As PD walked with Suspectum through the barren nighttime desert, he recalled his previous knowledge about their destination. Tovrea Mountain, or rather the ornate Tovrea Castle that adorned its peak, was one of the most mysterious sites in Arizona. It's history involved not only the human world, but the magical community as well.
The Castle's long and winding history began in 1928 with a wealthy Italian immigrant named Alessio Carraro. He had just sold his lucrative steel company in San Francisco and was searching for a plot of land to build on in Phoenix. He found that site just outside of Phoenix city limits.
Work on the Carraro estate began almost immediately. Alessio hired a crew of 20 workers to build his dream home. The house itself was built as a tribute to Italy, strongly resembling a layered birthday cake. The landscaper hired, named Moktachev, transformed the barren landscape surrounding the castle into a botanical preserve featuring saguaro cacti.
It seemed that Carraro had finally realized the American dream. His hopes, however, were soon to be crushed. On a quiet evening in 1930, after having moved his family into the Castle, Alessio had a visitor. He opened the door to find Moktachev, the gardener, staring at him with red eyes.
As it turned out, Moktachev was a magical spy for the Huntsclan. He was a Nix, as a matter of fact. Details of what happened that night are somewhat sketchy. A few claim that Moktachev had murdered Alessio right there in cold blood. The majority, however, say he used his Nix powers and stole the souls of the Carraro family. The bodies were never found and Moktachev was never even questioned.
As all members of the Carraro family were either dead or living in Italy, property rights were given to Moktachev. In 1931, he turned the house over to Edward and Della Tovrea. They kept Moktachev on as the gardener. Edward Tovrea was the collector of Internal Revenue in Arizona and had no magical connections. Della Tovrea, however, was one of the most notorious members of the Huntsclan. According to many, she was the first female member.
1932 saw even more strange happenings at what was now called Tovrea Castle. Della had received orders from the Huntsclan to clear out the house. Being loyal, she would not let them down. So, on a quiet summer night, she poisoned her husband. Moktachev, however, was not treated so nicely. Many say that Della stabbed him squarely in the heart. Once again, no bodies were ever recovered.
Through the next several months, the Castle began to fall into a state of dilapidation. Della could be seen boarding up all of the windows. The last time anyone ever saw Della Tovrea alive was the night she was spotted playing with the tail of a rattlesnake.
In 1969, Della Tovrea was found dead on the grounds of the Castle. An autopsy was conducted, but cause of death was never determine. Since then, the house sat unoccupied falling further into disrepair.
As PD and Suspectum approached the grounds, their speculations of what they would find were proven. Every cactus in the garden was dead. The windows were still boarded up and the paintjob was in dire need of a touchup. Curiously, however, they found the front door ajar, as if beckoning them to enter.