home of the museum’s painting gallery. My name is Hue, and this is Millefiori. [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/kiths/kith/color/stage1_image/500/GTKITH4_1_gray_large.png[/img][/center] [highlight=#eac3d4][color=#474747]*flutter* Hello, darlings![/color][/highlight]

Hello! I’m Iris. It’s so nice to meet you both, but I’m afraid we don’t have time for a proper tour. We’re pursuing two of the menaces that are making things so awful here today! One of them is called Specter. She usually looks like a wooden figurehead on an old boat. She came here intending to break into your vault, and steal information that she wants to use to unmake everything! The other is a being that she probably released to help her get into the vault. A Scourge of Doubt, which looks like a dark painting! Have you seen either of them?

I’ve seen both of them. But, tsk! You’re a bit late if you meant to stop that boat. She sailed past here awhile ago. She seemed to be talking to someone - her Captain, I think? Scornfully monologuing something about how this vault better not be another one of [i]his[/i] exaggerated stories, how she needed the treasure inside to really be a universal data archive if she was ever going to be reunited with her Captain in the world as it [i]should[/i] be, etc, etc. I gathered that she doesn’t much like the state of things outside this museum, and she wants to wipe the canvas clean? As much as I sympathize with a desire to start over when a project isn’t going the way you pictured… her method seems a bit… careless. Which doesn’t surprise me, given the way that she careened through these canals in a boat that is far too big! Her passage sent waves flooding through a whole wing of my exhibit! I thought for a moment that she might wash us out entirely - tsk! She thoughtlessly ruined a number of irreplaceable works, and cracked a couple of columns that one can only hope aren't load-bearing… Not to mention what she must have destroyed where I couldn’t see her… I lost sight of her while I was taking cover, checking over everything and frantically trying to clean up the mess she made, without getting damaged by the canal water myself… However, not long after, I believe she started meddling with the thaumatech near the vault. There was a surge of thaum - felt like a cold hand right through my middle, a sort of turpentine grasp. Quite put me off painting for a time. And then an alarm, and the waterfalls worsened considerably from their previously gentle flow, and really, who could blame me for not being able to concentrate and leaving things half-done? [size=10]…Great, Hue, if they hadn’t noticed that this place isn’t up to standards before, they certainly will now…[/size] Anyway! Haven’t seen or heard her since. Don’t know if that means she got what she was searching for and departed - tsk! Good riddance! - or if she’s still there. I believe the waterfalls are triggered as a means to fill the canals if they get low, but they also seem to serve as a security system, meant to trap anyone who might be trying to remove things from the museum without proper authorization! Though I’m not so sure that the system was built with a large sapient boat in mind… Regardless, her dabblings with thaumatech seem to have left something vile behind.

Oh dear, I’m sure that’s the Scourge of Doubt! In the Cosmic Solarium, where some of our friends live, she used the Scourge of Disdain to power herself up, so that she could channel the unmaking powers of the Tatters and attack the Solarium by herself - though apparently it hurt her a lot to do so. You see, combining with a Scourge is dangerous for her, but she’s still capable of directing them for her own needs. I don’t know if she wants Doubt to destroy this place, or if she just left it behind when she was done… But I do know that my friends and their Allies are very experienced in tracking down Scourges, and we [i]will[/i] stop this one!

So, what’s your plan? You… [i]do[/i] have a plan, do you not?

Well, we want to catch up with Specter if we can - but we also don’t want to leave anyone in distress if we can help it, especially since you all seem so isolated. So, we’re going to stop by each exhibit and check on everyone, while some of us make art to lure out Doubt and oth-

Tsk! That’s not a [i]plan[/i]. A plan tells one what one’s goals are, and what tools and resources one needs, and in what order to do things. One can’t just meander about aimlessly and [i]hope[/i] that things turn out well! I mean, really? If you just slapped paints on a canvas or tossed all your ingredients into a bowl, you wouldn’t make good art or good food. You’d make a mess. And this “plan” is a mess. Now, let’s see what I can do with your rough draft. I do so hate a tight deadline, but never let it be said that I can’t work under pressure… The problem here is that you have two goals. You want to protect everyone who lives here, and stop this Scourge of Doubt creature. But you’re also trying to get access to the vault, correct? Either to stop Specter or to see if you can find out what secret she was after. Can’t do both. Not the way you’re going about it. Plan needs to be more of diptych. Sounds like you’ve got the battle side locked down. Lots of experience there. Might be able to improvise. But you’ve never been here before. It’s like a new medium. You don’t even know where to start! First things first, dress the part. None of you are Masterpiece material, but some of you don’t look like you even [i]tried.[/i] Adorn yourselves more artistically. Blend in. Right now, Doubt has the advantage. It can look like just another painting in this gallery, silent and sneaky, creeping up on you without a sound. But you? You stand out. So? Match it. Fade into the background a bit. And then maybe [i]you[/i] can surprise it. As for the vault and its security system… I, well… I don’t suppose any of you are thaumaticians, by any chance?

Oh dear! I don’t think so? We only recently heard that word, when Specter was ranting a little about her plans. I’m not even sure what exactly one of those is or what it does, except that they seemed to be something in the Golden Age. Could you ex-

No, no time to go into that right now! The vault, like the rest of this museum, dates back to the Golden Age, and so naturally it was secured with thaumatech. However, I believe that its wards and locks were designed to keep out people like yourselves… [size=10]or like me.[/size] Not our Kith. Well. Not a genius like my Mille. You see, while the vault is really very secure - trust me - there are still tunnels for ventilation, wires, plumbing, etc. There are security measures there, too, of course, to protect against any thieves who think to shrink themselves down, but Millefiori is clever in ways I am not, and can get past those easily enough. She is very technically savvy with washed-up electronics, and knows a few tricks for dealing with minor thaumatech, too. However… [size=10]How shall I put this…?[/size] Millefiori’s first attempt - [i]our[/i] first attempt - at manipulating the complex weave of wires and thaumatech powering the security system - [size=10]No. Wait. I need them to understand![/size] - Our goal was not to steal secrets! We wished to unlock the inner passages that separate the exhibits, and thus allow the various Masterpieces to leave our galleries without risking exposure to those treacherously sparkling canals. But our attempt… failed. Rather spectacularly. [size=10]My fault. Not Mille’s. Should have spent more time practicing…[/size] Well. One must learn from one’s mistakes! I’ve had time to think over what went wrong. Millefiori has a great mind for details, so she told me everything she saw and did. And what happened after. [highlight=#eac3d4][color=#474747]The whole place nearly crashed down on my head, darlings! Thrumming wires and bursting pipes everywhere! I managed to escape with only a small nick, but I thought for sure that I was going to be trapped in there [i]forever[/i]! But, though I may not look it, I’m pretty quick when I need to be, and I managed to slip away and get safely back to my dear Hue. Alas! Somewhere in that chaos, we seemed to have triggered the waterfalls to turn on for the first time. They weren’t much! I swear! Not at all like they are now, and I don’t think I was clumsy enough to set off any alarms, but when those wires snapped, they must have opened up the sluices? Or something. I’ve not been able to get back into that spot to check, obviously! Seeing that water start to flow into the canals was a horrible moment! Even if they were just peaceful-looking streams at that time, it utterly ruined any chance of Hue or the others risking a canal crossing to visit each other… Still, it seems I pulled it off better than this Specter![/color][/highlight] Tsk…we should have double-checked our plans. Triple-checked them! But we’ve had time to think it over now, and you’re certainly not to blame, Mille. [i]I[/i] should have asked you to run our ideas past the other Kith to get their help, instead of being so sure that you could do it all by yourself. But… perhaps if these visitors and their allies will humor us, I believe we can make it work. Maybe. I mean, one Kith alone couldn’t stay on top of all the moving parts inside these walls, or compensate for anything that went wrong. We learned the hard way that our former Curator had failsafes within their failsafes... But together, your smallest Kith can drag in tools and materials to patch any problems, while the most technical Kith disable the levers and spigots that control the waterfalls. And strong, fast Kith who are up for a fight can keep this Scourge of Doubt occupied - or this Specter character, if she’s still lurking about in there. Then you can all manipulate the gears and pins of the locks, to open everything up so you have free access to the Scourge, the vault, and Specter! [size=10]…I’ve explained this terribly, haven’t I? No… No, it’s fine. I can fix this.[/size] Millefiori will go with your Kith, of course. I don’t think there's enough time for Mille to give your Allies a proper lesson in the limited ways she knows of to deal with thaumatech, but she can at least give them tips or direct them. [size=10]…Not good enough. Come on, Hue, you’re better than this. Maybe just scrap this and start over…?[/size] I wish that we had more time to prepare, but it seems that, er, that is to say… … [size=10][i]…behind you..[/i][/size] [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/destiny/enemy/thumbnail/148/doubt-2edits.png[/img][/center]

