Dr. Rupert Montgomery is a side character in The Room VR: A Dark Matter. He is dubbed The Archaeologist by The Craftsman and his disappearance sets off the chain of events in the game, as The Detective is charged with investigating his disappearance.
Appearances
- The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Design
The Archaeologist is one of two characters who we can see somewhat clearly in The Room VR: a Dark Matter, as the game opens with his photograph. He is a Caucasian man with dark slicked hair, a receding hairline, and a handlebar mustache. He wears a full suit and coat, decorated with what appears to be a stopwatch. His apparitions appear as clouds of teal smoke, taking his shape and depicting him in a dress suit without a jacket.
Personality
The Archaeologist was very well-educated and knowledgeable in his field, as proven by his doctorate and his manner of writing. He was shown to be sensible and work-driven, making him frustrated at his lack of progress in his research of the sarcophagus and eager to accept help from The Craftsman. As he began using the eyepiece more and more, his sanity left him and he dove even further into his work, documenting his growing disrespect for his colleagues, viewing himself as higher than them. It is also stated that he once argued with them about the standards of professionals. He was described as distracted in the days leading up to his disappearance. In his last letter, he expresses defeat towards The Craftsman and seemingly laments being "blind."
History
At some point in his life, Rupert Montgomery earned his doctorate, presumably in archaeology. He became employed as a fellow of the British Institute of Archaeology sometime later, specializing in Egyptology. When he was fifty-two years old, an excavation brought back several relics, the main discovery being a stone sarcophagus. He began attempting to tie the relics together, trying to find their purpose or meaning, but there was no way to translate the specific hieroglyphs engraved on them. The best he could discover was that they described a ritual intended to trap the souls of multiple people and bring them into the afterlife along with the deceased. He was later approached by the museum's porter, who was actually The Craftsman in disguise. He claimed that a parcel had been left to The Archaeologist, when The Craftsman had simply planted it himself. The parcel contained a note from The Craftsman and the eyepiece, which The Archaeologist began to use out of desperation. This prompted his discover of, research into, and obsession with The Null.
He began experiencing auditory hallucinations of voices coming from the sarcophagus as a result of working through every night, but cited his fatigue as a distraction. This is when his colleagues began to notice his strange behavior. During this time, they argued with him about "professional standards." He mentioned his disrespect for his colleagues in his notes. Finally, his research peaked when he discovered the porter's true identity as The Craftsman and realized that he had been waiting for The Archaeologist to finish his research. This causes him to admit to his own blindness and resign himself to his fate. He summons one of The Craftsman's artefacts and his soul is subsequently trapped inside and lost until The Detective uncovers and retrieves it. When The Detective defeats The Craftsman, The Archaeologist's soul is freed along with the rest of The Craftsman's victims. His fate after this event is unknown.
Abilities
The Archaeologist was educated in his field and could presumably make steady progress on most of his duties as a fellow of the institute. Once equipped with the eyepiece, he was able to navigate the secrets of the Null, but not without struggle.
Relationships
The Craftsman
The Archaeologist believed The Craftsman to be the museum's porter up until his disappearance and trusted him for help with his research despite thinking him a "curious fellow." He seemed to be despaired upon realizing The Craftsman's true identity and his purpose in assisting The Archaeologist.
Gallery
Trivia
- The Archaeologist is the only character in The Room VR: A Dark Matter to be given a proper name, one of two characters in that game to have a clear appearance, and one of few if not the only character in the series as a whole to have basic canon information such as age and height.
- Fireproof Games' website describes him to be an Egyptologist in their advertisement for The Room VR: A Dark Matter, but The Craftsman refers to him as simply The Archaeologist.