| Room 1 | Main Hall |
| Room 2 | Coat Room |
| Room 3 | Trophy Museum |
| Room 4 | Bathing Area |
| Room 5 | Kitchen & Pantry |
| Room 6 | Dining Hall |
| Room 7 | Study |
| Room 8 | Parlor |
| Room 9 | Shrine |
This large hall is made from stone, with long multi-colored carpets laid out in precise angles covering most of the floor. The walls are paneled in dark stained wood, along with the detailed moldings that line the floor, ceiling, and doors. Hanging evenly every four feet along the wall are portraits and pictures of family members or family crests. Their eyes seem to follow your every movement as you enter the room. Haughty, disapproving faces greet your intrusion into their family home. Besides the pair of double doors you just entered, there is a pair of ornate doors directly across that lead to the dining hall. The north and south walls each have two doors leading into other rooms. Noticing a glitter from a bronze chandelier high above you, your eyes pass by the stairs leading up on either side of the chamber.
This small room is lined with hooks, racks, and bars. While once used for the hanging of garments, this empty room has an ancient layer of dust and cobwebs.
As you open the door to this room, the first thing you see is a deep green basilisk with glistening scales looking back at you.
(WAIT FOR RESPONSE)
An army of beheaded animals and magical creatures seem to stare outwards as they hang on the wall. Pedestals of numerous sizes hold glass containers of various anatomical monster parts. The heart of a lion, the stuffed paw of a monkey, and the entire assembled skeleton of a peck are amongst the trophies. A conspicuous lack of seating draws your eyes back towards the door you are standing in.
The monkey paw is actually animated and will strike at the party when they are distracted. Having only 15 Injury points and a strike roll of 25% it is not especially difficult to kill. Its great agility (Def Tactics of 50%/14%) and cunning will enable it to pester and harass the party during the adventure. The paw will only deal the same injury as a human fist.
This musty smelling room is completely tiled in bright blues and yellows. Sitting on the floor are several tubs large enough for a motul to enjoy a bath. The fireplace in the western wall seems to have once provided the hot water for the bathers to enjoy. Hooks and towels line the rest of the walls. The only exit is the door you are standing in.
A large fireplace in the eastern wall dominates this kitchen. Places to hang pots, cookware, food, and other utensils line the wall, countertops, and fireplace. Bags of grain, flour, moldy fruits, and rotten meat greet your eyes seconds before the stench assails your nose. Wincing from the odor, you see a stairwell leading downwards through teary eyes.
The dining hall was once a lavish affair. Brass sconces line every wall, two beautiful chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and in the center of the hall is a large cherry table. Several china cabinets line the wall, interspersed with pictures of pleasant forests and verdant fields. Several smaller tables ring the walls of the room, presumably once holding food, bottles of wine, and small children.
Glancing through the open door into the study, you see a desk prominently placed in the center of the room. On both sides of the desk are comfortable chairs, and end-tables. Several bookcases line the wall, with an oil lamp hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Certificates, plaques, and honorifics are mingled on the wall next to modern maps, a few pictures, and a coat of arms. The western wall is dominated by a large fireplace that is shared with the parlor. Several small tools lie next to it.
The study is one of the most valuable locations in the manor house to discover clues. The desk however is trapped. Trying to open one of the drawers will activate a hidden crossbow into whomever is sitting at the desk. The crossbow can be swiveled using a small lever built into the desk disguised as a quill holder. The medium crossbow will fire twice before it must be reloaded manually.
Once the desk is actually opened, several pages will be of particular note to the party. A signed document of apprenticeship by Kaspar and Tobias dated only a few years before; A bill for several dozen live sheep dated a few months earlier; A reminder to purchase more bags of grain for the tower; and a small bag of 15 silver talons.
On the bookcases are a good selection of well-read tomes. Mostly business and craft related references, these books are in no particular order. One of the reference volumes is a treatise on light, refraction, and reflection. Another reference book is a tome on human and motul anatomy. The final volume of serious importance is a genealogical list of the Horner family. There was never a Wotan Horner in the family as suggested by the coffin in the crypt.
The parlor has several couches, comfy chairs, and a small piano in the corner. A very relaxing room, paneled entirely in dark wood and covered in a deep wall to wall carpet. In the eastern wall lies a large fireplace that is shared with the study.
There are a total of 6 copper bits, 2 silver talons, and 1 half eaten cookie in the various cushions if anyone thinks to search them. The piano is very well made, and is still in tune. While there is not any sheet music on the piano currently, inside the bench are several of the late mage's favorites. One of the musical pieces when played will activate an embedded spell enchanted into the room. This spell will have the same effects as a Calm spell targeted on everyone listening, but will remain until the subject leaves the room.
As you enter the shrine, you are overcome by a sense of divine presence. A simple shrine to the ten Elder gods, Piccor is obviously favored over the other nine. Images of Piccor and the others helping the needy, fighting back demons, and sending angels to protect their chosen cover the stone walls. Each Elder god has a small alcove with a statue depicting their glory, and a small bowl for tithes and sacrifices. A row of unlit candles in a metal stand is positioned near the door.
© 2000 J. K. Wykowski & T. Coonrod