Welcome to Gaia! ::

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.

Beatrice Lavésa would have loved to kick the door open; it was one of things she had gotten accustomed to lately, and something she greatly enjoyed, too. If you didn't go in with a bang in the shady underground pubs of Durem, then people would perhaps find reason to stare suspiciously at you. Here and now, however, where she supposed a somewhat more civilized tone was expected, she opened it just like any other civilized person would have; unremarkably, albeit perhaps a little bit too thoughtful. No one seemed to have noticed.

She made a brief inspection of the interior, and then headed off towards the bar, enjoying the thuds that her heavy boots made as they hit the floor. She noted the two women chatting, and raised an eyebrow. One of them seemed young, but that scarcely surprised her; occasionally the Durem bars would have far younger customers. The elderly lady surprised her somewhat, though; not a very common sight to her. Then again, Durem bar regulars generally didn't get far past forty.

"Something strong, thank you!" she urged the bartender, and sat down, shoving him a modest amount of Gold. "Well, strongest I can get for that, anyway."

The two women looked at each other for a moment after Aylin had spoke. Shirley saw before her someone who didn't look much older than she did on the day she left the port town. The major difference she noted was the color of her hair. It was now a bright bold golden blond. Shirley briefly wondered if Aylin was going through a phase of some kind and felt it best to let Aylin bring it up.

What Aylin saw hit her heart pretty hard. The young vibrant woman full of hopes and dreams had been replaced by a woman who had seen it all. Her hands were becoming wrinkled and the veins were starting to show through. Her neck looked as though it sagged a little and her hair looked thinner and lighter than it used to. Upon her face, Shirley wore thin gold rimmed reading glasses. Aylin let a small smile come across her face as Shirley spoke to her.

"So when will Mr. Orrin be joining us?" Shirley asked as she saw Aylin's face wash over with sorrow.

"He's been gone for eight years. How's Tom been..." Aylin stopped her reply when she realized Shirley was in the same position she was.

There they were two widows who had lost the men they loved both letting out a shared sad sigh. It was at that moment when a strong female voice pulled the two women away from their current conversation and brought their attention back to the people in the bar. Shirley looked over at the younger woman and surmised she might have been an adventurer of some type. Turning to her pad Shirley wrote down a few notes before taking a sip of the tall cool drink before her.

Aylin, on the other hand, took a small chug of the ale in her stein before turning to face the new woman at the bar. Frank, the bartender, was pouring out a glass of whiskey over some ice for her.

"So what brings you to Porta Denia?" Aylin asked her hoping to include her in the conversation with Shirley.

"Chug chug chug chug!" the loud rhythmic chanting from the group surrounding Denwale signaled the group was enjoying making the man drunk and interesting. It was a sound that had Shirley chuckling and shaking her head a bit as she jotted down a few more quick notes.

Aylin took quick note of Shirley's writings before turning her full attention to the young woman next to her. A small chuckle left Aylin's mouth at the realization that while Shirley Andrews had aged over the last forty-eight years she was still a young woman compared to her. Aylin thought for a brief moment before she answered the youngest woman's questioning.

"A lot of people come to Porta Denia because they're stopping over on the air routes. A lot come here looking for work. A lot are here because they do business with the cargo company on the island. There are those looking for a new start in their lives and still yet there are people looking for adventure and this is where they start from. Though, that might have changed some in the forty-eight years since I'd last stepped foot on the island," Aylin replied before taking another sip out of her stein.

Thunk! That was the sound as Denwale slammed down the heavy stoneware stein on the bar. With a loud boisterous cheer the people around Denwale high-fived each other and began patting Denwale on the back. Denwale turned to face the tavern patrons with a somewhat uneasy look on his face. He knew that no matter how much he complained there was no stopping the tavern goers from forcing another round on him.

"Okay guys I've had three steins of beer are you satisfied yet?" Denwale wanted to know not really needing the answer.

