M is for Manse

In the Empire the first house of a noble's estates is the Manse. Often thought to be a colloquial form of “mansion"—apropos of many nobles and their walled estates—it is, to the educated, the first house of what may be many homes across the Empire, depending on the noblesse oblige of the Emperor.

But as many manses may be occupied by the living, so may others be ruins. A noble may fall out of favor with the Emperor or his court and thus be unable to keep his or her homes in the glory they may once have been. Or more sinisterly, the noble may have committed crimes against the Emperor or may be guilty of foul acts of heresy or tempted by the Ruinous Powers into corruption for power. These estates may be a collection of burnt walls, collapsing roofs, and forgotten basements and cellars. The result of the noble's peasants in horror rising to dreadful action or retribution, the Cults divine actions against the heresy and corruption, or the Emperor's knights and armies putting down treason.

These ruins often carry with them superstitions of ghosts, ghasts, ghouls, and gold. Daemons lingering from foul rituals performed on the lands and in the manse. Rumors of the corruption earning the noble great wealth and amassed beneath the manse in secret rooms and tunnels are whispered of by villagers.

Whether any of these stories are true, many turn away from actually exploring the grounds for fear of death or possession. Gold or not. The brave are often fools with only a fool's reputation spoken of in the village tavern. The “brave" never seen again.

Editor's Note

Halfway through the challenge. The hard letters await!



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