Introduction
Lady Catherine's house is the focus of the small dreams Chronicle, being the home of two player characters and the freehold for the whole troupe.
Physical Description
The house is two storeys high, with an attic and a basement also. It is a very large, very old house, elegant and stately, filled with unexpected corners and impossibly large rooms. Sometimes it seems one could almost get lost in its corridors. A search by Stig and Richard revealed that it was even larger than they could expect; there were always more corridors, nooks and crannies to be explored.
Through the front door is the vestibule. There is a staircase leading up, and the corridor on its right leads to the kitchen. There are doors to the left and right, and also doors on either side of the hallway.
The door to the right leads to a small sitting room, which in turn leads to the hearthroom. The door down the corridor on the left (ie under the stairs) opens on the stairs leading down to the basement.
The door down the corridor on the right opens on to the dining chamber, which itself gives access to the kitchen and the hearthroom (the hearthroom is between sitting room and dining room, and can only be entered from those rooms, at least that seems to be the case. The Hearth is in the centre of the wall backing on to the corridor, so along the corridor wall just after the base of the stairs is the brickwork of the back of the fireplace. The fireplace sometimes has a real fire as well as the Balefire in it, depending.
During the hunt for the Quilt, it was discovered that the insides of the walls are decorated with a strange pattern. This has been further investigated, but without producing any enlightenment as to their nature, purpose or significance.
There is a small wall with gateway along the roadside; the gate is usually open. Between gate and front door is a small "garden" - a few feet of grass and tended bushes and a tree. The space is much larger in Fae terms, and the concrete path to the front door is marked with colourful designs instead of being slightly weed-grown.
There is a garden out the back. This barely exists in mundane reality, but in fae terms it reaches back and back.... and back... and back... It doesn't appear carefully tended and no-one much goes out into the garden so anything could be down there.
The Attic
Like all the best attics, this one is large, dark and filled with more old stuff than anyone can remember putting there. Hidey-holes and hidden places abound, formed by old canvases leaning against walls, hangings attached to iron hooks, chests piled precariously atop bureaus, wardrobes and ornate chairs. There is dust everywhere, and apparently no natural light. The area closest to the door contains much old art equipment: paint brushes, jars, easels, canvases, and rags with rainbow stains.
The attic is always locked.
The Basement
The basement was the domain of Slim, and is (consequently?) rarely if ever entered by others. It used to have a freezer chest in it, but this was taken out to aid in the capturing of the Quilt.
The Hearthroom
This room is the metaphorical centre of the house, the hub of its Glamourous existence, for it contains the Balefire of the freehold.
The Library
A small room, the library nevertheless contains a large number of books, by virtue of every wall, from floor to ceiling, holding as many as can fit. A single desk and a couple of chairs are the sole furnishings beside the small stepladder used for reaching the highest shelves.
The library's collection seems to conform to no cataloguing system, although the chimerical invisible servant who tidies up the books always puts them back exactly where they came from. Or rather did, before it disappeared (presumed eaten, though whether by the Quilt or Slim is not known).
Recently those frequenting the library may well have come across a rather worn piece of lined notepaper. It has some scrawled words on it. Two other works have their text available: a short piece entitled On the Duties of Friendship and The Chrysalis Companion.
Lady Catherine's Studio
On the second floor is Lady Catherine's 'studio'. She does most of her painting out in the world outside, but this place is full of canvases and sketches in various states of completion, all awaiting attention. This space has been known to spill into other rooms in the past, but currently fits comfortably in one.
History
The history of Waldren House has become a small matter of interest to a number of those associated with the freehold, largely due to the patterns in the walls. Jacoby has provided some information, namely that: