Rest

[ Locations ]

Sir Ashdown and Lady Ashdown have established “Rest” as a place where new Fledgelings can be trained, especially if their Sires are not available to provide the training, don't believe themself qualified or for another reason are unable to do it. Over the decades, Rest has been the home of many Fledgelings.

The building itself is a manor on Cedar Lane, three floors high plus attic and it features its own courtyard giving a significant amount of privacy.

Rest is made of light brown sandstone with plaster and brown oaken windows and doors. The front of the house has a narrow tunnel through its center that leads to the courtyard and which is just wide enough to allow a carriage to pass through. On the right in the tunnel is the servants entrance where deliveries are made.

The servants entrance leads up a small staircase to the servants dining area which features a large table as well as a rack of bells in case someone rings for a servant - the bells are connected to ropes throughout the house for that purpose. In the back of the servants area is a stairway leading down to the cellar kitchen, and up towards the servants bedrooms.

Going through the tunnel leads to the courtyard, a mossy square with grass in the centre and a few potted plants. On the left is the main entrance, while stables feature on the right. The back side of the square features several flower beds. All in all, the courtyard is not very large, but big enough to turn a carriage around.

The main entrance opens up several steps into the entry hall which features a big staircase in the back, and doors on the left and right. The staircase features a platform in the middle with a large statue and splits in two there, left and right going up to the next floor. Ladies are expected to take the right stairway, while gentleman take the left one. Flanking the stairs are large pots which are filled with fresh flowers or other greenery throughout the year.

The door on the left of the main entrance leads to the library, where Sir Ashdown spends a lot of time reading. The library contains an Encyclopedia, a large collection of neatly folded newspapers from recent years and many classic works of literature, and can be used for basic research. The library also features a fireplace which also heats the rooms above.

To the right of the main entrance is the living room, which is sometimes cleared to double as a small ball room. It features a large fireplace behind a steel grate for warmth and several comfortable seating arrangements. There are various portraits of people hung about, most of them from olden times - its not entirely clear if some of them might be kindred now. The living room has a door on the right that leads to the dining room, and windows which are partially covered by plants in the back of the courtyard's flower beds.

The dining room features a huge table, almost two meters wide and more than four meters long and normally has about a dozen chairs, though there are extras in case more people need to be fitted in a tighter configuration. It has several paintings on the wall, displaying historic and religious events. In the back is a fireplace which is also used to heat up the rooms above. The dining room has a hidden (but not secret) door in the back which leads to a closed off servants path behind the stables, used to bring in food.

The stables are across the courtyard from the main entry, and feature the carriage as well as stabling for the three horses the household maintains. They are kept carefully cleaned.

The second floor, also called the “men's floor” is where the men of the house have their rooms. The left and right stairway both turn to lead to the same internal balcony above the entry hall, and between them is a further stairway up which splits again like double mirrored spirals. Ladies are supposed to move straight on up again, while men are forbidden from going to the third floor.

Left from the stairways, which is right from the main entrance, is the door to the Masters Bedroom above the living room, which is where Sir Ashdown sleeps. The room has a huge bed and features a separate small fireplace, as well as a proper writing desk, though the master of the house much prefers to use the library.

On the other side of the balcony is the door to the “men's area”, leading into a hallway running along the inside courtyard that connects to all the bedrooms.

Directly above the library are three rooms, one directly right of the door to the men's area, another opposite it and a third further along, over the tunnel below. Each of these rooms is reasonably comfortable but not very large, featuring a bed, desk and storage for clothing and personal effects. These rooms are used by the house guests.

A fourth room over the servants quarter is smaller, and connects directly to the servants stairway. It is usually used for storage, but can serve as an extra room for a male guest if necessary.

Going around the corner in the men's hallway leads past the room of Mr. Reed - this room is actually bigger than the other three main rooms, and has its own small fire place, so Mr. Reed has himself in a good position.

Finally, the hallway leads to the Smoking Room. This room above the dining room has a pool table, luxurious chairs, a liquor cabinet and a large box of cigars, and gentlemen gather here for their leisure activities.

The third floor follows a similar plan to the second floor, with the left and right stairway both leading to an internal balcony above the entry hall. The stair does not go up further, so the attic cannot be reached from here. Instead, the central part of the internal balcony features a hanging planter where a hanging plant is set, though it is kept short so as to make sure nobody gets the leaves in their hair.

To the left of the stairs, above the master bedroom is the mistress' bedroom, where Lady Ashdown stays. It features a large four-poster bed, closet and dresser as well as a huge mirror.

To the right of the stairs is the ladies area. Above the library are three rooms, each directly above the rooms in the men's area. Each of these rooms is reasonably comfortable but not very large, featuring a bed, dresser and storage for clothing and personal effects. These rooms are used by the female house guests.

Where the fourth room is in the gentlemen's area is instead a work room where servants mend clothes, polish shoes and the likes. The servants stairway also runs through here. Notably, the door to this area is always locked from the side of the ladies hallway, the key kept strictly controlled by Miss Callington who lives in the large room above Mr. Reed.

Finally, the hallway leads to the Nursery. Obviously no babies stay there, so it is instead used by the ladies to serve tea, do needlework, read and perform other leisure activities.

Above this all is the attic, which features almost a douzen small rooms, used by the servants as bedrooms as well as some for storage and supplies. The fourth floor is reachable only via the servants staircase. The most notable rooms here are those of Mr. Wade, the butler and Mrs. Baker the housekeeper, who additionally have their own offices.

The cellar consists of several area's and is reachable from the stairs in the servants area. Underneath the servants area, the tunnel and the library at the front of the house are the kitchens, scullery and still room. These feature windows to the streetside at the top of the wall which allows light in via a small trench outside the house and through the rising steps at the entrances placing the floor a bit above ground level.

The kitches are used to prepare food, primarily for the servants, while the scullery is used to do dishes, grind salt, boil water and wash clothes. The still room is used to prepare non-food consumables such as poultices, tinctures and soap.

Besides these rooms, the cellar also features several storage rooms and a wine room, used to store wines. Only Mr. Wade has a key to this room.

The household staff in Rest is extensive: