#Vestalus def has rooms in the palace since as prelate he's one of Markus' chief advisors

[chantlight]

honestly, although Matthias and Tigana's wealth had been seized by the crown and Anthony + Cassandra didn't really inherit anything [just a few items], growing up in the Prelate of the Mortalitasi's manse was pretty bougie. especially since Vestalus regularly brought his work home. sections of the manse were magically temperature controlled. the kitchen probably had the equivalent of a refrigerator / refrigerated section if not a freezer as well. there would be charms to regulate pests, both mundane and supernatural. mage lights wouldn't be uncommon. basically, everything you need to keep the corpses in good shape [which is pretty standard in necropoleis, at least for families who can afford it] + a few extra amenities because of his position.

it wasn't palatial, though. it wasn't a manor house. definitely large, definitely beautiful, definitely well-appointed, but not to the point of opulence. and, it wasn't purely residential. Mortalitasi live in necropoleis, but they are only caretakers of these cities; they belong to the dead. I like the use of the word manse in canon. they were probably trying to imply a mansion, but I really do think of a manse which was the home of a clergyman. a decent-sized property but one the priest could maintain himself. I do think the prelate's manse is larger than that and they had a small staff, but the religious associations are spot-on.

#OOC / HOLLY. #so it was like. a large manse or a small mansion y'know #some halfway point between the two #so very nice accommodations but not the height of wealth and luxury #important to note that it's not uncommon for Mortalitasi to inherit and to own property outside of necropoleis #Vestalus def has rooms in the palace since as prelate he's one of Markus' chief advisors #idk about him having other property but he Could #technically it's not illegal under Chantry law for mages to inherit; own property; marry; etc #it's just that due to the Circle system and stigma against mages it pretty much never happens #you get disinherited and shit. also the Chantry basically owns you 🙃 what's theirs is theirs and what's yours is theirs #Nevarra has very different attitudes toward mages tho esp since they came to power at court early in the Dragon Age #so it's not unheard of for Mortalitasi to inherit; own property; even marry #I wanna say one was once crowned and that was a Whole Thing #ANYWAY it happens altho it's more common during some periods than others #and there's also always been a religious association with the Mortalitasi akin to the priesthood #so there's often an expectation to forego worldly wealth and glory y'know #they don't technically swear oaths of poverty [and ofc the ideal doesn't always match reality even if they did swear such oaths] #but they are like sworn to serve spirits and the dead etc and they're caretakers of necropoleis so [hand waves] #long story short Cassandra grew up well off but not RICH rich #like upper middle class y'know?