Something Stray in the Neighborhood
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Something Stray in the Neighborhood
- Quest giver
- Nostalgia
- Location
- Solution Nine (X:18.5, Y:18.2)
- Quest line
Xak Tural Sidequests
┗ Solution Nine Sidequests- Level
- 100
- Required quest
- Dawntrail
- Experience
0- Gil
3,000- Patch
- 7.0
- Links
- EDB GT TC
Nostalgia breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of you.
— In-game description
Rewards
- Unlocks
Steps
- Wait at the designated location.
- Speak with Constancy.
- Enter The Strayborough Deadwalk.
- Speak with Nostalgia.
- Speak with Nostalgia in Solution Nine.
Journal
- Nostalgia breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of you.
- Nostalgia hastily informs you of a potential new threat to Solution Nine─what she describes as a “curious anomaly” in Living Memory─and begs your aid in addressing it. Though she admits little else on the matter, you volunteer your services to the cause, and pledge to meet her at the Gate of Remembrance.
- At the Gate of Remembrance, you rendezvous with a remote-controlled sentry operated by Nostalgia herself. She reveals more details on the rift she discovered in Living Memory, and urges you to meet with Constancy, the guide who first led her there, by the esperance wheels.
- Constancy is pleased to see you returned to Living Memory and unveils more details on the area beyond the rift. The Strayborough Deadwalk, he explains, is one of the city's lost districts, and has reconnected with Living Memory for reasons unknown. The cheery fairground is now a haunted shadow of its former self, and you must put to rest the countless dangers that lurk within.
- ※The Strayborough Deadwalk can be accessed via the Duty Finder.
- The ghoulish aberrations are no more, and Strayborough's streets now lie silent. Nostalgia is eager to learn more of the nightmarish environs, and awaits you with Constancy in Yesterland.
- Constancy listens attentively to your report, and raises a theory as to the fates of the Dreamborough's lost residents─one that suggests their lingering memories warped it into the Strayborough Deadwalk you traversed. With Träumerei's defeat, however, the memories shall be granted eternal rest, and Constancy's final task as a guide is complete. Before you and Nostalgia return to the Neon Stein, Constancy expresses his thanks as he bids the two of you one last farewell.
- Upon your arrival to Solution Nine, Nostalgia greets you as her true self. Your efforts have allowed Oblivion to continue their investigation of Living Memory and delve deeper into its secrets, though its future remains uncertain...
Trivia
- This quest's title may be a reference to the 1984 film Ghostbusters, specifically the lyrics of the movie's theme song: "If there's something strange / In your neighborhood / Who you gonna call? / (Ghostbusters!)"
Dialogue
Accepting the quest
Forename! I've been looking all over for you... Apologies for the lack of pleasantries, but there's precious little time to spare.
A curious anomaly has wormed its way into Living Memory, and we fear it could pose a terrible threat if left alone. Please, you must help us!
Wonderful! Oblivion is lucky to count you among its allies.
Let's reconvene at the Gate of Remembrance, then. I can explain more there.
Oh, but fair warning—you may not be able to recognize me at first glance!
Wait at the designated location
Start of cutscene.Aha! There you are, Forename.
Hee hee, it's me, Nostalgia! Surprised?
With Zoraal Ja gone, Oblivion's been allocating its resources to an investigation of Living Memory.
Utilizing Cahciua's technology, we developed remote-controlled sentries operable from the Backroom, so our surveys are both safe and efficient!
To think that all this once lay at Everkeep's summit...
I can't help but wonder if a shade of my father ever resided in this grand city of the Endless...
Ah! Forgive me—I did say I'd explain the circumstances behind all this. During an earlier survey of the area, I encountered one of the Endless.
He claimed to be one of the city's caretakers and offered me a guided tour. I accepted, thinking I could conduct my observations at the same time...but that's when we discovered the anomaly: a rift in the very fabric of Living Memory.
I'm sure you'd rather see it yourself to believe it, though. Let's make for the esperance wheels first. Constancy—the Endless who guided me, that is—should still be on duty there.
