---

I finally finished making the map of the manor like Sorda asked me to do today. I have to admit, that wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be, but at least it's done. It did give me a chance to look around the manor in detail while the others were preparing the meal. So that, that.

From what I saw, the manor is much more luxurious than I would have thought, given the isolated location. Not to mention that it has been abandoned for over two years. Besides, I still don't understand why they leave a place like this abandoned for no good reason, they could have at least sold it... but on the other hand, who would want it? It’s so fare from everything...

But getting back to the building and not my opinion. It is in perfect condition, perfectly frozen in time. No broken windows, no collapsed roofs and no crack in the wall. It shows that it was built with quality material that can stand the test of time. The walls are very thick and of excellent construction. Despite the intense cold outside, the heat produced by the fire in the living room has no difficulty in keeping the air in the manor at a livable temperature. Especially the living room and the master bedroom. At least, this is the case when Serenna does not open the door because she thinks the air is impossibly too hot...
The decorations are also really beautiful, too bad I didn't manage to put them on the map, but I couldn't really afford to do it in the like 3-4 hours I had today. By the way, while doing the tour, I found my favorite room. It's the balcony, with the two fireplaces on either side. It would make a nice place to have a drink before bedtime, or just to receive visitors without everyone getting too cold and deciding to hide inside like fish in a barrel. A great place for reunion, in my opinion. Exempt that the rest of the manor is quite boring. Nothing fascinating to write, so I don’t feel like wasting more ink on it. The map already said it all.

I almost forgot. We also finished going around the manor all together, even the vixen followed us as we wandered from room to room. She was a little out of the way, often in the doorway, but she still accompanied us for the whole tour. Once we had finished the visit, she went into the living room to lie down on the couch, still looking out of the window. She still hasn't said anything today, but is at least able to walk normally now. That's a good improvement!

Oh, maybe there is one thing that I can add... It’s not really THAT interesting, but at lest it will make this day worth write about. A lot of the door were locked with no key to open it, so I had to unlock them with my tools, but the one to the bedroom had a much, much more elaborate lock. I was not able to pick it at all. No progress were made after each of my many tries, so we had to go to plan C... Which was, whatever work to open it. Serenna did suggest that she can break down the door with her axe, but Sorda refused. He didn't want to break anything in the manor. After a little discussion, which went from burning down the door to reducing our height to get under it, we finally came to a more logical choice which involved me going through the balcony. Thus, Serenna threw a makeshift grappling hook over the balcony so that I could climb up and gain access to the door that connected the balcony to the master bedroom. This door was, as we thought, also locked, but this lock is less complex than the one on the inside, so I was able to unlock it and consequently enter the room in search of a way to open the door from the inside. Nothing fascinating to this part, but it became much stranger afterward.

It was as I entered the room that I saw a humanoid form through the curtains. Resting on the bed. Wondering if it was an intruder who was sleeping, I approached slowly, silently, on tiptoe. Spanking step after step to avoid the crackling of the wooden board as I got closer. My eye never leaving this shape hiding behind the curtain. I could have been describing the scene as tense, until the moment I gently move the curtain to create a small slit that reveal the sleeping body of a snowy owl. Even at that time, I know instinctively that it was Lady Icyhill corps and nothing more. No bandit or anything exciting to write home about. But even if I find it strange, I wasn’t surprised to find her there. This place is supposed to be her tomb, after all, and we still haven't found her at this point. That was a bit of a let-down, but still. I had a job to do, so I got back to my job and check every drawer there were until I found the key on a pile of ceremonial clothes and was finally able to unlock the door for the rest of the group to joint me. See, nothing interesting. I hate this day, but anyway, moving on.
To describe her a bit more, Lady Icehill was lying in her bed. Her eyes closed in a state of rest, her body was, considering her age, in perfect condition. There was no sign of putrefaction, but after I check for a trace of magic, I found... something, but I don’t know what. She absolutely has something magic about her, but I can’t say what it is, but I’m certain that is as something to do with her frozen states. I've heard of spells that prevent decaying, so I ask Sorda ans Sortor who didn't really know why she was so well-preserved and even if Sortor did the same check that I did and came to the same conclusion as I. We still in the blank on this. Nonetheless, we didn’t have anything else to do in this room, so we didn’t bother her for too long, and we lock her back in her room, but this time, from the outside, so I wouldn't have to climb the wall again.
In retrospective, I find it strange that she was in her bed and not underground, so I ask Sorda about it, and he explained that it was part of the Icy tradition to leave the deceased in her bed in that same position for her eternal rest. Normally the manor is still in use, so the room is simply permanently lock up so that the resting place is not disturbed by visitors or other family members. It is also a kind of memorial, a picture of her passing as the room should, in theory, never be touched again. Personally, I find it a very strange practice to lose an entire room or even an entire manor for a dead woman. A shovel and some dirt are much cheaper and way more practical… Another mystery of the dubious practices of the nobles, but hey, who I am to judge the strange thing people do with their money?

---