[Maaike]

On the northern outskirts of Espur lies the Greenview Estate, a one-acre tract of land fenced in by various conifers meant to keep the interior private throughout the year.

A long dirt track leads from the main road through a set of heavy iron gates all the way to the Greenview mansion's verandah to end in a small loop around a burbling fountain that features a statue of the Creator, her slender marble arms reaching for the sky, at its heart.

Built by Ashton Dyer's parents centuries ago, the exterior of the mansion reveals antique stone architecture shored up by seawood beams with large arched windows gazing out onto the sweeping view of grass and trees.

Inside, it is clear that old money was behind the design as the rooms are filled with classic elegance. This formal atmosphere is bright and well lit but nevertheless cold and uninviting, made all the more uncomfortable by the presence of a well-tailored butler to answer the door. (One does not enter the mansion proper, or win an audience with Maaike, without getting through him first.)

There is only one floor to the sprawling L-shaped mansion, and while the south wing facing the driveway has maintained the height of luxury for the sake of appearances, the north wing - the side of the house that Maaike has commandeered for her personal use - is much more friendly and "lived in". A skeleton housestaff keep the place neat and clean, but their respect for their employer's privacy means that the north wing, in particular the bedrooms where she and Sammy sleep when at home, are more cluttered than the rest.

North of the mansion proper are the stables where the Dyers' pride collection of pegasi once resided before a fire - rumoured to have been started by Ashton Dyer himself when he was still a hatchling - killed them all. The rebuilt stables sat empty for decades, but now it houses Maaike's mistral falcon, Magda, and her azani, Cailean.

Sammy isn't normally at the mansion, instead residing with his grandparents in the Sullivan Territories near Yiannis, so his toys and clothes will usually be behind closed doors. However, when the six-year-old is at home, his toys have a way of wandering throughout the mansion, especially now he doesn't need to fear his father's temper.