Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress of Ashtown

The Price of Power

Caspian was surprised to discover that the first level of the Avrondale mine was, in fact, not a mine at all, but a home built within the bedrock.

From what he understood, the Heathcliff family didn't have enough money to own both the mine and a mansion, so they'd built their manor inside of the mountain that held their mine. It was a rather ingenious idea, Caspian would admit. Dislike of nobles aside, he could at least respect those nobles who displayed intelligence.

"This is the antechamber," Morrison swept out his hand in a grand gesture, to better display the decadent splendor of the small room they stood in. White marble glistened in the light as if freshly polished. Expensive statues of beautiful men and women lined the walls, acting as columns, their arms raised in festive repose. A door stood on either side of the chamber, each one gleaming with a network of golden designs, halberds and swords and shields, a depiction of warriors fighting against gruesome-looking monsters.

Caspian recognized the motif embedded into the door. It was one of the many historical events of Terraria, an event that took place before Sylvia de Floresca's rise to power.

Before the time of the Sorceresses, it was the time of the elves. Back then, the elves ruled over humans. They were the masters and humans their slaves. During this time, another species also existed—orcs. They were vicious, anthropomorphic beings that only vaguely resembled elves. Legends had it that they had been elves at one point, but they had let evil enter their hearts, corrupting them and twisting their bodies into misshapen beasts.

The story being told on the door was the one in which the elves, having no desire to bloody themselves, forced their human slaves to fight for them. The door depicted the first battle of that war, which was known as the War of Uruk Ven, supposedly named after the orc leader.

"Come," Morrison walked over to the door, "allow me to show you the rest of my manor."

The antechamber led further into the house, which was a network of hallways filled with doors. Each door led to a different room used for a different purpose. Despite its opulence, the mansion buried inside of the Avrondale mountain was rather small, possessing only 26 rooms. However, those 26 rooms were extravagant in every way possible.

Every room they entered was decked with artwork, and inlaid designs made of gold traversed the ceiling. They hung from the walls, paintings from famous artists; landscapes and portraits of important historical figures. Soft leather furniture sat arrayed around tables carved from exotic wood. The carpet was velvet and Caspian's boots sank into it like he was stepping onto lush grass. Each room looked like it cost more than a commoner made in a lifetime.

I wonder if Morrison is trying to compensate for his home's lack of size with extravagant commodities and expensive art.

"Morrison," an articulate voice called out as they walked down the hall.

Caspian turned with the others to see two people—a girl and a woman—strolling toward them.

Blond hair fell down her head in a beautiful array of drill-like curls. A gorgeous face set in a cold mask of arrogance smiled with the haughtiness that Caspian had come to expect from the nobility. The woman walked with elegance, her steps delicate, feminine, and perfectly measured. It was a very prissy walk, but then, given her luxurious and somewhat stiff-looking purple dress, Caspian supposed it was only natural that someone like her would walk as if they had something unpleasant shoved up their rectum.

Holding her hand was a tiny girl, who couldn't have been older than five or six. Blond hair like her mother's fell much more gracelessly around her head, though it remained perfectly straight and contained an oddly glossy sheen. Curious blue eyes gazed upon the newcomers, wide and round, containing the kind of innocence that only a child could have. She wore a dress made of expensive silk, bright pink and glittering as she walked. It made her look like a girl trying to play princess.