Location [Location] Tarsin's Boarding House

[Gillar]

Not everyone in Ravok lives there or can afford to live there. Visitors are quite common and large in number. There are a number of inns and boarding houses throughout the city but one of the more well-known and affordable ones can be found in the Nitrozian Plaza. Tarsin's Boarding House is perhaps the largest of its kind within the city and caters to all manner of people. Three-stories tall with numerous rooms, two large, open, community balconies and a nice view of one of the largest canals in Ravok, the boarding house is the choice location for many. Each room is slightly larger than a typical room at the average inn and is contains a bed, writing desk, chair, small table, wardrobe and storage chest. The boarding house's main lobby is staffed by Tarsin himself along with his wife and family of two teen-aged daughters and two sons. The boarding house offers great access to the rest of the plaza and serves as the primary lodgings of many visitors who enter the city for any short to moderate length of time. The common room was rather large with a handful of nicely carved yet none-too-extravagant pillars supporting the ceiling. There were tasteful tapestries hanging from the walls depicting scenes that may be of the surrounding lake. A few couches, chairs and body pillows were laid out for visitor comfort and there was even a musician sitting on a pillow in one corner casually playing a soft melody on a flute. Room Cost - (Discount for purchasing an entire season) Poor (small room with a simple bed and storage chest) - 3 sm / day; 24gm / Season Common (large room with all the standard inclusions) - 7 sm / day; 55gm / Season Fine (same as common but with finer furnishings and a small hearth) - 2 gm / day ; 155 gm / Season

[Akuaysun]

34th Day of Summer 509 AV

Now in a rather foul mood thanks to the woman at ‘Odds and Ends’ Akuaysun had decided it best to take his things and go in search of a temporary lodging for the night. He wanted to explore as much of this little water-bound city as possible and that would take a bit of time, more so then he intended to fit into one day. It would be best to leave his hoe there as well, at least until he became more comfortable with it. As it stood the thing would only get in the way, and from the looks of some of the citizens was quite the object of envy. Perhaps these Mizas carried more value then he realized, for he had spent so few on his stones, dice, and weapon.

Standing at the edge of one dock the man watched the many Ravosalas skirting by on the surface of the dark water. Some were empty and others carrying people, a few were quite elegant, likely the personal property of some citizen. However a few came and went, unloading and loading people and traveling further down the Canals. These it seemed were for the general public to use, rather convenient considering the water was likely not the best for swimming, and the act would more then likely cause problems for the boats flow.

As one of the ‘public’ vessels slid up to the dock, and its passengers unloaded, Akuaysun introduced himself to the captain and indicated that he was in search of lodging. The captain seemed to understand with a smile and away they went down the channels of water. Aku said little, still brooding about the insult the woman had given him earlier, his hazel eyes simply shifting from boat to boat and looking at the well crafted buildings that, as he could now see, rested upon wood pillars.

Within a small amount of time they had arrived at Tarsin’s Boarding House, a rather fine establishment as said by the pilot of the small ship. Aku carefully stepped from boat to dock and thanked the man who gave a small tip of his hat before pushing off with his long pole and continuing on down the path.

The exterior of the building was indeed quite fine, and spoke of luxurious lodging. It would be more then suitable for the traveler, though nothing on this plane would ever compare to the vague memories he had of Leth’s realm. Stepping inside his eyes once again went to work scanning the room and its occupants. There were a few small signs hanging about indicating various things and prices, and behind a small desk sat an aging man who must have been the infamous Tarsin, of Tarsin’s boarding house.

Walking with calm determination to the desk, he carefully positioned the hoe so it would not fall as he spoke and offered a hand to the man. If inclined Akuaysun would grab his wrist in a fashion that he could do much the same and give it a single quick shake before withdrawing. “Greeting’s inn keeper, I am Akuaysun, I require lodging in your city of Ravok and was told that Tarsin is whom I should seek. Are you indeed Tarsin of Tarsin’s Boarding House, and further are you, or he, a dice betting man?”

[Gillar]

The old man sitting at the desk was indeed the owner, Tarsin. An aging man with a short, gray beard and thinning gray hair, he looked up from behind a pair of wire spectacles at the man speaking to him. With a modest smile, he stood and clasped Akuaysun's hand and said, "Yes, I am Tarsin and this my Boarding House." He raised an eyebrow at the rest of the question and continued, "I have played a game or two. Why do ask, stranger?" The boarding house was relatively quiet although there were a few guests coming and going. Most were moderately well-dressed in dark colored silk or linen though there were a few appearing less well-off dressed slightly more inferior though still not poor by any means. The common room Akuaysun was in was rather large with a handful of nicely carved yet none-too-extravagant pillars supporting the ceiling. There were tasteful tapestries hanging from the walls depicting scenes that may be of the surrounding lake. A few couches, chairs and body pillows were laid out for visitor comfort and there was even a musician sitting on a pillow in one corner casually playing a soft melody on a flute.

