[Riverfall Location] The Sanctuary

[Kavala]

. . Located two miles north of Riverfall, The Sanctuary is a low slung rambling set of structures that house a private stables, animal rescue/adoption center, and animal healer. Completely isolated to the north of the Bluevein River, Sanctuary overlooks the Suvan Sea perched on a relatively flat piece of land bordering the woods that are fairly common along the coastline. Having a good chunk of fenced pasture surrounding the facility, Sanctuary lies right off the road that acts as the main supply route down to the beach. The facility itself is built in the form of a giant square with a large inner courtyard. There are two ways into the facility. The first is up a set of stairs leading directly into the healing clinic. The clinic itself has a waiting room, a place for philtering, an office, an exam room and various supply rooms. Above the clinic lies a second story living quarters with a fairly nice view of the Suvan Sea. Beneath the clinic lies a series of kennels, cages, and storage. Back doors open out into the courtyard which is also accessible through a gate which leads to the main road. The gate is flanked on either side by two low-slung buildings that act as assistant quarters. Forming the square of the courtyard are rows of stalls running down the north and west side of teh building, creating 16 spaces for horses. The inner courtyard is large enough for a riding arena and a small round pen, both of which is used for training horses and dogs. Visitors are encouraged to drop by and visit with the animals that are available for adoption, and animals in need are always welcome to be dropped off. The Sanctuary welcomes donations to maintain its facility. Being primarily a healing center, The Sanctuary offers a wide variety of healing and medical services that range from wound treatment, disease prevention, birthing and whelping services, and herbal treatments. In addition to our animal health care facility, we offer extensive boarding of both pets and horses for the traveler and those leaving for travels. Because we are a full care training facility as well, we offer broodmare services, stallion services, and riding lessons. We also have selected horses for sale and are willing to purchase healthy serviceable mounts to add to our stock for sale. We have any number of tack items for sale, as well as rations for horses and pets. Boarding is available and comes either full care (food, grooming, turn out, and stall cleaning) or Stall only (no food, turn out, care, or stall cleaning). Prices are always negotiable for exchange in labor or services. Sanctuary is also interested in expanding to offer a kennels and cattery. The mews has been built and Raiha will be in charge of selling trained raptors as well. Price List Boarding Daily - Full Care: 5 SM Daily - Stall Only: 2 SM Seasonal - Full Care: 35 GM Seasonal - Stall Only: 25 GM Horses See Availability and Breed for Prices Tack Saddle: 10 GM Pack Saddle: 4 GM Bridle: 2 GM Halter: 3 SM Lead Rope: 1 SM Yvas: 6 GM Harness: 2 GM Blanket: 3 GM Grooming Kit: 2 GM (includes brushes, cloth, soap, hoofpick) Unlike some IC stables and pet shops, Sanctuary does not 'materialize' animals out of thin air to suit the needs of the customers. Kavala must account for each and every horse she has, where it was acquired or when it was born. Due to that fact, stock is limited to what Sanctuary has on hand. However, if you have a special request, Kavala can see if she can fulfill that request but it will take some time. Sanctuary has a strict breeding program and is goal orientated. Sanctuary currently in the process of creating a new breed of horse, so their reproductive goals are very specific. Price List & Sales Catalog of Horses Blueprint : We are constantly on the look out for grooms, medical assistants, and trainers. Leatherworking would be an incredible bonus, as too would be herbalism. Housing is available. Inquire with Kavala. Complete Employment List & Salary Schedule Sanctuary Forum: Sanctuary is supported by a business forum in the Consortia. There are all sorts of threads in this forum from sales list, employment opportunities, ooc threads, etc. Feel free to check out the forum for more details on who we are.

[Akela]

62nd day of winter, 509 AV

It was late in the morning when Akela stopped in front of the Sanctuary's gates. Her slender frame was tired from the long travel, and the circumstances under which it had begun, but she wasn't dragging her feet or embarrassing herself in any special way. The Konti thought the Sanctuary looked pretty, though if it had been her she wouldn't have gone with an animal clinic. The horses were lovely, of course, and she wouldn't have taken so long to get here if she still had one. Of course, anyone not raised by the Drykas would not have gotten here in the first place.

Akela's talents lay in the steel and the flesh, but not in the fur and coat of an animal. Kavala had always been the one in touch with nature. Akela had been in touch with... well, herself and her as of yet unnamed sword. Perhaps she would find it a proper name some day. She had found the Zith that had taken it from her as a trophy when they had captured her. She had become the instrument of his pleasure, and he had become the instrument of her revenge; a fair trade. One night, the Zith's head separated itself from the body, and Akela fled their nightmarish dens. She had been on the run since, only surviving on the intimate knowledge of Cyphrus granted by her heritage.

