The Mansion

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Location: The Mansion
Mansion.jpg
First Seen: X-Men



Located at 1407 Greymalkin Lane in Westchester County, New York, the ancestral home of the Xavier family now serves as a secret home and refuge to mutants.


History

The original mansion on the property was built in 1838 by Cornelius Xavier, the man who established the basis of the Xavier family fortune in banking, forestry and shipping concerns. The initial mansion was considerably smaller, mostly used as a summer home for his family and an escape from their home in Manhattan. His son and heir Charles Caroll Xavier did the same, with minimal changes to the mansion. It wasn't until his grandson, Malcolm Francis Xavier that the modern mansion began to take shape. While assessing the property for electrification in 1881, it was determined that the building was suffering from severe structural issues. Xavier commissioned Stanford White to build a new mansion more fitting of the stature of the Xavier family in the New York elite. Rumours were that Xavier offered additional money to block the Vanderbilts from having him design what would become the Biltmore estate. White was an odd choice, as Xavier demanded the mansion be built in the Gothic Revival style, but allowed White to design the interior in his familiar Beaux-Arts style. When the mansion was completed in 1884, it was the most modern home in Westchester, will complete electrification and indoor plumbing through out.

At the turn of the century, Francis Xavier was the first to move his family to the mansion full time, as he began to sell the range of directly controlled Xavier companies and shifted the family fortune towards its current investment portfolio based wealth. Xavier added both wings to the mansion, and the exterior has been largely unchanged since that time. Xavier hired the Astor's favourite designer Arnold Constable away to update the interiors in 1903. Many of the interior features oriented towards socializing like the ballroom and the lounge are largely the same look established during that renovation. When Xavier died in 1925, his son Brian considerably downsized the mansion, shuttering many of the additional rooms, preferring to live in a much smaller set of active suites with his wife and later his son. Following Brian's death and Sharon Xavier's marriage to Karl Marko, Karl pushed to open more of the mansion, but wartime restrictions limited his ambitions, and when he and Sharon died, the house had been largely untouched beyond the smaller set of rooms in decades.

Charles Xavier inherited the home following his mother's death, but spent many years away, and parts of the mansion were allowed to start falling into disrepair. When Charles was injured in 1975, he returned to the mansion full time with his friend Erik Lehnsherr. Over the next ten years, the mansion was almost completely refurbished internally, reconfiguring the interior to accommodate the school that Charles envisioned. Under the cover of the other construction, Charles and Erik began the expansive excavations under the mansion, in order to accommodate what would become the sub-basements and hanger, including Cerebro and the Danger Room. The new design incorporated rooms for up to a hundred staff and students, supported by commercial grade kitchens and other facilities.

Since the events of M-Day, Xavier has helped convert his home again to transition from the school configuration to a more multi-purpose facility to support the various initiatives public and secret of the Xavier Institute. The living quarters and most of the classroom space has been repurposed for longer term housing for singles or couples living in the mansion. With an overall population smaller than the school, some of the facilities meant to support a consistent stream of students have been downsized. As a result, the mansion currently looks much closer to its configuration at the turn of the century.

Layout

The mansion has a central staircase, with the building extending east and west from that central point.

Living Quarters

The Mansion has one and two-bedroom suites, as well as a few well-appointed guest rooms. Both bedroom layouts have a kitchenette and living space, although the ones in the singles are slightly smaller. Guest rooms are functionally a very nice hotel room, equipped with a bathroom, microwave, induction burner, and mini-fridge. The main entrances to the suites are secured by a combination key/electronic lock that can either be opened by a physical key, or electronically opened in the case of staff needing access or in emergency situations. Individual rooms are secured solely with physical keys.

