[SpiRP] Spindle Lane Demon's Club - OPEN

[Baneful]

There is a part of Halloween Town which has been very demon-centric for a very long time, and it is this small part with its very very old and very well kept stone homes within which Spindle Lane resides. It is not that they forbid other races in their midst there, it is simply that most other races would simply rather not live in a place quite so generally unfriendly to their kind. Within the winding network of lanes and fencing there are no accommodating large spaces for the more monstrous amongst the populace and many of the very normal adaptations to the everyday for the large variety of denizens in Halloween appear to be entirely absent. What space there is is taken up by the large courtyard walled in on all sides and inaccessible from the street level to keep out undesirables. It is strikingly obvious that to live comfortably in The Spindles (as the district has both affectionately and derisively become known) one should probably be more or less entirely humanoid.

Spindle lane is not all that it seems, though on the outside it appears a cluster of townhouses around a courtyard inside it is much, much larger. With demons appearances are not always worth trusting.

Roleplays marked [SpRP] are considered orps set within the club where anyone living/working there can enter freely.

Announcements
December 15th 2015 - The club is initially posted.  

[Baneful]

Entry Hall
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The Spindle Lane Demon’s Club is nestled in the very heart of this little slice of residential unpleasantness, much like the other buildings in the area though slightly grander, very very old but very well maintained with polished stonework, ornate window frames and neat roofing. The entrance opens into a plush carpeted hallway with two ascending staircases branching up to the second level and several doors on the ground floor leading off into the various entertaining rooms. Hung along the walls of this entry hall are the various patron demons who have run the club over the last few years. One is new, the paint bright and brilliant and the one alongside it sports a new brass plaque announcing its subject to have dissipated that very year. The new portrait is of a very grey goatish looking demon with curled horns and a serious expression. Apparently his name is Zaram Aurum.

The Bar and Lounge
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Through one of the doors on the right, looking onto the cobbled street there is the large open room which is the heart of the casual social part of the property, it is richly furnished with many comfortable chairs ranging from old creaking leather seats with the rich smell of wealth and tobacco to more modern chaise longue. There are more than enough seats to suit all posteriors and around the edge of the room are booths screened with ornate and opaque stained glass decorated with infernal scenes for those who require some privacy. The bar itself is rich mahogany and is always staffed with discreet and able bartenders who can provide even the most curious of beverages for their high class clientele. Tabs are managed in neat and inoffensive manner paid via the accounts of the members, there is no need for something as crass as an exchange of monies to take place. Alcohol (amongst other questionably legal drinks) is sold here and can be purchased even by minors if they are willing to take the risk themselves, the club is under no obligation to police the choices of its members and discretion is the watchword. Drinking is considered acceptable for anyone regardless of their chosen fashion and drunkenness is acceptable in the evenings.

The halloween equivalent of opiates and laudanum are of course permitted within the walls of the club and if the Boogeymen become involved it is - as previously stated - very much an every individual for themselves situation. The official stance of the club is that they do not support anything of questionable legality and that all members must take responsibility for their own actions and avoid scandal at all costs.

The most favoured seating spot in the bar is the large bow window which provides an ample view of the street outside and also conveniently sets anyone who sits there in full proud view of those lesser non-members who might happen to pass by on the outside.

There is a large hearth which burns with all the fervor expected of a demonic establishment and keeps the rooms comfortable and cosy.


Examples of drinks sold throughout the day
Breakfast
Tea, Coffee, Chocolate, Ale

After Breakfast Til Dinner
Wine - Madeira, Burgundy, Claret
Blood
Bat Juice
Punch, Champagne, Orgeat
Tea, Lemonade.
Claret-cup (claret + fruit juice or soda)
Claret-blood (claret + blood)
Orgeat (distilled from barley or almonds)
Orange flower water (non alcoholic)
Ratifa (liqueur flavoured with peach, apricot or cherry)
Porter (bitter beer but considered good for the health and strengthening)

Dinner till Bed
Port
Absinthe


The Ballroom
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Both of the sweeping ebony staircases with their twisted and contorted demonic gargoyles supporting the bannisters lead in a river of plush dark carpet up across the black marble to the gentleman’s club function ballroom. It is here that many grand social balls are held and other important demon functions. It fills a very important niche as - due to the hostility between various families - a neutral ground is often required within which to host parties to resolve complex conflicts which require all the tact and care of a mafia sit-down. It is staffed by a number of servants and waiters and is available for any of the members of the club to hire for their use.

When it is not hired out or booked a portion of it is walled off with screens and converted into a dining room for the members to sit down to eat on evenings, with a rich spread served up for those present.

The ballroom itself when opened is large and marbled, decorated with what has to be hundreds of years of accumulated art and gilded embellishment. It is primarily composed of the same polished black marble and wood of the rest of the interior with the roof overhead illuminated with stars which remain present even in the daylight. They infrequently open the windows to let light in, treating the darkness with the respect it is due and lighting with magic and flame instead.

On the far side of the ballroom there is a raised platform used for orchestra and other entertainment, often staging plays from local small theatre companies telling stories from the history of demonkind and (extremely biased) tales of demonic interactions with humanity.

The Courtyard and Gardens
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The courtyard is flanked to the west by the private rooms, overlooked to the east by the ballroom and has the stables and the lane to the north and south respectively. The lane is separated from the courtyard itself by a high wall.

The courtyard is an outdoor garden with a myriad of strange flowers tended by the more plant-oriented members. It is not wise to touch or eat anything found in there. Generally it is crowded and ominous, with seats along the path which winds across the courtyard itself. There is however a clear path around the edge for faster access between one part of the building and the other without having to step out into the cobbled and sometimes hostile lanes.

Library
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The library is primarily a place for record keeping rather than pleasure reading, within the walls lie copies of many of the lineages of the more well known demonic families for hundreds and hundreds of years. They stock other books of course for the perusal of their members but the true treasure kept under lock and key is that of the lines of fear and family. If one is a demon or has had demon at some point in one’s family line, it is almost guaranteed that it is possible to find a family member or two in these annals, sometimes even along with a record of the disgraces or debts attached to them, if they were that sort of person.

In terms of non-record books the library does boast a veritable slew of writing by famous demon authors and autobiographies of well known demons throughout history. Whether or not all of these make good reading is entirely subjective. Many of the books also deal with the club’s favourite topics, particularly regarding social hierarchy, they have almost every edition of “The Races and their Places”

The library has quiet tables and working areas for those members of the demonic aristocracy caught away from home on business and needing somewhere to do a little business while in town.

Private Rooms
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The private rooms are exactly what they sound like, lavishly furnished rooms available to the members of the club for whatever they might require them for, an exclusive miniature hotel in the most demon friendly part of the town, what else could someone want?

Each room has a double bed, dresser, side table, large mirror and assorted thematic decor with an en suite bathroom, many of them are themed after the layers of hell and the Malebolge room is a favourite.

Bathrooms
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The bathroom facilities are as one would expect in a place tailored for demons with a careful balance of privacy when required (no one likes to be seen while dishevelled or dressing) and an optional social element.

There are various shower stalls and roomed toilets along with in a separate room a large communal bath, with available steam (and flame) baths for the more heat tolerant of the clientele. Most needs can be accommodated if they are demonic and having one’s clothes cleaned and pressed while bathing is a free service.

The Stables
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The stables are spacious and well stocked with hay and other snacks for the steeds when they are resting there between races or trips, carefully suited to the exacting needs of creatures who do not naturally walk on two legs and who require very specific diet or accommodating, there are pool stables for kelpies and furnace heated stables for hellhorses. They have a long history of expertise and are able to adapt to the requirements of their employees with normally minimal chaos.

The Kitchen/Underquarters
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The kitchens and underquarters of the property are not seen by anyone other than the servants who live and work there, functional and always well stocked the kitchen is a hive of activity and efficiency, affectionately deemed “The pit” by the head chef, a portly imp who rules with an iron panhandle and who is not phased by the changing of management, leaders come and go but food always remains the same.

The underquarters are a positive rabbit warren of tunnels throughout and under the building which let the servants move with minimal disruption to the leisure and day to day activities of the demonic members of the club. These tunnels are where the servants reign and no demon of the upper class would be seen in these hallways lest they run into a scandal.

This, like everything else does not always stop them though, and many a gluttony demon has been known to sneak down to the kitchens in the dead of night to beg a snack or twelve.  

[Baneful]

gaia_nitemareleft Do no harm within the walls of the club. (outside the walls discretion is the watchword)
gaia_nitemareleft Treat your fellow demons with civility within the walls. - this does not mean you have to like them. All other races are fair game.
gaia_nitemareleft Pay your dues.
gaia_nitemareleft Members are responsible for their non-member guests
gaia_nitemareleft Show ambition.
gaia_nitemareleft Maintain the honour, reputation and standing of the club.  

[Baneful]

Gender Policy
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Within the club there are two clear divisions in how each demon chooses to present themselves. Being in Halloween the concept of sex (male or female) holds little to no relevance in the lane as any combination or complete absence of genitalia are entirely possible. Physical parts have no sway in which of these traditional roles are adhered to by the members.

For instance, a creature with primarily masculine anatomy might well seek to marry into a wealthy family, pursue the route of musical accomplishment and wear the type of fashions that we humans might well term “feminine” and equally a creature of no sex might well choose to pursue “masculine” fashions and the linked pursuits typified by hunting, fighting and racing. Neither of these individuals would be stigmatised for their choices.

However, while the sex of the creature doesn’t matter, the fashion is gendered, and denizens are encouraged to adhere to one gender or the other and stick with it.

Fashion transgression in Spindle Lane are dictated primarily by the gossip which travels between groups and families and is not enforced by anything other than bitchy peer pressure. If someone decides to wear a dress and also take part in serious boxing a bit of gossip might well spread that they were lacking in focus, commitment and that they thought themselves above the rules everyone else chose to live by but they would not be expelled from the club unless some major transgression of the rules and tenets was made.

Like every set of standards there are plenty of exceptions but the above is provided as an idea of the prevailing attitudes which are still mired in the 1800s. Tradition is important and not changed lightly and any vagueness or uncertainty is seen as a weakness.

Membership
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Membership to the club is simple to attain for some and difficult for others. If a demon is a member of an established family line and has their records in the library they are guaranteed an initial membership without too much qualm. If they are from a more low-born family or hail from a line of monsters, ghosts etc they may find themselves within a short probationary period in order to make certain that they are not part of a radical anti demon faction or out to undermine the long-standing tenets of the club.

There may be opportunities in future for an increase in rank and a more structured set of roles within the club, but for now Zar is just feeling things out as new management.

Other Race Membership
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On very rare occasions other races may be permitted a limited membership to the club, these are often tradesmen who are known to the demonic families and can be vouched for and who are also willing to adhere to the rules of politeness and dress while within the bounds of the club itself. Respect comes with perks, and though much like within a mafia family they are not permitted a full membership with the social benefits and access this brings, they are often invited to balls and social gatherings and find themselves treated with a cordiality not afforded to others.

The thing stressed the most as far as other races is that if someone wishes to live in the world of these creatures, they must bend to that world or be cast out.

Servants
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The servants which staff the club hail from all manner of backgrounds and have their own reasons for being in the employment they are, most owe debts they are seeking to pay or are from poorer backgrounds, some however simply love and excel at the domestic arts and find satisfaction in a job well done. Some loathe their job, some love it and each and every one has a story to tell about what led them to Spindle Lane. Most are not demons, though there are a few demons in the employ of the club, in charge of managing or staffing areas which require a little more discretion.

The servants have a large number of roles and just a few examples are-
Maids
Butlers
Valets
Housekeepers - led by the head housekeeper
Kitchen maids
Cooks
Stewards
Stablehand
Groom
Gardener

Every task in Spindle Lane requires someone to carry it out and the wages on the whole are good for those who do not mind their pride taking a knock or who owe perhaps a little too much to one of the demonic members.

Each servant is given a uniform befitting their respective role and there are humble sleeping quarters on the lower levels where they are permitted to live.

Steeds
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The steeds is the term given to the equid (or at least quadrupedal) citizens who are in the employ of the stables be that for the purposes of message carrying, mail delivery, carriage pulling or the ever-popular (with the demons at least) curricle racing. These individuals are prized for their strength and agility. The personality of these individuals depends entirely on their employer, some employers value obedience and humility, others value a keen and independent intellect when it comes to racing. The only rule is that they have a monstrous natural form which moves on more than two legs capable of pulling a carriage or carrying a rider. These demons are simply too high class for apex pets.  

[Baneful]

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Non-Physical
Painting, Singing, Music,
All of these tasks are ranked, for every rp you do where these tasks are centrally involved, count them up, after 10 you are considered a novice, after 15 a master. It is ofc acceptable to be a good singer/artists etc ICLY in one's own right just consider this a...popularity scale. How many people KNOW it.

