Lucille Semingsworth

The Penthouse of Lucille Semingsworth

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The penthouse sits atop a trendy, white stone apartment building at the edge of the Deep Ellum District. There is covered parking at the first level and six stories of homes. Beneath the covered parking is a basement with a secret hatch accessible to the Nosferatu that leads in and out of their sewer system. 

With the exception of 12 and 13, the entire penthouse is a quasi mixture of medieval English decor and modern convenience. Marble floors, stone walls, and thick fur rugs grace this habitat, lit by flickering, electric torches held in place by sconces of pure bronze crafted to appear as arms reaching from the wall to hold up the light sources. The impression is that of walking into a small castle of sorts. Cool and warm air is wafter in from hidden events, and the temperature tends to be a mild 75 degrees at all times of the year. Everything is clean, all items are kept in their newest condition, and all items are meticulously organized. All tapestries and sculptures are the work of a Toreador named Spencer, who resides in Dallas.

Master control keypads are hidden in the walls of each room, with the exception of 12, 13, 3, 4, and 2, and control a complex system of state of the art surveillance technology and motion systems. In the event of an emergency, magnesium lights, sprinkler systems, and three inch thick titanium doors can be activated either in specific rooms or the entire residence. All systems have dual backups and independent power supplies, and visual readouts are available at the study's computer system.

A great oven, an industrial sized refrigerator, and a spacious cabinets of rosewood lacquered in a fireproof finish line the walls of this peculiarly large room. In its center stands a raised bar, tiled and finished, used for cutting and preparing food. Dangling over the cutting bar are several dozen preparation utensils, some of them gruesome in nature (but aren't they all?). The cabinets are well stocked with food of a perishable nature, enough to feed a single mortal for months. The refrigerator, however, is filled with plasma bags, mostly from young, female donors, but also in small portions of other varieties to suit the whims of guests. In one corner, close to the door, is a small but ornately crafted oak table surrounded by three high-backed chairs and set with a crystal vase as the headpiece. A phone hangs, paradoxically, on the stone wall near the exit to the foyer.

Opposing tapestries hang facing each other in this entrance corridor: one of the hosts of Heaven with swords drawn and trumpets sounding, the other of the hosts of Hell, their leader playing a single fiddle. Upon closer inspection, the tapestries are disturbingly lifelike, woven of the finest silk by a Toreador artist in a neo photo realistic style. When compared to each other, the tapestries show the exact same individuals in the equivalent positions on each piece, almost mockingly mirroring each other.

These rooms are deliberately identical, save that the public bath's door leads to the hall and the guest bath leads to the guest bedroom. Each one is modestly decorated in subdued grays and stocked with an assortment of every type of existing bath product, from shampoos and bubble bath to towels and bathrobes. A long, english length tub is matched by a deep washbasin, medicine cabinet, and toilet.

A cushiony, queen sized bed sits in a corner of this large room, A closet in the wall closest to the door. A modest but tasteful desk sits in another corner, a phone placed neatly to the side and various writing instruments available in the drawers. A chest of drawers and nightstand are to either side of the bed, both a perfect match for the desk and stocked with changes of clothing in various sizes. A painting of the mythical city of Atlantis hangs in a central point on the wall, complimented by a smaller picture to each side of different Atlantean scenes. Another painting depicts a crisp sylvan glade with several faeries dancing in mid-flight with each other. A moderately sized entertainment center holds a stereo and television as well as a small collection of tapes and compact discs. The room is devoid of windows.

The room is sparsely decorated, if for not other reason than the fact that nearly every inch of wall space is taken. A gigantic corner workstation containing two personal computers networked together is always on, each able to tap into and control the security grid. Tall bookshelves are filled with thick tomes of high the highest quality binding. The majority of the subject matter within are philosophy, history, and culture, and folklore. Above the corner workstation hangs a shield emblazoned with the standard of Lucille: A phoenix, wings outstretched, soaring toward the sky with the Ventrue scepter in one talon and the world in the other. This room is also devoid of windows.

Lining the hall are stone bas reliefs in a medieval English style, parted only by the torch sconces. They depict the story of the Battle of Troy, albeit abbreviated.

A massive fireplace is capped with an oak mantle and flanked by two suits of ornately crafted plate mail from modern titanium. On the walls to either side of the armor are titanium weapons crafted to be working replicas of medieval counterparts, displayed in a complex fan formation and includes dirks, poleaxes, battleswords, and estocs, and the same display is duplicated on each wall. A long, off-white, generously cushioned couch sits at an L shape in the living room, the longer end facing a huge bay window that faces downtown Dallas. A Renaissance portrait of Lucille hangs, having been finished just before her embrace, above the mantelpiece. A massive entertainment center sits diagonal to a corner of the room and contains a wide screen television and stereo, complete with every channel imaginable and filled with a bewildering library of vhs tapes and compact discs. Long medieval banners hang in between each weapons display, depicting Lucille's standard: A soaring phoenix, wings outstretched, grasping the Ventrue scepter in one talon and the world in the other.

Marble statues in late Roman style stand in majestic poses in each corner but one, where a wide coffin sits. The inside is filled with cushions and lace sheets, but the underside of the lid is marred with bloodied scratch marks. A large closet with a massive assorted wardrobe sits in neat order, and a chest of drawers and nightstand are filled with a variety of other apparel. Smaller silk tapestries of the fiercer version of each element rest as centerpieces in each wall: One being fields of fire, a second being dozens of jags of lightning, the next being a looming tidal wave, and the final being a vicious maelstrom. No windows adorn this room.

This room is nearly identical to the Guest and Public Bath, only larger.

Rumor has it that there is a secret room of unknown purpose within the penthouse, though the majority of gossip is among the Nosferatu. Its existence has never been confirmed, but there is a space there that could have been used, according to some of the measurements of their nosiest clansmen. Disagreement is rampant as to its purpose. Some believe it is a meditation chamber, others claim it is a torture den, others still claim it is a thaumuturgical laboratory...and those are the most normal of the theories. No one claims to know for certain.

A standard elevator can bring visitors up to the penthouse, but only if a safety release is pressed upstairs by Lucille. Likewise, an electronic key carried on her person can manually operate it, but the code is scrambled daily and nearly impossible to decipher.

As with the elevator, it provides access to the penthouse and uses the same electronic key. However, the means of access is through a door at the top of the stairs, whose entry can only be gained by another safety release from Lucille.