Sundown (Past Chronicle [Dates Here])
Sundown Location Guide - by T.A. Saunders ©2012
<The Midnight Serenade
The Midnight Serenade is the second brothel to stand on these grounds and is the third owner. The first, which had been run by ‘Naughty' Nevi`sasha Stormwillow was destroyed in the Sundown Civil War, was later replaced by another, that was poorly mismanaged and quickly fell into neglect and disrepair. With the girls working there not properly protected or looked after, a serious concern about another attempt by the vampires to take over another brothel developed.
Enter Natasha Loranda. As one of the girls who worked at the brothel, she took it upon herself to take charge of matters, since the previous madame and her mate simply disappeared without making any sort of arrangement. After a lengthy process of ownership exchange with the city government and several hundred gold in her own coin, she restored the establishment to a classier venue and renamed it The Midnight Serenade. Natasha is looked upon as a mother figure by the other girls, though she herself is quite young and is known for her surprisingly cunning business savvy.
The Serenade looks quite a bit like a proper Victorian style home, with a garden and statues to decorate the lawn. The house itself is painted white with tasteful furnishings and accommodations within. The entire theme of the establishment is meant to make the clientele feel as though they are royal guests, with the girls in question done up much like courtesans with elaborate dressed and powdered faces, to give the girls a doll-like appearance.
Sundown Infirmary (Description by Jaleeya)
The Sundown Infirmary is located near the heart of the Old City district of Sundown. As such there is some disrepair to the building though it has stood against attacks, bombings, and other methods of destruction. The building itself forms a little ‘T' with a bell tower as the center-connecting joint. Two stories above ground and one below. Many inset windows line the second story while archways form the first floor. Only one main entrance in the front while there is a smaller door leading into the bell tower area and one out the back of that.
The first floor, the one entered on, is called the Floor. This is where most patients are seen. Rows of beds line both sides as well as the middle. Each bed has been equipped with a side table and a rack that could be placed over the feet of a patient connecting it to the bed. Fire places, one on either side, are in the middle, this is the same on all three levels. In front of each is two soft chairs and a table. Near the back and the left is the office of the Director. Beside that is the back door, then a ramp leading up, the door to the bell tower, and a ramp leading down. Next to that is the floor privies complete with tubs.
There are two more floors, a basement and a second story. The basement is much like the first floor except with reinforced foundations and one cell. Another difference is that the left side is storage rooms instead of beds. The second story on the other hand holds four rooms, and a kitchen. The rooms line the sides of the building and in the center is book stacks for quick reference. The bell tower has been explored and a few room discovered there but those are currently being renovated for use for the staff. The bell also is being repaired.
The Heavenly Grace Cemetery
Perhaps one of the oldest (and most troubled) places in Sundown, is the Heavenly Grace Cemetery. With rows upon rows of graves dating back to the settling of Sundown, this place of final rest tends to suffer the haunting of more than a few restless dead at night, primarily taking the form of ghosts, wraiths and the occasional blood shade. Not surprisingly, a few zombies will stumble out of the graveyard as well, but generally speaking they are the rarity in this particular section of the Old City, not the commonplace.
It is often a proving ground for initiate paladins and acolyte clerics of Kaal the Flamebringer to enter the cemetery at night and take part in a cleansing ritual that is meant to drive the undead that linger here to Oblivion. While this is largely successful, there are a few stubborn (and powerful) spirits that these newly anointed of Kaal's faith are warned to not trouble. One such spirit is a wraith known only as ‘Old Madge.'
Madge Wellbridge was one of the original settlers of Sundown the legend goes, a gifted seer and caregiver to the sick and troubled travelers that came from across the sea from Brookshire. She was raped then slain by mercenaries that had come on one of the colony ships for the food she had brought for the hungry. The legend says if you leave Madge a basket with food in it, she will let those who venture the graveyard pass unharmed. To all others, her vengeful wrath from beyond the grave is said to be terrible to behold.
The Holy Temple of Kaal
In Sundown, it is said that the brightest light is in the middle of Hell; the phrase of course in reference to the Temple of Kaal and its unfortunate placement in the middle of the Old City. The current head of the temple, Archpriest Giovanni DeBellicose (who is the cousin of the Grand Duke of Brookshire, Armando) tells the faithful differently, having been quoted as saying “What better place to touch the lives of those most in need, than where they come to fester?” Perhaps no truer words said by a shepherd to his flock, though the success the temple that serves both worshipers of Kaal and to a lesser extent Zorah, has enjoyed speaks for itself.
The temple itself is the second structure ever built in Sundown and has endured the vampiric regime that forced all worshipers to never speak, dress or promote religion in any way, save within the temple's own walls, then the continual destruction of the civil war, where an errant cannon ball is said to have bounced through the open doors and rolled to the Archpriest's feet to a stop, without so much as a few scuffs on its stone floor, a popular story goes. Some say the generally unscathed condition of the temple is pure luck, others say it is the hand of Kaal ensuring his house remains unblemished in the face of darkness.
The building is a pyramid, which gives it a very unique look amongst the many close together row homes, run down buildings and generally tightly-fit conditions of the Old City, with a great flame that burns continuously at the top, as a symbol of the Flamebringer and the light he brings the world. It is fashioned from marble and protected by wards and spells of various kinds, though the great double doors of the edifice are always unlocked for those seeking shelter in the dark.
