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 - Staff

The staff quarters are situated on the third floor of the mansion, on the western side of the staircase. They have suites comprising of two bedrooms, a kitchenette, bathroom and a living area. Some of the staff share a suite, others prefer their space. 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 emergency situations.

Most of the staff live alone, but it is not unusual to have staff sharing suites if they prefer.

Living Quarters - Students

Students under the age of eighteen live on the second floor, in the student suites. These are two double bedrooms (two per room) clustered around a common area, kitchenette, bathroom and 'spare' room, used for storage, etc. Male students live on the western side, girls on the eastern.


Current Living Arrangements: no high school aged students as of November 2019

Suite 3A:

Room 1:

Room 2:

Room 3:


Living Quarters - Graduates/Senior Students/Guests

Students over the age of eighteen are able to move into a two-bedroom suite on the second floor, modelled along the lines of the staff quarters and situated on the eastern side. The suite comprises of two bedrooms, kitchenette, bathroom and living area. 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.

Current Living Arrangements

Suite 1:

Suite 2: Maya Lincoln-Lopez

Suite 3:

Suite 4: Meggan Szardos and Hope Abbott

Suite 5: April Parker and Pyotr Rasputin

Suite 6: Clea Lake and Stephen Strange

Suite 7: Tandy Bowen and Molly Hayes

Suite 8:

Suite 9: Darcy Lewis

Suite 10:

Suite 11: Topaz

Suite 12: Kitty Pryde

Suite 13: Megan Gwynn and Monica Rambeau

Suite 14: Bobby Drake

Suite 15:

Suite 16: Quentin Quire and Betsy Braddock

Suite 17: Fourteen (Celeste, Sophie, Phoebe)

Suite 18: Fourteen (Irma, Esme)

Living Quarters - X-Force/X-Factor/X-Corps/eXcalibur

Following M-Day, the members of the various teams previously living off-site returned to the mansion, both for their own security, and to increase the security of the mansion. They occupy both wings of the third 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:

Suite 7: Doug Ramsey

Suite 8: Scott Summers

Suite 9: Gabriel Cohuelo

Suite 10: Susan Storm

Suite 11: Lorna Dane and Alex Summers

Suite 12: Kurt Sefton

Suite 13: Felicia Hardy and Jubilation Lee

Suite 14:

Suite 15: Clinton Barton and Natasha Romanoff

Suite 16: Logan

Suite 17: Kyle Gibney and Arthur Centino

Suite 18: Matt Murdock and Billy Kaplan

Suite 19: Sooraya Qadir and Alani Ryan

Attic Apartment: Jean Grey

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 decor, 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 libarian has been maintained for residents who are involved in continuing studies, research or simply enjoyment.

Rec Rooms

The second 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

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.


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. 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.

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 has been sitting unused.

Security

Personal Security

Before leaving the mansion, students are expected to 'sign out' with either a staff member or the X-Man on security duty, and sign back in on their return. For minors on longer trips in the company of an adult, the adult is expected to inform Charles Xavier of their destination and the expected duration.

All students are equipped with (and expected to carry at all times) an Xavier's cell phone. 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. No phone means no leaving the mansion, given the number of abductions and disappearances that have occurred in the past.

Computer Security

1) Unless worked out with modly approval, there is no hacking of the mansion computer network. No one outside the mansion can easily do this on a whim just because they are the l33tness of computer hacking and all. There are a few mondo minds behind what the school has to protect it, ranking from the developer's work to the contribution of scarily gifted students (read - Kitty, and Doug). The students don't have enough to hack the system on their own. So. The system is laid out that those thinking they can hack their way in are being observed, tracked and soon to be nuked. People can think they can do it and brag about it, NPC or PC, but t'ain't happening.

2) Hank of course has made provisions for those who leave the mansion to be able to post from the outside. Still no hacking that.

3) The X-Men and Cerebro files go beyond the not hacking rule outlined above and straight into the stratosphere of not being touched. It is kept on a separate, independent system without outside connections and without access to regular mansion inhabitants. Team and Trainees can get to that, under their level of access, and not above. Those aren't being hacked, unless previous mod approval for a specific plot was obtained. There is no leeway on this one. Of course, people can think they can...

In short, you want the house or any X-Men related system hacked - for any reason - you talk to the mods on this. It's not impossible and a valid and sound plot need or reason will be worked with, as we always strive to do. But it's just not randomly happening either, from within by one of the PCs or without by an NPC source.

Weapons

Guns are not standard issue as the basis of the X-Men is powers use based. There will be strict limit on guns and use thereof. Individual characters with valid and/or canon reasons to explore that angle should contact the mods to work out the details and make things official.

There are no concealed weapons in the school, specifically meaning, there are no weapons in the school that security is unaware of.

Any weapons that are kept by specific members of the staff are done so knowingly of security, in agreement with the security standards and are under lock and key and not an issue.

A number of various characters, especially the members of X-Force, own and carry a weapon. When not on their person, these guns are to be stored in a gun safe located in their rooms.

Power System

The power and phone lines coming into the mansion are underground lines, set pretty deep. There's also a backup power generator in the basement. It also has redundancy features.

House Security

Note: The above ground features, while discussed here a bit more clearly, in fact would be rarely noticed or impact on the lives of the students. A keycard and access code for the number pad after hours (late at night) is the only thing they'd see openly or generally have to deal with.

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. Kids probably all have a keychain-size card (passkey) that they can use to get in and out. Afterhours, a five to seven digit entry code is also needed. This system is actually NOT the method to get inside. This just activates the ACTUAL unlocking system, which uses a high-frequency EM scanner to match body field characteristics with the accepted user database, when the mansion is under a lockdown or at night after hours (it's like living with an alarm system at home, only you do in a mansion. Same old thing, hardly anything invasive beyond basic number pad entry for the ones who live there.)

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) Because of the attention the school generates as being open to mutant students, 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 (and which students and many of the staff likely don't know about) at that. 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 the truly scary 'not going down there easily' type security, involving quite literal firewalls and other such doomy doom type security features.

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 larger the situation, the larger the alarm 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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