Uh oh! Looks like the Scourge of Doubt isn’t a fan of these plans for creative collaboration! But you can help bail Hue and Millefiori out by battling or doing the new Event Quests. [b][u]New Event Quests and Battle![/u][/b] This week, D.G.’s quests will be replaced by Hue’s Unique Quest, [u]Escape Artist[/u], which unlocks a new Hourly Quest, [u]All Awash[/u], as well as a new version of Iris’s [u]Face Your Doubts[/u] Battle Hourly Quest! Looks like Doubt is getting stronger! There’s another stage in the fight now and it has some new tricks. But that’s okay, because you can bring an additional Kith into Battle now! [i]If[/i] you think you need one! Please note that you [u]cannot continue battling[/u] the previous Scourge of Doubt, so end any battles you were in previously and visit the Gallery Trappings Arena to begin a new battle! [b][u]New Shop: Painted Feasts![/u][/b] If you’ve unlocked the Gallery Trappings Remnant, you can peruse the delicious wares in Hue’s artisanal food shop, [url=/npcs/146]Painted Feasts[/url]! Or [url=/explore/unlock]check here[/url] to see if you have enough Secrets to unlock Gallery Trappings! If you need more Secrets, you can earn them from characters in Remnants you already have unlocked. To earn a Secret, you must get your relationship with them up to Devoted (4 Hearts) and then complete their Unique Secret Quest where you learn more about each character, found on the [url=quests/unique]Unique Quest[/url] page. Every Remnant except for Cirque Faerial has Unique Quests for you to do, so be sure to click all the tabs for each Remnant in order to check for available Secret Quests. [b][u]New Kith: Spundone![/u][/b] And, of course, you can now Ally with a Spundone in [b][url=/npcs/11]Iris’s Shop[/url][/b] in a whole rainbow of colors! [center][img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/kiths/kith/color/stage1_image/505/GTKITH4_1_red_large.png[/img] [img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/kiths/kith/color/stage1_image/502/GTKITH4_1_orange_large.png[/img] [img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/kiths/kith/color/stage1_image/507/GTKITH4_1_yellow_large.png[/img] [img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/kiths/kith/color/stage1_image/501/GTKITH4_1_green_large.png[/img] [img]https://tatteredweave.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/kiths/kith/color/stage1_image/499/GTKITH4_1_blue_large.png[/img][/center] [b][u]Site Contest Reminder[/u][/b] Finally, don’t forget about the [b][url=/forum_subcategories/71/forum_topics/17330]Site Contest![/url][/b] You have until [b]June 26th[/b] at 12:00PM (noon) CHT to submit your pieces and vote on your faves! Looks like the gondolas will return later that day and take us to a new Event update…