Map12 - Mansion

## Mansion

Mansion is the second level of Hedon Bloodrite, taking place further down inside the Underworld, right beneath the sky-like Crystal Dome. The mansion and its premises belong to an old family of Cultists (known as the Istedors) who find themselves besieged by the Iron Division. Due to its position close to the Cult Fortress and demon territory border, the remnants of the orc army attempt to clear this strategic point from where the Cult troops could stage a flanking attack and take them by surprise.

In order to protect their influential allies, the Demons send their own troops to hold the gates, and they do so with the help of five unholy books able to power up defensive sigil pentagrams.

Despite the threat looming outside, the three siblings who own the property are engaged in an internal feud, with the Body Master and Mind Master engaged in a fight over full control of the mansion. The general condition of the building shows clear signs of decay, reflecting the chaotic life of the people who inhabit it.

## Crypt & Unearthed Ruins

### Corruption Pit

Nithriel has borrowed the lower part of the Mansion's Crypt to establish a secure pocket of corruption in which to grow and experiment upon Crawlers. She entrusts the Mind Master with researching the minds of the corrupt beasts in order to learn how to train and better control them. Later on, she tasks the Spirit Mistress with preparing a trap that would catch Zan into the pit.

### Main Crypt

Just above the Corruption Pit, to the North, lies an old crypt which is used by the Cultists in the region to store the bones of their deceased.

### Unearthed Ruins

   A few recently dug out dirt tunnels reflect the Body Master's efforts to unearth the long lost ruin of an Eleven Palace. It appears that the crypt was built right underneath a complex of ruins containing a series of chambers and hallways leading to a central temple that is equipped with a sealed vault. The Body Master's research concludes that the vault holds a basin of healing water, which he plans to harness in order to win over the internal strife over who owns the property.

## Mansion Exterior

### Side Courtyard

    The entrance to the Crypt opens to the Side Courtyard stretching along the western side of the Mansion. A stone walkway splits the yard in two, bordering the hedge maze located on the northern side, by the entrance to the Chapel. On the opposite end, to the south-east lies a strong fortified wall guarding the Servant's Courtyard.

### Servant's Courtyard

    Bordered by a number of houses built by the Mansion's wall, the Servant Courtyard is used by the staff to carry out ordinary duties such as laundering or chopping firewood without interfering with or disturbing any of the guests. The space is also used for training by the guards, who are stationed in the barracks to the left and right of the fortified gate wall. The yard also contains a mess hall, an armory, a forge, a passage leading up to the Farm and the access to the Infirmary.

### Infirmary

Since the Body Master is the only master apothecary in the region, the Cultists send their badly wounded members to be healed up at the Infirmary. The building is equipped with plenty of beds and is outfitted with alchemy equipment - most notably the strange mixer device being used by one of the Body Master's servants to create a Psi Crown.

### Farm

Just to the east of the Infirmary are a few houses belonging to the servants tasked with local food production - the farmers, animal keepers and bakers. With the livestock having been long butchered in order to support the war effort and the crops swiftly dying without receiving nourishment from the crystals anymore, the servants turned to shadier practices, using the premises to stage the Body Master's operations aimed at claiming the Mansion. Eventually, the Demons grow tired of the servants interfering with their defense plan and raid the buildings.

A cave passage to the north leads to a decrepit livestock pen and a small pond preceding the stables at the southern end of the Frontal Yard.

### Frontal Yard

Protected by a massive wall and a double gate access, the Frontal Yard stretches along the main facade of the Mansion. Close to the stables at the southern end, there are the ruins of an ancient wall and what appears to be a gazebo. A large porch overlooks the yard from the center, facing the gatehouse leading out into the wilderness. The northern end is marked by the entrance to the family's Chapel.

### Chapel

    As mentioned by the entrance plaque, the Chapel of the Worldly Trinity (referring to the Mind, Body and Soul) was built by Master Emeric for the Istedor family, in anum 989. It features and wide nave with an elevated altar and two side chambers designated to various Cult worshiping rituals. A side stairway leads down to the family crypt, where the Istedors and their servants have been laid to rest across the generations.

A secret passage behind the crypt leads to the Mansion's cellar and general Basement area.

## Mansion Basement & Ground Floor

### Basement

The Basement sprawls beneath the Mansion, connecting its ground floor with the servant's mess hall and the family Chapel crypt via a blocked-off, secret cellar. Much like the Farm premises, the basement is occupied by the Body Master's loyalists who employ a strict password system to allow passage to their quarters.

### Servant Quarters

Connecting to the Servant's Courtyard, the entire southeastern corner of the mansion is dedicated to the staff, holding their quarters, facilities, and secondary access to the Mansion's floors. From here, the servants can reach the areas that require their presence (without interfering with the primary movement flux) such as the Game Room, the Ballroom's backstage, the rooms on the Upper Floor and the Kitchen.

### Kitchen

Located behind the Dining Room, the kitchen is large enough to support an entire feast. The most notable feature of the room is the large metallic frame built into the wall that holds a dumbwaiter which can go up to the Salon above.

