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Formerly the baronial seat of Fair Oaks, the freehold of Winterlong is now operated as a boarding school for young kithain, housed in a stateley, sprawling Victorian farmhouse set amidst spacious grounds. The old house, painted in a rather subdued shade of grey, has a brooding presence atop its low hill, and childlings arriving here for their first term at school often find it rather daunting. The fact that their classmates waste no time informing new students that the manor is haunted only enhances this impression. On a damp autumn day, Winterlong certainly can seem sinister, half screened by the gnarled oaks that ring the hill. Within, the manor house first presents an image of rigid propriety which does little to reassure nervous first-years. The entry hall is sparsely furnished with a coat rack, umbrella stand and and long wooden benches against two walls. Watercolor landscape paintings at just a touch of color, although brighter appointments can be glimpsed in the two classrooms which open onto the front passage. Only once past this formal area do visitors encounter more comforting surroundings. The rest of the ground floor includes the school office, the dining hall where the school meets for meals three times a day, the kitchen, scullery and housekeeper's quarters behind the dining hall, a teacher's lounge beyond the library where the faculty meets in the evening or between classes, and an enclosed porch where students may play or study when classes are over and chores are completed. The library in particular is warm and inviting, and it is here that the balefire hearth of Winterlong burns with rose and purple flames. Three leather couches arrayed about the fireplace substitute as beds for those requiring to sleep by the light of the balefire flames. The upper storey comprises a recreational area for students, as well as dormitory rooms housing four to six students apiece separated by gender and relative age. Teachers each have their own room, and the headmistress, Lady Lillian Airmidh, has her own suite. The furnishings in the upper regions of the hold are simple and homey, doing much to dispel the grim impression the manor initially gives. Winterlong Academy has no guest rooms. Visitors requiring overnight accomodation are directed to Pine Lodge. Enclosed by a sturdy rail fence, the manor grounds contain a few miscellaneous outbuildings, a garden for growing vegetables, kitchen herbs and medicinals, and a playground. Beyond the house, the lawn slopes down to a wooded creek which is irresistably attractive to the childlings. The water is far too shallow for swimming, but a tire swing hangs by a sturdy rope (strong enough to support even a troll) from one of the sheltering oaks. Outdoor play is encouraged year round as often as weather permits, and students regard the back yard as their personal domain. |
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Read about Winterlong's academic program and student life or about the faculty and staff. Enter Winterlong Academy (in-character chat room)  [Shortcuts] [Freeholds] [Profiles] [Main] |