All Hallows Eve has been canceled this year in Final Fantasy XIV, but that won’t stop its community from celebrating by decorating their homes for the season.
With Halloween just around the corner, I decided to take a look at some of the open houses on my server in search of a haunted house or spooky-themed abode. Final Fantasy XIV has a handful of party-esque Halloween decorations, but I didn’t want just a small corner packed with Party City supplies. I was looking for a thoughtfully crafted creepy home with a story to tell. Lucky for me, I found just that in the House D’Latu of the Goblet.
House D’Latu, framed by the midnight fog, is lit up and awaiting new tenants.
The outside of the mansion is lush and green, with plenty of picturesque spots to stop and take a screenshot. The home is a welcoming sight-deceptively so, that succeeds in urging you ever forward into the claws of its haunted foyer.
The first sight you’re greeted with upon entering the mansion, is a breathtaking view of the stained glass behind an altar atop the stairs, decorated with a suspicious number of candles at the foot of a statue. To your left, a butler inclines his head, urging you ever forward into the gloom.
The intimidating grand foyer invites you to walk deeper into the mansion.
The second floor holds a recreational dining area, with a warm kitchen and a room filled with wall-to-wall greenery. Even so, the open nature of the walls gives an air of constant transparency. There are not very many places that you could hide with its relatively open, yet cozy layout. Plenty of food is stocked and prepared, for a host of invisible occupants. There is so much decadence, and yet I can’t help but wonder if it’s all for show? It would be rude to reach out and try the vegetable basket with prying eyes behind the counter, so it’s probably best just to keep moving.
The main kitchen with its stoic chef, filled to the brim with decadent “food”.
Back into the open area of the second floor, we transition into the portrait room, filled with ancient portraits and keepsakes the owner has acquired over the years. It might prove to be a delightful leisure room were it not for the cracked windows, hinting at the true, sinister nature of the place.
To descend back to the main floor, you must pass by the statue and its stained glass once more. During the daytime, the stained glass casts a beautiful pattern of colors onto the landing. At night, we’re only left with the ominous stair of the statue’s beady eyes. At this point, it might be worth grabbing a drink, so we’ll proceed to the bar and lounge area.
The aquarium is the main centerpiece of the lounge, beautifully lit up by more stained-glass.
A beautiful, fluorescent aquarium lights up the lounge, like the lure of an anglerfish pulling you into a false sense of security. For a moment, it works, but the sight of rows and rows of ancient tomes catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. Libraries are one of my favorite places in the world, and I couldn’t help but poke my head in to see what volumes its master held dear. More stained-glass lines the walls in the library, creating a sense of elegance and calm. I have a feeling that if I were to open a book in this place, that I might end up staring off into the distance for some time, gazing into the patterns as they shift with the passing light. It’s hypnotic-and there might be an underlying reason for that. Noticing that this little haven is nestled in behind the bar, still open to watchful eyes, we press on. There is but one room left.
Though the mansion is a previous asylum, its dungeon seems to be in current working order.
The red door serves as a gateway to the master’s office and the horrors beyond. Not just anyone would be able to slip past his watchful gaze, but it seems like he has retired for the night. His zombie-esque retainer stands guard and turns to follow us as we go, but doesn’t make a move to stop us. Immediately, the polished wooden floors and brightly colored stained-glass visage shatters, revealing a dungeon of rust and decay. The exact nature of this place isn’t known, but one can only guess by the clues its tenant left behind. A lab of sorts, with various potions and note scattered about decorate a cluttered workstation. A medical cot sits at the center of it all, pristine, but most definitely used if the patient notes are anything to go by.
A “viewing” room, for whatever sadistic experiments its owner saw fit to carry out on their patients.
The other half of the room looks to be a kind of viewing cell, with awful living conditions. A luxurious bench is placed right in front of it, allowing for the viewer to watch on as whatever horrible experiments are conducted in the late hours of the night. Speaking of which, it has gotten far too dark and cold for our liking, and we have definitely overstayed our welcome. It’s time to leave this horrible place.
As we go, the butler keeps his eyes ever forward, a stiff, knowing grin in place of his once welcoming smile. We turn one last time to glance at the statue on the landing, squinting through the darkness. The eyes glow faintly red, and you could swear that it has a toothy grin etched into its stony feature as well-oddly like that of the butler. As we turn on our heels to leave, the foyer goes dark.
One last look. It may be your last.
If you’d like to visit the beautiful haunted asylum of House D’Latu for yourself, you can find it on Mateus (Goblet, Ward 1, Plot 35). Though we aren’t having a Halloween event in-game this year due to covid, it helps to ease the blow a bit by touring all of the hard work that the community has put into decorating their homes for the holiday. If you get the chance this week, you should definitely take a tour of the homes on your own server and see what all your community has come up with. There are sure to be a lot of haunted houses and attractions with all the new homes that unlocked recently. Think of it like virtual trick-or-treating. Happy Halloween!
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