The occult laboratory and workshop in Halpine House, image shows the lab's first floor study
Beyond the mysterious double door in library of Halpine House lies an occult laboratory and workshop used by Lady Gallorett. Only two other people are allowed entry into the laboratory: Miss Litgate, the occult assistant, and Edna, the laboratory maid.
The laboratory is separated from the rest of the house via doors inscribed with a large circle and lacking handles and locks. These doors cannot be pushed nor can the be pulled. The locking mechanism, designed and built by Sir Berkeley, requires one of the five special magnetic keys to be held close to where the lock would be on a normal door, and moved upwards until the door unlocks.
The occult laboratory and workshop are split over the ground floor and first floor. On the ground floor, directly connected to the library via a double door is the main hall. On the first floor, a single door at the top of a staircase up leads to a passage in the attic that passes over the library and descends into the private study of the master bedroom suite.
Ground Floor
The main hall of the laboratory has a polished white marble floor, inlaid into which is a large ring of black marble encircling the center of the room. The two-storey high ceiling features a selection of useful pulleys and bars that allow projects (and people, if need be) to be suspended in mid air. Several large tables are available in the room to function as assembly tables for ongoing projects.
The main hall is joined to the workshop with a column of arches. The workshop features several tools and workbenches for various disciplines of crafts, calligraphy, chemistry, and egineering. Though lady Gallorett often participates in the work of creating components and parts for her research, a lot of the handwork is done by Miss Litgate to the designs of lady Gallorett.
The rooms themselves are bright and clean, fresh water is kept at hand, and towels are present to allow for the washing of hands and other procedures. Special lamps are used that contain any soot in filters, and the fireplaces have fitted screens to prevent embers and ash from accidentally getting into projects.
First Floor
A wooden spiral staircase leads up the the first floor, which is again split into two parts. Directly at the stairs are the ingredients store and still room.
The ingredients store features cabinets with well-organized and labelled drawers. The open shelves atop the cabinets display rows of labelled bottles and flasks. A bookcase in the store contains ledgers in which the provenance of ingredients is noted, as well as a collection of dossiers on people lady Gallorett has a specific interest in for research reasons.
The still room part of the floor offers an extensive set of mortar and pestles of different materials, a selection of cooking implements again made from different materials, as well as a large set of glasswork for preperation and transport.
A small study is also available on the first floor, for use when researching rituals in historic texts, to write down observations, or to update dossiers. From the study a staircase leads up to a single handleless lock door.
Thaumaturgic Ingredients
The ledger of the ingredient store makes special note of the following items:
- Demon dust, contained in a silken bag. From a minor demon vanquished by Lord Hertford after it was captured in Tailors Way by the Malificae Nocterna.
- Ashes of an old Kindred, kept in a neatly labelled glass bottle that reads "Layton of Salt Lake City". The ashes of Prince Layton of Salt Lake City, destroyed by brutal decapitation by Miss Brook.
- Blood of a Manticore, two small vials of dark blood. Extracted from a defeated manticore in Kazar's domain.
- Full set of Manticore Fangs and Teeth, from a defeated manticore in Kazar's domain.
- Full set of Manticore claws, from a defeated manticore in Kazar's domain.
- Honey over ten years old
- Special Honey, 3000 year old egyptian, 1 pot.
- Collection of honey from a Prussian estate from 1845.
- Collection of Honey from India from 1872.
- Collection of slightly over date Honey from 1875-12-17.
- Blood from twins, might be obtained from twins in service of Miss Gladstone
- Hair of White Rabbit, several white rabbits are kept in the garden of Halpine House
- Mercury, Beeswax, Olive Oil are kept in supply
Additionally, she can collect ritual ingredients and materials from offerings in the spirit room of the the Zhang Family Compound.