[Akuaysun]

“I am a man of very few coin so I wish to make a wager. If you are interested we will throw dice.” Akuaysun’s hand fell back to the pouch that held his Mizas and fished out the cup which contained his set of bone dice. Spilling the polished bone blocks onto the counter, his hand snatched out the two, six sided die and tossed them back into the leather container. Sliding it across the dark wood of the counter to Tarsin, he gave a wry grin and let his casual, yet deep tone explain the game.

“The game is odds and evens, my dice; you throw and pick what numbers you want to keep things fair. Three throws, most correct wins, Tiger’s eyes are a push and we re-throw the dice. So double one’s is a push, if you pick odds and it rolls odds, you get a point, you throw evens and I get a point. Best of three wins, easy enough eh? Now for the wager…”

There was a brief pause as Aku absently let his tanned fingers roll one of the larger dice between the digits. He hummed for a minute as if mock pondering the deal, trying to read how far he could push Tarsin. The problem was that he really did want to conserve money, so it had to be a deal that was beneficial to both but wouldn’t cost the Myrian more Mizas. “I propose this, if I win, then I get my room at half the normal cost for the length of my stay, but if you win, I will pay the full amount and give you four hours of my day to work me as you please around this establishment. I think the deal fair, I can save money or you can get free labor. What say you?”

With a wide toothy grin Akuaysun extended his hand as he had when first introducing himself, an obvious gesture meant to seal the deal if terms were acceptable before playing.

[Gillar]

Tarsin was not new to Ravok; having been born and raised there. A city ripe with vice, gambling was nothing out of the ordinary especially in The Docks. Although having had his share of wins and losses in various games of chance, Tarsin had left that life years in the past. However, from time to time he did allow himself to revisit the old memories with a game or two. He didn't normally do so with potential customers and was quite suspicious of anyone who would attempt to place wagers such as the one that this stranger was offering. Nevertheless, Tarsin listened to what the man had to say and considered the game and the stakes. It wasn't a bad deal; either lose a few silvers or gain some free labor. He had always wanted a slave but could never talk his wife into it. Perhaps this would at least get him close to having that sort of status. Besides, if this stranger turned out to be more trouble than the whole mess was worth, Tarsin would simply slip a word to a slaver or two and wash his hands of the whole thing. "Well, lad, your stakes sound fair and the game straightforward but let me add a little to it just to maintain fairness to the business I'm trying to run here. If you win, fine, you get a room here for half the cost but the final decision on which room is up to me; I do have full-paying customers to consider." It wasn't that Tarsin was a trusting man willing to gamble away rooms at the drop of a hat. He was simply a man who enjoyed a break from the routine every so often. Of course, like most other citizens of Ravok, he also knew quite well the benefits of being a citizen in the eyes of the ever-present, Ebonstryfe compared to being a simple visitor. This put more him at ease than one would think coming from a man who was willing to gamble so readily with a stranger. He accepted Akuaysun's hand and nodded as he then took the leather cup and dice in hand. Calling out, "Evens", he tossed the dice.

[Akuaysun]

Had Akuaysun known more about Ravok, its people, and its religious beliefs he would have likely been more careful with his deals, and more so with his very presence in the city. To walk about in the patron city of a god hated by all gods was a risky thing all to itself but to be making deals with the dark lords followers, well that was asking for the kinds of luck that some people prayed for.

Listening to the stipulation Tarsin had Aku gave a soft nod. He had hoped that this wouldn’t come up but at the same time he couldn’t hope to bargain all the rules in a game of chance. At least the man had put forward the statement that he chose the room only if Akuaysun won and even if he tried to push Aku into a high price room he would be loosing more and more money, and of coarse he always had the choice to leave if things got to pricey… or shady.

Taking the man’s hand as he had earlier there was a brief shake to seal the deal. With it the two went immediately into business. The deal was that Tarsin threw and called. It was the best way to keep things fair when offering your own dice, as one never knew when they were loaded. This game was relatively simple, and being thrown from a cup it would take a master gambler to rig the throws. So in most respects Aku’s fortune was left to the whim of the gods.

Green interlaced with brown watched carefully from the eyes of the Myrian formed Ethaefal. The dice escaped the cup and rolled across the wood surface. Tarsin called even, and so the being from another plane watched for any odd to roll. He only needed a single odd to roll for his side, and thus the game was stacked slightly against odd, however, it wouldn’t be called gambling if everything was fair.

[Gillar]

The diced tumbled out of the cup and bounced around on the desk for a moment before finally coming to rest. Tarsin noticeably scowled as the dice came up 'odds'. Although he hadn't lost the bet, he was one step to doing so. Part of him considered if he were to lose, he could always call in the town guard and claiming he was scammed and that he feared for his life if he challenged it. However, Tarsin was also a businessman who liked to think of himself as a fair man. He agreed to the bet and, win or lose, he would see it through. The little game had also attracted the attention of a handful of other guests who were curious as to what Tarsin and the stranger were doing. Now, five people, all guests, stood nearby and watched the little game of chance. A couple of them actually mentioned betting amongst themselves on the game. Tarsin looked up at the stranger then back at the cup. It was becoming clear that the stranger intended for Tarsin to toss each of the throws. This was relieving and frustrating all at once. If Tarsin lost based on his own throws, he would have nobody to blame but himself and thus he would look even worse. With a deep sigh, he gathered the dice and tossed again. This time the dice landed on even numbers; he was still in it. With a little more confidence, he smiled, grabbed the dice and tossed one last time. Odds. The gathering of people muttered to themselves as mizas changed hands in their own bets over who would win. Tarsin mumbled a string of curses and then tossed the cup back to Akuaysun and said rather gruffly, "Alright. You get your room at half the price. Your room is one the second floor, first door on your right from the stairs." Tarsin waited for his coins before sliding a key across the desk and motioning to the stranger to get on his way. When Akuaysun eventually made it to the room, he found that it was one of the Common rooms. Unknown to Akuaysun at that time was that Tarsin had already rented out all of the cheapest rooms and the old man was not about to give one of the finer rooms over a lost bet.

[Akuaysun]

Akuaysun watched with intent, his eyes never wavering from the bone dice as they spilled forth from the cup and bounced across the wood, eventually coming to a rest. Seven! Yes the first pull was his, often a good omen when gambling. It brought a smile to his face, soft and gracious, but a smile none the less. Crossing his arms the Myrian moved his eyes to look at Tarsin. The throw was his, as that was how the deal was made, in order for there to be no doubts or accusations of unfair play. While Akuaysun did not have a reason not to trust the man, he did not have a reason to put faith in the idea that the business man would enjoy loosing coin either.

As the second set rolled the gambler furrowed his brow ever so slightly, now they were tied, so much for the hopes of a quick win. However as the third set was thrown, and tumbled across the desk, the ageless being held his breath for just a slight moment as they at last landed odd. “Ha ha, it seems that Ovek smiles upon me today. Here to lessen the blow.” As Tarsin told him which room he would be staying in Aku placed a gold and two silver Miza on the counter. A silver and a half more then the fee he would have had to pay. “Three nights is all I plan to stay, if I burden you longer I will give you the full amount for the room. Many thanks to you Tarsin.”

Overall the bet was good, the keeper was still making more money then he would have for the cheapest room and Aku saved a few pieces of coin. Hopefully there would be no hard feelings and in the three days time Tarsin would never have to see the gambling Myrian again. Scooping his dice, and taking his key, the eternal being collected his things and moved up the stairs into his room.

[Stag Fern]

30th day of Fall 510 A.V

Stag saw the huge buliding even from his distance. It seemed so serene just floating right there. When the boat arrived at the building he asked the ferryman what this place was. "I told you before this is Tarsin's Inn travellers go here to rest and recover thats what you want ain't it". Stag paid the ferryman a silver and then he stood in front of the building. It was both beautiful and intimidating. Beautiful because it was a work of art intimidating because he could feel in his gut he was gonna lose alot of Mizas. It was now or never stag looked at the sky one last time and then he walked in.

Inside he found a desk with a man looking straight ahead. Stag walked up to him and saw that the man had a grin on his face "May I help you sir" asked the man. "Are you the Inn-keeper" asked Stag. Annoyed a bit the man not losing his composure said "why yes I'm Tarsin". Stag eyed him suspiciously but soon said "Alright I'd like to rent a room for a week the cheapest accomidation if you please I'd like to rest". Tarsin sighed a bit "3 silvers for a day that makes 18 silver" said Tarsin. Quickly Stag replied "2 gold then, keep the change I am rather tired and if I do decide to leave early you may still keep your coin". Tarsin was happy he gave him his key with that Stag was off to a warm bed.

[Sulavik]

46th Winter, 510AV It was pure luck by which Sulavik had found the boarding house. Straight after arriving in Ravok, he had been riding around attempting to find somewhere to eat lunch, as he could tell Jil'sk was tiring, as he himself was. It was only with a sudden STOP YOU BUMBLING IDIOT from Makil that Sulavik paused his horse even briefly. The shock caused him to tug on the reins immediately, Jil'sk rearing back and almost throwing him off. It was an attention seeking stunt, though he did not do it on purpose, and he smiled sheepishly at the wandering denizens of the city. What the hell is wrong with you, idiot? I'm hardly an idiot. I just found you housing. Looking around, Sulavik noticed he was indeed right. For just next to where Jil'sk was stopped, there was a sign which boasted "Tarsin's Boarding House". It was not like Sulavik knew of anywhere else to stay, and so he dismounted, tied up the horse, and went inside. Inside there was a man, standing in the corner. Sulavik walked right over to him, not wasting any time and ignoring the slightly incredulous look he gave the big blue man. "Hello. You the inkeeper? I was hoping to hire a room, staying in town. Not sure how long, can I pay by week?"