Business Descriptions


Explanation of Businesses

Some may be self-explanatory, but this is a bit of an explanation of how they work. You might not be able to access them all, for example, and they include a dramatic description of what you are likely to find within.

Magic Shop
You enter an ornately carved wooden door to find yourself in a strange shop. From the ceiling hang delicate fabrics and light-filled orbs hung on golden chains. Lining the wall to your left are strongly scented herbs. You stop to examine the wall and find things such as cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, ranging into rarer and more unusual herbs and spices such as dragon’s blood and sandalwood.

Turning away from the wall, you see a rack containing chalk for drawing of magical symbols, and a series of bottles containing amounts of both common and unusual elements, from the safe and useful to the deadly toxic. Against the far wall you find knives and swords and wands, all inscribed with mystic symbols which can easily be recognized by even the slightest sense as being highly powerful. To the right of that, candles of all sizes range well above your head.

You turn to your right and find yourself standing before a plump and kindly old woman with an unusual smile. Behind her rushes a thin woman in a maid’s outfit, moving a series of boxes for another customer. Behind her yet, mystic symbols and chains and jewellery hang from a hundred hooks along the wall.

You move around the cashier desk to catch sight of a back room, in which darker elements may be found. You approach the door and catch a whiff of blood, causing the hairs on the back of your neck to rise. Half a mystic circle you can see through the doorway, and you think you see a blood-soaked arm in the center of the circle. The arm begins to twitch, as you approach the doorway to inspect further.

Suddenly, you find the plump old lady in front of you, though you were absolutely sure she had not moved from her seat of before mere seconds ago. She shakes her head and smiles at you. “Unfortunately, we do not allow regular customers back here. We only allow those approved by the Lady Cassandra to purchase the goods sold back here. If I can help you with anything else, dearie, please let me know alright?”

The magic shop contains all sorts of things needed for the working of the mystic arts. They sell mystic blades and wands, spices and herbs, chalks and candles and mystic symbols, and even a few books. You could purchase a mystic diary with the words ‘Book of Shadows’ printed in mystic looking letters on the front, or even a strange book kept locked in a glass case with the words ‘Death Note’ on the front. If you want to access the powerful goods kept in the back room, you need permission from Cassandra the High Priestess before you are able to purchase the things there. Most of the wares sold here are fairly highly priced, so please be aware you might not be able to afford it.

Hotel
You enter a pleasant four-story building, one of the tallest in the area. The building is tidy on the inside, with an old black and white photo of an old couple hanging on the wall to your right. As you approach the front desk, you see through a doorway to your left a common room with several rowdy gentlemen enjoying a strong adult beverage. You see a few men in business suits talking in a corner, and a bar wench wearing a low-cut top and a miniskirt serving a group of working men sitting around a table with dice.
Turning back to the front desk, you see a grim looking gentleman with a trimmed beard on the other side. “Will that be a private room, sir?” he asks you, leaning forward. You nod, and hand over your money. “Dinner’s served from five-pm onward. The menu’s roast beef ‘n fresh bread from th’ oven, or a good stew. We’ve got mushrooms ‘r broccoli an’ corn for yer pleasure. Ask Mileta,” at this he nods to the waitress from the other room, who smiles back and waves, “for more info if’n yer need it” He hands you a key. “Room’s upstairs, to yer left. Sleep well, sir.”

You go upstairs to inspect your room. The floors, all wooden, seem clean and tidy, and the walls are a clean flat white. You open the door to your room, and are greeted by a tidy white room with a soft downy white bed in the left corner, and a wooden dresser to the right. Sitting on the bed, you find it comfortable and soft, but not so soft you sink in. You had heard this place had the best reputation in town, and it seemed that whoever had told you this had been right.

This is a pleasant hotel with an excellent reputation for food and comfort. However, it is also known to be a bit harsh on your pocket. For the moderately wealthy, it is a pleasant place for a relaxing night. Amenities include: A bar and diner common room, where you might socialize with other guests. A small hot-tub room in the back, hot water supplied from some unknown source. There are three floors of private rooms where comfort is considered top-priority and a second common room downstairs for people unable to afford a private room. Loss of any personal items while staying in the common room is not the responsibility of the hotel.

Motel
You enter the scrubby-looking building and look around. To your right is a common room, with sacks and pillows lying in odd places. An old man with a scar across his face and a patch over his right eye approaches you, fingering something in a pocket. “Yeh? Yeh stayin’ here, buddy? Well, yeh gotta pay up a’fore yeh’re allowed to use one o’ mah sacks here. It ain’t much, but yeh gotta pay it.” He pauses and nods, glaring at you as you finger nervously in your pocket for some cash. As you hand him the coin, he takes it with his left and bites it. “Ahh, that’s what ol’ Perne likes ta see! Wi’ this, yeh c’n have one o’ the fancy-shmancy private rooms in th’ back. Now git ye goin’ a’fore I change mah mind!”