She would not mind a period of peace, to be honest. She smiled quietly to herself and went through the gates. She was wearing a grey hooded cloak, dirty and torn here and there. Her hair was long and in disarray, and she looked like she could use a nice, long bath. The katana was the only neat-looking thing about her right now, but deep under the layers of fatigue and grime there was an energetic young girl who had been within an inch of her life and had lived to tell the tale.

Akela made her way to the reception area of the Sanctuary, glad for the roof over her head. Sometimes, the simple pleasures were the best. It had been a long time, and the girl hoped her sister was faring well. She had no sixth sense, no second sight whatsoever. Even the relief of knowing that Kavala was alive and well was denied to this Konti. Avalis was such a bitch, Akela thought casually. Nikali might not have been what she was expecting out of life, but at least the goddess made life worth living.

[Kavala]

Akela

Kavala truthfully would have laid down all the coin she had on hand in a bet that the last person that would have walked through Sanctuary's gate that day was her sister. And had she known, she might have bothered to do a little more with her appearance. Dressed in boys britches, boots, and a tunic that was more stain than clean, the konti was hard at work nailing up a fence board on the round pen that was almost completed. She planned to get the rest of the wood up, then start hauling bags of sand from the beach on Wind to fill the pen itself. It would take all day, probably all the following day, but to have a training circle with soft sand was priceless.

When the gate open, she straightened, slowly set down her keg of nails, and then laid aside her hammer. She assumed it was a customer, and was ready to greet them as such. But Akela's stride was unmistakable. Long, strong, determined... though with a hint of weariness... Kavala frowned, then shouted out her sister's name, and barreled towards her. Nearly identical arms encircled the familiar figure as the younger sister threw herself into Akela's arms. It was not quite the normal reaction between the two, who spent the majority of their youth locked in heated debate or plotting some grand adventure. Neither were quite the stereotypical konti. Akela was strong, self sufficient, and didn't particularly have a lot of tolerance for people who unwittingly asked her to read their fortune. Kavala was quite certain her sister had picked up a sword at such a young age for the sole purpose of ridding the world of curious intrusive sooth-seekers. Oh, they annoyed Kavala too, but she'd found a simple 'You don't have enough fur or feathers for my sight. it runs towards animals."

After a moment, Kavala pulled away. She glanced around, noting her sisters condition, a lack of a horse, and the tattered shape her cloak was in. "What are you doing here? You're the last person I expected to see walk through that gate. Are you on foot? You look exhausted and in need of a bath. Are you hungry?" Akela knew all about Kavala's 'cooking' so while her sister was on the right track, she wasn't helping much.

She didn't give the other Konti much time to answer. She wisked her inside the compound, headed towards the main clinic, and detoured into the bath house where she turned on the tap. "I've got some cookies from the bakery in town. I'll bring some tea .... you get in the tub. You look like you could soak for a week. I'll be right back." And with that, she was off - heading up to the clinic to pick up the items and adding a jar of ointment for bruises and scrapes to the pile.

[Akela]

Akela nearly staggered from her sister's embrace, having barely registered her presence by the time she made a rush towards her. Right here and now, she could not recall another instance of this. Even though her more distant memories had taken on a slightly hazy tint with her captivity, she could never forget Kavala's attitude. Her sister was the no-nonsense type who'd much rather spend her time in some productive endeavor than weepy teary girly stuff. Even here, Kavala was thriving. Success came natural to her, though it always seemed to escape Akela by some chance of fate.

"Yes, I'm on foot - not by choice, of course. Sorry I barged in unannounced like this. I just didn't know where else to go in this state." She nodded gingerly at the mention of hunger, though there was no way in the Ukalas that Kavala may have learned cooking.

Akela was led through the Sanctuary's compound, marveling at the sight. She had never seen a house so big, and truth told she had grown up seeing precious few houses that stayed still on the ground. A thousand questions popped up in her mind - what? how? when? She could not help but feel more than a little embarrassed. Kavala had a lot of show for her time away from Akela. The reverse was not true. All Akela had to show was bruises and scars and horrifying tales of slaving under psychotic cannibals.

"Thanks, Kav," she murmured with a tired smile. She did not wait for her sister to go before starting to undress. She dropped her clothes in a dirty pile. Her skin was pale, and while their faces were similar, their bodies were almost identical, down to the wind tattoos. The one addition was Nikali's mark on Akela's left breast. She went into the tub as if her life depended on it, reached for the soap and began scrubbing the world away. She winced at the knots in her hair, and wondered if she should just cut it shorter. Hair got in the way of her sword, after all.

Akela rested her back against the tub, letting out a contented moan. Alive again.

[Kavala]

Akela ---> Follow me.

[Charon]

First day of Spring, Year 510 AV

Spring was upon Riverfall at last and aside from the warmer breezes rolling into the city, the change in season meant more visitors would most likely be found visiting the exotic sights offered or simply passing through. Regardless of their motivation for traveling, those in transit would certainly have mounts and other animals needing attention and the Sanctuary was just the place they would find to meet their needs.

