On the outskirts of Tally’s Till, nestled between the thinning trees and the encroaching wilds of the forest, stands the abandoned manor of the Soundless Bell Clan—an enigmatic family of kitsune who retreated deeper into the woods as the town grew. The path leading to it is overgrown with moss and wildflowers, and the air carries a faint, sweet scent of cherry blossoms, even out of season.
Exterior
The manor is built in a modest traditional style reminiscent of the kitsune’s distant homeland in Channora—sweeping curved roofs with wooden shingles, latticed paper screens (some torn or yellowed with age), and a raised foundation to keep the interior dry. The wood, once polished and rich in color, has faded to a silvery gray, weathered by time but still sturdy.
-
The Courtyard Garden:
-
A small, once-meticulously maintained garden now runs wild with vines, tall grasses, and clusters of foxglove and bluebells.
-
A stone lantern, cracked and covered in lichen, stands crookedly near the path.
-
A koi pond, now murky but still holding water, is home to a few stubborn fish and a family of frogs. Fireflies hover above it at dusk.
-
Pixie Inhabitants: A small troupe of pixies has claimed the garden as their own, using the overgrowth as hiding spots. They giggle and whisper to visitors but vanish if approached directly.
-
Locals know to be extremely wary of pixies, as they have the potential to be lethally dangerous if irritated (though they are usually just bratty).
-
-
The Veranda:
- Wrapped around the front of the manor, the wooden veranda creaks underfoot but remains intact.
- A single wind chime, shaped like a fox’s bell, hangs silently. When it is rung, only kitsune can hear it’s sound.
Interior
The sliding doors are unlocked—whether by time or by unseen hands, and the inside is dusty but not entirely ruined. Dust motes float in the shafts of light that pierce through torn paper screens.
-
Main Hall:
- Tatami mats line the floor, frayed at the edges but still serviceable. They are fragrant with the faint scent of incense and dust.
- A low wooden table sits in the center, its surface scratched but otherwise untouched. A single, dust-covered teacup rests atop it.
- A painted scroll of a nine-tailed kitsune in mid-transformation hangs crookedly on one wall, its colors faded but still striking. Apparently, the family always thought this one was a bit garish, and didn’t bother to take it.
-
Ancestral Shrine:
- A small alcove holds a shrine with three fox masks: one smiling, one weeping, one serene. Offerings of dried flowers and old coins are scattered at its base.
- Thick cables run from each mask and are intricately braided into a thick rope which disappears into the floor beneath the shrine.
- If disturbed, the masks’ expressions seem to shift when no one is looking directly at them. Kio was told that, amongst other things, the shrine could be used to communicate with ancestors and family back home, but hadn’t ever actually seen it being used for such. Grandmother had tinkered with it endlessly, saying that she should be able to unlock its full capabilities if she could gain access to the “root”, whatever that meant. She eventually stopped bothering, and the shrine was left here.
-
Living Quarters:
- Several small rooms branch off from the main hall, their futons long since decayed into moth eaten rags.
- A child’s room holds a tiny wooden fox toy, left behind. Kio can’t believe that’s where the toy was! They looked pretty hard for it before they moved out, but could never find it.
-
The Hidden Study:
- Behind a sliding panel lies a small study with scrolls written in an elegant, flowing script. Most are mundane. Poetry, household records, but one describes the “path of moonlit silver” leading deeper into the forest, where the clan eventually retreated. The new place is pretty nice after all.
- Kio doesn’t know why they made the study ‘secret’, since everyone here knew about it, but they suppose it must just be a kitsune compulsion.
GM navigation: 00 - Cytgard GM Home · 00 - Cytgard Map Gazetteer · 00 - Locations Index