Revision as of 22:00, 11 February 2007

Manses

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Terrestrial

Air

The Sharp Manor (Level 2, Underworld)

This Manse is located not far from the city of Onyx, one of the first the Bohdisattva acquired. A thin triangular tower of black diamond, stained with red, it allows a view of the entire area, standing on one of the highest hills in the region. Only half of the tower is visible, though, the other half buried underground. On the hillside, there are many long shafts of scorched glass, speared deep into the earth at an angle, piercing the lower segment of the tower before emerging again from the other side. These shafts are hollow, drawing in air from outside and driving it into the tower’s depths with surprising force, blowing about the lower levels like a hurricane. Any air remaining in the shafts departs with a whistling noise, different for each one, which chills the souls of those nearby (-1 Valor when within hearing range). The two halves of the tower are fairly similar, apart from the spears in the lower half, and the holes in the upper, used for the same purpose as the spears. There are few rooms, except for the two hearthstone chambers, and long black hallways weave in and out of each other continually. Both chambers are the same, with spikes of diamond pointing towards the center of the hexagonal rooms, where the stone rests on a crystal podium.

Earth

Fire

House of Robes (Level 1)

Located in a shallow valley in the lower plains of the East, this simple manse is wholly made of a lilac-colored rock, similar to marble but slightly softer. The walls are covered with sheets of purple velvet, and the floors are carpeted with it too. When the sheets are damaged, they grow back of their own accord, regenerating in short order. The house is perfectly round, with two layers of rooms, divided by a hall that runs the full circuit of the house. The outer rooms are used for living and housing guests, whereas the inner rooms are empty, save for the hangings. The central room is a maze of lavender sheets, but all passages eventually lead to the middle, where the Hearthstone is formed on a small podium.

Water

The Steam Chateau (Level 1)

This Manse was built over a set of hot springs on the edge of the Yanaze, a few miles down from the town of Centak. It is a simple building, made of white marble and sheets of sapphire-stained glass, lying at the bottom of a hill. Circular in shape at first glance, the interior is actually a collection of five rooms, each facing onto the main chamber. Steam wafts slowly between them, carrying the pleasant perfumed scent produced by the baths, which are present in every room. There are three to each room, two semi-circular ones to either side as you enter, and one rectangular bath directly across from the entrance to the room, except for the entrance room. This contains four baths, two to the side of either door. The baths themselves are always full of soapy bubbles, comfortably hot but not overly so.

The main chamber is similar to the others, with five baths arranged around in a circle, one at each door. The roof is supported by a set of pillars, one to the side of each doorway, with a smooth ceiling stretching across them, usually obscured with steam. The center of the room holds the pedestal upon which the Hearthstone manifests, a small blue podium that still seems to be the focus of the room.

The hearthstone of this Manse is a Bathstone.

Wood

Velvet Leaf Haven (Level 1, Underworld)

Lying in a shallow bowl near the northern end of the river Phlegethon lies the Velvet Leaf Haven, a place of cool mists and haunting whispers. Surrounded by a low obsidian wall, an ever-present purple mist, and a seductively exotic smell, the Haven seems like nothing more than a small reserve for a variety of interesting fern trees. It is, however, an active Manse; its plants artistically and architecturally arranged to channel the Essence of the area into the small room lying at its center. Here the hearthstone forms, allowing the user to take some small amount of the trees’ nature along with him, wherever he may go.

Blood Branch Hall (Level 2, Underworld)

The Hall is found approximately 40 miles east of Sijan, but is virtually unknown, due to its location deep underground. The entrance to this cavern is an unremarkable crypt, with no indication as to its former owner. An altar at the back of the tomb hides a small door, which can only be opened with a small expenditure of Essence, preventing the Unexalted from gaining access. Through the door is a stairway, which winds its way into the earth, eventually opening onto a courtyard, teeming with trees. There is no light in this cavern, yet somehow, vision is not impaired in any way, nor is plant life stunted in its growth, though that may be due to the plants themselves. The trees are highly unusual, either being a previously unknown variation of the willow, or they are a sorcerous creation, as their like has not been seen before. They are covered with veins, their bark a dull red, and their branches continually drip blood into the dirt around them, which is then reabsorbed by the roots.