Living Quarters - 2nd Floor

Current Living Arrangements

Suite 1: Match and Sharon Smith

Suite 2: Maya Lincoln-Lopez

Suite 3: Kevin Sydney

Suite 4: Susan Storm and Hope Abbott

Suite 5: April Parker

Suite 6: Madin and Illyana Rasputin

Suite 7: Molly Hayes and Clea Lake

Suite 8: Shatterstar and Liam Nelson

Suite 9: Darcy Lewis and Theresa Cassidy

Suite 10: Inez Temple

Suite 11: Topaz

Suite 12: Kitty Pryde

Suite 13: Megan Gwynn and Monica Rambeau

Suite 14: Julio Richter

Suite 15: Jessica Jones and Beatrice Davis

Suite 16: Quentin Quire

Suite 17: Celeste, Sophie, Phoebe Cuckoo

Suite 18: Irma, Esme Cuckoo

Suite 19: Sam Guthrie and Jay Guthrie

Suite 20: Paige Guthrie and Melody Guthrie

Suite 21: Emily Bright

Suite 22: Ashley Crawford and Jessie Drake

Suite 23: Jono Starsmore

Suite 24:

Living Quarters - 3rd Floor

Current Living Arrangements

Suite 1: Amanda Sefton and Marie-Ange Colbert

Suite 2: Jean-Phillipe Colbert and Angelo Espinosa

Suite 3: Garrison Kane

Suite 4: Wanda Maximoff

Suite 5: Clarice Ferguson

Suite 6: Artie Maddicks and Stephen Strange

Suite 7: Doug Ramsey

Suite 8: David Haller

Suite 9: Gabriel Cohuelo

Suite 10: Sarah Rushman

Suite 11: Rogue and Hope Summers

Suite 12: Kurt Sefton and Meggan Szardos

Suite 13: Felicia Hardy

Suite 14: Bobbi Morse and Warren Worthington

Suite 15: Jubilation Lee

Suite 16: Clinton Barton and Natasha Romanoff

Suite 17: Logan

Suite 18: Kyle Gibney and Arthur Centino

Suite 19: Matt Murdock

Suite 20: Sooraya Qadir and Alani Ryan

Suite 21: Emma Frost

Suite 22: David North

Attic Apartment - East Wing: Jean Grey

Attic Apartment - West Wing: Scott Summers

Grand Foyer

The central congregation and entryway for the mansion, located as a bridge between wings. Contains the central staircase and main elevator bank, as well as being connected to the formal sitting room, lounge, and ante room.

Kitchens

The mansion has three incredibly well-stocked kitchens. The main kitchen is an expansive room with a twelve top stove, a flat top grill and six ovens with two walk-in pantries and enough cooking space to prepare regular meals for as many as 75 people at once. There are three industrial refrigerators for residents to use to prepare individual meals, while the larger refrigeration units that hold the food for the larger meals are located in the pantries. There is also a supply closet which holds a wide array of kitchen appliances. The second kitchen is a smaller kitchen in the East Wing which was originally used for mansion servant meals. Only a third of the size of the main kitchen, it is still well equipped. There is a third small kitchenette on the second floor, primarily used for morning and late night meals. There had been an industrial kitchen on the main floor when the school was functioning, designed to turn out three meals a day for 150+ people, but was mothballed and recently dismantled.

Classrooms

Most of the classrooms have been redeveloped into living areas. However, several still exist on the first floor, used as professional spaces for mansion residents who need them or for group discussions. They are modified parlors or sitting rooms from the original mansion and maintain the original design.

Library

The mansion has a large and ample library, situated in the main building. While retaining much of the original old-fashioned décor, it has also been fitted with a modern cataloguing system and a number of large tables and individual desks for the purposes of study. There are also a number of 'private study rooms' off one side, originally intended for use by senior students or those with special needs in terms of storage space and private study time. The library has been maintained for residents who are involved in continuing studies, research or simply enjoyment.

The Magic Library

As of January 2024 there is a small library of magical texts at the mansion, for the purposes of teaching and working from home, that has been collected in one of the old classrooms. A selection of teaching and research materials, where are a combination of Wanda, Amanda, Clea and Topaz's personal collections, the non-dangerous Avalon material and some items from the Transian heist, which are available to any of the magic users (and Wanda). The door is kept locked for reasons of safety (the magic users, plus Illyana, Wanda and Doug all have keys); while the books are not inherently dangerous on their own, Amanda wants to avoid another warwolf situation, however unlikely. Students of magic can only have access under supervision of one of the magic users, for the same reason.

