The D'Honaire Estate

The estate sprawls across manicured lawns and ghostly topiary gardens, its silhouette an elegant menace against the fog-licked horizon. The manor rises in a series of tall, angular wings, crowned with gothic spires and chimneys shaped like coiling snakes. The stone façade is decorated with hundreds of carved gargoyles, each distinct—some laughing, some weeping, some mid-scream.

• The Path of Masks: A bridge of alabaster arches connects the isle to a private quay. Guests must don a mask to cross it.
• Reflection Pools: Still waters dot the grounds. It’s said that no one casts a reflection during the Masquerade hours.
• The Maze of Petals: A hedge maze filled with roses that bloom in unnatural colors—crimson-black, silvery blue, and velvet violet. Sometimes screams can be heard from deep inside.

Once inside, the manor reveals a world of opulent decay and ritualized theater. Each hall, ballroom, and salon is festooned with lurid tapestries, tarnished gilt mirrors, and flickering gaslight chandeliers whose flames never burn steady. Perfumed smoke clings to every surface, and music seems to echo from nowhere, even when the orchestra is absent.

• The Hall of Endless Eyes: A corridor lined entirely with masks affixed to the walls. They seem to follow guests’ every move.
• The Scarlet Ballroom: The central chamber of the estate, where the Grand Masquerade is held. Marble floors gleam like blood in candlelight, and chandeliers sway without cause. Music and laughter fill the air, but neither seem tied to any source.
• The Whisper Gallery: A long, curved passage where even the softest breath travels the length of the room—and secrets often speak themselves aloud.
• The Duchess’s Mirror Chamber: A private retreat, its walls entirely mirrored and its floor etched with sigils. Guests rarely see it, and those who do often forget what they saw... or who they were.

Rumors and Dark Truths:

• The Duchess is ageless, though she has hosted the Grand Masquerade for decades. Some say she feeds on identity, stealing beauty and charm from her guests.
• The estate is larger inside than outside, and time within its walls does not pass in the same way.
• Paintings sometimes replace guests, and guests sometimes fade into tapestries.
• The gargoyles atop the estate shift positions overnight, and a few appear to weep red tears during storms.

The Grand Masquerade is the most exclusive event in Dementlieu. Nobles, artists, and occultists vie for invitations. Everyone must wear a mask that reveals their inner truth—or so the custom goes.

• Some guests remain at the party for days—or years—without realizing it.
• Roles are assigned by the Duchess herself, and woe to those who refuse to play along. Some find they cannot remove their masks, even in private.
• Whispers abound that unmasking yourself during the masquerade leads to transformation, madness, or disappearance.