Outside:
The security outside is set up so that any intruders will be spotted, delayed, or stopped by any secure (AKA non-breaches of the Masquerade) that are available. The entire point is to be inconspicuous, as well as effective. A very pretty brick wall surrounds the outside, with an ornately crafted, as well as solid, iron double-gate in the center (similar to those at graveyards, and just as firm). Once in there, the lawn is a good fifteen feet on any side of the wall from the house, covered in well-manicured and very soft Bermuda grass. In the front center coming from the gate is a wide gravel walkway leading to the front porch. The building itself is very similar to an old-fashioned bank, with marble walls and marble Tudor pillars (a total of four) supporting the roof frame over the front porch. There are two large wooden doors at the front, and one large wooden door in the back, ornately carved, very solid, and three inches thick. On either side of the front door are stained glass windows. In the top, centered and slightly forward, is a dome made of very solid stained glass, in a kaleidoscope pattern of colors and shapes, meant to resemble the designs of many embassies and formal buildings of that sort. The back porch has no ceiling area, and is meant to show the beauty of the sky, as well as allow those to sit there and enjoy being outside (for those who like that sort of thing).
Wall: As with many such buildings in a nice, suburban neighborhood, the property has a wall around it. It is approximately seven feet in height, and made of a very aesthetically pleasing white brick and mortar combination. Along the top, there are motion sensors imbedded in the top of the wall every couple of feet, their feed tied directly to the basement center. In the center, at the front, there is a double-gate, made of iron, which swings inward. The gate has a keypad to unlock it, as well as an intercom system, so that those outside can call inside, and ask for the gate to be opened from within.
Cameras: Around the entire perimeter, there are security cameras covering every angle possible (adding up to somewhere in the ballpark of sixteen cameras around the perimeter of the building). They do not move, and are set to cover the periphery of each of the other cameras, so that they cover each other. These cameras are set to the basement center of the building, and are not monitored by any other means. Also, they are set to record at all times, the tapes changed out every three days, so that old data is quickly copied over. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator.
Flood Lights: Shadows represent a danger when dealing with the Sabbat, as it is known the Lasombra can use them quite easily. For this sort of thing, two heavy floodlight banks (with two lights apiece, set to make a 90 degree angle) are set up along each wall, in the same manner that one would place them in a standard alarm system. These are set to go along with the alarms on the doors and windows, and can also be controlled at the basement center of the building. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator.
Electronic Alarms: Along both the outside doors, the two stained glass windows, as well as the stained glass dome at the top of the building, there are electronic alarms, set to measure for vibration and extreme motion when activated. These can be turned on and off if desired, though they are not turned off for the windows and dome. These are set to if they go off by anything other than a code being entered, they trip a silent alarm, which only goes inside the house, and are not connected to any other center. At the door, there is a keypad similar to the one at the gate, and an intercom system as well. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator.
Wards: Never believing in such a thing as overkill, Ethan has set Ward versus Vampires and Ward versus Ghouls throughout the outside of the property. The perimeter fence is lined with these, as is the main double-gate, the walkway to the house, the front porch, both doors, both windows, and the glass dome above the house. These will be freshly re-cast the night before the <I>gala</I> to assure their effectiveness. However, each guest, once showing their invitation, will be given a pin in the shape of the Toreador rose (it’s just that shape; it means nothing, otherwise, except to be aesthetically pleasing), which has a Ritual cast upon it that will allow the holder to get past these wards.
Land Mines and Mortars: In preparation for a full-scale attack, Ethan decided that he wanted to put up the most effective and lethal possible response possible. Of course, there are no land mines or mortars. This was just to see how closely you were reading.
Inside:
The inside security is no less complex than the outside, and, considering there is both more room to work in, and more area to cover, as well as more to work with, it is actually more complex inside than it is out. The principle is still the same for the inside; inconspicuous, and, at the same time, effective. The interior seems to echo the exterior design, in the fact that it looks very formal, and similar to that of a bank, or a formal embassy building. The walls are made of the same marble type finish, with wood inlay in certain places (such as the molding, the doorjambs, and the like), and a white, almost polished ambiance.