Sports

NOTE - ALL BONUSES ATTAINED APPLY ONLY WITHIN THE LANE

Boxing - Pugilism - Works like a spar, no nat forms, no fears, held in the stables.
+1 damage per hit after 5 spars
+2 damage per hit after 10
+5 damage per hit after 15 (master boxer)

Fencing - Use set dice 2d12, skill improves with number of fights.
+1 damage per hit after 5
+2 damage per hit after 10
+5 damage per hit after 15 (master fencer)
Bonus does not apply to misses

Hunting
Curricle Racing

COMING SOON  

[Baneful]

Spindle lane, much like a great deal of demonic portrayals is rooted in the regency and victorian period as seen through the lens of Halloween Town. The demons in this area do try to adhere to this particular era either through pretentiousness, stubbornness or a reluctance to move with the times.

I am very much aware that the subjects dealt with in this area hearken back to a great number of themes and topics which are not politically correct in the modern day, I am very much aware of the issues posed by stringent gender polarity and definitions, I am aware of the issues bound up in racism (or speciesism as it is represented here), along with all the implications of servitude, class elitism and birthright. I obviously do not endorse these things but feel they will make for interesting roleplay and anticipate potential for interesting opposition to these ideologies. Not everything in the world is sunshine and rainbows and nor should it be so in a realistic roleplay is my motto. I hope that people will get involved in any way they feel and if they do not wish to partake, there is - as always - no obligation to do so.

These guys are assholes. They are demons.
 

[Baneful]

If there's one thing I'm keen on it's people joining in on Spindle Lane or interacting with it. There will be a member's list eventually if only to keep track of the fencing hall of fame and things like that. But as far as joining in, pretty much anyone can. If you have a demon you've always wanted to play? This is the place to try them out if you like, citizens pad out the realism of the setting and give people something to play. If you want to play a servant? Great! Steed? Also great. If you have any questions about anything please IM me at BanefulREDUX or PM me about it, I love anyone getting involved in RP, all I ask is that anything destructive (like burning the place down) be run by me, short of that feel free to play around within the mini-setting, make up NPCs etc to interact with do what you like.

Citizens - Totally welcome, please make 50000, they can have been members for years, new recruits, on probation, trying to redeem themselves, looking for a swanky spouse, trying to make a business deal you name it. Can also be steeds or servants.

Students - Students can be members! They either join or are members through family no problem at all. Can be part time house workers for a bit of extra money if they aren't demons/are demons who want to mess about.

Hunters - If a hunter in a golem was dedicated enough they might get away with a visit or two, but membership involves checking the Records and they might get caught.

Horsemen - Conquest is the clan which spring to mind, might be acceptable as tradesmen but mistrusted generally for obvious reasons.

To sign up simply post the code below in this thread and you will be added to the list! Simple as that.

[size=18][color=indigo][b]TO RULE AND NEVER BE RULED[/b][/color][/size]
Rank -

[b]FULL NAME OF DEMON[/b][color=#241a51]►
Played by PLAYER ►
OLD MONEY/NEW MONEY OR OTHER ► [/color] - [i]DESCRIPTION HERE [/i]

 

[Baneful]

Members
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Zaram Aurum►
Played by Baneful ►
Old Money ► - The Manager of Spindle Lane, Zar is a grumpy and tetchy Incubus who ended up in possession of the prestigious club when his grandmother carried out a /very/ hostile takeover of the property and handed it to him to teach him responsibility. He struggles to keep things in order but is coping through an inborn predilection towards paperwork.


Bartholomew Mudd►
Played by Toshi ►
Old Money ► - Certainly not Zar's fiance. More like a roommate. They just happen to live together. Zar had nothing to do with the scarelings, either. Barth can be seen lounging around the club, and is always up for a chat. He can not be seen anywhere near the sports rings, and if asked mutters darkly about gymnasiums.

Ardenter "Junior" Aurum►
Played by Baneful ►
Old Money ► - A student at Amityville Academy, Jr is a gluttony demon with a lot of ego and sass and not a lot of modesty. He wants to try everything in the whole world at least once and is very pushy and friendly. He can't help it. Zar's half-brother.

Initiates
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Tradesmen
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Lily►
Played by Saliru ►
Horseman Nobility ► - An old friend. Lily is the half of a pair of twins that decided to stay behind and partake in what unusual pleasures there were to be found in Halloween. As much as she misses her brother, she is enjoying the demon flavored eye candy and has no interest in leaving. Even if Spindle Lane had a demons only sign at the gate, she would gladly play a wolf in sheepskin. It is absolutely worth the strange looks.


Steeds
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Servants
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[Baneful]

Feel free to use/interact with these chars as you like.


 

[Baneful]

 

[Baneful]

Extra notes about regency s**t (not mandatory or important, just for fun) -

show spoilerhide spoiler

Gambling Hells - run as clubs and open for anyone with money to bet on the roll of the dice or the turn of the card. Not reputable. Drew new players in, let them win and then turned the luck in favour of the bank. Cheats known as ivory turners because of their ability to make the dice (ivories) turn to their numbers. Loaded dice called fulhams (after fulham where they were made and sounds like fool them) Suckers were known as flats.

Master of Ceremonies

Buck - Sporting type, man of spirit, “buck of the first head” is a person who pursues every kind of pleasure and surpasses friends in debauchery
Beau - Does not need to be handsome, high place in the fashionable world vs looks or dress, arbiter of fashion but able to aquire the term via manners, eccentricities, rank, wit or some other trait that made them notorious. To be a beau a person needs either vanity, idiosyncrasy, a desire for attention or remarkable good looks and town polish but, above all they should have “Presence”
Corinthian - Sporting, well dressed athlete, excells in all the sporting pursuits, good character and addicted to all manners of sports and able to compete with the best of them.
Dandy - Clothes and appearance, perfect neckclothe, well cut coat, understatement, fine tailoring and clean. A true dandy is not simply the cut of their coat or their clothing however, involves wit, learning, artistic appreciation and manners so sophisticated as to be considered arrogance by lessers. Not sporting normally but possible.
Nonesuch or Nonpareil -Incomparable individual who excells in all the manly pursuits but who is deemed an arbiter of fashion and a leader in all things aesthetic, of good taste and one who people defer to, who is watched and slavishly copied. A setter of fashion not merely a fallower. Name is bestowed by those who admire them.
Pinks and Tulips - Well turned out individuals, a pink is a person at the height of fashion, a tulip is a fine individual who dresses well.
Fop- Like the dandy, known for their clothing but with an excessive level of embellishment/bold and unusual designs or hue. Ostentatious frills jewels and furbelows. Wants attention and will do everything in power to get it. Frequently a chatterer, frequently considered a vain fool by friends. Aspires to set trends and dresses to extremes eg overlong coat tails, high collars any number of things.
Fribble - A very effeminate fop.
Coxcomb- Particularly foolish and conceited fop.

Social calls are made to social equals or inferiors but not to social superiors until called on or left a card
Person new to the city or country waits for calls to be made to them before they make a call of their own.
Acceptable for someone to make a call with someone of higher social standing if they are new to the neighbourhood.
Callers received in business room/library for a man or morning room/drawing room for women
A lady permitted to drive her own carriage but only attended by a groom for modesty or on their own family estate.
Ride side-saddle if in a dress
Do not discuss private business in the presence of a servant
Always dress for dinner
Dinner seating with highest ranking lady on the right hand side of host who sits at the head, man of the house escorts highest rank lady, enter by rank
At formal dinner do not talk across the table but to the left and right, this is acceptable informally
Overt displays of emotion ill bred
Well bred people control features physical body and speech in company
Laughter moderated in polite company but permitted amongst men and women of low repute
Lady speaks moves and sits with elegance and propriety
Bow made on entering or leaving a room, at the beginning and end of a dance and on encountering someone one wished to acknowledge
To be thought ‘fast’ or to show a want of conduct was the worst possible social stigma
A husband was expected to keep his indecorus activities and less cultured friends separate from his marriage.
A wife was expected to be blind to her husband’s affairs
A married woman could take a lover once she had presented her husband with an heir and so long as she was discreet about her extramariatal relationships
Women expected to be ignorant of any proposed duel
A gentleman was expected to immediately pay his gambling debts, or any debts of honour
It was unacceptable to owe money to a stranger
It was acceptable to owe money to a tradesperson
It was considered bad form to borrow money from a woman
Extremes of emotion and public outbursts were unacceptable although it could be acceptable for a woman to have the vapours, faint, or suffer from hysteria if confronted by vulgarity or an unpleasant scene.
A well-bred person behaved with courteous dignity to acquaintence and stranger alike, but kept at arm’s length any who presumed too great a familiarity. Icy politeness was a well-bred man’s or woman’s best weapon in putting ‘vulgar mushrooms’ in their place.
A well-bred person maintained an elegance of manner and deportment.
A well-bred person walked upright, stood and moved with grace and ease.
A well-bred person was never awkward in either manner or behaviour and could respond to any social situation with calm assurance
A well-bred person was never pretentious or ostentatious
Vulgarity was unacceptable in any form and was to be continually guarded against
Indiscretions, liasons and outrageous behaviour were forgivable but vulgarity never was.