Drachean Merchant Guide - Crafters & Services
You hold in your hands, gentle traveler, a guide to many of the businesses and services available in our great city of Drache. Herein you will find everything from smiths to shipwrights, ale houses to alchemical emporiums. Are you in need of something? Fear not, and let this Guide be your guide to finding your heart's desire. -Anson Elbridge, Arangothian Royal Ministry of Commerce
This page covers the various services around the city.
Places of Healing
Ally Lynch, Apothecary & Midwife
Ally keeps her shop on a crooked street near the Merchant Square. Most of the time the place is closed, as she spends most of her working hours tending to women in labor. Odd hours are kept when it is open - only in afternoons, if it's not too hot. All kinds of distilled syrups, ointments, pastes, coarse jellies, dried fruits, teas, roots, and other remedies are sold. Ally will also sell poisons, on faith that they won't be used for ill.
Kerra's
Located in a small house on the east side of Drache near the Wharf District, this is not an actual place of business, but rather the home of a felinoid healer by the name of Kerra. Well versed in the arts of herbal healing, and to a lesser extent, magical healing, she has made herself open to anyone that needs her services. Known affectionately as 'Kitty' by her neighbors, she rarely accepts monetary payment for her work unless her patient can easily afford it. She prefers to barter her services for whatever sort of payment people can give her, whether that may be supplies, food, chores done, or errands run.
Entertainment & Recreation
A converted villa of large size, the House of the Silver Swan is synonymous with serene opulence. Decadent pleasures await for any who can afford the prices there and act within a certain manner. Of course, the doormen are picky about who is let in, and the security is far better than anything else of this nature in Drache. The rich like their security, and the House of the Silver Swan offers plenty of it, all part and parcel with the exorbitant prices. With plenty of magical and physical security, no violence is tolerated. It is ruthlessly stamped out by skilled mercenaries from the Ebon Hammer who watch the floor, and by highly paid mages of some skill who are always on watch to make sure magic isn't being used to cheat in gambling and to quell any truly dangerous threats.
The place is opulent, the decor costing more than what a self-styled crime lord or noble would make in a year. But it is the favored meeting place of Drache's high society when they don't meet in their own homes. Gentry and rich merchants tend to lounge about, and one can even spot some of the more successful courtesans of Drache plying their trade here; exotic, erotic and beckoning to any man that they make eye contact with. The courtesans are tolerated because they are both subtle and stylish, and are not drugged or enslaved. There is no regulation upon them in the House, they merely come of their own accord and are afforded the luxury of safety within its walls.
No activity escapes the watchful eye of the owner, a former master thief by the name of Dennon "Four Hands" Ulathee, a man of grace and wary politeness, who knows every trick a thief might try in here. Merely because the owner is retired does not mean he is not well informed or well connected. He is both, but inactive so long as his establishment remains free from threats. The respect he commands, and the favors he can call in from the upper crust of high classed criminals, magic users, and other influences of the city is enough to deal with major threats to the establishment. The house itself is built for discreet entrances and exits as well as for security. Famous customers seeking liaisons without fear of being caught in the public eye are given access, for a price, to the secret passages that run through the place. It is a favor granted to few and guarded jealously. The passages are warded, scryed and watched for intruders carefully, and are even trapped.
The Cat's Pajamas
Situated in the Black Dragon District, this playhouse is owned by former Silver Swan courtesan Natalia Derseblan. It is home to caberet style entertainment, and offers both large scale public shows as well as personal, privately conducted shows. It has two main theatres on the first floor, designed to seat audiences of forty to fifty, two smaller rooms set up to seat audiences of ten or less, and thirteen private rooms upstairs. Each private room has a different theme, from bordello style brothel rooms, to a cave, and a white sand beach. Large scale plays are put on twice a month, and the private shows are open for shows at anytime, with a two-week advanced scheduling, available to both men and women. The prices range from four rixtles (8 bank crowns) for back-row seating, to twenty rixtles (40 bank crowns) for front row, V.I.P. seating, to one lurinthoon (200 bank crowns) for a private showing.
Gatro Ruthmire Memorial Indoor Recreation Center
Commonly called simply Ruthmire's 'Rena by the local children, the rec centre was originally a textile warehouse. Members of the defunct Popular faction bought it during the winter of 469 and turned it into a sports and games centre to get wharf children off the dangerous streets. Ruthmire's 'Rena has a dirt-covered Grubball circle, tables for stones and tapolaster, a small library of donated books and toys, and a small soup kitchen. The recreation centre is staffed by volunteers and has grown quite popular for Wharf youths looking for a place to play during the cold winters and the crime-ridden summers.
Snow Hawk's Wandering Minstrel Show
Located in the forest outside Drache, this is where the minstrel Snow Hawk spends most of his time when not in the city. There is a stage attached to the outside of the wagon where he lives, and performers come from all over to entertain his guests on it. Around the camp are scattered several cooking fires (in addition to the central bonfire). At these fires, gypsies and fortune-tellers practice their craft for anyone who cares to pay. Fae, elves, men, and dwarves all visit his camp at every hour of the day simply for the merriment of good song, good drink, and good fun.
