Alfeva has claimed the top three floors of a tower for her personal residence and named it the Tower of the Four Seasons. Each floor is reached through a spiral staircase and accessed by its own door.
The top floor is her laboratory and the door is marked with her sanctum marker. Alfeva's spacious and well-appointed lab is both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. It has expensive and well-crafted equipment she bought through House Mercere after arriving in Hibernia. The tower affords a commanding view and its four windows permit a view all the way around the Hill and the surrounding plains. The room also gets fresh breezes off the lake. Light is provided by a Magical Lamp, a glass sphere which, on command, emits light equivalent to direct sunlight on a clear day. A beautiful marble sculpture of a Greek woman is actually a Tireless Servant sculpted by Peter of Verditius. A Bookstand of Hespera bears whatever lab notes Alfeva is currently working on. Carpets cover much of the stone floor. The lab includes an Ever-burning Hearth, a large silver basin of water, and a collection of stones gathered from around the Hill and arranged on a three-level wooden case. All of this facilitates Alfeva's Study Requirement flaw. Karolina assists her in the lab, though she's not a particularly intelligent assistant.
Characteristics: Size +1, Refinement +2, General Quality +5, Upkeep +6, Safety +4, Warping 0, Health +1, Aesthetics +6
Specializations: +1 Auram, +1 Ignem, +1 Mentem; +2 Spells, +2 Texts, +1 Items (+1 Vis Extraction and +1 Imaginem, inactive)
Virtues: Elevated (0; +1 Aesthetics, +1 Au), Greater Expansion (+3; +2 GQ, +4 Upkeep, +1 Aesthetics, +2 Spells), Highly Organized (0; +1 GQ), Servant: Karolina +0 (0; +1 Aesthetics, +1 Me), Magic Item: Bookstand of Hespera (+2 Texts), Magic Item: Peter's Tireless Stone Servant (+1 GQ, +1 Safety), Magical Heating (+1 Health, +1 Aesthetics, +1 Ig), Magical Lighting (+1 Aesthetics, +1 Im), Superior Construction (0; +1 Safety, +1 Aesthetics), Superior Equipment (0; +1 GQ, +2 Upkeep, +1 Safety, +1 Vis Extraction), Superior Tools (+1 Safety, +1 Items)
Flaws: None
The middle floor is reserved for Alfeva's private chambers and, again, is set off with her sanctum marker. The windows are smaller on this level, but the walls are decorated with beautifully-patterned tapestries. The luxurious bed was acquired for her by Colin, covered in green and gold coverlets and expensive satin sheets. A writing desk up against one wall stores parchment, quills, and ink. Two large wardrobes house her clothing, while a trunk she brought from the Alps has some of her most personal possessions. This includes three books: Excerpts from Quaesitorial Magic, The Memory Palace, and Magic of the Memory Palace. A screen conceals a copper bathtub and a Nailed Down Chamber-Pot. There is a simple table and two chairs manufactured by Polumeta with craft magic, and thick carpets cover the stone floor. Light is provided by a mundane lamp.
Finally, the lowest of her three floors is a reception room where she welcomes visitors. It is not marked with her sanctum. Two doors, one on each side, lead to the castle walls, and a clear path leads between these doors for guards on patrol. Two carpets flank this path, tapestries are on the walls, there is a long and narrow table on one side with a few wooden chairs, and a hearth on the opposite side.
Excerpts from Quaesitorial Magic
This collection of spells is focused on Quaesitorial investigations. They are common only in House Guernicus or among those from other Houses who have gotten Quaesitor training.
The Whole from the Part, InCo 20
The Good Witness, CrMe 25
Trust Me, ReMe 20
The Penitent's Confession, ReMe 30
Aura of Inconsequence, ReMe 25
A Magical Miscellany
Alfeva comissioned this collection of spells during her investigation of Innocentius in 1226.
Enchantment of the Scrying Pool (InAq[Im] 30)
Eyes of the Hawk, MuCo[An] 4
Eyes of the Cat, MuCo[An] 5
Loss of But a Moment's Memory (PeMe 15)
Tracks of the Faerie Glow (InTe 25)
Hands of the Grasping Earth (ReTe 15)
The Memory Palace
A definitive summa on the Art of Memory by a Byzantine scholar (Level 5, Quality 12). Annotations appear to have been made by a Jerbiton magus specializing in Mentem magic. Many of these annotations suggest the application of Hermetic magic to the Memory Palace.
Magic of the Memory Palace
A collection of spells designed to enhance the Art of Memory, Alfeva purchased copies of these spells for 6 pawns of Imaginem vis at the Tribunal of 1215.
Enhance the Memory Palace (CrMe 20)
Constructing the Memory Palace (CrMe 20, Ritual)
Memory Palace of the Sage (CrMe 25, Ritual)
Fortification of the Memory Palace (ReMe 25)