Xanadu

Xanadu
First appearance:	" "
Created by:	Lee Falk and Fred Fredericks

Xanadu is the home of Mandrake the Magician.

Location

The Skull Cave is located at a mountain top outside New York.

The road to Xanadu

For preventing dangerous intruders there are a few obstacles on the road ahead to Xanadu. Up in Xanadu there is a control room for controlling all the obstacles.

First are a wall and a tall gate with hidden cameras, microphones, loudspeakers and a vacuum mailbox. In the early years one mostly, after presenting one self, used a secret signal to open the gates. From the car honk tree times, wait tree sec and made one more honk. Nowadays the gates are opened through the control room. Of course the gate is closing automatic when one have driven through it.

Trying to not use the gate by climbing over the wall is not a good idea. The walls have electrical obstacles and the warning bells will ring up in the control room.

There are several more hidden cameras, microphones and loudspeakers up the road, just to make sure it is a friend approaching.

When the tall gate was opening one got a message that one have to drive at 20 miles pr hour and suddenly a deep chasm is opening - and if one drive exactly at 20 miles pr hour - closes just in time.

Then a wall is blocking the road and will lower into the road if one drives at 20 miles pr hour. In the early days this wall was a bit higher up the road and closed the next obstacle, the dark tunnel. If one drive at 20 miles pr hour, the wall suddenly lifts.

In the end of the dark tunnel there is one final gate, witch could be closed if the Cobra came for visit.

One now can see the shining domes of Xanadu, the garden, the fountains and the big pool which going from the garden and into the house.

History

In 1963 it was 4 years since the people had make a revolution and elected the president, Andros. Now Andros was ill and needed medical treatment in us. But the young democracy was unstable and people loyal to the old dictator tried to use the situation to make a coup. Mandrake stepped in as president Andros double and kept the situation stabile until Andros returned.

A year later the ambassador, Antone, visit Mandrake and show him a marvellous house. Just like the dream house Mandrake had tell him about on the plain back from the land of president Andros.

Ambassador Antone told Mandrake that Xanadu was a gift from president Andros, given in gratitude for Mandrake's help during the unstable period in his country. Mandrake soon moved into his new mountaintop home.

Interior

According to Lee Falk

The interior of Xanadu has never been fully shown. A few of its rooms are however known.

Room	First appearance
	Year	Story
The Control Room, controlling the road up to Xanadu	1936	" "
Observatory	1940 1962	" "
Laboratory	1944	" "
gangster gallery	1952	"The League of 8"
Mandrake's study	1962	" "