Croft Manor

The front exterior of Croft Manor, including Lara Croft.

Croft Manor is the ancestral home of the Croft family of Britain, an aristocratic family of nobility and importance. It is located in Surrey, outside of the greater London area, and is currently owned by Lara Croft, the heir and Lady to the Croft estate. It is her main residence when not adventuring around the world, as well as home to Aaron Madsen, a family friend and aide. The Manor is also the British field base and main operations centre for the Heels Agency in Europe, to which the Croft family are secretly associated. Including large grounds, a historic main house and high walls, the Manor houses both a specialist espionage facility and lab, as well as a secure artifacts wing that houses protected relics obtained by the Croft family.

## Description

Croft Manor is a massive stately house that has stood for more than 300 years. The exterior is one of a classic noble estate, including a glamorous stairway to the main entrance. The property is surrounded by massive gardens and high
walls. The rooms are large and numerous, including among them a library, a study, a grand main hall and foyer, a cellar, an atelier, a bar and lounge, plus countless bedrooms and the Croft family crypt.

The main manor was renovated by Richard Croft near the turn of the millennium, constructing a number of specialist facilities for espionage, opening up his home as a secret operating centre for his allies at the Heels Agency, an arrangement carried on by his daughter Lara after she became the head of the household. For this reason, the Manor is usually occupied by people, even when Lara is not home, though several sections of the estate are locked off for her personal use alone, or that of her companions.

One such restricted area included the Artifacts Wing, which is home to a number of important relics, notably including the Imperial Jade Seal of China. This wing includes several rooms of display cases made of bullet resistant glass, which is also what is used to fill the windows too. This area is more secure than the more residential sections of the house.

## History

So far, little of the Manor's long history is known, other than the fact it has been the ancestral home of the Croft family for 11 generations now that Lara is the current head of the household. The estate was originally established by the first Lord Croft over 300 years ago and has stayed in the family ever since. In the late 20th century, Richard Croft became the Lord of the estate, though spent relatively little time there whilst he globe-trotted around the world as an archeologist and secret spy. It was after he first retired from espionage activities that Richard took more of an interest in his familial home. He invited then wayward friend and aide Aaron Madsen to live and work in the Manor around this time, and later his daughter Lara Croft was born within the walls of the home.

Around the turn of the millennium, Richard Croft, then the Lord of the Manor, opened up the Manor to allow fledgling alliance with his old friend General Frank Miller and his espionage agency, Heels, to which Richard was associated. Since then the home has been renovated to include the necessary facilities to house a small operations centre for European missions, as well as a safe place for agents on mission to restock and lay low. The renovations also included the establishment of a protected wing of the Manor, designed to safely house many artifacts, some found by Richard or Lara while out in the field preforming archeology, some important objects under the protection of Heels. After Lara became the Lady of the Manor, she also included personal items among the collection, including a replica 7th Soul Sword from *Witch One*.

After the murder of Richard Croft, Lara became the sole heiress to the estate and became the Lady of Croft Manor. She kept her father's arrangements in place, also becoming a raider for the Heels Agency herself. Richard's body was never retrieved and so he could not be buried in the family crypt, however Lara has erected a small monument to him within instead, as well as a stone tomb to use one day after she solves his murder. His old master bedroom has also been sealed off by her.

## Involvement

During the events of beWilder media, Croft Manor has made important appearances and has a special place in the beWilderverse. Such involvement includes:

### Agents of Heels: Croft and the Coveted Seal (AoH:CatCS)

During the events of *Croft and the Coveted Seal*, Lara and her aide Madsen venture to China in order to secure the Imperial Seal for the Heels Agency before it's rediscovery can made public. The Seal was once a legendary object in Chinese culture, and it is feared it's influence could upset the balance of power in the region, a situation that would be too unpredictable for Heels to allow. Lara's efforts are eventually successful, but her concerns about the Seal's power make her uneasy to allow it out of her protection, even to General Miller. She provides him an ultimatum, to allow her to house the Seal at Croft Manor under her curation, or lose Croft Manor as a Heels asset and her as a Raider. Miller begrudgingly accepts.

The Mini-VN ends with Lara seen at home at Croft Manor, placing the Seal in its new home in the Artifacts Wing, while lamenting her father's unsolved murder. As on now, the Seal remains housed there and Heels still maintains it's presence at the Manor.

## Notable Associations

Across the beWilderverse, a number of notable people and objects have been associated with location, from owners and residents, to important guests and assets. The following includes a list of characters with significant links to Croft Manor.

### Notable Characters

* Lara Croft, Owner and Lady of the Manor
* Richard Croft, Former owner and Lord of the Manor (Deceased)
* Aaron Madsen, Croft family friend and aide.

### Notable Objects

* The Imperial Jade Seal of China, a legendary artifact stored at Croft Manor.
* 7th Soul Replica, a replica sword from the TV show *Witch One*, owned by Lara.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stated by Lara Croft in *Agents of Heels: Croft and the Coveted Seal*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Demonstrated in *Agents of Heels: Croft and the Coveted Seal*