Alderstone House
This large two-story stone house sits among mature oak trees in a quiet, affluent neighborhood far from the noise of the Old District. A slate roof sheds rain in neat sheets, and a wide front porch wraps the front of the home like a welcoming hand. The fenced backyard is tidy and private, with trimmed hedges, a small garden plot, and a detached garage set slightly back from the house. The garage has a side door that leads down to the basement, a practical feature that hints at storage, escape routes, or something more secret. The home blends suburban comfort with modern high fantasy sensibilities, using modest magic for convenience, privacy, and protection rather than spectacle.
Alderstone House
Quiet, comfortable, and faintly magical. The house feels safe, lived-in, and prosperous without being ostentatious. Oak leaves whisper in the yard, the porch boards creak softly at night, and the wards give the place a sense of calm watchfulness.
This large two-story stone house sits among mature oak trees in a quiet, affluent neighborhood far from the noise of the Old District. A slate roof sheds rain in neat sheets, and a wide front porch wraps the front of the home like a welcoming hand. The fenced backyard is tidy and private, with trimmed hedges, a small garden plot, and a detached garage set slightly back from the house. The garage has a side door that leads down to the basement, a practical feature that hints at storage, escape routes, or something more secret. The home blends suburban comfort with modern high fantasy sensibilities, using modest magic for convenience, privacy, and protection rather than spectacle.
Warm, organized, quietly shrewd, and fiercely protective of home and family
History
Layout and Rooms
The house is divided for comfort and function rather than grandeur. The first floor holds a broad entry hall, a sitting room with a cold-weather hearth, a formal dining room, a practical kitchen, a study, a sunroom, and a guest lavatory tucked near the stairs. The second floor has four bedrooms, two washrooms, a linen room, and a small family sitting room that overlooks the backyard. The basement is dry, finished in stone, and used for storage, wine, preserves, storm sheltering, and a private workroom. The detached garage holds a carriage bay, workshop benches, and a narrow side door to the basement stairs for quiet access in bad weather or emergencies.
Security and Wards
Though the house looks like a respectable suburban home, it is protected by practical magic layered with care. The front porch lanterns are enchanted to brighten for friends and dim for strangers. The windows are warded against scrying, insects, and common prying spells. The doors are reinforced with ironwood cores and simple runic locks keyed to the owner and immediate family. The backyard fence is laced with a low alarm ward that chimes softly if someone climbs it without permission. A small circle of stones near the garage can be used to ground teleportation magic, preventing random arrivals inside the home. None of the wards are aggressive unless seriously tested, which suits the neighborhood and keeps the house from feeling like a fortress.
Daily Use and Hospitality
The house is meant to host a family with substantial means and a wide social circle. The dining room can seat ten comfortably and sixteen in a pinch. The study has space for ledgers, maps, correspondence, and a modest spell library. The porch is a favored place for tea, evening conversation, and neighborhood gatherings. The backyard is used for children, pets, and small summer events, while the garage workshop is where repairs, enchantment maintenance, and hobby projects are handled. Guests are expected to respect the house's quiet order, remove muddy boots at the door, and avoid the cellar stairs unless invited.
Denizens
Warm, organized, quietly shrewd, and fiercely protective of home and family
A practical and affectionate homeowner who keeps impeccable records, dislikes waste, and knows exactly where every tool in the house belongs. She is cordial to neighbors, cautious with strangers, and secretly very proud that the house has never leaked during a storm.
Mara's spouse, a retired city surveyor who still notices foundation cracks, drainage problems, and weak hinges before anyone else does. He speaks little, fixes everything twice, and treats the basement like a sacred place of order.
A silver-haired gnome gardener who tends the lawn, hedges, and herbs behind the house. She knows the neighborhood gossip, understands the fence ward better than anyone, and has an uncanny talent for making ordinary flowers bloom out of season.
A young apprentice mage who visits twice a month to refresh the minor wards, inspect the lantern charms, and complain that the house has too few places to hide magical curiosities. He is earnest, messy, and deeply impressed by the pantry.
Rumors & Plot Hooks
- 1.The basement side door used to connect to a smuggler's tunnel, though no one has found the other end.
- 2.The front porch lanterns were made from a rescued streetlamp spirit that still likes to gossip with guests.
- 3.The oak trees in the yard were planted on top of something buried, and the roots have never dared to go deeper.
- 4.The house is so well warded that even wealthy thieves refuse to test it more than once.
Classified Entry
Behind a false panel in the basement workroom is a sealed old foundation chamber from the original property. Inside is a small iron strongbox, a brittle set of survey notes, and a hidden family ledger proving that the land was purchased from someone who never had the legal right to sell it. The current owners know the chamber exists, but they have never opened the strongbox because they fear it could reveal a claim against the entire neighborhood.
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