Every manse has these properties.

• Upon sensing them, the manse can tell who’s attuned and who bears its hearthstone(s).

• If any other power’s use requires the manse to target a creature, the manse has the senses to do so. Although it’s possible to hide from a manse, it’s not easy — even for magical beings. The difficulty to hide from a manse is (its rating), and dice pools to do so are reduced to 0 before Charm use. Immaterial beings disturb a manse’s geomancy as much as material ones, so manses can sense them too. (Whether the manse can affect such creatures is another matter.)

• Manses often manifest useless aesthetic effects, such as color-shifting walls or mirrors that reflect backward.

• Manses designed for a certain person can resonate with the core aesthetics of that individual’s Essence. Residing in such a manse is like dwelling in a universe tailored to one’s preferences. If the hearthstone bearer shares the manse’s aspect, everything about the manse subtly cooperates with her: she has dramatic lighting when she makes an important statement, nothing gets in her way when she’s in a hurry, shadows conceal her when she hides. While the character is in the manse, her player receives a +1 bonus to every dice pool for her actions.

• The manse’s structure concentrates elemental Essence so strongly that every room is overwhelmed with its aspect. Light changes color as it enters, as do any objects left there for long. Moreover:
  • Terrestrial anima banners of the corresponding element cannot damage the manse. The manse’s energies absorb their physical power. People, however, are not immune.
  • Appropriately aspected Charms and spells—including the abilities of elementals, Terrestrial Charms with the Elemental keyword, or spells directly affecting the element—have their final cost reduced by (manse’s rating) motes, minimum 0.
  • Children of Dragon-Bloods conceived within the manse gain a +1 bonus to their chances of Exaltation, as if a parent had high Breeding (see The Manual of Exalted Power—The Dragon-Blooded, p. 106). This increases to +2 if the child is brought to term within the manse. The Exaltation’s aspect is hardly in doubt.
  • The hearthroom of the manse is in a state of dangerous elemental upheaval. It’s an environmental hazard with a Damage of 3L/action and Trauma of 5, ignoring armor. The hearthstone bearer is immune to this effect, but probably had trouble attuning in the first place.

• As far as outsiders can tell, the manse isn’t there. Its geomancy redirects the eye so subtly that one must literally stumble over it to notice it. It gives no non-tactile sensory impressions, and the land where it should be seems normal (though its Essence flows may be felt by sensitive characters or geomancers). Even battles fought within the manse won’t be obvious. The only thing it can’t mask is an anima banner bright enough to be seen to the distance of a spear’s cast — for example, a Solar who’s spent 11+ peripheral motes in a scene.