“Let the heavens judge us — we build to be seen.”
Location: The western edge of the Royal District, near the cliffs overlooking the sea. Its black-stone towers loom above the skyline of Lygos like jagged fingers clawing at the clouds.
Overview
If the Proudcoats built their manor to dazzle the eyes, the Jerichos built theirs to impress the soul — or crush it.
The Manor of the Jerichos is a soaring fortress-cathedral of black marble and gray granite, every arch and spire straining skyward as though in supplication to the gods. High stained-glass windows depict the family’s crusades, while tall chimneys bleed smoke that drifts across the district like storm clouds.
Its silhouette dominates the city at sunset, when the last rays of light strike its spires and the gargoyles seem to come alive in molten gold.
Architecture and Atmosphere
Design: Gothic to the extreme — all vertical lines, vaulted ceilings, and pointed arches. Even the interior corridors seem to stretch endlessly upward.
Material: Black granite quarried from the northern mountains, veined with silver. The walls are cold to the touch, always faintly damp from sea mist.
Decor: Candelabras of wrought iron, long carpets of crimson and black, and portraits painted in oils so dark the subjects’ eyes seem to follow you.
Lighting: The manor is never bright. Light is rationed to create mood — long shadows, half-lit statues, and the constant flicker of candlelight across the stone.
Exterior Features
Towers & Spires: The tallest tower, called the Spire of Saint Jericho, rises higher than the city’s watchtowers. Lightning rods crown each spire, shaped like swords pointed skyward.
Gargoyles: Dozens of winged statues cling to ledges and parapets — angels, demons, and armored knights, each carved with haunting precision. Some are rumored to be magically warded constructs that awaken when the manor is threatened.
Statuary Garden: A grim courtyard of marble saints and warriors. The fountain at its center trickles water dyed faintly red from iron minerals, earning it the nickname “the Bleeding Pool.”
Interior Highlights
The Grand Nave: A vast entry hall lined with stone pillars carved into kneeling angels. The floor is an inlaid depiction of Lygos surrounded by radiant light — the Jerichos’ vision of divine order.
The Hall of Swords: Every Jericho knight’s blade hangs here, engraved with name and date of service. It’s said no weapon can be drawn from the wall except in defense of the family.
The Chapel of Ash: A private shrine where the Jerichos hold midnight vigils. Candles burn beside reliquaries containing the ashes of ancestors, and an enchanted censer fills the air with silver smoke that glows faintly under moonlight.
The Gallery of Saints and Sinners: Lifelike statues of ancestors line this upper corridor — half are sanctified heroes, half are disgraced traitors. The family insists on keeping both sides of their legacy visible.
The High Library: A circular chamber beneath the tallest spire, filled with theological treatises, grimoires, and military histories. Its ceiling depicts the stars of the heavens painted in gold leaf.
Political and Social Role
The Jerichos are the guardians and moral backbone of Lygos’ nobility — defenders of its walls and champions of divine law.
Their manor serves as both fortress and court: they host few parties, but hold councils of war, religious ceremonies, and solemn feasts in honor of fallen heroes.
They often clash with the Proudcoats politically — the Proudcoats flaunt wealth; the Jerichos revere sacrifice.
Their influence over the City Watch and Temple of Selûne’s martial orders ensures that their word carries weight in matters of law and defense.
Rumors & Secrets
The Gargoyles Move: Locals claim that on stormy nights, the gargoyles’ eyes glow red and shift position by dawn.
The Crypt Below: Beneath the manor lies a sealed ossuary said to hold the bones of every Jericho since the founding of Lygos — and something older still.
The Mirror in the Chapel: A relic from the Dawn Wars, said to show not one’s reflection but the truth of one’s soul. It is kept veiled except during rites of confession.
Haunted Choir: Servants swear they sometimes hear chanting in the Grand Nave when no one is there — a ghostly choir of Jerichos past, singing eternal hymns of vigilance.
Adventure Hooks
The Lightning at Saint Jericho’s Spire: After a storm, a gargoyle crashes through the streets below — inside it is a message written in celestial script.
Murder in the Hall of Swords: One of the family’s blades has been used in a crime, but no one remembers removing it from the wall.
The Sleeping Knight: A petrified Jericho ancestor awakens from stone, claiming to have been cursed centuries ago — but by whom?
The Blood in the Fountain: The Bleeding Pool begins to run dark red with real blood; the family seeks outsiders to uncover the source before scandal erupts.
Summary
Where the Proudcoat Manor glitters with indulgence, the Manor of the Jerichos broods with reverence.
Every stone aspires upward, every spire points heavenward, every candle burns as if defying the dark. It is not a home built for comfort but for legacy — a monument to faith, order, and the unyielding conviction that duty is the highest form of devotion.