The chapter house for the Canon Sorcerers of Ordo Arcanum Madaurus in King George City. One of the city's oldest structures, the manor was built in 1889 by Blackhorn, one of the four founders of the Fae domain of Brasswork Sorrows.
Location[]
The Blackhorn Estate is adjacent to Downtown and Eddington Row, build partially underneath the portion of the Eddington Bridge that rests on the northern shore of the Osegeo River. This bridge is where Dolphin Avenue crosses the river between Downtown and the International District.
History[]
In 1889, the Nephilim sorcerer known as Blackhorn built a large manor in King George City along the waterfront on the northern shore of the Osegeo River, virtually underneath the Eddington Bridge. For the first couple of decades of its existence, it was a private estate kept free of pesky visitors. By 1910, however, other sorcerers had begun to arrive in the nascent domain and Blackhorn opened up the estate to them as the local chapter house for the order.
Blackhorn was last seen in December 1944, but it wasn't until January 1946 that the local sorcerers decided he wasn't returning anytime soon (if he still lived) and they voted for a new Ash. When his personal quarters were carefully examined prior to being sealed shut, a letter addressed to the Oak and Ash were discovered. In it, Blackhorn gave over the estate to the Ordo Arcanum Madaurus under the following conditions:
- The estate would never be transferred to any private individual or outside of the care of the order.
- The estate's management would be handled by the Ash and the Oak.
- No new structures would be erected, nor would the existing manor house be removed.
- None of the grounds outside the manor would ever be sold. The gardens of the back yard would be maintained, although they could be modified as fit the taste of the existing sorcerer residents.
- No sorcerer of the order would be forbidden from residing at the estate, regardless of their Court or the subspecies of Fae they belonged to.
- No individual would be detained against their will in the estate.
- No additional floors above the estate would be added.
The Estate's Layout[]
The Front Veranda[]
Walking up the main path from the front gate to the manor, one comes to the front veranda. Taking up the entire front wall of the manor, it has fluted pillars holding up a large and ornate roof that protects visitors on the veranda from sun and rain all times of the year. Often a few chairs can be found on it for the sorcerers that prefer to relax while viewing the particularly sparse front lawn instead of the more ornate gardens in the back of the estate. The front door is a massive, double-door affair, with hefty brass gargoyle knockers and no doorbell.
The Entry Hall[]
Beyond the front door is an entry hall that opens up to the first floor landing of the estate's massive double staircase, and branches into several other first floor rooms. Dozens of framed photos pepper the wall, of various sizes and shapes. These each contain a sorcerer that lives or once lived in King George City, with their name and heritage printed below on a small placard. A massive painting of Blackhorn dominates a person's attention as they enter, placed high on the wall between the two stairs.
The entry hall's floor is an unvarnished wood. The staircase is covered in a faded red carpet of high value, and a small, often muddy rug is just inside the front door. Immediately to the right of the door is the entrance to a coat closet. By that entrance is a small bucket filled with a dozen umbrellas of various ages and quality, as well as a cane or two. The closet is quite voluminous, and has dozens of coats within. More than a few haven't been worn in years, belonging to long-absent owners. One more recent example is a raincoat with the KGPD logo on its back.