First Floor:
The first floor is the main area. The center of the building is set up as a ballroom, to where the first and second floors are merged, having only the main ceiling as their roof. Around the sides there are rooms, including two bedrooms and two bathrooms on the left side, a large storage closet and a game room on the right side, two large closets just beyond the antechamber, and, in the back, a kitchen, a dining area, and a kitchen storage area. By the stained glass windows, five feet to either side of the main door, there are benches for sitting. In the center, to the left and right of the dome, there are two chandeliers, responsible for most of the lighting. In the back, just before the door to the kitchen/dining area, there are twin staircases, arching slowly inward like the hood of a cobra. In the back-left corner, there is a secure “closet,” which has another door to it leading to the basement, but this is well-hidden and kept secured at all times. The floor of the main room is a beautiful black and white checker tile, as are the bathrooms, the kitchen and dining room, and the storage rooms. The bedrooms and game room, however, are floored with a very beautiful type of gray-blue carpeting, plush, but not too much so. The furniture in the main room consists of several gray-blue upholstered chairs, and a few couches of the same color, but most of the room is left open in the center. On the two side walls, about nine feet up, there are crests put up on the wall, crests which seem to have no meaning to anyone, really, and they are decorated with two sabers crossed beneath each one. The bedrooms are fully-furnished, as are the bathrooms (though they look, both, unused, and the doors are locked), and the game room has two pool tables, a foosball table, and one large, circular table that appears to be meant for playing cards.
Cameras: As with outside, the first floor has a number of cameras, even in the closets, carefully placed so as not to be too conspicuous, and, when able, hidden in some manner that is fitting for the surroundings. They cover every possible angle, all the doors, windows, entrance and exits from and to rooms, the domed ceiling, even the bathrooms and closets. ((I forget the exact total, as I think I’ve lost the blueprints I drew up, but I think the total for the inside was somewhere between 40 and 60 cameras.)) These are, as with the outside cameras, transmitted to the basement center in the building, rather than a security company, and, as with the outside, they are recorded. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator.
Flood Lights: As with outside, there are flood lighting systems set up within the building. Unlike the outside, however, they are not so obvious, and set up to appear as emergency lighting, and put up intermittently around the floor. In this, they are not quite so effective, but they allow for areas of security, as well as actual emergency lighting, should the main power fail. These are also controlled by the alarm system, as well as from switches in the basement control area. They are connected to an internal generator as well as main power, so that, even if all external power is cut, they can still work.
Intercom: The entire interior is set up with an intercom system, built so that it can communicate with each individual room (by pressing the button that is associated with that room, via a name tag by the button), or the entire building itself (by the same means). Music can also be put into this, so that music can be played throughout the entire building. Only the main intercom panel, by the entrance hallway in the main room, or the one in the basement, can communicate with the intercom systems at the door and/or the main gate. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator.
Basement Door: Within the “closet,” there is another door, one with a keypad on it that leads to the basement stairs. This door is a sliding door, made of a very solid metal, and two mistakes in a row, rather than the usual number (three, four, whatever it usually is) will set off a very loud alarm, which will be even louder in Ethan’s actual sleeping area. This alarm, as with the rest of them, is only internal, and does not connect to any sort of outside system. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator. Also, the wards on this door are set up in such a way as to where Ethan’s pendants will NOT allow people with them to touch this door safely.
The Special Closet: And no, this isn’t where elder Tremere can take their neonates to teach them “proper respect for House and Clan.” No, rather, this is the main closet on the first floor, which has been specially warded so that only Ethan, Patrice, Gregory, and the security staff can access it. Inside, it holds a small arsenal, including five Mossberg Pump Shotguns, five Remington Rifles (of a decently heavy caliber), five Colt .45 pistols, and five Beretta 9 mm pistols, as well as approximately one hundred rounds for each weapon in backpacks by each firearm.
Fire Suppression System: Fire is the bane of all Kindred. Therefore, Ethan has set it up so that there are triple the number of fire extinguishers as per normal, imbedded so that they are aesthetically pleasing and hard to see, around the upper ceiling of any room. The fire suppression system itself is a chemical mixture that is good for grease, electrical, or your standard fires, and is set to release at any fire sensed (hence his usual no-smoking policy). They can also be turned on from the basement at will (and so, for the gala, Ethan has had turned off the automatic suppression system, so that it will only alert the basement control area, who can turn it on or not, if it is a REAL situation).
Chandeliers: Despite what one might think, these are built to be usable in more than just the lighting. The chandeliers themselves are hooked to the ceiling by large metal poles attached to the ceiling, and chains attached to the chandeliers. They are set so that the hooks will not allow anything to slip, but, should someone be able to lift the chain straight up, and push it slightly over, they could easily come out. Also, their cords are built to snap if much stress is put on them, so they cannot hang by the cable in any way… the mere weight of the chandelier would make it fall.
