Location The White Crane

[Gossamer]

The establishment known as the White Crane is a respectable building of white stone and mortar that sits in a respectable part of town. While not as upscale as some of the more expensive restaurants known to operate in Riverfall, the Crane’s lack of exquisite trappings is made up for by its reputation for good company. Within the gentle atmosphere and enjoyable food and drink, even the most stoic of warriors might find their tensions turning to ease. The building is circular; all tables are arranged to face the stage at the center, and a generous balcony encircles the highest point of the wall to provide a better view. These are coveted spots that are rented as opposed to claimed by the first to arrive; a place at a high table is an unofficial symbol of status among the regular patrons. Though the wine is well-bought and the food decent, neither are particularly unusual--it is the music that draws people to the Crane. While some taverns pay musicians to perform in their businesses, the Crane makes no such offers. Any musician would gladly chew their own arm off for the opportunity to stand on the stage, for a large number of Riverfall’s wealthy are regular patrons to the establishment, and not just as lovers of music--there is always someone looking for a skilled employee. It is a well-known fact that if music is required, the White Crane is the place to look; only the best are allowed to play onstage. That privilege is one that is not simply given, it is one that is earned. To do so is simple; one must simply approach the owner Aena and request the chance to audition. Depending on her availability, the audition could take place then and there or could be scheduled weeks in advance. Either way, the artist has one chance to impress Aena--she does not allow second auditions. If she find the music satisfactory, she will award the musician with a little silver token: a crane. From then on the musician need only show the token at the door and they will be allowed to perform onstage to their heart’s content. A silver crane is a mark of extreme pride for a Riverfall musician, for it declares to the world that they are skilled, and the tokens are often made into pins, necklaces, earrings or some other form of jewelry for the wearer to display.   Aena and Korva Name: Aena and Korva Race: Akontak DoB: 150 years old, born in the spring of 363 PoB: Mura Title: Owner of the White Crane Skills: 90 fortune-telling, 61 business, 47 rhetoric, 30 silversmithing, 11 storytelling Gnosis: 1 mark of Avalis, 1 mark of Akija Additional Info: Though they are getting up there in their years, both Aena and Korva are as sharp as ever. Aena is the owner of the White Crane and has kept it running for a very long time, though talking with her can be immensely confusing. She finds everything funny except jokes, and almost all of her conversations are interrupted by her exploding into laughter at completely normal things, such as a certain pattern in the wood or a bit of string hanging of someone’s coat. Some say that it is because she sees all futures and that such sight has driven her mad, for she certainly has skill in the area, but she certainly wouldn’t verify the claim. Korva is similar to Aena in many ways, though she is much more sinister in how she amuses herself. A merciless trickster, Korva absolutely loves the confusion of others and will go out of her way to visit such a state upon those she interacts with.   Tellar Verak Name: Tellar Verak Race: Human DoB: winter 489, 24 years old PoB: Syliras Title: Bartender Skills: 50 bartending, 49 seduction, 33 poetry, 12 weapon(dagger) Gnosis: none Additional Info: Tellar was always a hopeless romantic, and with two wealthy merchant parents, his love of the immaterial was encouraged and he was sheltered from the world. When he was nineteen, he fell in love with descriptions of Riverfall and begged his parents to let him go. Eager to see their boy off to a place of his dreams, they gave him a sack of mizas and bid him luck. The trip was stormy and Tellar arrived half-starved. Startled with how harsh the sea had been--he’d only believed in Laviku’s beauty before, and was certain that tales of his fury were exaggerations--he also came to see that Riverfall was not quite what he had expected, either. He discovered that being male in the home city of an all-male race was not quite as nice as he’d thought it to be. Every day was a competition with the mighty Akalaks, and it was a competition that left him physically and mentally exhausted. He is now much wiser to the world and has found a place at the White Crane mixing drinks and listening to the woes of commoner and noble alike, and is often privy to very juicy secrets of the higher class.   Karina Tevener Name: Karina Tevener Race: Human DoB: 23 years old, born summer of 490 PoB: Zeltiva Title: head waitress Skills: 90 observation, 57 singing, 30 dancing, 29 seduction Gnosis: none Additional Info: Karina was a budding young barmaid in Zeltiva when she met the enigmatic Akalak Curric. He had been traveling to Mura in search of a mate, but he abandoned his quest when he fell in love with the young woman’s spitfire personality. He spent the better part of a year courting her, and eventually both she and her parents relented and she went off with him to Riverfall. She was completely taken by the city, and when she fell pregnant with Curric’s child she couldn’t have been happier. But all things are bound to change, and her happiness was no different. Curric was called onto the Sea of Grass when the Djed storm raged towards them, even against Karina’s pleas for him to stay. She was forced to take shelter with the rest of the city, and in the caves she weathered the storm. When she emerged to the ravaged land, she feared the worst; it seemed that nothing on the surface had survived the storm. Some teams set out to try and locate the bodies, but she had little hope. Until Curric returned. At first, she hadn’t recognized him. He had... changed in ways she had not expected. It was a bit difficult to wrap her mind around, but it was not without cause; after all, it was not every day that a wife found her husband turned into a female! Unsure how to adjust to the unusual development, she and Curric agreed to take a small breather to process the changes. While he... she began to come to terms with the storm’s repercussions, Karina suddenly had to support herself. Already with experience as a barmaid, she managed to impress Aena and began to earn a wage at the Crane. With multiple skills to her name, the woman worked her way through the ranks and now directs a host of underlings. She keeps the orders coming and the taps flowing, and if she recieves the odd flirt on the side, that isn’t too bad, either.   Prices All food and drink prices are the same as listed on the price list. All balcony tables cost 15 gold mizas to reserve. [tab=Auditions]Aena is very picky about who she allows to play in her establishment, and so she expects excellency in potential musicians. At least 45 experience points in any one musical talent is what is required to impress her, but be assured--if she believes a performer to be good, she will make sure to spread the word.[/tab]