Welcome to Gaia! ::

✖ The Setting
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From the outside, the Red Lion Tavern is a rather modest looking building. Covered in stucco with a red tile roof, this modest medium sized building boasts a hand painted wooden shield shaped sign hanging to the right of a large oak door on an iron sign arm with the picture of Titus, the majestic red lion, upon it. The Red Lion has a colorful history to it. In the beginning, the building used to be home to the Hammer and Claw, a tavern owned by the Fattorino Crime Syndicate. The Hammer and Claw, under the guise of an airship rest stop, was a meeting place where many illegal mafia activities were conceived. After the Denia Uprising, the Hammer and Claw was reborn as the Red Lion and turned into a respectable tavern and popular local social spot.

Inside, the tavern is full of round free standing tables and booths that line the north, eastern, and half of the western walls of the tavern. In the middle of the room, is a large rectangular bar made of oak with a series of bar stools running the perimeter except for a four foot section of the western side. The bar stools are a modest combination of dark brown leather and oak with a matching back to them. Hanging from the ceiling, is a large oak glass rack with a series of hooks that hold porcelain and stoneware steins with numbers painted on the bottom. The steins are owned by regular customers of the Red Lion.

The regulars to the Red Lion not only have their numbered steins but also favorite places to sit. It is known throughout Denia who the regulars of the Red Lion are and where they usually sit within the bar. These regulars are referred to by the locals as The Stein Club. To join the Stein Club for a non resident means a traveler, airship captain, or crew member will return to Porta Denia and return often. The Stein Club isn't just about getting a fire cured stein and a regular place to sit in the Red Lion, it's about becoming an honorary citizen of Porta Denia. It is an honor local members take quite seriously.

On any given day of the week, one will find Shirley Andrews seated at her usual place in the southwest corner of the bar. The seventy-one year old woman, known as Shirl to the bartenders, always has her pad of paper and a pen with her as she observes and records the comings and goings of the tavern patrons and townspeople for the Porta Denia Gazette. Locals and regulars know that pretty much anything and everything that goes on within the walls of the Red Lion will eventually end up in the town newspaper thanks to Shirley. However, the townspeople and regular customers of the Red Lion consider this to be a badge of honor. To be mentioned by Shirley is, to them at least, a sign that they have done something noteworthy in Porta Denia.

Another colorful local one might find around the Red Lion is Denwale Kounds. Denwale has credited the Red Lion with giving him the strength to be a socially active member of the community. However, he has been completely drunk when making these claims. The bartenders, staff, and other regulars of the Red Lion tell of how a meek socially shy Denwale enters the tavern, tries to speak to a few people with no success, and then drinks until he's drunk with confidence. People have actually said that they prefer the drunken confident Denwale to the sober shy and meek version he is before drinking. This has them doing whatever necessary to get and keep Denwale drunk. When sober, this card carrying member of the Stein club has often been heard questioning when and why he joined the stein club before the another round is poured for him.

The Red Lion tavern is open for all who wish to come in have a drink, a good bit of pub food, and socialize while they visit Porta Denia.

Steins two five six eight and two five six nine, while both hand crafted beer steins sat in front of the diminutive winged female only one had been filled with the locally made ale. Aylin Rhys, pixie, former military, widow, and self proclaimed adventurer, had taken time away from life in Barton Town with her in-laws to help the Gaia Casimir Alliance with its expansion and recruitment drives. Sitting at the bar Aylin, reluctantly wearing a pair of reading glasses, was looking over a stack of reports on recent Alliance recruiting efforts and expenses. Aylin hated doing paperwork but it was a necessary evil in order to keep the Alliance afloat for the coming year.

"Um...hi?" a younger sounding voice called out from behind her.

"Pull up a seat at the bar and I'll be with you shortly miss," Frank the head bartender called out from the opposite end of the bar.

Aylin turned around and faced the younger woman with the tiny dragon on her head, "So what brings you in here?"

Shaina Graces just arrived in Porta Denia when the sun had set. She is a young adult from Durem. She's the Gaia Casimir Alliance's accountant. She graduated from Durem University and Meredith was her batchmate. Meredith was the youngest in Shaina's batch, being 15 years old. Shaina is so happy for Meredith for she is the summa c** laude of their batch.

She found out that Aylin, her friend from Barton, was at the Red Lion. Despite being from opposite towns, they get along pretty.well. Shaina had to submit her financial reports and ledgers to Aylin. Being the Alliance's accountant can be frustrating at times for Shaina, but she can manage. But first, she has to manage running to the Red Lion. And yes, she finally arrived.

Shaina opened the door and say Aylin with a younger woman. She ran quickly to Aylin and hugged her.

"Aylin! I miss you! And hello there, Miss! What's your name?"

Aylin smiled at the younger woman. Besides the diner if there was any place on Porta Denia with decent food it was the tavern. In fact, the Red Lion was known for its pub food and not just its selection of brews behind the bar.

"You've come to the right place," Aylin commented, "This place has great burgers, sausages, and meat pies on top of really good fish and chips."

As Aylin finished addressing the younger woman she felt a pair of overly eager arms clamp around her in a hug from behind. Turning around she saw a familiar face from Barton Town. While she didn't consider herself to be incredibly close to young woman Aylin was still on friendly terms with her and didn't mind spending time with her. Letting out a soft, and hopefully unnoticed, sigh Aylin smiled at the young woman as she addressed her.

"It's good to see you again Shaina. What brings you here," Aylin responded to her engaging in pleasantries.

Aylin took the papers and placed them with the small pile next to Orrin's old stein. The branch offices were going to take a lot of funding in order to get them off the ground and right now was not the time to get into a business meeting with the office worker at the Barton office. Putting the thought of graphs and figures out of her head Aylin took a sip of her ale.

"Thanks for getting that to me. I'll look them over when I have a clearer head," Aylin commented before taking yet another sip of ale.

The young bartender gave Shaina her water and vodka.

"Thank you, Mister!" Shaina replied.

"It's nice to meet you too, Hydro."

Shaina paused for a bit before she talked again.

"Have you guys heard the news that Gino's dead? And have you guys seen those weird signs in the sky? You know, the moons thing?"

"I don't see how the two are related, but I think most have heard about Gino Gambino. I don't know what to make of it, though." Hydro remembered the report and the mention of the Tycoon's son and the mysterious shopkeeper in Durem.
" .....I tried to observe the moon from the clouds the other day for a closer look. It doesn't look too different but the ominous feeling....it's the same. I wish I knew any other mages to ask about it. It's not too safe to venture up any higher than this these days and I don't go underwater these days to know if they can sense anything about the moon from the tides."