In anticipation of coming business for both the city and this particular business, an Akalak runner was sent to give the operator a heads up. Searching the property, the messenger finally found the woman working hard as expected. With a slight bow of his head, the man spoke quickly but gently, "Good morning. I was sent to remind you that the coming seasons will most likely bring much more business to this establishment than the past, colder one. The city must meet the needs of those who find themselves here and the Sanctuary may play an important role in doing so. Please feel free to let me or anyone else know if you find yourself short of help if business picks up." The Akalak nodded his head once more and hesitated in case Kavala did have any requests before turning to depart on his way to the next business on his list for the day.

Thread Award Kavala Experience: +4 in Animal Husbandry for Seasonal Experience

[Kavala]

Charon

Kavala smiled at the messenger. "Good Morning to you. Ahh... yes. We've been working hard. We've acquired stock to both sell and breed, and we have animals readily available to supply the needs of the city. I currently have one incredibly overworked groom, which was what I was budgeted for when the council agreed to allow me to attempt the business. We've been busy however, and now my sister is in residence along with another who helps out though I do not have the funding for a salary. Our stock is up to 22 horses from our original 17, and we have eight more foals due. That will put us at roughly 30 animals not counting who boards and just stables here. I would really appreciate the leeway to hire both my sister who is drykas and can well care for horses and a handyman/all purpose assistant so that we can keep up with all the work around here. We also need to expand the living quarters here to accommodate everyone, but I'm more than willing to do that out of my own salary. I have very little need for personal coin. But I would like to be able to pay those that are already helping out." She said quite seriously.

NoteThanks for the seasonal XP! When i get some free time this weekend, I'm going to start a stud book for Sanctuary and a for sale list on horses that are available.

[Charon]

It was not that the messenger sent from the city did not hold an interest in what Kavala was saying, it was that he had so much more work and appointments to get through that day. He quickly glanced down at the list he was holding in his hand when the Konti started to respond but his pale eyes found her stunning blue ones just as quickly. She certainly had a beauty about her that any Akalak could not ignore- even if simply for racial preservation purposes only.

He listened to her story and found it interesting that her stock of animals had grown and was expected to expand even more so in the coming weeks. The information about her help situation made the man slightly suspicious at first thought, but he wrote the feeling off as simply being bothered that his rounds were taking longer than anticipated today. If she was indeed so busy already and considering the news he had just brought her, it was apparent that Kavala would need more help soon. Thinking for a moment, he nodded and replied to her. "I understand your situation here. I will see what I can do to grant you more income for the sake of hiring new help or paying for what you have now, though I cannot make any promises about how much they'll give. You'll hear from me again soon." With that said, the Akalak did turn this time and trotted off to take care of his remaining agenda.

That evening as Kavala was working around the Sanctuary, a letter arrived with an unmarked seal. The messenger himself was not seen but the note was found stuck under the door. The stationery was simple and the message brief:

Kavala, I have spoken with the Council and have secured a means for you to receive an extra 5 gm each day, for the reasons of paying salary to two extra unspecialized employees. Depending on how the needs of the Sanctuary change in the future, this number shall be adjusted accordingly. -From the Office of Nevar Chivan

[Kavala]

Charon

The letter couldn't have come at a more welcome time. Kavala thanked the messenger and took it gratefully where there was still light. She unwrapped it slowly, curious as to its contents, and read it carefully. She then reread it and smiled, knowing that now she could pay Akela what she was truly worth around the Sanctuary and indeed hire another assistant - one came to mind immediately - so that the raptors around Sanctuary would be well cared for.

She smiled, turned from where she was standing leaning up against the rail in the arena watching several new foals frolic out exercising with their mothers, and glanced at the far end of the structure above the gate. They'd have to put a second story on, a long matching structure like her own quarters, were several people could live together or live in smaller divided spaces that were still quite comfortable. That would be the project for this spring... that and building a new forge. Akela and Kav would have to do that though. And it wouldn't be easy.

[Charon]

2nd Day of Summer, Year 510 AV


It was the start of another season at Sanctuary and the weather was much warmer than the most recent months. The rains softened the ground and the sun forced the sweat to surface on the skin of those continuously working the grounds. Much progress had been made at the Konti-led establishment and on this day, the Akalak aide was instructed to check on all aspects of the progress. The land and the structures, of course, looked well maintained since most of it was relatively new. But spying Kavala herself was what else he had been directed to do. From a distance, a personal choice made to avoid unnecessary contact, he watched the Konti until he could determine her... body shape. He noted she had not changed, from what he could remember, from the last time he had seen her in any significant way, at least. Armed with this knowledge, the blue man turned and made off without pausing to record any notes. Having been spotted was not the idea situation for the young Akalak.

Thread Award Kavala Experience: +5 in Animal Husbandry for Seasonal Experience Mod Notes: The city has been growing and so has the activity at Sanctuary! I love establishments being actively improved and always involved with the city- thank you!!