End of cutscene.
Speak with Constancy
Optional dialogue
Constancy here knows everything there is to know about Yesterland...including the new anomaly, I'd wager.
Start of cutscene.A warm Yesterland welcome to you, my friend! Or should I say, “welcome back”? I had not expected you to return as our anomaly-slaying volunteer.
I do hope I was able to make your first visit to the Gate of Remembrance a special one. Your associate here informed me of what occurred afterwards—namely, Her Majesty's regrettable demise.
You needn't fret! I harbor no ill will against you. I, for one, would not wish to remain Endless at the cost of such terrible sacrifice to worlds beyond.
Though your efforts saw the city's terminals deactivated, I somehow remain... Still, I am grateful for my survival, as it allowed me to discover this peculiar phenomenon.
A lost district of Living Memory lies beyond this rift, you see.
I previously informed you that our beautiful city was comprised of four areas, but this was not always the case. Numerous others once thrived...until one day, our reality was irrevocably altered in an attempt to bridge our world to others, and several districts were consumed in the process.
Among the areas lost was a resplendent amusement district known as Dreamborough. This rift, however, allows us access through its streets once more.
We took a cursory gander of the place for ourselves, since we were curious to know what became of it.
But there's nothing amusing about it... Quite the opposite, actually. We were promptly chased out by a horde of angry ghosts!
After decades disconnected from Living Memory's aether supply, we must assume that the Endless who resided there are no more...
The once-idyllic atmosphere has been marred by a dismal shroud, and I daresay our poor Dreamborough has warped itself into a place of nightmares.
It has returned to us as a lost soul would, longing for connection... The beings within have come to call it the Strayborough Deadwalk.
Now that it's reconnected with Living Memory, its presence is a risk to the city... So we'd like you to brave the Deadwalk and shed some light on this mystery!
You have my thanks. I regret that I cannot give you a tour of the place myself...but know that I shall be with you in spirit!
End of cutscene.
The Strayborough Deadwalk now accessible.
Optional dialogue
Though I know not why, the Dreamborough has returned to us as the Strayborough Deadwalk...
A gaggle of ghostly fiends and other horrors likely await within. Have care in there, and may your investigation yield the truth of the Deadwalk's transformation.
The ghosts in the Deadwalk gave Constancy and I quite a fright, but there was something...almost comical about them. Perhaps they're warped versions of Dreamborough's old attractions. Or could they be...?
Enter The Strayborough Deadwalk
Duty Dialogue
Spirited Announcer
Welcome one and all to the land of waking dreams and nightmares! Please form a single-file line as you enter.
A word to our guests: Strayborough is open for all eternity! Answer your heart's every desire, and dream your days─or your life─away!
Hear ye, hear ye! His Royal Headness Leonogg I graces us with his presence!
Bow down to my flawless noggin─your king decrees it!
Join us, and be crowned in splendor!
Behold! Your noggin is made new!
'Tis our duty to seize the nogginless!
Little lords! Little ladies! Let us proffer our heads in friendship!
A most splendid noggin! You are worthy of my court!
Oh, little lords and ladies...your king has need of you!
You dare defy my royal decree!? Have you no sense!?
Cleanse the unsightly one! There is no escaping our brilliance!
Ah, yes... A glorious, noddling noodle, as befits my kingdom!
Apologies for breaking character, but...perhaps it's time you stopped resisting? There are limits to my patience.
<sob> Please, just...let me kill you! LET ME KILL YOU!
Good-bye, my subjects...and good night...
Spirited Announcer
Lost souls of every age, the Frolicking Grounds is your whimsical stage! Do be careful not to lose yourself in our phantasmal attractions!
A-merrily we shall go!
Come out, come out, my animal friends!
Oh, how the skywheel rises! But I wish to see it fall!
Spirited Announcer
Attention, all dreamers─you are cordially invited to Jack-in-the-Pot's enchanted tea party!
