Two mansions lie outside of Venice and are accessible only via gondola. These are The Heiress' Mansion (also Sara's Mansion or the Western Villa) and Castello's Mansion (also the Eastern Villa). Both play a role in certain quests, but Castello's mansion holds a grim secret: It is the hiding place of the Black Grimoire. As such, Castello's Mansion becomes part of a mandatory Quest.
Sara's Mansion[]
Sara is the victim of a dispute between siblings: She has been abducted by Assassins on the order of her brother. Callisto, whom Scarlett meets in the Inner City tavern, implores Scarlett to save her and offers a reward -- 2000 ducats, twice the Assassin's ransom demand.
During the Heir to the Mansion Quest, Scarlett needs to negotiate with the Assassins for Sara's freedom. Sara offers the Ring of Life as an immediate reward, but also invites Scarlett to her mansion to collect the monetary reward. In addition, the mansion is the location of a Treasure.
The mansion is in a run-down state, which is what originally infuriated Sara's brother. The great Hall is in disarray, and there are large trees growing inside. Sara's brother is nowhere to be seen, and it is possible that Sara took her violent revenge.
Castello's Mansion[]
Castello's Mansion is also known as the Eastern Villa and is referred to as the Pale Lily Villa in Scarlett's Journal. When Scarlett first reaches the Eastern Villa, dramatic events have taken place. The rooms are littered with dead bodies, and the place is infested with black Lectors. The rooms in the mansion are in complete disarray, an indication not only of a violent fight, but also of Lector activity. The gate to the garden is locked, and Scarlett needs first to clear the place from the Lectors.
Eventually, Scarlett finds the door to Castello's private study and is only seconds too late -- at this moment, a Necromancer kills him by slitting his throat. Then the Necromancer turns on Scarlett...
After defeating the Necromancer, Scarlett finds the key to the garden gate on Castello's body. The garden suffers from the heaviest Lector infestation as it is the hiding place of the Black Grimoire -- "The Lectors have found it" as the Necromancer triumphantly announced.
Sophistos' Treasure Map shows the hiding place, and Scarlett can use the Shovel to dig it up.
Related Quests[]
- Heir to the Mansion - Rescue Sara from Assassins in the Inner City Catacombs and travel to the mansion to collect the reward.
- Chasing the Black Grimoire - Scarlett needs to find the Black Grimoire in order to destroy it.
- Pale Hearts - Castello's Mansion is the location of one of the stone gargoyles that yield a Pale Heart.