Aero's Parlor of Servitude
Slavery is a word that carries a double edge in Sundown. While legal, with the restrictions of no captured slaves and no child slaves, it is considered one of the ‘gray' businesses the city. Most of the populous turns their nose up at any professed slaver, regardless of the legality, though more than one wealthy merchant in the Financial District has bought a slave from Lord Aero Lyons.
Of Aero himself, little is known. He is a middle-aged Human and has had a long-standing association with ‘Naughty' Nevi Stormwillow. Some believe Aero may in fact be a secretly kept Childe of Nevi's but the truth of this has never been determined. He is a gregarious man, to those he meets and is content to listen to the hateful words and sugary compliments of his profession alike, with the same care and attention. Doing business at the Parlor requires discretion and subtly. Aero is not known to suffer the brash and the arrogant for long, realizing his stock of youthful male and female slaves are the most attractive and well-trained in the whole republic.
The building is an exotic villa that stands out almost as much as Kaal's temple does in the midst of all the poverty and ruin in the Old City. That does not however, confer the structure has been as lucky as the temple in avoiding damage. More than once Witchfire Cannon fire was ‘accidentally' directed at the villa during the civil war. The damage was quickly repaired however, proving just how much secreted wealth the mysterious Lord Aero has tucked away.
With the recent death of Lord Lyons at the hands of the infamous Arisyeema the Deceiver, the Parlor remains vacant as slavery has been outlawed across the Republic as of the latter part of the year 1322 AC. It is rumored that the building, despite damages recently incurred upon it, has been purchased in a city auction of the property.
The Inn of Nine Daggers
Reputed to be the base of operation for the local Thieves' Guild, the very name is homage to the Lords of Chaos, with a sign that has eight daggers pointing outwards and the ninth, pointing downwards midst the other eight. The establishment, whether or not the rumors are true, is still considered one of the rougher places in the city, where all manner of folk of ill repute go to conduct unscrupulous business of all kinds. Freelance harlots, who do not work at the Peach often frequent this establishment as well, along with mercenaries and bounty hunters of varying degrees of moral ethic.
Like many buildings in this part of town, it is both old and showing signs of age, though it is still quite serviceable. The strong wood and sturdy craftsmanship tell the tale of the Inn of the Nine Daggers before it had that name. When Sundown was still a colony, the inn was called the Inn of the Wandering Moon and was owned by a fellow named James Cartwright and his Moon Elf bride, Nihluana. The Inn had been theirs, then ran by Nihluana herself for many decades after her husband passed away, having the advantage of long life. Having one child die of disease and another who kept no association with her or what remained of the family, the Nihluana sold the establishment to a fellow named Kinayr Jinn and took to wandering the world again.
Kinayr, who had been a Half-Elf enlisted in the Sundown Regulars as a reservist, was called to duty during the Battle of Champion's Path, in 1090 AC where he was slain by musket fire, while holding a line. The inn went to his less-reputable brother Malin who was at least able to keep it running, though was running in part, as a brothel before Naughty Nevi's House of Pleasure had been constructed, where the Peach stands today. It is now owned by Malin's great, great grandson, Tilar Jinn who only seems to be concerned with making a profit on the establishment and only putting enough gold into it to keep it standing, earning it the nickname, The Inn of the Nine Missing Nails.
Winfred's Public Bath House
One of the oldest buildings in Sundown, it is believed that the bath house was built when Sundown was still a colony, to address a need for personal sanitation amongst the growing population. The bath house has long since become a place of gathering amongst Sundown's more unsavory characters and is considered neutral ground between rivaling criminal factions. While many citizens use the bath house during the day without trouble, it is known that coming here during the evening hours without the right friends can lead to trouble.
Winifred Fairweather has owned and maintained the bath house for the last two decades, having inherited it from her father James Fairweather, who won the establishment in a game of chance. A wealthy family, the Fairweathers have invested several thousand gold into the bath house to get elemental plumbing, heating and cooling in place, much like the Whispering Raven Tavern in the Wharf District has, giving a reputation for being posh while maintaining its rustic roots. Along with these amenities the bath house boasts polished marble floors, brass fixtures and an open view sorcerously-reinforced stained glass ceiling.
Little is known of Winifred herself, who maintains her residence in the Garden District of the city and largely keeps to her own affairs. It is strongly believed that her entire family has a hand in the darker dealings of the Old City, but as a respected and well-to-do family, it would seem the right people have been paid the right amount of coin to speak little of the Fairweather's business in Sundown.
Sundown Sanitarium
The Sundown Sanitarium is a throwback to the height of Ko`rashae Ri's rule of the city, which was built with the guise of offering mental wellness to those who would seek it to cover its more nefarious purpose as a means to dispose of political rivals and those who mettled too much in her affairs. With the end of the vampire regime's control over the city, the Sanitarium was largely forgotten about, having been reported abandoned during the Civil War.
With the effort to rebuild the Old City under way, the Sanitarium's history was hushed by certain figures in the government that did not want the city's crusading new governor, Kithanis uth Braegon to discover the dark secrets of its past, fearful that connections would be made between themselves and the old regime. Staff was either paid off or removed from position and all was forgotten. The tortures of those unjustly kept within continued, along with immoral and brutal experiments on those who truly did need the help the Sanitarium was supposed to offer.
This dark status quo was maintained for over two years, until very recently when six patients of the Sanitarium escaped into the Old City. With the governor himself present, Heroes of Sundown stormed the Sanitarium and restored order and recovered several incriminating documents in the process. With nearly all of the staff replaced and the building itself being renovated, there is hope that the Sundown Sanitarium can become the place where those who are mentally troubled can become well again.