Ligament Manor

Ligament Manor
Official art of Ligament Manor, by Adrián Ibarra Lugo.
General Information
Full name	Ligament Manor
Fauna	Bats Fireflies
Location Information
Plane	Feywild
Region	Harrowcall Fens
Political Information
Affiliation	Morrigan (owner)

Ligament Manor is the home of Morrigan the Fatestitcher, a powerful hag from the Feywild. It is also Fearne Calloway's childhood home.

Description

Fan art of Ligament Manor, by Nico Silva.

The house stands on a dome-like glade surrounded by thick vegetation, which can be accessed from the Harrowcall Fens; in this space are glowing flowers of red and purple, similar to the ones growing in the Fens. The manor itself is in a gigantic tree whose trunk splits into two sections that rise wrapping around each other like a corkscrew; from each of those sections of the tree more branches emerge, almost hand-like, each supporting a hut or a room, and all connected to each other with wooden bridges and staircases. There are also stairs that spiral around the main trunk as if growing out of it, lit by glowing baubles of different colors that go all the way up into the canopy. From the top of the tree falls a shroud of teal moss-covered vines, very tangled, which hide a good part of the main tree itself, and which open like curtains in response to Morri's wishes; the entire structure is somewhat reminiscent of a willow tree, and the vines are decorated with many small nest, wooden cages, functional lanterns and variegated garlands tied throughout.

Inside the decor consists of furniture that appears to have been naturally warped, with an entryway connecting to more stairs and bridges, displaying knitted dolls, animal skeletons arranged in different poses, and strange-looking potted plants.

Points of interest

• Fearne's luxurious room, full of trinkets, and a lot of feathers, with curtains made of fur (tanned and painted by Fearne herself), creatures on the ceiling that can perform if Morri animates them, and a large round barred window. The owner of the manor keeps the room untouched whenever Fearne leaves.
• Cherry Blossom Suite, presumably Morri's personal chambers.
• Morri's Collection, kept in a room held between two branches like two hands. Inside, spiral stairs ascend to the point of dizziness, giving access to different compartments with multiple treasures, including:
  • Multiple containers of unknown content.
  • Dead and dried faeries pinned to corkboard.
  • The still-beating heart of the still-living champion of the Lion Guard, given to Morri as payment for a favor.
  • A magical bust that imitates someone else's visage, gifted by Bells Hells to Morri, who promised to fix it after her eerie appearance cracked the magical object.
  • Several living creatures inside cages.
  • Two treasures gifted to Bells Hells (see below).
• A beautiful and strange garden on a platform in the treetop. It's lit with blue and orange candles and pale fireflies, and has both fey and common plants (like lavender). There is a beautiful purple vardo where people can stay in, and various humanoid-like plant decorations that still contain the bones of the people that they were originally. Some of them were intruders, while others were people that dealt with Morri but didn't keep their word, thus being punished by her.
• A library full of interesting and weird books.
• A tiki bar.
• Undermuck, the swampy terrain around the roots of the great tree.
  • A hot tub nearby, Bompers uses it sometimes.
• The Loom, a room in the roots themselves, with a chair made of wood, stone, chains, as well as tubes and metal rings, with glowing runes and several arms that destroy the physical and spiritual form of those who sit in it to create new furniture or decoration for Nana.

Known denizens

In addition to Morrigan and Fearne, several creatures are known to inhabit the mansion or the territory that surrounds it:

Fan art of Sweet Pea, by Robert Kemp.

• Peepers, a jackrabbit-like creature that doesn't have eyes but seems to be able to see with his ears, and whose teeth move when it smiles.
• Sweet Pea, a talking sun bear that likes oat, and who acted as Fearne's friend and caretaker when she was a child, being very protective of her many years later.
• Dr. Nesbitt, an owl-like talking bird, with gray and white feather and a beak similar to that of a potoo bird. He likes to read the books Morri has in her library, even though he doesn't remember any of them, because it makes him feel smarter. He used to act as Fearne's companion in her youth, and hasn't traveled much beyond the house. His intense personality is a lot for most people, especially during the early morning.
• Bompers, a huge crocodile-like creature with fur and oily antlers that usually dwells in the Undermuck.
• Flompers, a fey animal.
• Cathy, presumably another fey animal that deserves squeezes.
• Sir Push-Pull, an often chatty door leading into Morri's Collection, made of woven bones and skull fragments forming a large face, and whose texture becomes like muddy frozen morass if the bones aren't visibly present.
• Multiple victims of the Fatestitcher transformed into parts of the house, retaining different degrees of consciousness after many centuries.
  • Sorrowlord Athion Zathuda, Bearer of the Lightless Flame and Grove Captain of the Unseelie Court.

Oleander and Birdie Calloway also stay in Ligament Manor at different moments, but it's usually temporarily.

History

At least one century ago this place became the home of Morrigan, a powerful but lonely hag. Ligament Manor was considered part of Morri's domain, a place of power that she protected from others.

In her youth Birdie Calloway stayed in Ligament Manor, keeping it clean as payment for an old family debt; during that time Morri and her grew closer, and the old fey helped her find her calling. Years later an adult Morri and her husband, Oleander, left their daughter Fearne in Morri's home so the Fatestitcher would protect her while they were in Exandria.

Fan art of Morri and Fearne in their garden, by Adrián Ibarra Lugo.

The manor became the childhood home of the young faun, who made many good memories for several years and befriended the local animals. On a few occasions Unseelie agents managed to access Ligament Manor, but the hag transformed them all into terrifying decorations for her garden, keeping her protegee safe. Fearne, however, would end up leaving as well, going to Exandria in 842 PD.

Fan art of Morri and Fearne reunited, by Lap Pun Cheung.

In 843 PD Bells Hells, among whom was the faun druid, traveled to the Fey Realm with the mission to find and destroy the Malleus Key built on the territory of the Unseelie Court. At Fearne's recommendation, they visited Ligament Manor to ask Morri for help, who received them with chilling enthusiasm. After a night of rest the adventurers said goodbye to Morri, who gave them directions on how to get to Unseelie territory and how to find a portal back to the Material Plane; grateful for the magical bust the mortals had given her, the hag gave them two treasures taken from her collection: Harrowcall Veils (which would hide them once a day as long as they remained motionless) and the Gloomscale Breastplate (which originally belonged to a princess who died in battle), judging that Fearne was now old enough to wear it. She also gave them a substance to ensure their return to Exandria without suffering from the time warp, and reminded the druid that she could return to Ligament Manor whenever she wanted.

Weeks later Bells Hells did, indeed, visit again (along with Allura Vysoren), looking for a place to rest and reconnect with each other without losing too much time in the Material Plane. Morri (who was being visited by the Calloways as well) was delighted, and let them stay, using her magic to ensure time wasn't an issue, and growing a new provisional chamber in the tree for their own rooms, although the decorations in those spaces seemed somewhat strange and stereotypical. Later, when Fearne absorbed the power of the Emperor of Fire in the garden, many of the local critters (as well as three strange gargoyle-like monsters that remained invisible) the process produced an immense amount of heat and light that destroyed a good part of the vegetation, with Allura's magic preventing it from actually hurting the smaller creatures of the garden. Before leaving the manor Chetney went to the Collection to speak with the Fatestitcher, and while he was waiting for her he made conversation with the sentient door, giving it a name, "Sir Push-Pull", since it didn't have one.

Days later Bells Hells visited the manor again, this time on their way to the Amethyst Gulch Sierras, and spent some time with Morri and with Birdie, since she and her husband were still staying there. They returned later that same day, after finishing their mission, and spent the night there.

Trivia

The inspiration for Ligament Manor.

• Ashley Johnson's mom built her own version of Morrigan's house.
• Fearne's room in Ligament Manor was inspired by Marie Antoinette's room in Versailles.
• According to Morri, she and the tree that forms her house are friends, and the latter creates living wood furniture and entirely new spaces for her as a gift.
• It is currently unclear if Morri's domain encompases only Ligament Manor (her house), the surrounding area, or the entirety of the Harrowcall Fens.
  • Morrigan said she made sure that no deity can interfere in what happens in Ligament Manor, even if they are in the Fey Realm too.
• When Fearne absorbed the power of Rau'shan in the garden her friend Chetney Pock O'Pea (using the Monocle of True Essence) detected three gargoyle-like invisible creatures, each with a long serpent neck ended in a singular eye instead of a head. It is unclear if those creatures were denizens of Ligament Manor or the Harrowcall Fens, or if they had a specific reason to be there.
• It's possible that Ira Wendagoth visited Ligament Manor at least once before going with Bells Hells, to entrust Morri with the creation of the Weave Lens. However, he could also have given her the task through magic.
• While it is known that the Fatestitcher took care of Morrighan Ferus before sending her to the Material Plane to grow there, it is unknown if she did so at Ligament Manor or elsewhere.
• Matthew Mercer confirmed that the souls trapped in this domain in the form of furniture and decoration can be freed and brought back to life with the True Resurrection spell, but in order to do that whoever is casting the spell must surpass the Fatestitcher's own willpower.

References

Art: