allthekeys (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
allthekeys) wrote2011-08-02 10:51 pm
allthekeys) wrote2011-08-02 10:51 pm
[Second Floor]
1. Main Hallway:
The second floor's main hallway is just as lavish as that of the first, lit with crystal chandeliers and decorated with ornate porcelain vases. A vivid and colorful patterned carpet runs along the floor, and a series of elaborately detailed tapestries line the walls. A door behind one of these tapestries, just off the main staircase landing, leads to one of the servants' passageways.
Suits of armor are lined up along every wall of this hallway--and the two guards that stand in front of either staircase at the end of the main hall will hold back anyone who tries to access the third floor.
2. Silver Bedroom:
The glitter of this room could be mistaken for the presence of gems, but closer inspection will find that it comes solely from intricate metalwork. The floor is white polished marble shot through with silvered flecks; a large bearskin rug with thick, plush white fur covers part of the floor, centered by the bed on the far wall. Some of the ornate silver decorations on the walls seem to radiate heat into the room, with vents hidden in them on closer inspection.
The bed itself is large, easily enough for three or four people; the frame is metal, with ornate silver-plated still vine-work, the decorations carefully worked into glittering facets and patterns. A thick white quilt with intricate embroidery in shining silk forms one layer of cover over the bed, with a fur throw of seamlessly stitched together white stoat hides tossed over it; the pillows are thick, plush, soft silk, with shining silk covering the soft bed itself. The armoire is made of fine white wood with ornate silver fixtures and inlays; the clothing within is all white and silver, definitely male-cut and for a slender build, with thin, soft furs and careful embroidery covering every inch. Several have an emblem embroidered on the chest, a blue serpent coiled around a white pillar on a patch of black cloth. Everything is neatly and meticulously kept, although there are a few odd stray traces of faded rust color stains on some of the clothing.
A tall desk stands by the wall nearest the door, made of similar white wood with ornately worked silver fittings and sides. Small stands of locked metal drawers sit in rows across the top of the desk; a full inkwell sits with a silvered quill beside it, next to a diary with the cover and spine silver-covered, a lock securing it closed.
3. Silver Bathroom:
Much like its adjoining room, the bathroom is meticulously ornate, with nearly every surface in polished marble with lavish silver accents, made with impossibly fine and intricate metalwork. The tub is large, silver-plated metal, standing on four clawed feet; the spigot is made to resemble some form of stylized beast's head, turned around to spew water into the back, while a glittering tail forms a ledge and hook for soaps, salts, perfumes, and thick embroidered white towels, all neatly and carefully arrayed and kept.
4. The Storage Room:
This room also seems to serve as a storage area for the cleaning supplies the servants have been using during the days as well as additional storage for foodstuffs, though most of what can be found here are preserves and other goods stored in jars. Some considerate person has provided tea for the servants, the kettle kept warm on a small hearth that often also holds small pastries.
Piles of linens sit near to windows cracked just a bit to let the fresh air brush against them, stacks of blankets and quilts, ranging in quality from very fine to thread bare are also stacked here. Stores of scrub brushes, mops and brooms are stacked on shelves, while buckets and bottles of soap occupy the floor ready for anyone who would need them.
Old couches have been lined up around the stairs, many of them patched or worn, their legs broken so that they would no longer be good enough for the rest of the house. Old pillows and patched, thread worn blankets have been draped over the back of this furniture, providing an almost comfortable place for the servants to hide away from the eyes of their lord.
The hangings on the wall are more obviously mended, with finer affairs stored neatly on shelves, wrapped in insulating fabric to keep them from damage or bugs.
5. Upper North Passage:
This narrow stone passageway, nearly identical to the one below it, provides interior access to the rooms on the north side of the castle.
The door at the end is locked.
6. The Barren Room:
This room is rather plain, a simple wardrobe holds several shapeless grey shifts and plain, but well tended shoes. The bed is neatly made, shoved into a corner of the room.
A desk holds a neat stack of parchment, several bottles of ink, and neatly stored, well cleaned quills. A gnarled, wooden cane leaning against the edge of the desk seems to be the only personal item present. The room is otherwise meticulously clean and free of dust or signs of life.
One could almost make the mistake of assuming the room is unoccupied.
7. The Sandstone Bath:
Though nicer than the Servant's Bath there is still a certain plainness to this room. The tub, though deep, is made of a sand colored stone that has been worn smooth by constant use. The sinks, though larger, are merely basins made of the same stone. The fixtures are plain metal that someone has rubbed with a dark substance to keep them from reflecting anything.