"Three's not enough Kounds," a tall muscular man replied, "Billy get this man another one!"

Denwale quickly turned in his bar stool in hopes that he would be able to grab the stein before Billy, the younger of the two bartenders, poured another beer into it. He was too late though. While his back was turned Billy had already taken the stein knowing the crowd would want Denwale to drink even more. A moment later the stein was back in front of Denwale waiting for him to drink from it.

"What are you waiting for man, an invitation from mommy?" A bearded man called out in challenge.

It was at that moment something seemed to change inside Denwale. Grabbing the stein he turned to face the crowd around him, raised the stein in a mocking toast, and threw back his head to down the entire contents of the stein in three large gulps. With a loud thud Denwale slammed the stein down on the bar, raised his arms in victory, and let out a loud whooping holler.

"Deny is back boys and girls and he..." Denwale began before stopping for a moment to take note of a newcomer preening her neck over the shoulder of his muscular challenger, "He has laid eyes on a very lovely looking young woman. Hello baby."

Denwale stood there smiling at the woman standing before him. She questioned the reasons behind his drinking. She wondered why he downed steinfuls of beer and played to the amusement of the tavern goers. Tea? That was for the socially week people like meek socially inept sober Denwale Kounds. But tea was also for beautiful ladies like Lin Fong. For the briefest of moments Denwale's focus and attention was distracted by thoughts of the love of his life, or at least he hoped she would become his love, Lin Fong. Looking the woman before him up and down Denwale smiled at her, raised his eyebrows twice, folded his arms, and replied to her.

"Little lady tea is for women with proper manners and socially week men. Me, I prefer beer. Beer is the drink of the manly man. And babe I'm as manly as they come." Denwale replied.

Denwale wasn't really a self centered jerk when drunk. He had what people referred to as that moment when he went from being socially meek to obnoxious before one more drink turned him into the man everyone, except Lin Fong, absolutely loved. Denwale was in what people called his hit on every woman he laid eyes on stage.

As Polaris was trapped in the amusement of this simple conversation of tea Kaiser decided to wonder off on his own moving towards a newcomer to the tavern. He stopped a moment noticing Polaris was about to say something to him, perhaps point out a similar conversation the two had had once upon a time but before she started getting all sentimental and bringing back the good ol days he was out of hearing range. That was a blatant lie as well, thanks to his rabbit like ears he could hear from across the tavern.

He was curious about this girl with the pointy black ears, sort of like Polaris on a bad day. He wondered if sky captains came equipped with little black ears now a days. He could spot another captain miles away, that same snobby air about them and the decorated hats. Why they had to flaunt their power by wearing those silly hats was beyond him. Then again if he was a captain he would buy the biggest hat ever just to seem important.

Despite the fact he was half her size and nothing more then a bipedal green rabbit Kaiser still played his luck leaning against the bar and speaking up, "Ello doll, so what brings a pretty little thing like you in a place like this?" In other words he had used one of the oldest phrases known to men of all species. 'What is a girl like you doing in a place like this.'

Kaiser seemed ready to give her a compliment or comment on her ears. He figured they both had strange ears and didn't quite fit in so a relationship was perfectly possible. Yet as he opened his little mouth again a hand had reached down grabbing hi by the ears and lifting him off the ground. Cringing from shock and letting out a small yelp Kaiser kicked his little stubby legs angrily trying to figure out who had him when he recognized a familiar perfume. "Sorry Sir just taking the advantage of the moment. I thought I was free to come..."

Kaiser was cut off short as Polaris set him down on the bar top, "Well don't." Looking up to the woman with light colored hair Polaris apologized for her small rude crewmember, "I am sorry for his offensive words. Unfortunately like all other crew members he has a mind of his own and a mouth that runs off more then is needs to." She had been offended herself by her first mates behavior. His actions represented the actions of the rest of her crew and in turn her own actions and control as a captain. If she lost control of her crew then she could be seen as someone who lost control of her ship and Polaris was not about to seem weak.