The Magicians' House - Djävulenstad

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Afton Height

There's a great view of the city from the top of Afton Height - the hill is steep enough to be called the highest point in Djävulenstad. And it's a nice hike to the top, breezy even on the hottest days. There are, however, blackout curtains on most of the windows in the house, barring a few on the top floor. Anyone who comes calling during the day will be greeted politely by one of the house's three human employees, and, depending on which master of the house is sought, either be invited in, told to wait until evening, or to come back at some more convenient time. If they say that they have come to use the salon, they'll be admitted in and offered a nice cup of tea, with the hosts' compliments, whether they're to home or not.

Residents & Staff

John Childermass

pageofstaves Played by Hazel. Arrived in Ryslig in March of 2023. Undisputed king of the eyeroll, social chameleon, true and loyal friend. Vampire. Also reads tarot cards on request, and teaches night classes in personal finance and house management at the Strickler School. He can also sometimes be found at the Faros Academy assisting Saint-Germain in her studies, or at the Lottablog College working on historical research.

Jonathan Strange

madforaspell Played by Lore. Arrived in Ryslig in July of 2023. Magical genius, a gentleman's gentleman, absolute wife guy. Werewolf. He's been in the peninsula, you know. Not this one - Portugal, you see. He's still recovering from a long stint of self-imposed mental and physical illness after fighting to get his wife back from fairies. A professional scholar, he spends most of his time around the libraries and museums of Bavan, since books are familiar and adjusting is a long process.

Helena (NPC)

From a lower-middle class family in Bavan. Helena is a big fan of Rystrology, monsters in general, magic, and generally everything her straight-laced steel industry family turns their noses up at. She's not staring at you, she swears. ... Okay, maybe she is. She's usually flitting around the salons when there's company, and will dust the same shelves multiple times. Just to be sure.

Henrik (NPC)

Jonathan's personal servant, Henrik is from South Vandare. His mother is a seamstress and his father is a tinker who specializes in fixing medical tools and equipment. He is quiet, and only speaks when spoken to, but is happy to offer a human perspective on things if asked. Patient but no-nonsense. Loves cats.

Neena (NPC)

Queen of the kitchen, Neena is a widow whose husband died in the attacks the Tågevalgten made on Bavan in the summer of 2022 in their search to recover the Monsters' Pearl. She collected his insurance money - both on his life and his cobbling business - and is well off, but took the job at Afton House because she didn't want to "just lay about" for the rest of her life. Sweet, but a good aim with a wooden spoon.

The Salons

The first floor of Afton Height is clearly meant for entertaining company in the Regency-era sense of the word. The kitchen, pantry, and dining room are at the back: the front of the house is reserved for the foyer, a coat closet, and a succession of sitting rooms. These are laid out so that small groups of people can converse or spend their time in study: above all else, Afton Height is a place of comfort and knowledge. There is a sidebar with bottles of liquor and mixers, and a bell which can be rung if non-alcoholic beverages or snacks from the kitchen are desired. Seating is arranged so that monsters of any size or type can be comfortable, and one sitting room has the blackout curtains removable in case of any nephilim visitors.

The Library

The library of Hurtfew Abbey has been brought to Afton Height via a wish Childermass made to Mana for "some of the books from Norrell's library". Given that he paid her enough coin for a two-bedroom apartment, she decided she might as well just send him the whole thing. Some of the books are over four hundred years old, and they all pertain to the English Magic of Childermass and Jonathan's world. You can see the titles of several of them - along with where they can be found in the novel - here, because Hazel loves doing that kind of stuff.

The Garrett

Childermass & Jonathan's respective private quarters. One side of the third floor is likely to be far more controlled in terms of its chaos than the other. Henrik and Helena do their best ... but Jonathan Strange is, was, and always will be a force of nature unto himself when he's struck with inspiration. It's probably best not to touch anything left unattended in either magician's quarters, when you get right down to it.

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