Behind two inches of reinforced glass and numerous warding glyphs is the first artifact: a single cigarette, still smouldering, never losing matter no matter how long it burns. Before it sits a saffron robed adept reading aloud to it from a book of, according to the translator, romance poetry. Descriptions of sun-kissed scales and the spires of a distant worldcity that orbits no star come in an endless, flowing cascade. Two backups stay by the adept's side, and ten minutes before the shift is due to end one of them joins the narration until their voices are completely synchronized. Only then can the first reader stop, stand, and take a break. The story continues without interruption.

Sealed in another container is a clockwork woman with a glass mirror for a face. It is unpowered and chained, with a single robed adept standing before it with a wooden long rifle aimed directly at its forehead. The ground before it is covered with goblets so full of wine only surface tension stops the liquid from spilling. Another box contains a set of plant seeds, little sharp needle slivers, and these rest atop piles of salt crystals. Yet another box contains a single disembodied human heart and sticking all over the glass in seemingly random patterns are childish drawings of flowers and suns and written exhortations to 'cheer up! It's not that bad!'.

And on and on like this it goes, over about fifty exhibits. Having this many items so clearly dangerous stacked up near each other is obviously no one's idea of good artifact handling but the base is simply too new for proper containment cells to have been created yet. There is an extremely high degree of tension in this sector of the base - if Unlucky goes about his business without causing any incidents the staff are too focused on their tasks to question him. 

None of the artifacts, however, seem to be marked. There are some basic safety instructions - DO NOT APPROACH, REPORT SUSPICIOUS NOISES and the like - but no numbers, charts, readings, or explanations as to what the contents do. Furthermore, the labyrinthine complexity of the magic involved, further complicated by the various wards, makes it difficult to get a good reading.

Not all of the artifacts have custodians though. Stealing one is possible. Not knowing what you're setting free, though, is a [i]risk[/i].