Location from The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
The White Court's family estate in suburban Chicago — elegant, opulent, and saturated with the particular danger that comes from a house full of psychic vampires who feed on desire.
Raith Manor sits in one of Chicago's wealthier suburbs — a sprawling estate behind manicured hedges and wrought-iron gates that look decorative but aren't. The architecture is old money tasteful. The grounds are immaculate. The interior is the kind of beautiful that makes you uncomfortable without knowing why — like a Venus flytrap translated into real estate. Everything is designed to lower your guard: soft lighting, expensive art, furniture that invites you to sit down and stay. The Raith family are White Court vampires — they feed on human emotions, primarily lust, draining their victims' life force through intimate contact. Lord Raith built the family into the dominant White Court house through a combination of supernatural power, political manipulation, and the elimination of rivals. Lara Raith, his eldest daughter, now effectively runs the family and the White Court itself, though Lord Raith maintains the facade of authority. Thomas Raith, Harry's half-brother, grew up here and describes it the way abuse survivors describe childhood homes — with a precision that comes from having memorized every escape route. The manor hosts White Court social functions that double as hunting grounds. Beautiful people in beautiful clothes circulating through beautiful rooms while the vampires among them feed. Guests leave feeling drained, confused, and oddly satisfied. Most never realize what happened. The manor's supernatural defenses are subtle — no wards or magical barriers, but the White Court doesn't need fortress walls when they can make you want to stay.
Sprawling estate in suburban Chicago. White marble, manicured grounds, a pool house that's seen things. Elegant, opulent, and designed so that every room has multiple exits and no blind corners. The White Court hunts here — the beauty is the lure.
Also known as: Raith Manor, the Raith estate, Chateau Raith