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- The Manor is a tall, moated round-house set next to a deep swamp. The keep’s interior is a deep shaft with a circular stair that goes all the way to the roof. It’s infested with frogs, toad, newt and other, less pleasant things. At night, the strange lights in the swamp are mirrored in the black water at the base of the central shaft, and the odd piping of the swamp inhabitants almost seems to form chittering voices.
- The Master is an enormous, shambling wreck of a man, clad in worn, stained clothing and with a massive, shaggy beard. He communicates mostly in grunts and scowls, seeming to stare at nothing and mutters to himself constantly. Occasionally, glimpses of his limbs and torso reveal horrible, barely-healed scars and oddly precise tattoos in what appear to be arcane designs.
- The Mistress is ancient but unnaturally spry, seemingly aware of everything that happens within the manor. Her hunched, black-clad form can be seen bustling around at all hours. In fact, she sometimes seems to be in several places at once.
- The Staff are barely visible, performing their duties as quickly and quietly as possible, then vanishing into other parts of the house, visibly terrified.
- The Heir(s) is hidden and not discussed, but whispered rumors are that the infant has been hidden since birth and is somehow terribly unnatural.
- The Hunt is a pit full of half-starved wild boars, used for baiting animals and men alike.
- The Demesne are a cluster of muddy, reeking huts surrounded by animal pens and tended fields.
- The Dungeons are beautifully carved and clearly much older than the manor. The flowing, fluted columns and ornate balconies appear to be elvish design, but the prevalent spider motifs make you wonder which elves, exactly?
- The Secret is that the manor is the old lair of a necromancer and a warren of the undead.
- The Manor is a tall manor on a point overlooking an isolated cove. Built of the local white chalk, it has patios and stairwells that extend down the cliffs below it. Seen from the day, it is an attractive structure, but moonlight bleaches the white walls to the color of unburied bone, and causes the building to shine with unnatural brightness. The cove below constantly washes up old bones and the corpses of the drowned.
- The Master is long dead. His remaining family seem reluctant to mention his name or speak of him, especially in the presence of any of the many painted portraits of him that hang about the place. Closer examination of the portraits reveals them all to be the same image – that of a robed, grey-haired man with odd whitish eyes – save that all the backgrounds are different.
- The Mistress is dead, but the staff whisper that they hear voices in the night, and a female voice seems to whisper and titter in empty rooms as you pass by.
- The Staff are barely visible, performing their duties as quickly and quietly as possible, then vanishing into other parts of the house, visibly terrified.
- The Heir(s) is a single daughter who is dour and severe, with an intense stare that seems to cast a chill on its target. The smallest lapse in decorum or etiquette seems to invoke her silent ire.
- The Hunt are lean, reddish hounds that work with a crew of silent red-coated huntsmen and seem to feed only on blood.
- The Demesne are semi-permanent herding camps, linked by animal trails and log roads.
- The Dungeons are dug into the raw earth and are full of twisted roots, hanging vines, moss and mold. The plants often seem to be the only thing keeping the tunnels from collapsing, and in some areas, they haven’t even managed that.
- The Secret is that the area is infested with doppelgängers, although not everyone has been replaced yet.
- The Manor is a tall, moated round-house set next to a deep swamp. The keep’s interior is a deep shaft with a circular stair that goes all the way to the roof. It’s infested with frogs, toad, newt and other, less pleasant things. At night, the strange lights in the swamp are mirrored in the black water at the base of the central shaft, and the odd piping of the swamp inhabitants almost seems to form chittering voices.
- The Master is a fit and charismatic middle-aged man with a distinctive strip of white hair. He is charming, welcoming and invites the party to stay as long as they desire. Occasionally, you might notice him staring at one of you with an expression of awful hunger, but that might be your imagination.
- The Mistress is dead, but the staff whisper that they hear voices in the night, and a female voice seems to whisper and titter in empty rooms as you pass by.
- The Staff are squat and clad in mud-coloured smocks, with oddly misshapen bodies and strangely-shaped turbans.
