House Doni

[Tarot]

There were three noble mansions left on Chelseanna - at one time, while the Duchess of the same name lived, they had dotted the landscape of the island. Then, one by one, they had all faded into oblivion. The later generations, much like the rest of the population at the time, had been plagued with strange and numerous cases of infertility, physical deformity, disease and other tragic happenings. Whole familial branches had died off without heirs, their wealth returning to Port Chelseanna. Their mansions had since been claimed by the wilderness, no Podesta ever willing to sell them to a mainlander and no local willing to buy them. Save for three. Three noble houses that still survived. The Lordship of Doni. The Lordship of Malnaghi. And of course, the dreaded and reclusive Barony of Sciacca.

Of the three, House Doni was by far the closest to the Porto and the only one inside the theoretical perimeter of Port Chelseanna. It was an imposing limestone mansion, three stories high, tall stained glass windows hailing from the third floor and welcoming the visitor. An iron wrought gate stood open and allowing entry into the front yard. The gate was flanked by two columns surmounted by two connected statues, meaning that the visitor would have to pass below them. The statue on the left, a man dressed in a flowing toga, was holding a gem between two fingers. He was posed in the act of dropping the gem onto the cupped hands of the statue resting on top of the other column, on the right. This was a grotesque human with long, ungraceful limbs and a deformed face with prominent eyes and a contorted mouth. The two were looking each other in the eyes.

The front yard was quiet and well kept, open to the public seven months an era. Lord Doni occupied the last floor with the stained glass windows; the rest was open to the tourists, though entrance would cost ten Crowns - five for children. The obligatory booth next to the gate, manned by the obligatory Halfling, would make sure of that. A cobblestone path led to the front door of the mansion, preceded by four steps and as many columns. The Lords of the House had been important traders and lovers of the arts for many generations, and as such they had gathered an important art collection. Now that the House itself was in decline, that very art had turned into a precious source of income.