We roleplay in a few different locations, each set in a different chatroom on our server. Currently we have the Inn of the Rogue, which began in 1998, and the Little Court, which started much more recently, in late 2005. Over the years Steelsings has also tried other locations, like Tortall's knight school. Our locations are changing and dynamic, like the rest of our game.
The Inn of the Rogue
Co-owned by Lyra (played by Kelly) and the current Rogue, the Divine Realms II is located by the East Market Gate in Corus, one of the dirtiest, cheapest districts around. There are brothels next door. From the outside, the Inn looks extremely shady, and less than clean. The kind of place you expect to find maggots in your bread. To the keen observer, a few things contradict this projection. The horse trough out front is clean and well kept, always filled with fresh water. The rain barrel positioned under the gutter shows no signs of rot or mildew, though there do appear to be signs that people have frequently been dunked into it.
Behind the Inn, conveniently hidden by the bulk of the brothels on either side, is a well-kept fighting ring, fenced around and kept swept and sanded, even in the worst weather. Back behind that is an equally well-kept stable, well lit and spell-heated, with comfortable, clean stalls.
The front door opens directly onto the common room, the largest room in the building. There are six or seven tables with wooden chairs scattered about. Close to the fireplace are three couches and a few well-stuffed armchairs. There's even a stick'n' ball game (think pool) in one corner. All the furniture is clean and well-kept, if a bit worn. Rafters stretch over-head, many bearing carved graffiti from former occupants. One can climb from the rafters to the roof through The Hole In The Roof (known in the chat as the HITR) which occurred when one of the patrons fell through the roof and straight into the common. It remains unrepaired, though it's been spelled to keep weather out and heat in. In the far corner is a staircase to the upper level, where the rooms are. Tucked beneath the staircase is a door blocking the staircase to the basement, Rogue headquarters. This door is always kept locked, only a few people have the key. Against the left wall is a bar, kept well stocked with alcohol and poisons of every sort. Behind it hangs a picture of a three-legged horse. There's also a small trunk stored in the corner, that when opened becomes a seemingly endless pit of garish and clashing costumes.
There are three doors branching off the common. The first, directly opposite the entryway, leads into the kitchen, which stretches almost the entire length of the common. To the right as one enters are two brick ovens built into the wall, which serve to heat the building, and the hearth. Against the long wall is a long washtub, which must be filled from a pump. Another door opens into the back yard, facing towards the training ring, with the stables off slightly to the left. At the far end of the kitchen is a pantry, parallel to where the stairs were in the common. Two doors open to reveal a room that extends all the way beneath the stairs. Across the way is a smaller closet, perfect for locking reluctant lovers inside. Between door and closet rests a spelled cold-box of dubious use-- more often than not, someone forgets to pay to have the box respelled, and anything stored within spoils quickly. (This has been remedied with the advent of the current innkeepers, who keep all equipment in top condition, thank-you-very-much.)
Back in the common, to the right of both kitchen and entry, is a third door, leading into a smaller square-shaped room. This room (known as the healer's room) has its own set of cupboards and cabinets, kept well stocked with herbs, salves, and bandages. There are two small, rather uncomfortable beds and a small brazier for heating water in emergencies. Odd, somewhat disturbing paintings hang on the walls, a large potted tree stands near the door, and a cage containing both field mouse and tiny lizard rests on the table between the beds. A few books are piled haphazardly next to it. This room is small and mostly utilitarian, and has the habit of boring its long-term occupants to death. The cieling is dotted with water spots-- those confined to the beds have made a game out of counting them, or using them to draw constellations.
The third door from the common, as previously mentioned, is hidden beneath the staircase heading to the upper levels. It takes a special key to open it, one owned by only a handful of people. The door leads to another set of stairs, these ones heading down, which double back into the basement. One of the first Queens after the move to the Realms found an old nest of catacombs down here, once occupied by an artists' colony wiped out by a plague. She set it up with a desk, bookshelves, chairs, and, of course, a throne. Since then, other Rogues have added to their hideaway, including a couch and better chairs. A dusty old skull sits atop the bookshelf. Sometimes he emerges for parties. Sometimes he talks to visitors. You just never know. This is the Rogue's headquarters, where almost all business dealings take place. For more information on the rogue, including how to join, check the rogue tutorial.
You can find out more about some of the drama that has taken place in the Inn over the years by taking a look at the Steelsings Roleplay Timeline .
The Little Court ( Applications currently closed. )
When Count Ragner of Staffenbroke died, he left behind five sons between the ages of ten and twenty-five and a forty-year-old wife named Alexia. Alexia of Staffenbroke was married early in life and rarely visited Court, although she often longed to go there more. Upon her husband's death, she left Staffenbroke to the care of her oldest son and set up permanent residence in Corus, taking residence in a manor house a stone's throw from Palace walls.
Now forty-five, Alexia has made Haldershall House a refuge for those on the edges of Court: lesser nobles, second sons and daughters, those out of Royal favour, poets, artists, and writers seeking for patronage, and ambitious commoners. She herself is a firm supporter of the Crown's progressive policies and is often wont to hiring impoverished liberals among her household staff and retainers, earning her house the fond nickname of 'The Little Court", as people who cannot gain royal attention then appeal to the Dowager Countess Staffenbroke. Alexia also employs house guards: men who have done her service or hope to gain enough experience to enter the Palace guards and in the meantime must protect Alexia, her house, and her honour.
For the majority of the day, however, she is tied up with business (as she holds her region's seat in the Council of Nobles and is independently wealthy, as she is not above making money through trade) and encourages her guests and retainers to enjoy themselves in her absence, so long as they do not forget who they owe their good lives to.