Rec Rooms

The first floor has a large rec room with a large-screen tv, video game consoles, and an extensive digital library. There are numerous couches, beanbags, and overstuffed chairs for the students' use. There are smaller TV rooms on the second floor and on the third floor, which includes the same entertainment options, a large screen television and sofas for group events.

The Ballroom

In the East wing, the mansion has a medium-sized ballroom, used for entertaining guests before the mansion became a school, and since has been used for hosting parties, large numbers of guests, and graduation ceremonies. It is also used from time to time to host events in which all the residents are attending, typically for general announcements or for holiday events.

The Lounge

The lounge on the main floor dates back to the original renovation of the mansion and interior work by Arnold Constable. The bar is a dark blend of chestnut and black walnut accented the core of oak that runs 25 feet through the lounge, set with brass rails and taps behind the bar. Behind it in a custom mirrored set of cases are a dazzling array of bottles, although many of them long empty and largely ornamental. The walls are dark inlaid wood and the stools and deep leather couches are handmade, carefully protected antiques from the turn of the century. The room had been shuttered by Brian Xavier and the Professor kept it locked in the years that the school was centred in the mansion. Only in the last few years have efforts been made to re-occupy and restock it for general use again.

Gym Complex

The school has a small gymnasium area in the west wing that can be used for basketball, volleyball, squash, or other indoor activities. One end of the gymnasium opens to the indoor/outdoor pool and various locker rooms. The other end contains a fully-stocked weight room as well as storage for athletic equipment. The pool area contains an Olympic-size indoor pool, with a connecting swimway to the outdoor pool area, which is drained and covered in winter.

Outside, near the pool, there is also a basketball court, a sand volleyball pit, and a number of horseshoe stakes. The basketball court is unique, in that it has a habit of sliding away to reveal the Blackbird's exit from the subterranean hangar.

Garage

The garage at the school is used both for the storage of individual- and school-owned vehicles, as well as containing a full auto maintenance bay, used by the Auto Shop class. There is also a fully-stocked machine shop accessible from the garage.

Vehicles kept in the garage include:

  • A 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud, personally owned by Professor Xavier. This is the car he uses to travel to various engagements, usually through the use of a private chauffeur.
  • At least one multiple-passenger van, often used for weekend trips into New York City.
  • A modified Jeep Wrangler, used for off-roading and general commuting.
  • A high-speed motorcycle, owned by Scott Summers
  • A 2013 Nissan Altima, owned by Darcy Lewis
  • Various other vehicles that may be signed out by staff, or students who are licensed drivers and have vehicle privileges.

Infirmary/Medlab

The infirmary complex is located in the basement of the mansion. It contains a full surgical operating theater, as well as a separate series of rooms (colloquially known as "Medlab") for specialized treatment dealing with severe medical cases or those related to mutations. There are a number of private recovery rooms, as well as offices for the medical personnel on staff. There is a general examination room/waiting room that is accessible by all mansion residents, with the remainder of the medical complex generally restricted to staff or those students assisting the doctors.

Specialized facilities include:

  • The Box: A small room intended for the short-term recovery of psionically-sensitive mutants. "The Box", as it has been termed, was designed by Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr in such a manner that psionic powers do not extend beyond its boundaries, thus effectively sequestering a psi from the rest of the world for purposes of containment or recuperation.
  • A reinforced room designed to withstand superhuman strength and destructive powers. This room has been shown to be able to contain a mutant of Rogue's physical strength.


Lab Complex

Also located in the basement are a number of labs designed for scientific research and experimentation. There are labs set up for mechanical, chemical, and electrical engineering, as well as specialized areas set up to test mutant powers under controlled conditions. Labs are connected to advanced sensor suites and can replicate virtually any experimental conditions necessary. Labs are assigned based on need first and then a simple sign-out schedule as needed by residents who are conducting their own research.

