Lady Sapphirius Zand's 5-Room manor house at 5 Erollisi Lane, South Qeynos - AB by Sapphirius

Sapphirius is an old Karanite druid and widow of the Halasian bruiser Barack Zand. While she owns her own house, she doesn't really live in it. Rather, she sleeps whereever she travels and occasionally visits her house to stowe things away. This would be the 7th time Sapph has moved since the game began. She, like most Karanites, is nomadic and something of a hermit, never really staying for long in any one place and always preferring to live alone.

Entering her home reveals nothing out of the ordinary except for a large two-tiered waterfall to the right of the door. An altar to Karana, the god of storms, sits by the base of her stairs. Upstairs from this is her library, in which about a third of her books are currently shelved. (The rest are in her house vault because there was no room for more shelves, and there are no duplicate copies.) Her library stretches across two walls with a desk for study.

Moving out of the livingroom takes you into the kitchen, which is equipped with running water and even has a cutting block for when she cooks. The cutting block was made by turning a generic wall sconce upside down and to the side and then placing the trophy called "The Tickler" into it. The dining room is on the otherside of her curved bar and is still placed for two: herself and her deceased husband. Some things, she just never could let go of.

Moving downstairs leads you to the cellar. This room is here she stores her food and various other things she needs for her travels. It comes complete with a washroom for her laundry. In this room is a paneled wall that leads to a secret apartment in her house. This apartment she calls her safe house, another concept from her husband as he frequently sheltered those who were being hunted. The safe house comes with its own bathroom and that includes a toilet. The bedroom meets the basic needs of whoever is staying there. It's nothing fancy, but then, it doesn't need to be.

Moving upstairs, you'll find her bedroom. I went with the red luxurious theme here. It's also decidedly feminine to reveal that she is slowly reclaiming her life and, at least, trying to move on. Further down the landing is the screen wall that divides her bathroom from the rest of the house. Again, this is a fully functioning bath with running heated water and a toilet.

Going into the attic brings you to her herb garden. Sapph, who is also an alchemist, keeps all her healing herbs here and hasn't just given the garden functionality but beauty as well. A reading nook sits by the window that's a bit more comfortable than her library desk. Her chemistry table sits at the opposite end ready for her to work.

Her kitchen has seen the recent addition of Tumpy's Tonic Max to replace the jars she had earlier, and her cellar has seen the recent addition of Brell's Everlasting Brew and Snoogle's Party Keg.Sapphirius's house met with a dimensional pocket expander... which saw the return of the 2nd row of wallpaper border in her bathroom, a piano in her livingroom and some rearrangement of the sitting area & altar, some stuff in her kitchen cabinets... finally. It also saw a few homey touches in her hidden apartment (a.k.a. her safehouse for hiding people, since she is in a guild of pirates). Guests in her safehouse now have a place to eat and a library to read from as well as a carpet to keep their feet warm at night.

Her library saw the introduction of more wall shelves for more books, but since I'm running out of wall space to place them all (and still have more books in my house vault), I may cave in and replace it all with redwood shelves. Her library desk also got a few new knickknacks. Her alchemy workshop is now a bit more functional for her herbology research, and those lovely fires of tranquility now grace what used to be her reading nook. She's also now making full use of her little storeroom to store things, of course.

Sapphirius's bathroom got a little change thanks to an idea from Manifest's bathroom. She now has a larger more modern looking toilet, and the sink was also redone with stacking adamantine tables. I'm afraid that raising the wainscoting for that little trap door made my previous sink a little too short for the design. Her bedroom is a bit more red with a Sathirian rug.

Sapphirius's library has always been something of a problem for me. Before she moved into her South Qeynos Manor, she had 5 28-slot boxes in her house vault full of books and some scrolls, and her collection is still nowhere near complete. Trying to cram 130 books and scrolls plus about 20 or so assorted knickknacks onto the maple and briarwood shelves she favored so much just wasn't going to work. First she ran out of shelf and furniture space. Then, when I added more furniture slots, she ran out of wall space for the shelves. I finally caved in and redid her library with redwood shelves. They worked well for all her books except the tall stacks. Why did I not place all her tall stacks on the top? Well, believe it or not, I alphabetized Sapph's collection to make it easier to add books I don't already have. There is not a single repeat book in Sapph's library.

