The Erudite Elk Estate

“The devils watch them like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it; if God should withdraw his hand by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls.”

With nobility comes fineries, with fineries comes comfort, and with comfort comes the peace of mind and soul to embetter ones self. So, what could possibly be a better service than providing those qualities to the masses for a mere pittance of coin? That is the grand service of The Erudite Elk Estate and the Brimstone Club overall. The main manor, a nearly 200 year old antique of architecture, harkens back to an older style of luxury than the modern roaring stylings, letting the wealthy and the cultured reminisce on the past while kicking up their feet.
A hotel, a luxury restaurant, a social club, and the most delectable serving of infernal delights Edda and beyond has to offer. That is the layer cake of delight that is The Erudite Elk Estate.

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Purpose / Function

There are four purposes for The Erudite Elk Estate, chief among the properties of The Brimstone Club. Three of which are known to the common man.

1. Firstly, it is to be a hotel of luxury and refinement. No roadside inn for muddy adventurers, this is a pristine building of the finest architecture, and every member of the clientele shall be waited on and accomodated as if they were royalty. The finest furniture and bedsetting, immaculate hygenic standards, staff as sweet and placating as the finest Diujian Mead, and an utmost standard of safety and privacy.
2. Secondly, it is to be a luxury club of reputable sort. Fine dining, elegant beverages from across the world, high class performances and guests, and of course that Brimstone Club standard of service for all customers. So too can this space be used by community hosts as well of our fellows, the socialites, the philantropists, the dandies, and the learned.
3. Thirdly, although this is quite delibratley less known, it is to be a source of...shall we say gratification? Those of high standard have high standard tastes in all things, including business, partners, and luxury items. Far be it for them to lower themselves to random street level night walkers and pickpockets when they can have a place of luxury and refinement to do all manner of business with, and I must stress, the utmost professionalism and discretion.
4. Fourthly, and this is to be the most secret of secrets, it is to be the home base for The Brimstone Club and our primary reliquary for magical artifacts, tomes of knowledge, and the hosts which we lovingly serve to our dying breath. Let them drink in the revelry and sins fermenting within our divine palace.

Alterations

The Erudite Elk Estate was originally a large mansion just outside the main walls of Eris, Atalanta. In the years since it's purchase by The Brimstone Club it has had MANY alterations to turn it into a luxury hotel, restaurant, fine drinking experience, and high society mingling ground. While the original extra space on the property was used for a family mausoleum and horse riding, it has now been turned into an on-property vineyard with a gorgeous sitting garden, complete with their own staffed mini-bars of course.

Architecture

The main mansion of the estate, which makes up the Hotel and Restaurant, is a masterwork of beaux-arts masonry. Three stories tall and with 100 hotel rooms of various accomdations post-renovations, the accenting of the building is a paramount work of local artistry and durability, made entirely from Atalantan mined stone. Some accenting structures are done with local Erisite darkwood, contrasting against the lighter grays of the masonry. Most notably, a marble elks bust was added to the main entryway, giving the manor its new title.
The interior uses the same darkwood for some wood paneling as well as wallpaper in regal crimsons and purple hues. Each hallway is not only lit with the estates private mana energy grid but also decorated by pieces of artwork from all around Atalanta, with a few select pieces even being samples of high art from overseas as well. This isn't even mentioning the minute details of set pieces such as statues, floral arrangements, and room designs.
The ballroom was turned from a marble dancehall to a dimly lit chic dining space, with pristine mahogany tables, a theater-esque stage, an upstairs seating area, and of course a fully stocked, state-of-the-art kitchen.
The other buildings on the estate follow suit, although with less grand bones than the main mansion, but still detailed and designed with style and class nonetheless. The gardens are all done in a mixture of modern and older fashions, and adorned with various statues and pieces of shaped artwork, including many hidden elk statues that, once all found, can give a variety of kitschy prizes!

Defenses

The main manor on the estate was made with sturdy stone, and designed to weather the mightiest monster or army attack. There's also the matter of the highly trained guard personell on the estate, a mix of normal guards and the Brimstone Clubs elite Red Pawn Division. The manor itself doesn't have specific battlements, those are largely left to the walls of Eris, less than a mile from the estate.
Of course, then there is the matter of the true owners of the estate, and if they'd even let a palpable threat effect one of their most fertile feeding grounds.

History

Origin

The Cerfchasse Clan was a proud bloodline of hunters and military folk spanning back centuries, and they made a lot of good money from their service. In the late 700's EE, the latest patriarch of the family, Mouton Cerfchasse, decided to have a luxorious manor built near the city of Eris, where hunting would be good and situated close to where many were wanting to make a new capital for the nation.
Then, in 796, The Exile's Din began to the east in what is now Magnum Opus, with the people of the nation rising up against their Atalantan and Affalonian oppressors. At first thought to be a simple riot, the kind easily put down to the sword, they soon escelated matters to levels considered terrorism by some, and increasingly the full might of the military was called in.
The men of the Cerfchasse family who could still serve all volunteered, and Mouton told his dear wife, Chèvre, that he would bring her fourty beastkin hides to warm their new manor, close to being completed. With an anxious goodbye, half of the clan left for the war.
None of them would return home, save in pieces.
When the Exile's Din finished, all of Chèvre's sons and her husband were slaughtered, and her own father and in-laws died of dieseases in the interem, so ownership of the house fell to her. But she could only see this ownership as a curse, as she was constantly harrased by the phantom wails of her family echoing across the empty stone walls. She sent her daughters to live with her sister up north, where she figured they'd be safe from the phantoms that would not leave her be, and she and the manor both fell into disrepair.
While the estate was beautiful from the outside, it soon became overgrown, barren, and most of all filled with anguished howls, not of any ghost but of Chèvre herself. In the 30 years that followed Chèvre's isolation until her death, the manor stopped being a safe haven and turned into just yet another haunted threat among the many victims of Eris, another ghost story best left forgotten and unsaid.
So it came to some surprise when Chèvre's eldest granddaughter, Coton, recieved a visit from a devilishly handsome man in the summer of 940 EE. Apparently, he had heard the tales of the estate, and was rapturously curious about the entire affair. Coton did not learn much from her own mother, Chèvre's middle daughter, but told him that it was a haunted and abandoned place that only fell to her out of inheritance, not desire.
The man, with a sharp and bright grin, did not seem to care for the red marks against it, and merely asked if she'd be willing to sell it to him, no strings attatched. She was overtly suspicious, but luckily her fiance worked in financial law and was able to write up a binding contract, something the handsome man seemed almost excited for them to do. Nonetheless, she asked for a comparatively meager sum, around 10,000 Gold for the entire estate, a tenth of it's original value. Not only did he accept in short order, he would later send Coton a total of 200,000 Gold, nearly double the original cost to buy the house.

Renovation

While she was overjoyed to be rid of the house, and their families finances were solidly set after their clans decline, she couldn't help but feel uneasy, as if she had made a deal with a devil.
Almost immediatley, renovation work began on the estate, all funded and oversaw by The Brimstone Club, a premiere gentlemans club throughout Atalanta whose members touch all aspects of high society, from young flirtatious debutants to old sardonic politicians. It was their founder and president, the ever handsome Sir Bastien Shaw, that made the purchase and metered out the fine details of this passion project.
Within five years the renovations were complete, and The Erudite Elk Estate was formed as the new central meeting grounds for The Brimstone Club. For the first few years, it was open only to members and their vouched-for guests, but by 950 EE they opened it up to the public, although the cost and social environment made sure it was for the wealthy public.
Throughout the march to the modern day, especially through The Border Wars, the various Estates of The Brimstone Club grew and grew growing ever more varied and experimental in their design and public purpose, but The Erudite Elk is still the most famous and the home location of all the leaders of The Brimstone Club, who watch over their herd of fatted and ignorant guests while reaping the practical and devilishly concealed benefits.
As for the haunting of the manor itself? Mostly the hallucinations of a woman in grief. But, a wailing spirit does walk the halls now, not screaming out of her loss and loneliness, but at the horror only she can see lurking in every shadow, the horned and hooved and sulfur-licking horrors that lie and feed on the hearts of the patrons.

Tourism

Many socialites and nobles from around Edda hear tale of the Brimstone Clubs deluxe fraternites, and The Erudite Elk is no different. The premiere hotel of the Club even as one of a dozen, it stands as a key luxury vacation spot, complete with fine dining, beautiful art, a charming estate, and a beautiful forest surrounding it. Those who get invited to the private events held on the property practically salivate at the chance.
And if you're lucky enough to be a member or recieve an invitation of the private and elite Brimstone Club? You'll enjoy every pleasure money can buy away from any prying eyes of the world outside. That alone draws the meek and wanting right into the cats claws, the fact that the paws are so cushioned and well decorated only makes the mice more willing to come nearer.

Founding Date

11/16/812 EE (Originally), 8/26/945 EE (Reconstructed)

Alternative Names

Maison de Débauche, Devil's Manor

Type

Estate

Owner

Sir Bastien Shaw

Owning Organization

The Brimstone Club

Related Historical Events

• 945 EE
  Reconstruction of the Cerfchasse manor
• 812 EE
  Building of the Cerfchasse manor