The linens and soap here are of decent quality, but lack any obvious additives to make them more pleasant. A few herbal mixtures for treating injuries Or small illnesses have been left, seemingly forgotten, on a shelf with neat stacks of bandages and a rather sharp pair of scissors.
The bottles and jars are all neatly labeled for what they are meant to treat, and though some smell quite foul they will deal with the ailments they are labeled for.
8. The Motley Room::
This room is narrow and quite small, with a single small window affording a bit of natural light. Someone has strung up a makeshift wind-chime made of woven strands and random bits of metal and stone. While it does not look particularly stunning, when the window is open the sound the wind makes while combing through it is one of the most soothing anyone standing near it has ever heard.
A wardrobe holds a variety of brightly colored, noisy clothing, with bells and other small bangles left in the bottom of it. A sewing kit and a jar of rather fragrant salve occupy another basket. Though the wardrobe is small, an effort has been made to keep it neat.
A small drawer holds some plain clothing for a much smaller person or a child, much of it seems to have been mended quite often. A few toys have also been hidden in this drawer, ranging from tops to a small puppet with an elaborately painted faces, seeming to add credence to the theory that this room once also played host to someone very young.
Instruments crowd the shelves, all of them neatly tended and of high quality, though they range in type from harps to simple horns. Fresh strings hand on hooks, bottles of oil and resin hanging from loops around their necks to maximize the limited space of the room. Two hooks often hold a pair of blades, kept well above the level that a child would be able to reach.
The desk holds a neat stack of musical scores on one corner, with a notebook held open with an inkwell at one corner and a stone at another. A half finished score occupies the center of the page, though other pages hold ink sketches of a young boy, a pretty but simple woman, an old man and a beautiful girl with thick dark hair and an imperious stare. A few of the images even place the three together, playing in a field or in a room that has been left to mere lines of ink, giving focus to the central figures.
The bed is lumpy and covered with blankets, patched pillows and scraps of fabric, but it seems the resident has done their best to make this area as comfortable as possible. If the Jester is not otherwise occupied, he can often be found here working at the desk.
9. Collector's Library, Upper Level
10. Head Bedroom:
The walls of this room are lined with heads, some human and some distinctly not. All stare straight ahead, mounted on plaques.
Each plaque has a name and a location written under it. The room is uncomfortably warm, almost stiflingly so, and smells unpleasantly; a row of vents line around the floor, feeding hot air into the room continually.
Still, in spite of the unpleasant decorations, the rest room is not entirely unpleasant. The bed is comfortable and covered in a soft, knitted blanket. The pillows seem unusually soft and comfortable. Leather furniture is soft to the touch and very pleasing.
Anyone who touches the heads will notice that they are flesh warm to the touch, and that air slowly escapes them as they breathe. Trying to remove the heads from the wall with make the head start to scream and the others near it quickly join in.
The screams chase the unthinking guest into the hall, and linger in their dreams.
11. Museum:
This large room is lined with shelves that are closed off by a mix of glass panes and barbed metal grates; more cases of glass and metal stand on stone pedestals spread throughout the center of the room. Odd artifacts from a range of cultures rest within, most of them clearly made of precious materials or objects of value; one corner is dominated by a carved wooden pole, covered in half-abstract designs depicting different animals. A solid jade mask rests next to an obsidian dagger and bowl, the bowl always seeming half-filled with fresh blood. One case holds gold jewellery of an exotic pattern, another a carved skull of some sort of large, dangerous beast, while another holds a stone slab cut off of some temple's wall to claim the relief of a goddess bringing grain to the masses. Another case is filled with various jewellery that almost looks sized for an older human child, if the shape were anything close to fitting; water-patterns of different alloys mixed with small, fine detail work of different colored metals and stones worked into intricate, abstract patterns that cover the pieces. A piece of embroidered tapestry rests in another case, depicting figures with catlike features kneeling before a skeletal stag-figure; the banner hangs from a metal pole that seems to have been sheared off of some building. A double-ended sceptre with loops of metal inscribed with a flowing script rests in another case.
Some of the displays seem to change, as if the owner were rotating their collection; an attentive guest may even see bits of sacred relics or familiar objects of office and emblems of power from their home laid out on display.
A painting hangs over the far wall, depicting knights on horseback with banners flying riding in triumph through a fire-scarred city; the denizens are dressed in colored silks of a markedly different make and kneel along the streets, bloodied and bowed, some of them offering treasures to the mounted men, while a few women dressed in the foreign garb walk beside mounted knights with their eyes downcast.
12. Colonial Study:
A clean-kept room with light wooden furniture, this is one of the few rooms appointed for practicality over appearances. A well-worn desk and chair sit by one wall, the desktop covered in a spread of ledgers and letters describing exotic territories, fantastic beasts, and exaggerated accounts of strange peoples. Ink sketches hang on the walls around the room, diagrams and illustrations of creatures and tribes that are, at best, unusual, and at worst, defy biology and reason. Shelves beside the desk hold leather-bound books, ledgers describing imported exotic trophies and goods, the movement of troops that seem to be raiding more than claiming land, and the taking of slaves from "foreign savages and degenerates". A stone fireplace on one wall has a plush chair next to it, with a sheepskin thrown in front of it.
A table is covered in a large map of unrecognizable countries; the map grows increasingly hazy away from the center, with landmasses that look guessed at, drawings of monsters, and "here be dragons" warnings scrawled in fog banks. Wooden carved pawns are spread across the map, chess-like pieces that seem to be used as markers.
The sound of a ticking clock is pervasive, although where it is does not seem to be apparent.
13. Plush Bathroom:
This bathroom is a study in unnecessary luxury. Everything about it is lavish, elegantly coloured and polished to a shine. Its name, however, comes not from the elegance but instead from the needlessly carpeted floor and, strangely perhaps, a lounge couch that seems entirely misplaced in the small room.
14. Locked Room
15. Glass Gallery:
A brightly lit room, with glass chandeliers and candle-holders placed to ensure there’s good lighting even in night-time hours. Narrow spaces allow passage around glass cases and mirrored shelves guarded by glass and wrought iron, while a pair of intricate abstract stained glass windows dominate one wall, casting colored light through the room during the day.
The displays are all worked glass, vases, tea services, and a variety of sculptures and vessels. The craftsmanship is impeccable, with some of the details seeming almost impossibly fine, although those looking closely may see varying stages of fraying in the pieces - repeated designs with their patterns and markings growing more stiff, repeated motifs that grow more technically perfect but less varied.
In one corner a silvered birdcage hangs from a hook in the wall; the cage door is open, and it is conspicuously empty.
16. Mural Bedroom:
The first impression on opening the door is of a burst of color. Although very harmonious and complementary to each other so as to not jar the eye, it’s impossible to ignore the grandness of the mural that gives the room its name; each wall is lovingly, painstakingly painted, the brush strokes clearly visible and detailed, the texture only adding to the forest scene that plays out around the room. Although difficult to discern the story and context of the mural, there are a lot of characters and creatures involved, some that are impossible to recognize. The fact that the scene appears to change on occasion doesn’t really help matters, but perhaps it’s of little importance; it’s still beautiful. The fireplace is similarly painted over, included into the scene.
The bed is in the center of the room, with nightstands framing it on either side. There’s a dresser and a desk in ornate, dark wood, of a shade highly similar to the trees in the mural. The furniture doesn’t obstruct the painting – rather, the artist has included them in the work, with some characters seemingly interacting with them and other things in the room.
17. Round Bathroom:
This bathroom is all rounded off, no sharp edges or dangers. It is painted in bright colours, blue and yellow everywhere, with every surface, walls and floor included, bubbling out and rounded. It might be something of a tripping hazard, were someone to move too quickly across the bumpy floor. The sink and toilet are low to the ground, as if to accommodate someone of small stature.
There is a stench like this room has not been cleaned in some time.
18. Gem Room:
The room is carefully lit, with silk curtains pulled back from a wide window and candle-holders spaced out around it. The carpet is thick and plush. The furniture is richly lacquered and intricately carved mahogany, with a variety of precious gems set into burnished gold fixtures carefully arranged in flourishes and joints. The wardrobe doors are carved with two facing pheasants rearing back at each other, the feathers set and inlaid with gold and glittering stones; the clothing inside is richly sewn, with intricate embroidery and jewels set in buttons and sewn into cuffs. The top drawer is narrow compared to the space it seems to fill. The four posts of the canopy bed are carved with vines and leaves, gemstone flowers scattered among the design; the frame has carvings and decorations that extend all the way to the carpet, some of which have oddly scuffed parts that seem to have resisted efforts at polishing out the tell-tale scrapes of movement. A long reclining couch stretches along the other wall, plush cushions rounded with a carved dragon with ruby eyes.
The largest exposed wall by the door has the usual darker stone replaced with white limestone, intricately carved into a design of a unicorn wearing a crowned collar in a pen; the carving is accented and colored by inlays of precious and semi-precious stones. On a few of the other walls, tucked in out of sight behind furniture, are metal vents that provide heat.
The canopy bed is piled with furs, cushions, and warm silk, well hidden behind tapestry curtains depicting hunts for various fantastic beasts. The bed itself is warm and comforting, almost inviting taking advantage of the secluded appearance to rest, although those more curious will find that there are odd loops among the vines visible on the inside that are gold-plated iron, attachments well anchored and hidden among the decorations.
19. Jungle Bedroom:
The most immediately striking thing about this bedroom is that it's filled with an excessive amount of stuffed and mounted animals. Trophies and specimens of an impressive variety of species, cover the walls and occupy every corner of the room. A pair of long ivory tusks is mounted on the wall, and the windowsills are lined with an array of carved animals, also made of ivory. In the center of the room, several tiger-pelt rugs have been arranged in a circle.
The room is furnished with a four-post canopy bed, a generously sized armoire and dresser, and several decorative tables, as well as a warm fireplace. All of the furniture is grandiose and ornate, made from rare and exotic types of wood and accented with intricately detailed carved patterns. Each piece is in perfect condition and always meticulously polished.
In the center of the room stands an impressive marble fountain, filled with an assortment of live tropical fish--however, they all seem sluggish and look rather unhealthy.
The wardrobe is filled with extravagant clothing made of many different types of furs. Pushed into the back corner of the shelf is a smaller piece of taxidermy that was presumably not worth displaying in the open. It's difficult to tell what it was intended to be, though it vaguely resembles a primate.
A desk occupies the corner next to one of the windows. Some blank paper is stacked on top of it, along with a small ivory vase that's filled with fancy quill pens. One drawer holds a selection of inks; another is filled with sketches of an extensive variety of landscapes, from dense forests to snow-covered mountains to savannah.
20. Hunter's Closet:
This small room is dismal and dark, lit only by whatever sunlight filters in through the windows of the adjoining bedroom. And similarly to the adjoining bedroom, its most striking presence is a varied collection of taxidermy. However, the creatures on display here are impossible to identify as members of any known species, and most would appear to be unnatural conglomerations of body parts belonging to several different animals. Their features overwhelmingly resemble those of canids, reptilians, deer, and birds; guests who are familiar with the monsters that sometimes roam the castle and its grounds may find them recognizable.
All of the room's four walls are lined with metal hooks. Most are empty, but some hold pieces of tanned pelts and skins, and one holds a pair of large, white, feathered wings. The floor is soiled with large splotches of dried blood, and a tattered, filthy blanket has been shoved into a pile in one corner. Underneath it, there is a disorganized array of different types and sizes of blades and needles.
A short wooden shelf is mounted on the farthest wall. It holds two specimens that seem somewhat out of place in comparison to the rest: a plump, feathered rabbit and a lemur with scales and leathery wings.
Inside a sealed glass jar at the back of the shelf, a pair of eyes is preserved in a liquid solution.
21. Marble Bathroom:
This room seems to have been carved near-seamlessly from fine polished white marble, with only the barest hints of light grey and pale dusky gold sweeping through the stone in smoke-patterns. All of the fixtures are gold plated, with gilt decoration on the edges of counters; fine cotton towels and cloths hang from ornate gold-plated hooks along the wall. Gold-plated candle holders are built into the walls around the room, with a small hanging holder for several more candles dangling from the center of the ceiling. The bathtub dominates the main part of the room, a large pool raised out of the room with seats carved into the shape of the stone, and is filled with water that always seems freshly heated. Ledges on the adjacent wall hold glass jars of floral-scented salts, while a marble bowl carved into the side of the tub holds moulded, scented soap in the shape of huddled birds.
Across from it, a long counter with a large bowl sink runs most of the length of the opposite wall, with shaved scraps of soap in a similar depression by the sink. A large silver mirror looms over the counter, with an ornate gilded frame crafted to look like sweeping lilies curving around the reflection. A gold-plated handle marks a drawer that closes near flush with the counter; the drawer holds a number of combs, along with small jars of various odd creams and salves, none of them labelled.
A small alcove with a curtain in the back hides a porcelain toilet. It's tucked away out of sight of the rest of the room, and even here the marble walls have gilded detailing and shelves for toiletries carved into the stone.
Despite its opulence, the entire room seems to hold a faint, barely perceptible chill; the water in the bath is hot and inviting, but the stone holding it remains cool to the touch, making any dip a conflicted experience. Leaving the water only seems to heighten the chill, which lingers in any who make use of the bath for hours after leaving.
22. South Passage:
This passageway is dark and windowless, lit only by a few sputtering torches along the walls. It's both wider and shorter than its northern counterpart, and the guards can often be seen passing through it.
23. Exotic Zoo:
Less a room, this area is more of a long hallway with clear glass walls either side. The other side of the glass appears to hold a changing variety of artificial environments. Thick jungle, desert, forest, grassland -- almost like enclosures one might keep exotic pets in. Indeed, some of them do appear to be occupied. It could be that the rest are as well, in fact, but the creatures within are well hidden or too small to see.
The sad things trapped here are far from your average exotic pets, though. In fact, it's more like a parade of expensive and sometimes mythical creatures. Centaurs, unicorns, small winged creatures that press their hands against the glass pleadingly then hiss, scratch and bare teeth when you get too close. Which animals are on display seems to change occasionally; the full list is found here.
The creatures are well fed and there seems to have been some attempt at attention paid to them, although it does little to mitigate the cramped and miserable conditions.
If you walk along the hallway at night the glass rooms appear silent, and the inhabitants cannot be seen.
24. Servants' Room:
This long, wide room holds a number of cleaning supplies and food containers. Doors lead to the zoo’s cages.
The door is dimly lit, and several catching rods of different sizes and lengths are leaned against one of the walls. The room smells heavily of animal waste and feed. Several containment cages have been stacked against one of the walls, coils of chain, nets and rope are neatly stored. A narrow door easy to miss in a corner leads to a short staircase into a holding room.
Anyone entering this room will find themselves escorted by a guard who seems unusually concerned with the occupants of the cages.
The Holding Room is a large stone room with a variety of metal cages; there will often be creatures here that have not been in the main zoo or that were rotated out of the zoo here during the day, while at night there will be periods where all of the creatures are moved here. It is somewhat easier to interact with them here, for better or for worse.
25. Magpie Bedroom:
This bedroom would probably be quite comfortable were it not for all the mess. Most of the floor is littered with a wide assortment of mostly worthless odds and ends, with no regard to any sort of organization whatsoever. There isn't much limit to sorts of items that have been hoarded here, but its last occupant does seem to have been particularly fond of coins--none of which hold any monetary value in the castle. A large collection of crystal animal figurines is piled up in a corner; many of them are shattered, as if they were dumped there rather carelessly.
Stray clumps of grass, leaves, and twigs can be found mixed in with the mess and scattered across the room. The floor is grainy with a layer of dirt that, if swept up, will always reappear.
The furniture looks like it could have once been valuable, but the surface of the wood has become so scratched and dented that it's likely no longer worth much. The sheets on the bed are made of fine silk, but they are torn and stained--and the mattress seems very comfortable, but unfortunately, it's full of holes. They are fairly deep, and anyone who becomes curious enough to inspect them will find seeds, nuts, and scraps of raw meat stuffed inside. A large, quilted down blanket lies in a heap on the floor. A few small vents in the wall let hot air drafting into the room unevenly.
In a corner, there's a small table on which someone has placed a vanity mirror and, peculiarly, a single vintage ski. The table has one drawer, filled with fancy jewellery--most of which is impossibly tangled and knotted together. Much like the room itself, the dresser holds a cluttered mess of trinkets, in addition to about a loaf's worth of moldy slices of bread.
The drawer on the night-stand is locked.
A large and intricately detailed painting of a black and white magpie hangs from the wall across from the bed. The bird is uncannily realistic, down to every last feather. Its gaze seems intense and wary.
26. Slanted Bathroom:
Most of this bathroom is rather unremarkable, in all honesty. It is plain and serviceable and little more. The sink, however, is a strange exception to an otherwise mediocre room, pointlessly decorative. The counter surface is a steep slope back toward the wall—in place of any drain, the water from the tap tumbles back toward the wall, flowing down behind the counter and to the floor. Once there it enters a shallow groove in the floor and flows away, quickly disappearing into a small hole on each wall.
There is a vague sense of disorientation about this room, like any who enter it might slip and fall at any moment. Anything placed on the floor will quickly prove that the entire floor is on a slight angle, though looking at it would never betray that fact.
27. Fortune Hunter’s Bedroom:
Entering this room brings a sense of unease, despite there not being anything obviously wrong with it. It’s grand and appears comfortable, with a large bed, a plush reading chair and several book cases filled with books and ornate items like sculptures, letter weights and precious stones. On the opposite side of the bed is a desk and chair made from a lovely, deep dark wood, with several notes and notebooks next to expensive pens and more decorations. Beside the desk is a stone fireplace hearth, with charred remains of paper visible among the ashes.
The few letters that can be found are all written with promises of love and prosperity towards the recipient, extravagantly signed with an unreadable signature. The many notes are less romantic and seem to mark details and events regarding a select few people, although a context is difficult to discern.
It’s only on the second and third looks that the details start to show, one after the other: how several of the books don’t appear to have ever been read, how some (but not all) of the items adorning the room seem to weigh too little to be genuine, how sometimes touching the desk leaves subtle smudges on your fingertips.
28. Locked Room:
The door furthest into the room is solidly locked. Surely there is a key somewhere.
29. Crystal Bedroom:
Nearly every surface in the room is either faceted crystal or polished silver with some sort of unidentifiable clear crystal set into it, with inlays covering the surfaces of much of the furniture; the chandelier drips strings of it, while the walls are coated in ornate designs made out of inlaid precious stones. The four-post canopy bed has inlays running up each post with strings of stones hanging from the upper canopy and sewn into the thin, filmy silk that encloses the bed. The only surfaces lacking an attempt at such decoration are the fine carpeted floors and the stiff silver-threaded seat of the chair in front of the vanity; even the curtains and top duvet over the bed have small chips sewn into them.
This room is lit by a chandelier just past the foot of the bed, with several sconces and candle-holders scattered throughout. They maximize the scattering of light at night, although during the day the candles are snuffed out and curtains thrown open on the ornate wrought-iron windows. A fireplace on one wall, the stones of the hearth studded with faceted stones, casts further light and warmth into the room.
At night, the candlelight refracted through the ostentatious display throws colored light everywhere in an effect that is nearly overwhelming; during the day it borders on blinding without crossing the room to close the translucent silk curtains. Even if all of the candles are snuffed in the dark of night, it almost seems as though there is some glimmering luminescence from the décor, as if the faceted stones refuse to accept that there isn't light to refract outward.
The clothes in the armoire are the finest silks, with glittering bits sewn into embroidered patterns and brocade work; drawers in the vanity hold inlaid silver containers and tools for cosmetics that definitely favor shimmering and glittering effects. A service for brandy sets on the side table by the bed, the glasses and pitcher themselves cut from whole pieces of crystal, adding the color of the brandy to the riot of colored light spreading in the room.
Guests who enter this room will have the sense of being watched for the entire time they’re present; they may catch glimpses of their reflection watching them, judging, but as soon as they turn to look, the mirror is normal. Occasionally, at night, a tapping can be heard from the other side of the mirror, as if something is trying to get the attention of anyone passing.
Anyone who removes anything from this room will find a creeping sense of discomfort in the dark that grows as long as they keep their stolen treasure - a desire to surround themselves with light sources and a surety that there is something lurking beyond the edges of any light.
On one wall, a door opens onto the Crystal Bathroom, the only entrance to that room. The curved handle is bright silver, while the door itself is an ornate framework around clear glass panes, only textured enough for decoration, but not enough to provide any privacy in the other room; the bath itself can be clearly seen from the bedroom.
30. Crystal Bathroom:
The overbearing opulence and dizzying amount of glittering crystal only continues to the bathroom; the large bathtub itself is made from a single large faceted piece, the outlines of fixtures for water barely visible through cuts that seem designed to maximize the amount of light scattered from it. The upper part of the wall all the way around is mirrored, and as much of the fixtures are either made of crystal or inlaid with it as possible. Light comes from a chandelier shaped like a dangling spray of glimmering flowers.
Between the lay of the room and the mirrored walls, there is nowhere that isn't visible through the door to the bedroom, although curiously the textured glass is much harder to see through from this side. Those lingering in this bathroom may often see indistinct shapes through it of people watching through the glass even when opening the door finds no-one in the room beyond. The door can be locked from the other side - and those trespassing in this room may find the door locking behind them.
