This location currently requires permission to use.
The Farson Home for Orphans "Come out of the darkness, ye children; Our hearth is warm, our halls hallowed. Though the Stormlord and King of Seas, Beat the harbor bloody with their rage, Ye will be safe within, fed and clothed. Sons of Zeltiva. Daughters of Mizahar." --poet unknown Although the actual documentation of the orphanage's inception were lost in some storm or fire, circumstantial evidence points to it being around almost as long as the new Zeltiva was built on top of and within the old metropolis. Though it has always been well respected among the community as a place to care for the young dispossessed and orphaned, its municipal support has wavered. In the Summer of 512, the beloved headmistress, Ethel Farson, passed away, leaving an orphanage broken by storm, limited funding, and a vacuum of leadership. When Hadrian Aelius, a graduate of the University, returned and offered financial support as well as to volunteer his time educating the orphans, Lord of Council Maria Scatterthwite pounced upon the opportunity and persuaded him to take on the administration of the orphanage in addition to his role as a professor. She gave him a secret decree: raise sons and daughters of Zeltiva, the finest in the realm. Now Hadrian Aelius is rebuilding the orphanage and raising the children as wards of the municipality; their room, board, and education are subsidized by the city of Zeltiva and private donation. Much like members of a guild, they remain indentured to their benefactors until their debts are paid. The orphanage is situated nearly equidistant between the sea and the city limits, high enough that the top floor had an unobstructed view of the harbor and the basement level has rarely flooded. Its oldest foundations are laid with granite and porphyry scuttled from pre-Valterrian ruins, but the majority of the newest work is made up of travertine mined from a quarry in the foothills of the nearby Zastoska Mountains where the hot springs help form it. The harsh weather has worn away much of its shine, and the walls of grey granite and wrought iron bars seem rather bleak, though the interiors are warmly paneled in wood and the orphans generally well provided for. To the citizenry, the wall and gates are protection for the children rather than to keep them in. Though much of the complex has fallen into disrepair or was damaged by the djed storm, the East Wing remains habitable. Upon entering the gates, one finds a courtyard with trees and some statuary in various states of repair. Double doors lead into the foyer with a central staircase that splits left and right to enter into the West and East Wings. Behind that are the kitchens, which lead out onto a small herb and vegetable garden with a narrow pathway leading around the Wings to the front courtyard. In the currently occupied East Wing, the first floor houses classrooms, storage, and the like. The second floor holds the nursery, the dormitories, and, closest to the stairwells, the rooms of caretakers. The third floor is smaller than the lower floors, with a larger room for the person in charge, an office, and further storage. A tower marks each of the four corners of the complex, open to the elements, from which one has the best views. Within the West Wing are a ruined chapel, a run down hall where the orphans used to give musical recitals and the like, and room for more and more children. Outlying buildings include a tool shed, outhouses, a midden, a chicken coop, and a rabbit hutch. Even the best preserved parts could use some upkeep, however. NPCs :
 Thea Fleming-Lee Senior Caretaker Date of Birth: 48th Summer, 460 A.V. Skills: Interrogation 28 Intimidation 35 Investigation 25 Leadership 30 Mathematics 26 Negotiation 28 Observation 35 Organization 25 Persuasion 26 Rhetoric 30 Singing 17 Storytelling 10 Teaching 55 Writing 26 1 Mark, Oriana Though outwardly fussy and severe, the woman is affectionately called the Old Bear, for not one of the orphans can deny a memory of her soothing some terrible childhood fear or hurt, the wideness of her heart protected by the gruff way she protects her charges. Happy to leave the administration to someone else, her focus is forever and always the children.  Vasos Caretaker Date of Birth: 13th Spring, 492 A.V. Skill: Flute 54 Music Composition 28 Singing 36 Teaching 23 Unarmed Combat 10 Wrestling 15 Writing 22 Though he achieved his seniority, this one chose to remain at the orphanage to help those who showed him such kindness and support all his life. He appeared upon their doorstep, abandoned in a basket without even a note. He had known no other home or family. Part of his time is spent at the University taking classes, the rest spent teaching and caring for the orphans.  Lily Nursemaid Date of Birth: 61st Fall, 480 A.V. Skill: Botany 21 Floristry 17 Gardening 26 Herbalism 18 Medicine 36 Sewing 22 Teaching 25 2nd Mark, Rak'keli Another orphan, Lily was born with the ability to heal, and has since learned medicine and herbalism. If she ever felt the Call, it was to stay where she was raised, and her Gift seems to be the ability to sense potential, which the caretakers use to gauge how best to prepare each child for their destiny. [Various others.] By Hadrian |
