Key to the Nuns' Dormitory

The monastery is full of keys that unlock the various ways into the monastery -- through the chapel, through the hospital, through the guest entrance -- and into the abbot's house and other various buildings on the property. The cellarer carries a fair few, as does the doorkeeper, and the abbot and abbess have access to most of them. But there is one key that unlocks the only interior doors of the monastery, and the abbess alone is custodian of this key.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

This is a basic, though ancient, key. It works by moving the mechanism inside the locks of both doors into the nuns' dormitory. The mechanism in the door to the unused entry, the stairwell in the chapel, may no longer function properly due to lack of use, though someone would need to test this in order to confirm.

History

This key (and the corresponding locks) date to the time of the construction of the current chapel. A stairwell was built at the side of the chapel to lead directly into the nuns' dormitory so that nuns would not have to walk through the main monastery on their way to the chapel for night offices. It is assumed that the main entrance to the nuns' dormitory was fitted with a new lock at this time so that the same key would unlock both entryways.
It is unknown for how long the nuns used the entryway in the chapel stairwell. No one has used that entrance in at least three generations, and current occupants of the monastery are unsure if the stairwell lock would even open. It is also unknown whether there were more copies of this key in the past. The current abbess holds the only known copy of the key, and as far as she remembers, her predecessor also held the only copy of the key before her.

Significance

The locked entrances into the nuns' dormitory, which can only be accessed through either the chapel or the monastery, mean that there is an additional layer of security surrounding this particular area, especially since only the abbess holds the key. This could become significant in Breaking the Silence if Fredegund is ever able to get the key from the abbess. She has a history of spiriting away other keys from other people, but the abbess cannot be deceived by trickery alone.

by author's photo

Creation Date

751

Current Location

St Maximinus

Rarity

This is the only known copy of this key.

Weight

8 oz

Dimensions

7.5 in.

“There’s only one interior door in this entire abbey that locks, and it’s this one right here.” Fredegund slid her hand gently down the heavy wooden door that stood immediately to the right of the staircase.
      Stephen remembered noticing the door the night he arrived at the monastery. He recognized the outsized lock and handle. “Where does it lead?” he asked.
     “To the nuns’ dormitory,” replied Fredegund. “Only the abbess has a key. It locks from the inside, so you boys can’t bother us when we’re sleeping.”