Restricted Areas

The basement also contains various areas pertaining to the X-Men which are strictly off-limits to non-team.

Cerebro

Located in the first sub-basement, the Cerebro chamber extends deep into the ground. It is, however, empty, as Cerebro was dismantled following the events of the Dark Phoenix Saga. See the Cerebro page for further details.

The Danger Room

Also located in the first sub-basement, the Danger Room is a large gymnasium-style structure capable of reconfiguring its form and projecting realistic holograms for training purposes. There are various briefing, observation, and locker rooms attached to the Danger Room. See the Danger Room page for further details.

Situation Room

The X-Men's Situation Room is located on the first sub-basement level, containing a large 3-D "sand table" to assist them in planning missions. The room also contains videoconferencing equipment and a communications suite.

Hangar

Beneath the mansion, specifically under the retractable outdoor basketball court, lies a combination hangar/maintenance bay for the Blackbird, the X-Men's VTOL-capable jet transport. Access to the Hangar is through the first sub-basement level.

The Grounds

  • The South Lawn: The "front yard" of the mansion, with large grassy lawns divided by a semicircular driveway and fountain, bordered by the front gates to the mansion.
  • The North Lawn: The "backyard". There are large patios on each wing, accessible from Professor Xavier's Study or the Sunroom, as well as the back exits to the mansion. The back porch off the kitchen is a popular spot for the mansion's smokers, having a variety of seats as well as firebuckets for cigarette butts. A brick walkway extends to a large fountain, with benches surrounding it where students may converse, study, draw, or pass the time. Further back on the North Lawn there are stables to the northwest, a woodshed/toolshed off to the northeast and a six foot tall half-pipe skate ramp directly north of the mansion. A small grove of trees to the north conceals a cobblestone path leading off to the lake, to the north.
  • The Lake Area: North of the mansion is a large kidney-shaped lake, fed by a stream from the northwest, and draining via numerous streams and tributaries to the west. Along the southeast corner of the lake is the boathouse. A dock extends onto the lake from the boathouse, and a small shed contains two rowboats and a half-dozen canoes.
  • The Quarry: Along the western boundary of the property, an access road leads up to an abandoned quarry, approximately three hundred meters across, and easily as deep, filled with rubble and crumbling granite and sandstone. Beyond this area to the north is extensive woodland.
  • The area around the mansion is bordered to the east, west, and north (beyond the quarry) by mixed evergreen and deciduous forests. Small creeks and drainage tributaries form small gorges and ditches in the western woods, while the eastern woods are peppered with small glades and meadows. A packed-dirt jogging path traverses the outer borders of the property, winding through the woods before circling the lake.

Shooting Range

Located near the quarry so as to be out of the way, the shooting range is comprised of several indoor lanes as well an outdoor area for skeet shooting.

Archery Range

The archery range is located near the school's volleyball court - far enough away from the rest of the school to keep missed shots from being dangerous while still being close enough to be easily monitored.

The Chapel

Located north of the lake. It used to serve as the church for the Xavier family, and in 2017 it was claimed as the new base of operations for eXcalibur, and renovated to fit the team's needs. It has several lab areas, offices, and a library in the basement, as well as The Wormhole and its monitoring equipment.

The Boathouse

Initially used as housing by Cain Marko and Remy Lebeau, then as combined housing for Nathan Dayspring, Moira MacTaggart and their daughter Rachel Kinross-Dayspring as well as the offices of Nathan's non-profit Elpis. The boathouse was again renovated in 2011 as an art studio. Following the end of the world, it had been sitting unused before the arrival of Namor, who has claimed it as his residence.

Security

Personal Security

All residents are equipped with an Xavier's smartphone. This incorporates a "panic button" which links to X-Men communications and whichever X-Man is on duty, plus a GPS tracking device which enables the phone to be located wherever it might be. The phones are fully encrypted and cannot be cloned or cracked by any existing technology. Residents can use the phone to connect with VI remotely if needed.