The plus side to this is that I now have all her books on display with her knickknacks and still have plenty of room to grow. The other plus is that her upstairs hall looks significantly less cluttered than before.

Wilhelmine's 1-Room Bachelorette Pad at Castleview Hamlet, Qeynos (moved to Kelethin) by Sapphirius

Wilhelmine, also known as "Billie," is a very clumsy shy high elf dirge. She lives alone with her cockatrice Melody and spends her time crafting jewelry. She likes the shiny things. Her home was inspired by thepink house items thread.

Entering her home reveals a neatly organized and cozy room. To the right of the door sits her musical instruments collection. Perhaps, one day, she'll add a piano to that collection. She will definitely be adding the Oggokian Chimes to it some time in the near future. To the left of her door is her kitchen, fully stocked to entertain company. Her sitting area is between her tall canopied bed and her music corner. Her bathroom is in the far left corner and comes with a fully function toilet. The bath tub was made by flipping Maverick's Bath into the wall. Unfortunately, the back of the bath is see-through and required masking of some form, for which I chose tworough linen scenerey paintings.

Her room is very pinkish with dark wood accents. It looks especially pink when the sun sets and rises.

Her doorway now features a death's head drapery with the skulls covered by potted shrubs and an Erollisi mistletoe from a GM event in Kelethin. Her bedroom area now features an archaic cedar chair.

Wilhelmine's 1-room apartment at Silverleaf Inn, Kelethin - AB by Sapphirius

Wilhelmine had a little accident. The clumsy high elf fell off a platform in Kelethin, and Mother Tunare shook her head in exasperation. Then the wise goddess decided to give the accident-prone dirge wings, thus turning her into a Fae. It's not quite as pink as it was when she lived in Kelethin, but the pink theme is definitely still existant.

The entrance way reveals her dedication to Tunare, the mother of all. Pine trees and wall partitions divide the acorn into two halves. One half contains her kitchen, dining, and living areas. The other half has her bedroom, fireplace, and bathroom. Her bath comes complete with a toilet because, elt's face it, you can't forget the small details.

Logen's 2-room bachelor pad at the Blood Haze Inn, West Freeport (not open to visitors) by Sapphirius

Logen is a huge old Halasian living out his retirement in Freeport. He's also something of a womanizer with a flair for romance and a silver tongue, very well spoken and educated for a barbarian. He also has a fondness for the finer things in life, but he is a barbarian, so they're a bit rough around the edges. I wanted to give his home a masculine look witha few soft touches here and there.

Entering his home reveals the kitchen, dining and living areas plus his workshop complete with a small shelf for placing his books as he finds them. Behind his kitchen is a fully stocked bar for those romantic occasions whenhe's found a lady friend to woo. I kept the walls dark and warm-toned with wood. After all, a woodworker would want to surround himself with what he loves to do. The fir furniture also gave that strong solid feel with accents of red placed through the house.

The second room reveals his bedroom, bathroom (with a decidedly more rugged toilet), and yes, you see that right. He's got an altar to Marr. Apparently, even after you betray, you can still sacrifice to the god you followed in Qeynos as well as buy and use that god's miracles and summon the god pet. The bed in particular was tricky for me to decide just how I wanted to do it. Logen's a big rugged man. While the canopied rosewood bed would have been big and rugged enough, it just didn't fit with the romantic theme I wanted to carry into the house. After all, a lady's man would find it difficult to explain why he's got skulls all over his bed.

Xhara's 1-Room Loft in Gorowyn (not open to visitors) by Sapphirius

Xhara is a young Sathirian exiled bruiser who seeks refuge in Gorowyn. She is educated, gentle yet firm, and does admit to enjoying the finer things in life. However, she is also very aggressive. The best way to describe her is as an alpha female. Entering her house reveals a winding stone staircase leading up. The stair case is lit by a number of torches that also provide something of a rail as you climb. Behind that, you see her dining area and kitchen. Walking up the staircase will reveal her bedroom, library and her sitting area with a fireplace to warm her body, and bathing room. 

