Countess Vermyr Stelgi has inherited a substantial tract of land after the death of a distant cousin who had no other heirs. She moves quickly to spruce up the palace, hoping to make it into a summer home owing to the northerly quiet. That involves properly disposing of the departed cousin’s eclectic (some might say ghastly) collection, though some things in that palace might not appreciate being removed… -- Deathshead419
Like most buildings that had been in a family for generations, it was a heap of conflicting architecture. Varying portions of it had been raised, refurbished, renovated, rebuilt, and then left to run down. Some of it had potential. Most of it could use more than a little spackle or Tape of Mending. The Countess Vermyr Brigide Hester Stelgi, second of her name, decided to wait and see before she decided to raze it all to the ground.
Besides, most of it was very well-dressed stone.
The staff formerly in her cousin's employ had aired a guest suite for her, and cleaned the final mess from his bedchamber, but otherwise left the chambers untouched. They knew well her cousin's odd habits and quirks, and were well used to leaving everything inanimate alone.
Her dear late cousin Throckmorton had what could easily be the largest collection of haunted and cursed objects in all of Alfarell. Not in any logical display. Just sort of piled up in relevant containers, if they needed them, or held in sacks and crates. There were disturbing drifts that may contain pure rubbish, or may hold other cursed or haunted items that didn't need to be secured.
Most of the rooms had 'deer trails' weaving between the drifts. The staff were permitted to dust what they could reach, and went no further than that.
As an added extra misfortune, the late cousin Throckmorton had come down with cats in his final years. The population in the house were wily beasts and would probably get used to her in time.
They would not be pleased with what Vermyr had in mind.
Step one, after her first night's rest, was getting in contact with the local temples and asking for their help in safely removing or containing the cursed and haunted things. Or, if it were vitally necessary, destroying them.
Step two, find a Druid to explain things to the cats.
Step three, make the place habitable for more than one person again. If possible.
Step one would be ongoing, and step three would be taking years at best. Her budget would be undergoing some interesting alterations for some significant time.
Vermyr spent most of her day writing the letters to the interested parties, including the task of enlisting a wizard to gauge the magical potential of anything that wasn't either cursed or haunted. At least she had wards and charms to prevent any locked spirits from disturbing her sleep.
Then there was the matter of the gem-eyed skull.
It had appeared in her suite on a small display table to the left of the fireplace in her bedchamber. Replete with the doily to rest upon. The gemstones in the eyesockets seemed to glow with a faint light.
"Who moved that thing to my chambers?" she asked the maid.
"Nobody, m'm. It follows the owner of t'house, m'm. It likes t' watch 'em sleep, Master said."
That night, Vermyr drew the curtains around her bed. In the morning, they were a nest of loose threads that one of the household cats had birthed her kittens in.
Obviously, the priests would be looking at that thing first.
[Photo by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa on Unsplash]
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