Each of the eight large buildings which comprise House Faustas are much bigger than they appear. Most of their bulk is below ground, excavated below into the mountain side. Though only six are visible in the image, two more are located one-higher, one-lower altitude - nearly by the peak of Ghera, and nearly by the very ocean's inlet.
The towering stone buildings are kept free of vegitation, however they are forbidding enough as they are, and vines rarely even creep near. Only the highest of them has any encroachment of trees. Below, the ocean-side building has an opening to the sea, where the high tide fills a large room where a water-wheel turns.
Piped up through the mountain, made easier by the fact that it is riddled with caverns and lava-tubes from the isle's early formation, energy from this motor serves many deeply-set machines that keep the Faustas house in business. The power is rudamentary at best, it is hardly as high-tech as any Alabaster machinery, but it does provide stored power in the form of tightly wound clockwork "batteries".
A very small number of Faustas inhabitants keep this whole device working, and should any part of it break down, it would still be a matter of weeks before anyone would notice. The batteries power up anything which requires energy - even basic lighting is provided by it in some parts of the House.
The entrances to each of the buildings is heavily guarded. Several of the buildings house the workers, hunters and those who keep their small step farms running. Since Faustas is set onto a very difficult hill side, visitors are obviously not encouraged. The easiest way to actually get inside, is to come in with the tide.
Medical facilities are scattered within the other buildings, ones which both help and hurt people. Faustas commitment to studying T-powers is well known among clans and other Houses here, though they have kept it largely secret from other Isles populations.
Food and water are stored in one of the buildings, and kept free of vermin by several packs of alis-gryphs. Other animals found here are not always what they seem. The Fralamaraz will not approach this area, no matter who brings them or how enticing it may seem inside. They know things about Faustas which no others do.
Within the main hall, not surprisingly the largest among the visible pyramids, there is a banquet hall of sorts, surrounded by rooms fit for living, meeting, bartering and the like. They have rarely been used. In fact it is painfully obvious to experienced travelers that few of the 'visitor' type areas have ever been opened up for any kind of celebration, feast or gathering. It isn't that there aren't enough inhabitants to warrant it, it's that there is never anything particularly to celebrate.
Everything in the main hall's private chambers is kept private, though it a glimpse is gotten, you'll see a nicely appointed and wood-lined set of apartments where the Faustas family itself resides. Servants and guards will quickly escort the visitor along, away from these chambers.
If, say, someone is on the "other" end of Faustas' attentions, someone might be granted more of a complete tour of the facilities. That tour will usually end in death. Rarely, someone captured by the Faustas guards or hunting parties will exhibit features they wish to keep - and this person will be either coersed into joining the House, or forced to remain. The entirety of the Triptych Clan is wanted by Faustas, but with them slowly begining to bond to dragons or gryphons, it is very unlikely that they will be caught.
Many experiments are done in the House to attempt to purify, strengthen or otherwise improve human use of T-powers. Faustas himself, the original Lord of this House, never developed them. Nor any of his offspring or grandchildren. Currently, he is more than 80 years old, but still presides over the activities in the House.
Those activities will make your skin crawl, so let's not go into that. With the arrival of Alabaster in the middle of the century, Faustas has made a great effort to extend itself into more conventional merchantry, developing ties with fringe clans and houses. Neither Paniya caer or N'someka Aerie will allow Faustas inhabitants to stand for bonding. The dragons and gryphons seem to sense something sinister about them.
However there are many Faustas house children whose origins are far from loyal family members. They are captured servants, gypsies and the like, most of whom exhibit some form of T-power or bonding affinity. These are the scruffy looking waifs which visitors often see staring at them from corners, around doorways, or from rafters. How they get up there is a mystery to all but the children.
Do enjoy your stay. If you can get out, that is.
Stefano Faustas -- elder (81), Lord of the House
Elize Faustas -- elder (75), Lady of the House
(6 children)
(5 servants)
(3 guards)
