Clockwork Mansion

The Clockwork Mansion.

"In part, I made this place for luxury and spectacle, I suppose, but it's more than that. This place is a testament to engineering itself."

—Kirin Jindosh, about the Clockwork Mansion

The Clockwork Mansion is the mechanically enhanced residence of Kirin Jindosh, located in the Upper Aventa District in Karnaca. The mansion is isolated atop a relatively high mountain of the Prieto Reserve and mostly surrounded by lush jungle, looking east over the city below. As the home of the Grand Inventor of Serkonos, the Clockwork Mansion is heavily fortified and secure, possessing few access routes to its environs, and only one way in to the mansion itself, the front door. It is patrolled by Jindosh's Clockwork Soldiers as well as members of the Grand Serkonan Guard.

During the events of Dishonored 2, in the similarly named mission, either Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Attano must infiltrate the compound to free Anton Sokolov, who is held captive in the mansion's Assessment Chamber, and to eliminate Jindosh.

Mechanics

The foyer transforming.

Jindosh's Clockwork Mansion is a mechanical marvel, with many rooms transforming into something entirely different at the mere pull of a lever, with walls folding away, ceilings moving up and cabinets sliding out of the floor. In other rooms this transformation is more minor, but still changes the function of the room, with one dining room becoming a snooker room. The whole mansion is powered by hydro power coming from the waterfall upon which it was built.

Spread throughout the mansion are various devices that allow Jindosh to know where people are, such as pressure plates beneath the floor. This information is fed to a central location, allowing Jindosh to provide a running commentary on the actions of any intruder in his house via the loudspeaker system. However, he tends to keep these devices turned off, only activating them when he knows for sure that there is someone in his house. As such, the only way he is informed of any unwanted presence is through a lever being activated that should not have been touched, or the acoustic sensors picking up an explosion or the shouts of the guards after seeing an intruder.

The way the system is designed means that Jindosh can tell which section of the mansion is moving, but not which lever was pulled. For example, if a lever is pulled in his bedroom, where no one else should be, he will become suspicious. If a lever is pulled that activates the dining table, he will put this down to the kitchen staff and not become suspicious, even though the lever that was pulled might be the one behind the wall, where the kitchen staff should not be.

The complexity of the manor means it is not entirely without fault: should a visitor hide after using a lever, Jindosh will wonder whether the mechanism has misfired, and if parts of the house move around and the guards are not aware of any reason for this, they can be overheard informing their fellows guards "The house is acting up again!"

The turbines for generating electricity.

The mansion is powered by water from the nearby waterfall originating from the top of the cliff. While most of this water is directed around the back of the mansion, and a small portion into a decorative pool beneath the waiting room floor before rejoining the main flow, some of the water is used to power the turbines which provide electricity to the house. This water flows past the glass wall of the guest area and through the two green turbines in the basement. The water then falls into the pool in the basement, and eventually back into the main water flow. The main flow comes out from a hole in the cliff, passing far underneath Jindosh's retractable bridge and terminates in a waterfall leading all the way down to the ground below.

Emily slips through the cracks in the Clockwork Mansion.

As the rooms in the mansion transform between two states, there has to be a place to keep the panels and furnishings that create the other rooms. This space behind the walls is accessible during the transformation of many of the rooms, with small gaps being opened up for short times. These areas are free from any of Jindosh's detection devices and, while not often overly cramped, and sometimes even equipped with signs, are not designed for safe passage. Some parts of the mansion, such as the smoking room, have windows that open onto these sections, and the control panels for some of the security systems can only be accessed from these spaces. The spaces behind the walls are not featured on the mansion's map, and some illicit visitors, such as Stanislaw Shepherd, manage to find their ways into them, but often cannot leave, trapped by the guards and Clockwork Soldiers. It is not possible to be completely stuck in the mansion as every nook created by the shifting walls is equipped with a button or lever, allowing the person there to escape.

Exterior

The entrance to the Clockwork Mansion.

A rail car from Upper Aventa stops at a private carriage station just outside the Clockwork Mansion. A stairway leads to the doors, adorned with decorative carvings. Green grass and red vines cover the area, with no effort made to clean the piles of leaves away, giving a rustic beauty to the entrance.

Flowing from underneath the mansion is a fast-flowing river, bridged by a retractable pathway between the laboratory and the upper hall. Falling into this river is fatal as the cliff quickly plummets away, leaving a lethal waterfall to the ground far below. Due to the mansion's location on a cliff, there is no way to reach the mansion other than the rail car, with the mansion's private carriage station being sealed off by means of a combination lock on a gate protected by the Grand Guard.

