Steppehaven Manor
The ruins of an ancient manor house sits on a wooded ridge overlooking Selune's Spring, the structure almost completely reclaimed by nature and only evidenced by the partially collapsed wall and the skeleton of the building that once stood there.
Purpose / Function
Steppehaven Manor was built to serve as the seat of the Tresendar family, a line of local nobles who ruled Steppehaven until the last of the family disappeared and presumably died out during a mysterious fire. More a castle than a house, the manor also served as a local fortification and shelter for the people of Steppehaven in the event of trouble.
Alterations
The manor is long-abandoned, and most of the above-ground structure has either decayed with time or has been cannibalized for raw materials in the construction and repair of the buildings in town, and the building has mostly been reclaimed by nature.
At this point only the footprints and a few weathered flagstones remain of a tower, while three-quarters of a crumbling stone wall, overgrown with moss and ivy show the remains of what once must have been the central hall. The stone floor is covered in a layer of leaf litter and scattered piles of rubble, while the roof itself, along with almost all the wooden support beams the structure must have had are gone.
Architecture
Steppehaven Manor was once a fairly upscale manor house, which doubled as a local strongpoint in the event of an attack. It featured a small inner garden surrounded by a stone wall, leading to the main building. The building was three stories tall and featured thick stone walls and focused around a single defensive tower and hall. The first floor was built onto the bare rock, with the higher floors, support beams, and roof constructed of wood.
In the aftermath of the building's fire and collapse, the tower's stones have been almost entirely cannibalized and only the loose remnants of the great hall's outer wall still remain.
Defenses
At present, the manor's ruin features no defenses, the defensive structure and value having long-since fallen to ruin.
Originally, the manor was built to serve as a reasonably effective defensive fortification, capable of providing short-term shelter for the villagers in case of a passing raid or attack, as breaching the tower and manor house itself would've required a determined assault with dedicated siege engineering.
History
Steppehaven Manor was built by the Tresendar family when they were awarded lordship over the town and its surrounding lands by the Duke of Whiteport. As the town itself was never very large and the Tresendars were generally absent, it served mainly as a country house for when the absentee Tresendar visited their estates from the city, or in times of crisis as a secure refuge for the townsfolk.
Having eventually exhausted their wealth and fallen on hard times, the last Tresendars returned to the manor and lived reclusively. Rumors swirled that the Tresendar lords grew ever more paranoid and desperate as their fortunes turned against them, further isolating from the village. Eventually, the manor's grounds were off-limits to all save the few remaining Tresendars and their closest servants and associates, and severed all contact with the outside world aside from the few regular intervals when townsfolk appeared at the gates to sell goods and resupply the castle.
One night shortly after this withdrawal, a fire broke out which destroyed the building and resulted in the deaths of the remaining Tresendars. Although no one is entirely certain what caused the fire, witnesses recall it seemed the fire spread unusually quickly and burned exceptionally hot. A few tried to reach the manor to mount some sort of rescue effort, but by the time they reached it the fire was already out of control and too hot to approach, and so most simply watched as the inferno illuminated the surrounding countryside from its overlooking position. No explanation for the fire was ever determined, and while some bodies were later recovered, others were never found, apparently burned to ash. Notably, no one escaped the fire.
In the aftermath of the disaster and following the exhaustion and relative devolution resulting from the Drakehoff Terror, no new lord of Steppehaven was ever appointed (and indeed, the title seemed to pass out of use without much notice, long since growing irrelevant) to occupy the ruin and replace the old, and no serious reconstruction efforts were undertaken. Rumors quickly abounded that the property was haunted by the ghosts of the restless dead or cursed, and as a result the townsfolk generally avoided the ruins other than the occasional trip to salvage some of the old stones to repurpose in new constructions rather than quarry new stone.
Recently, rumors of a haunting at the manor have been stirred up by reports of strange lights amongst the ruins seen at night, and eerie noises scaring off most of those who approach.
Tourism
Steppehaven Manor is unused and in a state of disrepair. Townsfolk generally avoid the site, believing it to be cursed or haunted, though a few rowdy kids have ventured up to the manor to escape their parents. Since the arrival of the Crimsons, the manor is even less frequented, and strange sounds and lights have been noticed emanating from its ruins.
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