Location The Ornery Orphanage

[Whimsy]

. The Ornery Orphanage Stumbling somewhere in the streets of Alvadas lies a large, rickety old building. Tall and ornate, the Ornery Orphanage is haphazard to look upon. The main part of the building was perhaps once a stone cottage, but over time and with the transformation from small dwelling to housing the forgotten youth of Alvadian streets, appendages and areas have been tacked onto the main part of the building. Turrets and towers grow upwards in the middle of Alvadas. The building seems large, gothic and ominous. A large cast-iron gate locks the children in night and day, but clanging on the gates with an insistant fist will bring the gnarly old woman, Mrs Holt, out from the recesses of the dusty, cobweb ridden orphanage. The visitor will traipse up a cobblestone path through a small, dying garden, where the leaves have all died and everything is grey with death. The front door to the orphanage is large and dusty, and carved into the door is a strangely threatening image of a child with a too-wide grin: almost a grimace. Once inside the orphanage, the visitor is greeted with the less-than-welcoming sight of a large welcome hall, the ceiling impossibly high, but books and papers piled up against every wall and in every corner. At the left of the room, there lies a winding staircase, leading up into the tower where the orphans sleep and rest. To the right of the entrance hall, there is an unassuming door. Through this, visitors can "view" the children, in order to decide if they want to adopt any of the miserable Alvadas children. The door to the right opens up to a small cramped room, which is littered with broken toys, dolls with only one eye and missing limbs, rocking horses with the heads pulled off. If Mrs Holt has heard that a potential "adopter" has come through to see the children, the children will be forced into their best clothes (which are really just communal clothes kept in Mrs Holt's room for this very purpose) and made to smile, laugh and play, in fear of having that night's dinner taken away. The adopter might look closely and see that the children's smiles are particularly strained, or that their eyes are suspiciously watery. If the adopter wishes to adopt one of the orphans, the child, the prospective parent and Mrs Holt move through to her study, where paperwork is gone through and a "donation" is given to the orphanage in order that they may buy the child from the orphanage. The child's few belongings are gathered and the new parent takes the child home immediately. The children's residence in the tower is less than satisfactory. The beds are notorious for their infestation with bed bugs, and the beds are cramped into each room with very little regard for personal space. The rooms are dusty and dirty, and there is only one latrine for all the children of the orphanage to share. Very strict lights out rules apply. Sometimes, only sometimes, when a child reaches ten and has not been adopted, they will one day simply disappear from the orphanage. None of their items will remain behind, and if their name is mentioned by one of the children, Mrs Holt is quick to punish them. Nobody knows where they go. Mod note: This location does not require moderation, unless in the event of adopting a child or the 'disappearance' of one. If you want to be involved in the disappearing children plot, PM an Alvadas mod to find out more. Adoptable Children : Name: Hesseschena "Hen" Race: Mixed Blood, Half-Dhani DoB: 3rd of Spring, 493 AV PoB: Alvadas, Kalea Skills: Wrestling 15, Cooking 25 Gnosis: N/A Additional Info: Hesseschena is a girl whose parents were never identified. Though she was brought to the orphanage by a mother and father, before they could fill out any paperwork, they left, leaving a young Hen behind. Hen has since grown, and appears the Dhani equivalent of about age 7 in a Human. Her long brown hair and chocolatey eyes are beautiful, and one of the few who appear un-phased by the orphanage's bleak conditions. She has even grown fond of some of the tasks, especially cooking, and hopes to open her own tavern someday, where she will serve the people food and give them a place to stay if they are homeless as she has always been. Hen is rather rough-and-tumble behind Mrs. Holt's back, and loves playing with the boys. She loves to wrestle, and always enjoys even the quickest game of tag that she can sneak in. Name: Rupie Race: Kelvic (Mouse) DoB: 65th of Summer, 515 AV PoB: Alvadas, Kalea Skills: Escape Artist 15, Running 10 Gnosis: N/A Additional Info: Rupie is the orphanage's youngest current resident. As such, he is still rather innocent, and does not yet understand that he lives within the orphanage, or that there is a world outside of it. Rupie only knows that there is a warm place to sleep, with many other children who are great fun to be around. It is unknown where Rupie came from, or to whom he belonged, for he simply crept in as a mouse one day, and slipped right in with the others. It is not uncommon for him to pull this same disappearing act in the orphanage, often transforming and hiding away when there are too many people, too many loud noises, or even too many chores. This irritates Mrs. Holt to no end, but she cannot force him to do much of anything, unless she can catch him, and Rupie will only come out when he feels safe and ready. He is almost impossible to find until he wishes to be. Name: Brova Race: Human, Mixed DoB: 5th of Winter, 505 AV PoB: The Unforgiving, Kalea Skills: Leadership 20, Organization 20 Gnosis: N/A Additional Info: Brova is a true rescue, perhaps more so than the other children. He was born in the Unforgiving, left for dead by parents of unknown race or origin. A pair of travelers found him and brought the babe with them to Alvadas, but could not keep him due to their nomadic lifestyle. So, he was dumped at the orphanage. He has grown into a dark-skinned boy with thick hair and, though short and thin, is of almost adolescent age. Though older children have a tendency to go missing, Brova has stayed well past the suspicious age 10 mark. Some believe that this has to do with Brova's leadership abilities. He is one who has been broken by his many years in the orphanage, and as such has become not only compliant and skilled in his servitude, but also has influenced others to do the same. He understands group punishment, and so, encourages cooperation among the children. Under Brova, children seem to work harder, faster, and concentrate longer, though no one can account for this uncanny skill. Another mystery is Brova's ability to speak Shiber. Languages are not taught in the orphanage, and he came in as a babe, yet he speaks Shiber as though he were a native. Mrs. Holt generally discourages his usage of the language, but he continues to do so when she cannot hear. Credits for these three go to Cosimia, thank you! NPC : Mrs Holt A severe older woman, Mrs Holt runs the Ornery Orphanage in Alvadas. A native of the illusionary city, not much is known about the old woman before she came to be in charge of the orphanage. Whatever happened to make her so severe and cruel, it has left a lasting impact on the woman, who holds back nothing in unleashing her strict rules and expectations on the orphans under her care. Mrs Holt expects nothing but complete and utter obedience. It is her belief in the old adage, "Children should be seen and not heard," that governs daily life in the Ornery Orphanage. Mrs Holt likes to change the adage, sometimes: "Children should be neither seen nor heard, unless I bloody call for them." Never reluctant to use corporeal punishment, she is a harsh woman, holding no bars and speaking frankly and honestly about her distaste: unless in the company of a potential adopter. Organisation 52 Negotiation 37 Weapon: Switch 14

[Maiken Talwoad]

Maiken kept his hands on his hips, staring up into the steeple-like facade of the orphanage. He brought a hand up to wipe the sweat from his face before breaking the silence for himself.

"That" he pointed up to the building "doesn't look like the stables, but it'll do." He thought for a moment about making himself look more presentable, adorned in only revealing undershorts and leather straps strewn across his chest and hips. The heat took him, in the end, and he decided to try and get out of the sun.

He knocked on the door and inspected the wood quality as he waited.

Sweet rot, this place is a death trap! All it needs is some patching up... Maiken thought back to his days repairing shacks and cottages for the poor in Ravok with his lumber troupe.