Interior

Entrance

A Clockwork Soldier in the foyer, part of Jindosh's greeting.

Upon entering the mansion, visitors are greeted by an audiograph player with a welcome message, also warning potential thieves against the mansion's dangers. Proceeding through a door on the right will take them to foyer, which is normally left in a closed state. Pulling a nearby lever will open the foyer, allowing access to the upper hall via stair, but also informing Jindosh that he has a visitor. A Clockwork Soldier rises from the ground, neutral unless the visitor attempts to access the restricted door to the guest area, and Jindosh plays the part of a cordial host. The foyer has a decorative glass roof which, if broken through, allows access to the interior workings of the manor.

Upper Hall

The upper hall with display cases.

Ascending the staircase will take the visitor through to the upper hall. At the far end is a set of locked glass doors, beyond which is a retractable bridge leading to Jindosh's laboratory. In the far left corner is a wall of light, sealing Jindosh's living quarters off from the rest of the mansion. The upper hall is activated using the same lever set as the foyer, so when a visitor first enters, there is a wide open space between the stairs and the doors, with the center section of the floor being slightly lower. Upon using the lever, the upper hall is again sealed off from the foyer, and two Clockwork Soldiers rise from the floor, as do display cases showcasing the development of the Clockwork Soldier.

Guest Area

The guest area, with instruments.

Proceeding through the corridor past the glass doors in the foyer leads to the guest area, a large open hall furnished with many chairs, a piano and harp, and tables of food, with an elevator on the far side of the hall. Off to the left is comfortably furnished smoking room, complete with a fire place. Beyond that is a smaller room equipped with either a dining table (that descends directly to the kitchens below) or a snooker table. Opposite this room and to the right of the elevator is a short corridor leading to the waiting room. At the pull of a lever in the center of the room, the piano and harp sink into the floor and an arc pylon appears, though this is only brought up in the event of a disturbance. The guest area has a glass floor, beneath which is the pool in the basement.

Waiting Room

The waiting room.

The waiting room is smaller and more dimly lit than the guest area. The floor here is made of glass, with a fish tank below. Two circular couches are placed on this glass, and the walls are lined with a number of sofas and armchairs. Overlooking the room is a balcony accessed from Jindosh's quarters. A locked door leads to a corridor that goes back to the guest area. One of the walls of the waiting room is mostly open, leading to a small study. At the pull of a lever, this area descends to look over the assessment chamber, being replaced by an office.

Basement

The basement below the guest area.

Below Jindosh's house is the basement, containing the kitchen and assessment chamber. Jindosh tends to access this place from his private elevator, sealed off from the rest of the basement by a wall of light. From there is a walkway, overlooking the assessment chamber and leading to the waiting room. Turning right before the moving study leads to a small workshop, beyond which is the main elevator. The kitchens and the moving dining table lie beyond, and going further is a short walkway back to the moving study. Much of the basement overlooks the underground pool, where two hydropower turbines can be found.

Assessment Chamber

One possible configuration of the assessment chamber.

The assessment chamber is where Jindosh tests his Clockwork Soldiers, seeing how well they respond to changing circumstances. When weight is applied to any of the floor panels spread about the area, the walls of the chamber shift between different pre-set arrangements. As the study is near the assessment chamber, Jindosh and his guests can watch the Clockwork Soldier from above. During the mission The Clockwork Mansion, the assessment chamber switches between two configurations, both of which leave an empty space in which Sokolov is imprisoned.

Jindosh's Quarters

Jindosh's bedroom transforms...

...into a bathroom.

Jindosh's private quarters consist of three separate areas, with a rotating center platform allowing for six distinct spaces to be created. If accessed through the main elevator, one must walk through a small antechamber to access the main section of Jindosh's quarters. This section changes between a large bedroom with an entrance to the balcony and a study with access to the silvergraph room. Going through a door that only appears when the room is in the study configuration leads to a bedroom overlooking the waiting room, the alternate configuration being that of a bathroom. A door off this room leads to a corridor that ends at the upper hall, though is blocked off by a wall of light. The third of these sections changes between a bathroom and study, though is only accessible through Jindosh's laboratory or by standing on the rotating center platform. The balcony affords Jindosh a view of the entire city, one he calls "One of the finest views in all Karnaca." A series of pipes just over the railing leads to a smaller balcony with a maintenance hatch leading to his private elevator. Aside from just the center platform rotating, many sections along the walls go up or down when a level is activated. Jindosh keeps some of his special possessions in these areas, including his two severed fingers and certificate of expulsion from the Academy of Natural Philosophy.

Jindosh's Laboratory

Jindosh's laboratory.

Originally an observatory, Jindosh's laboratory is split over three circular levels: the lower level, where inactive platforms are stored, the middle level, where the active platforms are powered, and the immobile upper level, where Jindosh's main desk is located. The platforms on the lower two levels move up and down via a central cylindrical device, and each platform comprises three sections. The five platforms are anatomy, optics, chemistry, weaponry and woodcraft, each requiring a different amount of power to operate according to their specific needs at that time. Platform movement is controlled via two panels on the upper floor and a lever on the lower level. Permanently fixed to the middle laboratory level is Jindosh's electroshock machine, a long-time side project. A second elevator travels between the laboratory's levels and the basement.

Trivia

• Jindosh is very protective of his laboratory, with the protagonist being only the second person to ever set foot in there.
• The arc pylon in the guest area is one of only four in Dishonored 2, the other three being in Duke Luca Abele's Grand Palace.
• In the first trailer for Dishonored 2, the Clockwork Mansion had a considerably different design.
• The Clockwork Soldier in the assessment chamber at the time of the protagonist's visit is the prototype for depth perception.
• To spare his nerves, Jindosh has banned whistling while cleaning windows and the wearing of wooden shoes in his house, without exception. He has also prohibited using the elevator between 3 o'clock and 7 o'clock to allow him to sleep.
• The lower laboratory level is referred to as the maintenance level. It is unclear why platform maintenance cannot be performed in the main area of the laboratory.
• In the reveal trailer for Dishonored 2, the Clockwork Mansion gets its power from the electricity pylons leading to it, as opposed to the hydroelectric generators in the game.
• By the 24th day of the Month of Harvest, Jindosh didn't live at his Clockwork Mansion anymore.

Gallery

Exterior

Concept art of the Clockwork Mansion.

The mansion seen from the reveal trailer.

The mansion seen from the carriage tracks.

The domed laboratory with Karnaca in the background.

A Karnacan rail car going up to the mansion.

The Clockwork Mansion's private carriage station.

The railway in front of the Clockwork Mansion.

Entrance and Upper Hall

Mansion's entrance hall.

Mansion's closed foyer.

Mansion's opened foyer.

Above the closed foyer.

Above the opened foyer.

Behind the foyer's walls.

Below the foyer's floor.

Mansion's upper hall, with displays.

Mansion's upper hall, connected to the foyer.

Beneath the upper hall, where the control panel and whale oil tank to the nearby wall of light are located.

Above the upper hall when it is connected to the foyer.

Guest Area

Entrance hallway to the guest area.

Guest area with arc pylon.

Smoking room next to the guest area.

The dining room adjacent to the guest area.

Conversely, a snooker room.

Behind the guest area's walls.

Study that shifts up and down.

Office that shifts up and down.

Basement

Basement workshop.

Dining room lifting table, from the kitchens.

Basement kitchens.

Mansion's main elevator.

Elevator to the laboratory.

Basement machine room.

Above the assessment chamber.

Shifting walls of the assessment chamber.

Anton Sokolov in his cell inside the assessment chamber.

Sokolov's room in the assessment chamber.

Water running through two turbines which power the mansion.

Jindosh's Quarters

Second-floor den adjacent to Jindosh's room.

Corridor above the waiting room.

Jindosh's study transforms...

...into a bedroom.

Jindosh's bathroom transforms...

...into a study.

The silvergraph room in Jindosh's quarters.

Jindosh's "safe", looted of its contents.

Jindosh's view of Karnaca.

Side balcony next to Jindosh's laboratory.

Laboratory

Jindosh's laboratory.

Jindosh's laboratory.

Kirin Jindosh, unconscious and placed in his electroshock chair.

Jindosh's office, above the laboratory.

Platform maintenance room below the laboratory.

The anatomy platform in the laboratory.

The chemistry platform in the laboratory.

The optics platform in the laboratory.

The weaponry platform in the laboratory.

The woodcraft platform in the laboratory.

Other

Jindosh on the mansion's retractable bridge.

Jindosh patrols the halls of the Clockwork Mansion.

Jindosh's map of the Clockwork Mansion.

A map of the Clockwork Mansion.