De Rune estate

As the name implies, the **de Rune estate** is the home of the de Rune family and their servants. It serves as one of the first playable areas in the game, during the opening chapter "The de Rune Legacy", and is returned to in a later chapter, "All That Remains".

## History

### The de Rune Legacy

Returning home from her journey through the woods and the unexpected horror that interrupted it, Amicia de Rune proceeds to venture through her family estate in search of her mother Béatrice, whom her father Robert insists must be informed. Along the way, she overhears many of the family servants speaking worriedly about both the Bite, which has already infected the local village, as well as the prospect of an invasion of France by England.

Finding her mother in her study, Amicia attempts to explain what she witnessed in the forest. However, the two are quickly interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Inquisition. Obeying Béatrice's orders, Amicia finds Hugo in his room and shuts the door. Peeking out the window at the heightened noise, Amicia watches in horror as her father is personally executed by Lord Nicholas, Captain of the Inquisition's Purple Guard. Quickly grabbing her brother, Amicia guides Hugo through their home, which is quickly torn apart as the invading soldiers slaughter the family servants one-by-one, all the while demanding to know Hugo's whereabouts.

Reaching the kitchen on the ground floor, the children are found by their mother, who leads them to safety through the garden. Evading the patrolling knights of the Inquisition by causing several distractions, the three de Runes make it to the edge of the estate, where they are greeted by a surviving servant, Lambert. Sending Hugo away to hide, Béatrice instructs Amicia to find a healer named Laurentius, before quickly shutting the door as Sir Nicholas catches up to them. Though Amicia initially protests, Nicholas' bloodied sword stabbing through the wood impresses on her the danger of their situation, and she and Hugo quickly flee into the nearby woods.

### All That Remains

Concluding that the Sanguinis Itinera alone is not enough to cure Hugo of the Prima Macula, Lucas asks that Amicia lead him back to her childhood home in search of her mother's laboratory. It is December 1348 and amidst the chill of winter, the once-noble de Rune Estate lies in ruins, its grounds and chambers covered in rats and darkness. Upon reaching the courtyard proper, Amicia beholds to her horror the now-frozen corpse of her father, left where he was executed by Nicholas. Before she can properly say goodbye, more rats flood the courtyard after consuming Robert's remains.

Continuing through the derelict household, Amicia and Lucas stumble upon a mystery: the bodies of the de Rune servants remain completely untouched and ignored by the rats. With no time to ponder this, the children make their way upstairs to Béatrice's study. Though Lucas searches Béatrice's desk, he finds no evidence of any alchemical "great work". Further mysteries soon present themselves, as Amicia and Lucas discover that the rats appear to be converging on Hugo's room, which, like the servants, remains suspiciously intact.

Despite these riddles, the children are no closer to completing their mission. Thinking hard, Amicia recalls that there was one place on the estate she was always forbidden to go: the ancient Roman baths on the other side of the garden. Attacked by rats on their way out of the house, Amicia and Lucas are quick to note how aggressive the rats suddenly become: grouping together into dervish-like swarms, the rodents hurl themselves at the children, broken apart only by a well-aimed shot of Ignifer. Fleeing the house via the kitchen—the very same route she once used to escape the Inquisition—Amicia beholds what Lucas accurately calls "a river of rats" swarming through the gardens.

A nearby lantern cart proves to be the only way forward: with Lucas reluctantly pushing and Amicia scattering any incoming swarms with Ignifer, the two manage to reach the ruins of the ancient Roman baths on the other side of the gardens. There, Amicia beholds yet another revelation: the body of Lambert, the servant who guided her out of the garden. Realizing that he sacrificed himself to Nicholas' blade in place of her mother, Amicia confirms Arthur's news: Béatrice de Rune is still alive.

Descending the nearby stairs, Amicia and Lucas seem to travel back in time. Unlike the rest of the estate, the crumbling red clay brick walls and tunnels clearly hail from the world of ancient Rome. So too does a fresco showcasing what Lucas identifies as a plague that occurred during the sixth century. With a chill, Amicia remarks that the Roman baths were built around the same time.

The next chamber Lucas identifies as the sudatorium, where the ancient Romans would go to sweat. Here, the children find four animals statues: a Toad, a Swan, a Lion, and a Snake. Each of these, Lucas explains, represents one of the four stages of alchemy: the Toad for Putrefaction, the Swan for Purification, the Lion for Amalgamation, and the Snake for Sublimation. So too is there a symbol for Putrefaction in one of the pits, the light from below clearing it of rats. Reluctantly, Amicia ventures into the low tunnels beneath the chamber, now filled with rats. Using nearby kindling, she lights two more braziers beneath their corresponding pits, illuminating two additional symbols: those of Purification and Sublimation. Simple process of elimination lead the children to investigate the lion statue further, the symbol of Amalgamation. Sure enough, a hidden switch leads them to Béatrice's alchemical laboratory. Reading through Béatrice's notes, Lucas determines that Amicia's mother was close to a breakthrough before the Inquisition arrived. Sure enough, a box engraved with the symbol of a phoenix contains a vial of clear, blue-green fluid: Hugo's cure is nearly complete.

As if anticipating this, the rats suddenly invade the chamber, forcing Amicia to operate the laboratory's brazier while Lucas finishes the cure. Again the rats exhibit increasingly-aggressive behavior, the reason for which which Lucas finally identifies: they are aware of the children's efforts, and seek to preserve the Macula's place in human history. Thus do the rats continue to attack in swarms, attempting to extinguish the brazier, only to be halted each time by Amicia's sling primed with Ignifer. Just as Amicia runs out of ammunition, Lucas finishes his Great Work at last. So too do the rats halt their advance, immediately turning docile. Lucas realizes that the rats are aware of his success; sure enough, the army of rodents retreats as the children make their triumphant return to Château d'Ombrage.

## Gallery

### The de Rune Legacy

The stables and smithyThe family chapel, where Amicia prays for the spirit of her beloved LionThe main courtyardThe dining hallThe kitchenAmicia's comfortable chamber already suffers for Lion's absencePresumably, the Lord and Lady de Rune's chamberWhere Béatrice conducts her alchemical studiesUndoubtedly the room of a five-year old boyThe gardens will quickly lose their beauty in the wake of the Inquisition's attack
### All That Remains

Even at a distance, the view looks bleakThe guardhouse now lies abandoned... save for the ratsA foreboding march to the courtyardThe house has gone completely dark... except for one special chamberOnly the rats are feasting nowBéatrice's study is still intactHugo's room lies completely untouchedThe other bedchambers now lie in ruinsThe kitchen has gone dark and coldOnce the de Rune family gardens, now a garden of deathThe ancient Roman bathsThe sudatorium, a temple of alchemyBéatrice's secret laboratory