Computer Security

The original network was designed by genius level technologists and programmers like Hank McCoy, Doug Ramsey and Kitty Pryde. Since then, it has undergone numerous upgrades, to the point that an outside group attempting to interact with the mansion's systems can't even recognize the coding, much less crack it. Since the introduction of VI, the system is even faster and more robust, which would require resources beyond anything conventionally available to entertain any hope of success.*

Internally, sensitive files like the resident profiles, Cerebro files, Danger Room analysis and research materials kept on a separate, independent system without outside connections and access is controlled on a need to know basis to regular mansion inhabitants. Team and Trainees are given access based on the judgement of senior leadership, under their level of access, and not above.

(*) Any plots that involve the mansion or any X-Men related system being compromised - for any reason - requires mod approval. It's not impossible and a valid and sound plot need or reason will be worked with.

Utility Systems

All infrastructure coming into the mansion including power, water, sewage, telecommunications and other elements are in secured and monitored underground lines. The mansion has multiple UPS backup power generators including a robust plant in the basement that is capable of powering the entire mansion for weeks if necessary. The medbay and labs also have UPS emergency generators.

House Security

With VI's integration into the mansion's systems, the security features have been modified to make use of her expanded capabilities.

1) There are proximity sensors all over the wood line, from about 1 mile out. These have been geared to recognize shapes that don't fit to a local fauna database. Allows for tracking of individuals on the estate

2) House itself. Keycard/keypad locks on outside doors. Approaching the door with a mansion phone will activate the system. If a phone is not available, a five to seven digit entry code will also activate the system. The actual unlocking system which uses a high-frequency EM scanner to match body field characteristics with the accepted user database. Any irregularities will initiate a verification protocol from a resident currently within the mansion to proceed.

3) Interior security. Different levels of alarm. The silent evacuation alarm is basically everyone's room phones ringing at low volume, and a low-frequency subsonic transmission used to rouse sleepers. Evacuation points are all over the mansion, and the students are well-trained in them. Crisis alarms are the standard air-raid sirens, and everyone knows how to get to shelter for things like demon invasions, something being blown up by someone - stuff like that.

3a) passive defenses. Door and retaining wall lockdowns. In the event of a crisis alarm, or four minutes after a silent alarm, outside doors lock out to all but the senior staff passcodes. Retaining walls can be activated to seal off areas as well.

3b) active defenses. Sonics, tranquilizers, lots of nonlethal stuff can be used. NONE of this is automated. It is all controlled from the security office - a hardened structure on the first floor. Not even all the STAFF knows where it is (door is behind a sliding bookcase in Charles' study). None of the students are aware of this. No outsiders are aware of this.

4) There is a chemical analysis system, otherwise known as a 'mail sniffer' security precaution in place. This is yet another feature which is entirely transparent to every day life. Mail confidentiality is entirely and completely preserved, but say, if anyone decides to send anthrax in, it won't go very far.

5) The lower levels have enhanced security, involving quite literal firewalls and other measures to isolated and contain security threats or react to mishaps involving the Danger Room or the labs. T

6) The mansion itself also has a series of mystical protection wards placed on it. These will alert the creator (Amanda Sefton) to the following:

a) some kind of mystical interference; and

b) someone moving past them with violent intentions to the inhabitants. In order to make logging as flexible as possible, there's levels of 'pings' and most of what's gone on tends to just trigger a mild awareness which Amanda writes off as "those crazy mansion people again". The wards are there primarily for magical threats.

Fire Alarms

Like the security system, the fire alarm is on multiple levels. For small incidents, in particular powers-related issues, there is an alarm and sprinkler system specific to the room in which the fire is happening, as well as an alarm patched into the Comms room alerting whoever is on duty. The mansion has a full fire suppression system in place across all levels capable of immediate response.

Grounds Security

There are a series external sensors on the grounds, including the woods. They've been tested and calibrated to be able to distinguish between wildlife and people so they don't go off every time a deer walks by. There are also cameras scanning the grounds and especially the front gate, as well as the gate intercom, all of which are patched into the X-Men comms room along with the house security systems and monitored by the X-Man on duty.



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