Past this is the Manse itself, a flat browny-gold structure extending some distance into the cave. The building is quite capable of supporting life, with a large number of bedrooms, kitchens, and halls throughout, though it is currently unoccupied. Each room has a small plant in it, a miniature of the trees outside, which likewise bleeds into the dirt. The main room is covered with branches, protruding from the walls and roof, raining blood continually. The stone is at the back, resting upon a dais formed by the same branches that adorn the rest of the Manse.

Tower of Hanged Vines (Level 2)

This Manse is rather small… in fact, more than one traveler has walked straight past it and not noticed. Located in a forested valley not far south of Lookshy, the whole structure blends into the the surrounding area, being covered with, and in some places constructed of, thick leafy vines. It is visible from above, a thin turquoise tower poking out of the treetops, but from the ground it looks like nothing more than a large vine-covered tree.

It is a fairly vertical structure, eight stories high with a single room to each floor, but it seems to be a great deal wider… the vines it extrudes have spread among the trees over the years, and now it is possible to walk across them a fair way, though exiting through a window is the only way to access them. The building was designed for living, containing all the necessities of life; bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and living room. The uppermost floor is the Hearthstone Chamber, where the Stone of Forest Speech forms, thick with vines and almost impossible to navigate without some idea of where to go. The bedrooms are on the three floors below this, with the bathroom below those, then the kitchen and living room, with a small reception hall occupying the ground floor.

The hearthstone of this Manse is a Stone of Forest Speech.

Verge Dwelling (Level 2)

Verge Dwelling is located perhaps 20 miles from the outskirts of Sijan. One would assume that the proximity of so much death Essence would produce a Manse of a different character, but this is not the case. Instead, the distant bleakness seem only to enhance the feeling of vitality inherent in the structure, reminding all who step into the Manse that they are still alive, no matter the death around them. Of course, this feeling is somewhat overwhelming… a powerful force is required to stave off the sense of despair radiating from the landscape. Many who enter the Manse find themselves driven to affirm their existence in various ways, and the many bedrooms show signs of them doing just that.

The Manse is a small, domed structure, constructed from green jade and obsidian. It lies within a tiny forest, a dark and humid place which nonetheless resonates with life. The dome itself is a series of hexagonal rooms, connected by a single long hallway that does a full curcuit of the Manse. Each room is a well-furnished bedroom, draped with dark green silks and heady with a sickly sweet perfume. The Hearthstone chamber is in the centre of the manse; devoid of beds, though the perfume is thickest here. An elaborate pattern is engraved into the jade floor, and the hearthstone is located in the center of the room, contained within a small silk hanging.

The hearthstone of this Manse is a Stone of Rejuvenating Passion.

Celestial

Solar

Lunar

The Silver Trial (Level 5)

On the maps of the Southern Guildsmen, there are few places that are marked as impassable, as there is always someone willing to try and forge a new route. This Manse, however is one of those places; a place that no Guildsman, no matter how brave, is able to enter and come out alive.

Built on the ruins of a great Water Manse of the First Age, it was constructed after the treacherous Sidereals came after its Solar master, and his Lunar mate. Many Dragon-Blooded died advancing on the couple, but a Sidereal trick turned the Solar’s power against him and shattered both him and the Manse, leaving his mate in agonized insanity. She poured both her own blood and the blood of her enemies into the vast pools that fed the Manse, along with her madness, crafting a new Manse over the centuries to allow her to guard her mate’s grave. To this day, she still guards the site, fighting on against long-dead foes despite her crippled state.

The Manse itself is a perfectly circular lake of boiling liquid silver two miles in diameter (treat as acid bath), dotted with claw-shaped pillars of ivory. A small glass dome sits in the middle of the lake, housing the hearthstone that reflects its creator’s pain. The moon always appears to be dripping with blood from this dome. Anyone who attunes to the Manse must immediately make a Willpower roll at difficulty 2, or gain a derangement of the Storyteller's choice.

The hearthstone of this Manse is a Lunatic's Gem.

Sidereal

White Star House (Level 2)

This Manse is a small building, but it is highly prized due to its position overlooking the neighbourhood. Located in north-eastern Yu-Shan at the peak of a small hill, the building is quite open, with an almost triangular shape. Three rooms (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen) form the edges of the central courtyard, with no real barrier dividing them, and a pointed balcony extends from the other side of each room. The walls are mostly white jade, mixed with some marble, covered in pictures of the Maidens smiling upon the activities likely to take place in the room (needless to say, the bedroom has some interesting designs).