Wards: As with outside, there are a number of Ward versus Vampires and Ward versus Ghouls set up within the first floor. These are set on the doors (between the outside and inside as well as those between rooms), on the specific tiles at the entrance and exit to every room (those without doors), and on the first and last stairs of the stairwell (as well as the banister). These will be freshly re-cast the night before the <I>gala</I> to assure their effectiveness.
Imbedded Minigun Turrets: Ha! Caught you napping!
Second Floor:
Aesthetically, the second floor is the same as the first. Though the difference is it possesses a number of rooms, most of them bedrooms, bathrooms, or closet/storage space. These circle the edge of the building, above the bedrooms/bathrooms, storage room, kitchen/dining room, and game room. There are four bedrooms, four bathrooms, each with its own closet, and these are positioned along the left and right side. There is also a large storage room, put in the back center, and two offices, located along the back on either side of the storage room. There is a banister along the edge, in front of each room, with the section of support railing missing between the stairs, as if it were a stage, or platform of some kind. The walls, ceilings, and flooring are the same as they are on the first floor. The bedrooms are not fully furnished, nor are the bathrooms, but the offices are, and the offices even have computers within them. However, the computers are, as of yet, not even fully connected, appearing as if they were just taken out of their boxes and placed on the desks… this may change before the gala, of course, but that depends if he can get someone to help set them up.
Cameras: The setup here is pretty much the same as it was for the first floor. They cover every possible angle, all the doors, windows, entrance and exits from and to rooms, the domed ceiling, even the bathrooms and closets. There is also one camera in the center back, that can see pretty much the entire lower level. ((I forget the exact total, as I think I’ve lost the blueprints I drew up, but I know it is less than the first floor; no more than 40 cameras, probably less.)) These are, as with the downstairs cameras, transmitted to the basement center in the building, rather than a security company, and, as with the outside, they are recorded. Power is connected to both external power, and an internal generator.
Flood Lights: Same as the first floor.
Intercom: Same as the first floor.
Fire Suppression System: Same as the first floor.
Wards: In general, it is the same as the first floor. However, there are no special closets or downstairs door to worry about, and there are added wards along the banisters and support rails or the stairs and balcony way.
Self-destruct Sequence: Hey, he can dream, right?
Basement:
The basement is probably the most secure area in the entire haven. It is made up of four areas. One is a large storage closet. The second is a basement control center, which has a large wall of sixteen television screens, which flash through the different security cameras, so that the overlaps can check each other, and so that there do not have to be too many TVs. Note here that the cameras are in color, but have no sound, and do not move at all. Below the TVs are a series of VCRs, each one for each different camera, and each with a dual-deck recorder, so that, when the first tape is full, it will set to record the second (to allow for recording in the daytime, as each tape is only eight hours long). It also has a control panel for the doors that require it, the intercom system, the alarm system, and all other security features, all at the easy disposal of whoever sits at the desk. Then you have the alchemical laboratory, set up for Ethan’s Ritual experiments. The fourth and final room is connected to the laboratory, but is, otherwise, separate from everything else… it is the Panic Room. There is a small hallway, from where the stairs come in, between the control center and the laboratory, each with its own door. Note here that there are no cameras beyond the hallway and stairwell leading down to the basement, nor are there any flood lights. For the gala, no one will be allowed down here except the operator, Ethan, and Patrice, and only Ethan will be allowed in the laboratory or the Panic Room.
Intercom: This is the main control center for it, but, otherwise, it is the same as the upper floors.
Fire Suppression System: Same as the upper floors.
Door Security Systems: There are keypads on the doors leading in from the stairs, both with different codes, the same as on the gate, main door, and door to the basement.
Panic Room: If you saw the movie, you know what this is. It has a separate everything… electrical, phone, communications, and even a small control room to control the functions of the house. It also has a bed and washing area, for it is where Ethan sleeps when he is here. There is NO ventilation system at all, so no way to get smoke or air within it… it is totally sealed. Ethan is tinkering with getting a flame-thrower to hold within it, just in case, but this has not happened yet.
Wards: In general, it is the same as the first floor. However, there are no special closets or downstairs door to worry about, and there are added wards along the banisters and support rails or the stairs and balcony way.