Veagah's Garden in South Qeynos (not open to visitors) by Sapphirius

Vaegah Vyh'Craa is a large striped iksar paladin. There's not much that stands out about him. He is your average everyday typical guy. Lifemated to Yumei Vyh'Craa, a warden, he naturally has a rather nice garden. The waterfall is usually the first thing noticed about his home. While not anything super elaborate, it is soothing and brings in that element of nature his lifemate likes so much in addition to capturing the hot steamy environment of Kunark. A look to the left of the garden reveals his chosen deity, the Tribunal. Here, he can pray to his gods. The garden itself is softly lit with redwood lamps. (Note that the potted lamps have shrunk in size now. Changes were made to this garden after I designed it that are not screenshotted.) To get the bronze lamps to glow, slip a mining lamp inside them.

Tenmou's 1-Room Apartment at Baubbleshire, Qeynos - AB by Sapphirius

Tenmou Venomwing is a very young accident-prone arasai warlock who resides in Baubbleshire with her Aunt Suyin. Her main hobbies are giving Innkeeper Millbanks apoplexy with her constant experiments, the last one which shot a collumn of ice straight from the basement of the inn... this after she flooded the basement with slime, accidentally of course.

Entering her room reveals a very neat and tidy room with a stove for warmth. Tenmou has been expressly forbidden to cook by Millbanks as she nearly burned down the inn last time. A peak at her table reveals Tenmou's favorite food and the main part of her daily diet: CANDY! (The Erollisi Marrsipan was so perfect for her in everyway. A mannequin allows Tenmou to display the goods she tailors, a profession recommended by Millbanks to keep the girl out of trouble. A sitting area is arranged around a nice cozy fire.

Her bathroom comes fully functional with a toilet and faucet for running water to her tub. Her sink allows her to fill the pitcher and pour it into a bowl to wash her face and hands.

The first bedroom on the right as you enter her apartment leads to "missus antsy Sue's" room. Aunt Suyin reads to Tenmou, who is illiterate, every night and makes sure that the girl bathes and at least attempts to eat properly.

The second door leads to Tenmou's room. Being young as she is, she's rather fond of her toy collections, even keeping a large chest filled with them and various shiny objects she's collected in her own adventures (when she can sneak out of Qeynos to go play). Tenmou misses no opportunity to sneak candy, cookies, and various other sweets into her room either.

Shikaeshi's 1-Room Fun House at New Foreign Quarter, Neriak - AB by Sapphirius

Shikaeshi Venomwing is a little sour-tempered arasai with a very sweet personality. Don't let that sweetness fool you. She's evil tot he core. However, she is a typical arasai: prankful, malicious, and somewhat whimsical. Her home needed to reflect not only her refined manners but the whimsical side of her personality. (This house is still in progress.)

Entering her home will reveal two entrances on either side of a wavy snowglobe staircase. Those entrances lead to her maze. She take great delight in seeing people lose themselves. The loft is currently bare but will be dedicated to her work as an armorer in the near future. (Earning the status for her horse comes before buying her forge.) Winding snowlobe stairs lead from platform to platform where you will find her office, her sitting room with its fireplace, her bedroom, and her altar to Innoruuk. Shhhh. Don't tell Christanos. Kaeshi's rather fond of keeping her head on her shoulders.

The tapestries of valor have been removed. A chaise lounge and plant were placed in front of her fireplace and a bathroom has been added. This house's renovation is still in progress. I will show more once it's complete.

Suyin's 5 Room Training Facility at Timorous Heights, Gorowyn - Antonia Bayle - by Sapphirius

Suyin's 5-Room Training Facility at Timorous Heights, Gorowyn - AB

Suyin the Jade Tiger, being a particularly rough-around-the-edges bruiser, needed special attention to make sure her home wasn't too frilly. It not only had to be tough and masculine looking to suit her personality, it also needed to be fairly simple. Suyin is a small wood elf female who's more likely to break your fingers for making a pass at her than she is to be easily flattered. Being an escaped slave from Deathfist Citadel, she's very focused on perfecting her body and making herself stronger, faster, more agile. Her mantra is that she will not be a victim again. Now you see why her house needed special attention to ensure it matched her. Hehehe.

It is my plan to eventually open the Training Room as a once a month pub and dueling event for the AB server. I just have to not work so much first. When you enter her house, the front room greets you with a low table for drinking tea or sake and a raised platform to gather and talk around the fireplace. To the right is her fully stocked bar. Suyin herself does not drink alcohol. It clouds her senses, but she will serve it when the Training Room finally opens. A glance behind the bar shows she's ready for just about anything, well stocked on both food and drink. (This room is subject to change.)

Moving to the right as you enter her training facility, you'll see her meditation room. A large waterfall sits in the center of the room to help relax and soothe. Wind chimes sitting in the pool are also place to help those meditating. The platform above the pool is once again designed for the purposes of meditation and relaxation.

Moving to the left when you enter the training facitlity leads you to her library. Suyin herself does not know how to read. However, she has amassed a number of books in her travels and was inspired by her friend and confidant to save them and care for them. This room is dominated by a large stone fire sculpture surrounded by tall fir shelves of books and knicknacks and walls of displayed weapons.

Taking an immediate left upon entering the library leads you down a winding flight of stairs. Most people miss the detail in here. Suyin has a fondness for those wonderful paper lanterns. These stairs will lead you intot he training room itself.

The training room is a large fire-lit jungle gym. That's the best way I can describe it. Tall pillars are spread throughout the room with platforms leading from pillar to pillar at different heights. Fire is added as the dangerous element to keep people on their toes and punish the clumsy. I have actually had duels in this room, and it's a ton of fun racing around the platforms and kicking people off them. This room is alsohuge. I've included Suyin in these shots so you can get an idea of size perspective. (The training room is a feature I've displayed before.)

Heading back into the library, you'll see a screen door (made from Rough Linen Portraits placed face-to-face). Stop right there. That leads to Suyin's personal chambers, and she'l likely to hand you your rear on a platter if she catches you there. Out of character, feel free to take a peek around. Just don't tell her you're doing it. Her room is dominated by a large garden. Raised paltforms give you a place to stroll or to stop and relax. A fish pond reveals that she too has acquired that greedy Vethka. Instead of stuffing him, she dropped him in her pond and lets him reside there. A look up the flight of stone stairs is where she sleeps. You won't find much in that wardrobe. Sue is a simple girl and isn't super big on fashion.

Below the sleeping platform is her bathroom. The sink is a simple bucket where she pours water into it to wash her face and hands. A sunken tub bubbles for her invitingly after those long hard training sessions. Since she also refuses to relieve herself on her trees, her bathroom comes equipped with a fully-functional toilet as well.

Suyin's training facility is now more tavern friendly. Her facility plans to open some time in May, after my RL move is finished and everything is settled. Those big fire pits from the Shard of Hate quests have been put to use to make her a newer more approapriate fireplace, and more seating has been added... erm... well, they kneel on the floor, but you get the idea.

As it turns out, the sarnak bartending for Sue could not fit his big tail behind the old bar without getting stuck. Since the old bar never really suit Suyin to begin with and seemed out of place in the tavern, it got completely redesigned. It's now a larger, Asian-inspired bar (big enough for Varzok's big tail to fit). The firepit has been moved. It floats just barely above the floor, but unless you're really small and crounching, you can't really tell. The 3 seperate tables were combined into two and more stools were added at the bar. It was also stocked a bit more like a bar and a bit less like a kitchen.

Here's a closer view of the support collumn on Sue's bar. It's made up of rubicka cubes stacked on top of each other. They had to actually be raised using ctrl+click, so they overlapped each other a bit. I moved them jsut slightly off center so that the square side of the cube would appear over the rounded pattern.

