If you’re an adventurer, you’ve no doubt crossed paths with the mysterious Haukke Manor, buried deep within the Sorrel Haven of the Central Shroud. Its name, Haukke, comes from ancient Padjali, meaning “to speak without words.” And you may be surprised to find out that “Haukke” is pronounced more like the word “hawk.”
Now, what is All Saints’ Wake without a scary story about a haunted mansion? Or even a night spent inside one? This week, I decided to do just that, and threw open the gates to Haukke Manor on a mission to see if the place is truly as haunted as they say.
Of course, the gates were already open…
You’ve also likely heard the rumors. The Manor was once a haven to the Seedseers of Gridania, who used it as a place to meditate and commune with the elementals. As it stands today, it’s hard to imagine it as anything more than a den of evil, but at one point the people of Gridania viewed it as a ‘symbol of excess,’ and protested against the Seedseers’ use of it.
This caused them to eventually sell the Manor to an Elezen named Lady Amandine of House Dartancours.
“I fled as fast as my legs could carry me, till I stood atop massive tree roots with nowhere to run. The glow from the windows, so beautiful, yet so terrible…” - Unknown
Amandine was known to be intensely beautiful. She was also intensely vain, and did everything in her power to keep her beauty - with facial creams made from Coerthan honeys to exotic phurble shampoos and who knows what else.
This may have helped stave off the ravages of age for a time, but the Seventh Umbral Calamity left her face with disfiguring scars - as we all know, Bahamut spared few. Afterwards, rumor has it Amandine would turn to more extreme methods not only to regain her beauty, but to enhance it.
Into the Darkness
When you first enter Haukke Manor, you’re met with an elegant staircase leading to the second floor, and passages at either side. It is, however, in ruin. It wasn’t too long ago that we heard stories of an expedition inside by Wood Wailers who failed to return. But those were just rumors, right?
Perhaps not. As the legend of Lady Amandine continues, she would eventually be approached by mysterious masked individuals promising her a means to regain her beauty. Who were they? I can’t say, but they would lead Amandine to a voidsent called Halicarnassus, to which Amandine sold her soul.
Heading up the stairs, it’s clear to see Haukke Manor is in disarray. It’s possible the Gridanian authorities view it now as a lost cause. Furniture piled everywhere, broken foundations, and the lingering scent of fire point to a place that is all but abandoned.
Not too long ago, stories began to spread in the Black Shroud of maidens found dead and with disfigured faces, their bodies recovered in the forest and, some, to the west of Fallgourd Float in the North Shroud. They had been used as ritual sacrifices, or so the story goes, drained body and soul by Amandine herself, who bathed in their blood.
What happened afterward changes with every retelling, but most say a group of adventurers, perhaps not unlike yourself, ventured into the Manor and put a stop to Lady Amandine. And, ultimately, they would vanquish the voidsent Halicarnassus itself.
As I made my way to what was clearly Lady Amandine’s bedroom, and saw the place where she once slept, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver down my spine. But the Manor was empty, and my night there was, thankfully, uneventful.
It seems the darkness that once lived there has truly been vanquished. Or perhaps it simply chose to leave me be.
Nowadays, Haukke Manor remains as a dark blot in the Central Shroud. Still majestic! But I don’t think it will ever escape its reputation as a place of evil, where one woman tried her best, and failed, to remain beautiful forever.