### Dining Room

Usually reserved for the family and guests, the Dining room is located on the western edge of the Mansion. Its side walls are comprised of folding wooden panels, allowing for it to be opened up to both the Ballroom in the center and the terrace outside in case of a large gathering or important dinner. The doors on the northern side can also be folded to connect the Dining Room's space with the nearby Sitting Room.

### Sitting Room

Covering the northwestern corner of the ground floor, the Sitting Room has plenty of space for a banquet or for an average family meeting. With the Istedors falling apart, however, it is mostly used the the apprentices during their down time.

### Game Room

Opposite to the Dining Room and located on the eastern end of the building, the Game Room is definitely one of the livelier placers around. The lack of windows looking outside and the fine furnishings create a pleasant intimate atmosphere, although it is the gambling tables that keep the visitors truly enthralled. With the orc siege preventing anyone from coming or leaving, the Game Room is frequented by the apprentices and staff that would rather gamble and relax than partake in the internal strife of the siblings. This won't stop the occasional cheating-induced brawls, though, as pointed out by a nearby broken window looking into the Museum.

### Museum

The Museum is located on the northeastern corner of the ground floor. It holds a collection of various valuable objects, including artifacts of orcish and dwarven origin. The masterpiece, however, is the giant formation of red crystals which holds enough explosive power to punch a hole through the ceiling.

### Ballroom

Built at the very core and center of the Mansion, the Ballroom is a large two level hall that can serve multiple purposes thanks to the rows of seats which can be moved out of the way to make extra room for a ball, or the large stage that can accommodate anything from a concert to a theater piece. The pitiful condition of the Ballroom shows that is hasn't seen use in quite a while, either as a result of the ongoing war or the Cult's decaying culture.

### Main Hall

The second largest space of the Mansion is the Main Hall located at the very front. The paintings, sets of plate armor and elegant pair of stairs leading to the Upper Floor are almost lavish enough to draw attention from the gathering dust and peeling wallpaper. The Main Hall is an important node that is not only fit to receive distinguished guests, but also allows the to easily reach the Mansion's facilities, both across the Ground Floor and Upper Floor.

## Mansion Upper Floor & Attic

### Salon & Master Bedroom

The northwestern side of the upper floor is covered by the Salon and Master Bedroom. Following the death of old Istedor, the Master Bedroom would remain vacant, at least until the demons were summoned to guard the Mansion and the Pit Lords occupied the room. The nearby Salon is connected to the Kitchen via the metallic dumbwaiter, being used by the demons and their close worshipers to hold feasts.

### Guest Bedrooms

On the opposite end of the upper floor lie the Guest Bedrooms, which appear to be even more decrepit than the other chambers. One of these rooms still has the skeleton of an unfortunate guest forgotten beneath the bed's duvet.

### Spirit Mistress' Quarters

The Spirit Mistress' quarters lie next to the Guest Rooms and contain her bed, an eerie wall of mirrors, a space for hosting rituals and a hidden walkway with a library and study concealed by curtains, towards the east. The access door can only be opened by inserting a spirit gem into a lock socket, but since the Spirit Mistress is gone, there is no such gem to be found around the Mansion's grounds, beckoning for a more violent entry option.

However, the Spirit Mistress clearly does not put much trust in the sturdiness of the Mansion's walls. Knowing that the Body Master is trapped and his servant is desperate to get a soul stone in order to craft the Psi Crown required to retrieve the vault's key, she does not want to take her chances and proceeds to cast a curse upon her stone before leaving. The spell causes it to shift its position when looked at directly, making the nearby wall of mirrors handy for retrieving this elusive artifact.

### Library

At the end of the corridor passing by the Spirit Mistress' quarters lies the Mansion Library, just south of the Salon. It is quite large in size, containing more than just the scriptures of the Cult, as suggested by the Golem guards concealed behind the curtains to the sides. Some of the bookshelves are fake and hollow, being employed by the Mind Master's apprentices to set up an ambush for the Body Master's servants.

### Body Master's Quarters

Connected to the Library, the Body Master's Quarters are sealed off by a door which requires a square body gem to unlock. The room beyond is dirty and austere, reflecting the coarse personality of its owner. However, the Body Master's Quarters are the only ones who benefit from the comfort of personal bath chambers, with the others having to depend on the ones besides the corridor's turn, by the servant stairs.

### Mind Master's Quarters

Lodged between the Library, Ballroom and Body Master's Quarters, the Mind Master's Quarters can be accessed by using a special mind gem. The relatively small room is tidy and inconspicuous, containing a bed, a desk and a staircase leading up to the Attic.

### Attic

Perched at the top of the Mansion, the Attic forms a square enclosure, allowing space for a horizontal window to bring additional light into the Ballroom. The place is used by the Mind Master to study the darker sides of mind magic. Two broken windows allow for a direct view of the Ballroom's stage, presumably as a result of the Mind Master attempting to use telekinesis to steal one of the unholy books from the Demons.