The small courtyard is rather plain, just a small area of neatly trimmed grass and bushes, with a glass-bottomed fountain in the middle. A staircase in the bedroom leads down to the room underneath it, where the Hearthstone forms. The walls here are decorated with small diamonds, showing the stars as they were millenia ago, at the height of the First Age. Light shines in from the fountain above, the crystals catching the light and covering the room in a gentle sapphire glow. Watching them for any length of time gives a feeling of drowsiness, which eventually extends to complete sleep.

Abyssal

The Arctic Edifice (Level 4, Underworld)

A mighty bastion of power, this is one of the most powerful Manses the Bohdisattva controls. Situated on the western-most isle of the northern wastes, the Arctic Edifice towers over the surrounding countryside, looming out of the cliffside and scaring away all but the strongest-willed. Over 400 feet high, this tower is virtually impregnable, with only one entrance, and a multitude of frozen passages, empty rooms, and dead ends. The halls echo with wind, and the floors are always covered with a layer of snow, no matter how much it is warmed. All flame seem to dim within its walls, and sounds are muffled into near-silence. The main chamber, located at the top of the fortress, exemplifies these attributes, with fires unable to be lit, a deathly chill in the air, and the wind entirely silent, all sound killed instantly. It was carved out of a deposit of black basalt near the end of the First Age, and has only been taken once, during the Solar Purge, at the cost of many lives. The fighting caused the building to sink into a shadowland.

Ruby Canal (Level 2)

This Manse used to be Water aspect, in the hands of the Ledaal family. Appearing as a giant archway that spans the head of the waterfall pouring from the mountainside, crafted from obsidian and a strange turquoise rock, it is located in the mountains of the southern Isle, set high-up the cliffside at the end of a little-known ravine. Mist pours continually forth from the arch, covering the floor of the gully with clinging white fog. This used to be pleasantly cool, but now it is filled with an uncomfortable warmth, a side-effect of the Manses' change.

The waterfall is now composed of blood; the source of the warmth in the valley below. This slowly returns to normal water the further it gets from the Manse, but so long as it is within the building's range, all water remains blood. This applies to any water brought into the Manse as well, so guests are advised to bring other refreshments, unless they are happy and able to drink the sticky red liquid (admittedly quite likely, given the Manse's current owner).

The Manse's layout is rather simple; a line of five rooms on either side of the river, with a pair of bridges connecting them. The two rooms located furthest into the mountain are the kitchens and storerooms, somewhat larger than the other two, with the other eight being bedroom and general living quarters. One of these is currently scribed with occult wards, and the owner of the Manse warns all guests not to enter.

The hearthstone of this Manse is a Blood-Lust Jewel.

Future Manses (aka Random Ideas)

Solar observatory Manse, possibly incorporating pendulums and a canyon. A vine Manse (for Shirin); wood, obviously. A coal/mine Manse for earth.

Comments

Feel free to bitch and moan. I'm not even sure these are allowed... do all the different types of Manse exist in the Underworld? Do shadowlands count as Underworld? And yes, I'll eventually get around to putting these up in the Manse section.

I think all underworld manses are Abyssal, but I really like these. You should seriously think of contributing to Locations/AThousandAndOneManses. --Dissolvegirl

The Steam Chateau and Verge Dwelling look like they'd make very good homes for my Bathstone and Stone of Rejuvenating Passion. All of them are pretty neat, though. _Ikselam

As it happens, they were home to those stones. I saw them on your page, and nicked them for a character of mine. Good guess. LeumasWhite

Nifty keen. Wanna stick them up on 1001 Manses and link to them from those stones? See the Potato for an example of my recommendation for how this should be done.\\ _Ikselam I'm guessing this character got lucky in the tub a lot...

Yes, indeed they did. And the Manses are now added, with links to your stones... hopefully, I didn't screw your page too badly. Still new to this wiki stuff. Thanks for all your compliments, people! - LeumasWhite

You've got some great stuff here Sam. Not as cool as MINE, of course. But you're still nifty. Maybe I'll expand the details on mine. - Telgar

What does the hearthstone to the new lunar manse do? -BogMod

Ah, genius Leumas... I linked the stone to the Manse, but not the other way around. It's a Lunatic's Gem; one of Ikselam's stones. I tend to use a lot of his... I think the rest are from Bo3C, which I don't have handy, so I'll hunt them down later. - LeumasWhite, possibly a fanboy