Suyin's training room itself has also seen the addition of two sentries who make sure the fights stay in "The Room" and don't damage other areas of her pub. Her bathroom also got a slight update, a more modern toilet, thanks to this thread, with a bathroom armoire added by a tradeskill alt and her bucket for her sink has been replaced with a xegonite bowl. Her rosewood canopy bed, which was much too large for the tiny wood ef, has been replaced by a wantia bed that a tradeskill alt snagged for her.

Olivine's 1 Room Garden in Longshadow Alley, Freeport, Antonia Bayle by Sapphirius

Someone recently asked for a personal tour of one of my houses and, when we were finished, informed me that I was not a decorator but an "architect." For the most part, this person is absolutely correct. I do not "decorate" rooms. Rather, I build them. I get a concept in my mind and I start with deciding on floors and walls, often times false floors and wall partitions. Then I start filling in the main feature, typically one large feature per house. After that, I fill in the furniture, then the rugs and paintings, then the lights and plants, then the knickknacks. In other words, I work in layers, and working in layers means many repeated orders day after day after day as I decide step by step what I need to achieve the concept I want.

Now, to do this, I rely on my two favorite carpenters, Bleu (on LDL) and Tock (on AB), but I do have other carpenters I will send work to when it's a really BIG order... just to lighten the load. However, I have never worked a carpenter as hard as I've worked Tock this last week. I sent him large and often unusual orders, and bless his heart, rather than waiting for the Festival of Unity to end before filling them, he hopped on the woodworking table and got busy each night after the Festival ended. Just as soon as I'd received the order and placed it, I'd send another big order. I did try to lighten the load by also using furniture I had on my storage alts, but most of the furniture, he diligently made each night and sent off to me. Because he worked SO hard on the furniture I placed in here, I'm posting this house in it's own thread, but I will add it into the index of my Collection of Houses thread.

So, I bring you, without further ado, the fruit of Tock's labor this past week. <3 ya, Tock!

Welcome to Olivine's 1-room garden in Longshadow Alley, Freeport (AB server). Olivine is a small Teir'Dal defiler who sees and interacts with the dead just as we do with each other. Entering her home reveals dark walls and earthen floors. Trellises of ivy hang on the walls and a table graces the entry way with a set of candles and skulls.

Let's get a better look at those trellises. It appears that Olivine likes light and has left a few candles burning on them.

Leaving the entry way with it's earthen tiles, you come to a small carpeted room, but it's not the room that grabs your attention. It's the large fence that forms one of the room's walls.

The room itself is not particularly large or fancy, and it lacks the conveniences of a kitchen or bathroom, but it is functional for it's purpose: sleeping and studying.

A closer look at the bed makes you think that it couldn't possibly be a Teir'Dal who lives here. The bed is draped over in warm furs, but the chill in the air tells you that those furs are needed. You see, the dead seem to bring a coldness with them that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It becomes obvious that this raised bed was built more for warmth than style.

The desk once again attracts your attention, or rather, the mirror above the desk. It's large intricate design almost seems out of place with the rough furniture. Why such a large ornate mirror in this simple place? Perhaps it is the legend that says that mirrors must be covered when someone dies, lest their souls become trapped in the mirror forever. Could it be that there are souls trapped in Olivine's mirror? Perhaps it is these very same souls that give Olivine her powers.

Then you turn your gaze back to the large fence that seperates the small room from what appears to be a large garden. Standing infront of the garden, you can feel a chill much stronger than the cold that clings to the little carpeted room.

The garden is completely fenced in with a pool of reflection sitting in its center. Walking into the garden was as cold as it felt from the gate, almost like plunging into an icy lake. Looking up reveals the canopy of the garden, but you realize that those aren't branches dripping with ivy. They're bones and antlers.

The sides of the garden are lined with benches to sit on and tombstones that don't seem to mark graves so much as name the spirits that haunt this particular home.

You notice that the fence has some decorative posts, and a closer look reveals what those posts are.

You look at the large gate dividing the garden from that simple room and see the same skulls on the railing there.

The chill in the garden finally becomes too much for you, and shivering, you leave it, giving the garden one last look as the sun finally sets.

Thank you for visiting, and be careful that the spirits who reside in Olivine's garden don't follow you to your own home.