31. Gold Bedroom:
The room is lavishly furnished, finely made furniture accented with gold and gems, ornately woven rugs on the floor, and a well-appointed bed. It would be a very comfortable, if ostentatious, room, if not for one problem.
In one corner of the room, an orb of solid flame has condensed itself into a pillar. Flowing out from it, flames run along every surface of the room, spreading out into a flickering coating that somehow does not seem to harm the room itself. While it's possible to enter the room as long as one is wearing servant's greys, it is uncomfortably warm, the heat always feeling just shy of burning, and the adverse effects of the heat will be felt some time after they leave, even to the point of heat stroke and dehydration. Those not dressed appropriately will find entering a gamble; during the day they may sometimes find it less discriminating, while at night merely standing in the doorway is like standing next to a bonfire.
32. Gold Bathroom:
Similarly ornate to the main bedroom, this would be another lavish, yet comfortable room on its own, with a fine plated tub, thick soft rugs to walk on around the counters, plush towels, and scented soaps.
Unfortunately the flames from the other room reach in here as well, spreading through the door between them to cover every surface here much like the main room. Butterflies of living flame flutter to and fro, and will harass any intrusion; to those dressed as servants, the indignant buffets are little more than discomfort, but for others, the creatures are capable of burning the unwary.
If someone lingers long enough to attempt the fixtures, they will find that water flows from them, the flames shifting to move around it unextinguished.
33-34. Open Parlors:
These parlors appear to be more extensions of the main hallway than proper rooms. Each is furnished with two elegant sets of tables and chairs, ornate enough to match the rest of the hall's décor.
The souther parlor seems perpetually silent, regardless of the noise level in the areas surrounding it. Any sound made here will echo and ring on for several seconds, but it's difficult to tell what might cause this.
In the northern parlor, trickling water can occasionally be heard from above.
35. Music Box Bedroom:
Compared to the other bedrooms in the castle, this one seems small, which likely owes to the fact that only half of the room appears to be used for living purposes. The bed has been placed near the center, and the rest of the furniture is arranged around it without much care.
Two walls are lined with shelves that display an impressively large collection of music boxes. Although they are all very ornate, no two are alike, and there are probably well over a hundred in total.
The other half of the room is blocked off with a thick glass wall. Its contents are far more remarkable than the bedroom itself--it resembles the inside of a giant music box more so than any sort of room. A large metal comb is mounted on the floor in front of the glass, and along the back wall, a thick metal cylinder stretches across the entire length of the room. Its entire surface is covered in jagged lines of raised bumps that seem to align with the teeth of the comb. The left wall is covered in a network of gears that stretch nearly to the ceiling, and a heavy crank is attached to the lowest one.
A small door in the glass allows entry to this part of the room.
36. Enclosed Orchard:
This is not so much as room as a cramped courtyard, accessed via a narrow staircase leading to a dirt filled landing. An opening in the wall allows in a small artificial waterfall; the water flows in channels around the room and among the plants, making an approximation of a garden. A pipe on the other side from the waterfall draws the water back into the wall, although where it leads cannot be seen. The landing is warm no matter the weather beyond its edges, the plants green and lush. There are eight apple trees planted here, each heavy with fruit no matter the season. The apples are large and seem to be made of solid gold. Breaking them open will reveal of a sweet, tender interior that tastes of faraway spices. The exterior is hard, peeling away like sheets of gold. Three smaller trees are laden with silvery-white peaches of an almost unreal mild sweetness, and along one wall grows a pomegranate tree with fruit whose skin seems to reflect light with a polished sheen. hose willing to put in the effort to husk one of them will find sweet fruit with a nearly wine-like flavor. A small covered greenhouse by the edge holds bell-like flowers with shimmering, multicolored petals; there is a lock on the only entrance to this enclosure.
The small courtyard seems meticulously tended; none of the trees have a single dead leaf, and not a single fruit has been allowed to fall to the ground.
Day 5
Night 5
Night 6
Day 7
Day 7
Day 9
Day 10
Needles have been taken from the Hunter's Closet.
Night 16
Night 28
The cape on its own weighs somewhere in the region of 15-20kg.
For details on the card gun's functionality, see this page. Currently it only has a canister of playing cards set into it. It does not have any other ammunition loaded. These playing cards are a little stiffer than normal card and are capable of slicing through rope if used correctly.
(Additionally, Rei took the special fabric from its case - the one with psychic-guarding properties.)