Greetings, goodly guests! Your tea awaits!
I've not had company in ages... This calls for my finest cups!
Cheers! A frightful toast to you and yours!
Round and round, the cups shall go!
Where they stop? Why, no one knows!
Where they stop? Why, no one knows!
Drink all you like─I guarantee my brew is to die for!
Phantom Guide
You have entered the Endless House... Fear not, for I shall guide you through its haunted halls.
We mustn't let the dolls miss out on the fun!
Phantom Guide
You are a formidable slayer of ghosts...but have you the strength to best their master?
We've plenty of presents for you...
Begone, trespassers!
Something must be done!
Phantom Guide
Beyond this hall lies Träumerei, Lord of Nightmares.
Heed my words, and together, we shall end his reign of terror!
Yesterday is gone, yet tomorrow never comes... So sleep, child, and drown in nightmares everlasting.
Defy me as you wish. It will not wake you from this misery.
Phantom Guide
Allow me to offer my aid! Step into the light, and become as a ghost to pass through all things corporeal!
But ware Träumerei's magicks... Should you sense danger, return to my beacons, and your mortal flesh shall be restored!
Spirits of eternal reverie, to me!
Speak with Nostalgia
Optional dialogue
A warm “welcome back” to you. The rift to the Deadwalk vanished upon your return—almost as if it knew the monsters within were vanquished...
Start of cutscene.You're back! Was the Deadwalk as haunting as we expected...?
L-Let me get this straight—you met a disturbed mascot, attended a twisted tea party, were assaulted by a skywheel and a merry-go-round, then fought for your life in a haunted house!?
The Endless House, to be precise... And with that, my suspicions are confirmed.
In the days when Dreamborough yet flourished, the Endless House often held plays with volunteers from the audience.
These volunteers would be cast as the story's heroes and tasked with rescuing a captive princess from Träumerei, Lord of Nightmares.
That sounds awfully similar to Forename's experience...
Precisely. Thus, I believe the Deadwalk's monstrous residents were given life by the lingering memories of the Endless who once called it home.
As its name once implied, the district was built for those Endless who loved to dream. The theme park itself likely gained a mind of its own... Over the years, perhaps it, too, harbored the hope that a hero would grant its former citizens' final, desperate wish for freedom—and for home.
So, as I understand it...when Queen Sphene and Zoraal Ja first attempted interdimensional fusion, a few areas within Living Memory suddenly vanished into the rift, including Dreamborough.
And as the Endless souls within began to fade, their memories and desires fused with the very essence of their home to turn the Deadwalk into what it is now?
Considering the timing, we have to assume the district's reconnection is due to Her Majesty's last attempt at interdimensional fusion... But with Träumerei gone, those lost souls should finally be able to rest in peace.
I am not entirely certain, but...the rift did close upon Forename's return. I can only hope your hypothesis is truth, and their role in that hollow performance has concluded.
...As has mine, I suspect. Long have I served as a guide, eager to bring joy to every visitor who passed through Living Memory's golden gates.
But I see now why I remained. I was meant to perform this final act of guidance—to lead you both to those lost dreamers.
I do not wish to dampen the mood, of course, so I shall take my leave. But I could not be prouder to serve my fellow citizens...and I could not be happier that you were my final guests. Farewell, my friends, and thank you. Truly.
I pity him...but I think it's best to let him go.
We should return to Solution Nine. Your good deeds still need to go rewarded, after all. I'll meet you back there—as my real self this time!
End of cutscene.
Speak with Nostalgia in Solution Nine
A job well done, Forename! With the Deadwalk anomaly taken care of, Oblivion can return to its regular surveys of Living Memory.
We'll have to decide carefully how best to handle the former haven of the Endless...but I do know one thing for sure.
It's our duty to uncover the mysteries at the heart of Living Memory—what it was made for, and what horrors kept it running—so that we never repeat those mistakes.
I'd like to think that's what the lost souls there would have wanted as well...and that's what'll drive me forward. Thank you again for your help, and safe travels out there!