- The Heir(s) are twins, with identical appearance and clothing. They are rarely out of each other’s company and often speak in unison or finish each other’s sentences.
- The Hunt is a wolf-pack that seems to form instantly from the surrounding woods when the Master rides out to hunt.
- The Demesne are a scattering of strongly-built farmsteads, all barred and defended night and day.
- The Dungeons are a dank series of half-flooded galleries, dripping oubliettes and muddy sewers. The place is infested with snakes and toads of unwholesome size, along with other, even less pleasant lurkers.
- The Secret is that the area is haunted by a variety of ghosts and spirits, making moving about after nightfall very dangerous
- The Manor is a shining pleasure-palace, with high white walls, turreted towers and carefully landscaped ponds and gardens. Its placid tranquility and languid calm are restful, but the gardens are full of unnaturally vital blood-red roses, the ponds are bottomless and bitterly cold, and the high, ornate windows seem to glare menacingly when seen out of the corner of the eye.
- The Master is a reckless dandy who loves fine food, beautiful women, wine and music. He is attended by bards, courtiers and obvious mistresses, living life in a swirling, debauched party. For all that, he is lean with solid muscle and obvious dueling scars, and the finely-crafted weapons he displays all about have marks of hard use. Each day he spends several hours on weapon drills, his movements unnaturally swift and precise.
- The Mistress is pale, distant and ethereally beautiful. She walks silently about the house at all hours, even appearing in places that seem impossible to get to. Her skin is oddly chilly, but perhaps that’s just because she walks around barely clothed all the time.
- The Staff are wracked with deformities – twisted limbs and misshapen faces are common – but they appear happy and competent, running things with smooth skill.
- The Heir(s) are twins, with identical appearance and clothing. They are rarely out of each other’s company and often speak in unison or finish each other’s sentences.
- The Hunt are a swarm of lumpish, malformed pit-dogs that savage anything unlucky enough to cross their path.
- The Demesne are semi-permanent herding camps, linked by animal trails and log roads.
- The Dungeons are a seemingly endless labyrinth of rough-piled stone, dotted with small alcoves that hold unnerving pieces of statuary or small oddly-stained altars. The sounds of footsteps seem to echo throughout the halls, making it seem like people are always moving around down there.
- The Secret is that the area is haunted by a variety of ghosts and spirits, making moving about after nightfall very dangerous
- The Manor is a shining pleasure-palace, with high white walls, turreted towers and carefully landscaped ponds and gardens. Its placid tranquility and languid calm are restful, but the gardens are full of unnaturally vital blood-red roses, the ponds are bottomless and bitterly cold, and the high, ornate windows seem to glare menacingly when seen out of the corner of the eye.
- The Master is a reckless dandy who loves fine food, beautiful women, wine and music. He is attended by bards, courtiers and obvious mistresses, living life in a swirling, debauched party. For all that, he is lean with solid muscle and obvious dueling scars, and the finely-crafted weapons he displays all about have marks of hard use. Each day he spends several hours on weapon drills, his movements unnaturally swift and precise.
- The Mistress is attractive, with raven-black hair and full red lips, but her horrendous temper makes her beauty perilous. She’s given to psychotic rages, and nobody is safe from her when her anger is triggered. Too bad the Master of the house dotes on her every whim …
- The Staff have bestial features, oddly enlarged teeth and smell of wet dog. They seem loyal, though, and travel about in groups whenever possible.
- The Heir(s) is a huge and simple son. He is persistent in his affections for attractive women, and mindlessly cruel to animals, staff or those smaller than himself.
- The Hunt is a wolf-pack that seems to form instantly from the surrounding woods when the Master rides out to hunt.
- The Demesne are mostly savage wilderness – all the inhabitants cluster around the manor itself in a sprawling slum.
- The Dungeons are clearly dwarven stonework, carefully fitted and lovingly carved. All coated in a layer of dust and grime now, though, save the occasional prints of a pair of heavy boots going here and there.
- The Secret is that cannibalistic orgies are regularly held at the manor, and guests of honor are usually the main course.