House of the Bright Star
The former mansion of a noble in the BlkDragon District in Drache, this business has recently acquired a reputation as one of Drache's premiere banquet halls and ballrooms, catering to celebrations of all types. For a fee of five hundred Arangothian Bank Crowns, the House of the Bright Star gives the host of the event full use of the premises, as well as covering catering, decoration, entertainment, security, and advertisement of the event. Smaller and simpler affairs may be hosted for significantly less; especially large or elaborate events may easily cost more. The Bright Star's staff includes its own retinue of cooks, clowns, bards, musicians, dancers and other entertainers (whose services are included in the price of the event), though additional fees may be required for especially large events that require hiring additional personnel, or for clients that request particularly exotic menus, entertainment or decorations.
The house itself is a large three-story mansion surrounded by a walled garden that includes trees, flowers, and a small, magically illuminated pond. Though most of the grounds are protected by null magic enchantments, the Bright Star's staff mages can alter the climate in the garden to match whatever season suits their client's wishes. In addition, there are several rooms within the house not protected by the null magic fields, in which the Bright Star's mages can create illusions of exotic locations. Security at the Bright Star is provided by mercenaries from the Ebon Hammer, a many of them disguised as cooks, waiters, or even party guests. The House of the Bright Star is owned by Ahab Whitewhale, who apparently has used his earnings at the Masquerade to open a business free of the criminal connections and overall bad reputation that the Masquerade has acquired.
Brothels
The Masquerade
The Masquerade, a brothel and tavern in the Red Lantern District is rumored to have been originally founded by vampires, and rumors persist that it remains a haven for the kindred even to this day. While it is by no means a reputable establishment, the Masquerade is widely known as a haven where all the patrons enjoy the same protection as long as they behave. Any sort of criminal, scoundrel, or lowlife can hide here and enjoy some measure of safety to indulge in the establishment's drink, drugs, or women. There are only three rules to abide by in the Masquerade: do not speak about yourself, do not ask others about themselves, and do not disturb anyone that desires privacy. Dead bodies frequently turn up in the Masquerade, but these are usually due to those that decided to break the rules and start trouble. The Masquerade is rumored to be a front for a criminal organization, but the same could be said for almost every other business in the Red Lantern District. The current manager of The Masquerade is a man by the name of Ahab, an ex-merchant of little notoriety before purchasing the establishment. It is an open secret that Ahab is not the true owner of the place, but those inquiring about the actual ownership tend to disappear quickly.
Oiachi's Brothel
Despite the fact that the place does not advertise itself, and does not even have a proper name, this brothel rose to popularity quickly, becoming one of the most popular in all of Drache. Although it is located in a modest and rather run down former warehouse in the Red Lantern District, it is one of the most lavishly decorated houses of pleasure in the city. The entire place is opulently bedecked in an Oriental motif, complete with silk screens and vases everywhere depicting scenes from the Orient in exquisite detail, silks, cushions, and above all, women of every description imaginable. Oiachi herself is described as an extremely beautiful woman of Oriental descent, and appears to have at least some magical abilities. Many patrons of the brothel regularly offer her huge sums of money for a single night with her, though she apparently rarely agrees to such propositions. Oiachi's Brothel prides itself on catering to the specific tastes of each patron, even enlisting the services of several illusionists to satisfy those with extremely exotic wishes. Everything from an evening with high class, cultured courtesans to the most depraved erotic fantasies can be found within the walls of Oiachi's brothel if one has the gold.
The brothel also contains a 'gentleman's club' with a lounge, gambling tables, open bar, free opium, and continuous entertainment by musicians and dancers available to those that do not wish to indulge in other pursuits. Oiachi offers memberships on a weekly and monthly basis, which include access to the club and brothel, though members are still required to pay extra for "exotic" services. Visitors are expected to behave themselves, and there are a number of sturdy eunuchs throughout the building to make sure of this. There are also a number of minor enchantments the girls are taught how to activate in order to get help if need be. The brothel is also the center of Oiachi's extensive opium distribution network, though the dealers enter through a rear entrance and keep out of sight of the patrons. This business has become so successful in such a short period of time that Oiachi has almost single-handedly caused the government of Drache to consider regulating, if not outlawing, both opium and prostitution.
Dasmia's House of Pleasure
One of the oldest brothels in the Red Lantern District, Dasmia's is located in a large four story building that reeks of cheap perfume, much like its owner. While the first floor of the brothel appears to be that of a normal, respectable inn, a trip to the upper floors quickly dispels that illusion. Dasmia's offers both women and rooms of widely varying quality, at prices that vary accordingly. A shrewd businesswoman to say the least, Dasmia never seems to run out of things for which she can charge her patrons extra. Though she vehemently denies it, Dasmia also provides a refuge for people wishing to hide from the Royal Guard, as well as trafficking in drugs, weapons, and slaves. Despite the fact that the Guard has been watching her closely for some time now, they have yet to accumulate enough substantive evidence to shut the place down.
The Catsail
Run by a man by the name of Minkbranth Flin, the Catstail is one of the finest brothels in the Wharf District. The Catstail specializes in exotic women from far away lands, including the Orient and the Rashnaditz. The Catstail caters specifically to the wealthier members of Drache's merchant and seagoing populations, and was one of the most successful brothels in the city before the arrival of Oiachi's. Outdone at his own game by this newcomer from the East, Minkbranth nevertheless vows that his business will regain its place of prominence in the near future. There are persistent rumors that the Catstail is an important part of Drache's illicit slave trade, but no one has been able to uncover the truth of the matter to date.