You hurry into a narrow hallway in the back, avoiding an extremely hairy man sitting in a corner moaning. Opening a slightly grimy door, you see a dirty bed with unfolded sheets. Stepping over a rat scurrying off towards the pantry, you pause as the windows rattle with the passing of the tram. You lift up the sheets and, as you wonder just why you’re here, you shake them out and fold them neatly over the bed. You drop your things in a corner. By the end of the night, you know just how often that damned tram comes by.

This place is a motel. It has a slightly shady reputation, and the innkeeper is known for his rough temper and excitable attitude. Anyone caught fighting in here will find themselves likely to be thrown outside in the middle of the night, regardless of the situation outside. However, to those who consider it dishonourable to take charity, it is a better fate than the church charity.

Open-Air Market
You’re walking through town, perhaps with no general purpose. As you wander from the rich section to the poor section, you notice your surroundings gradually change. Mansions and great estates give way to smaller classier town homes, and elaborate out-of-doors markets seem to spring up around you. Some people are selling rare fruits, some are selling unusual trinkets. One thing is clear though: all these merchants are wealthy and successful. Your eyes pass over a rich spice vendor to a stairwell passing down to a lower area. You pause at the top to gaze across the city-scape of the town of Babylon, noting the skyline of pleasant houses to your right, leaning to less well-kept houses to your left in the far-off distance. A hazy cloud seems to cover the land most distant, leading you to wonder if there is fog.

Ignoring the chanting boy with a crowd just beneath you on an odd stage-like protrusion, you walk down the stairs and continue your journey. Here the merchants seem less affluent, but still obviously successful. Brightly covered stands protect from the elements an endless variety of goods from the practical to the bizarre, from the mundane to the truly shocking. The market is loud with the conversations of hundreds of merchants hawking their wares to the countless hordes of people crowding through the streets. You even find it hard to move forward as you fight your way through the endless faceless peoples.

You hear a shout from behind you, and you are crowded and squished even closer to the wall. Fighting your way to the front, you end up in the first two layers of the crowd, and get to see what is going on. You see from your left come a group of people in religious uniform. First are two priests holding banners bearing the symbol of Ashbo. Following these are four priests with hoods over their heads and their hands crossed before them. Behind these four are another four muscular topless men bearing over them a hooded chair swathed in expensive fabrics. Just beyond the silken draperies, you can see the most beautiful black-haired woman. Her dark eyes search the crowds as if she is looking for something. Her eyes pass over you, and her eyes meet yours. She stares into your eyes momentarily with a slightly… hungry smile, and you feel a shudder down your spine. Your heart beats once, twice. The wind seems to blow the sound away, the silence falling like a blanket over your soul. Then the moment ends, and all resumes motion.

Soon the priestess is gone, the people chattering in her wake. You catch the voice of one who speaks of the resistance, telling another of the location of a meeting happening that very night. Should you go? Such a choice is for later.

You continue your journey through the market, coming now to the stalls of the poor. Tattered and torn, they hardly have the power to protect their stalls from the elements, and yet the merchants still proudly, perhaps futilely, hawk their wares. Tattered children dash through the streets as you enter a section of poorly kept housing. The people are definitely fewer here, with many appearing to be homeless or listless. You walk by an odd man dragging behind him what appears to be a toaster on a leash, and you hurry on lest you attract his attention. By now you have passed the last of the stalls and face before you a muddy unkempt street. As the sun is setting and fog begins to curl around your feet, you decide it’s time to turn back to brighter things.

This is the market. The closer to the center you are, the wealthier the shops that you will find. In this area, you are able to find virtually anything that might be needed within the city; food, clothing, maybe even a weapon or two although it is not the best place to find those. Most of the shops sell things for somewhat cheaper, although you may have to do quite a bit of wandering to find what you need!
To the aspiring business owner, this is one of the best places to start your business. A stall is cheap to get, and you will find you have a great number of people seeing your shop right away. It is not as prestigious as an actual building to sell your things, but after all everyone must start somewhere!

Church Housing
You step somewhat nervously into the church housing, and are greeted by a friendly old man. He smiles at you as you gaze around. Several families are huddled sitting in the pews, and a child breaks free and runs around in a circle shouting and laughing. The walls are built of wood and stone, though nothing marble similar to the inner-city churches. The pews are wooden, and you walk through the narrow pathway towards the altar. Above altar you can see artistic renditions of important religious figures, including a painting of a winged Cassandra with a yellow aura holding her hands down to the children.

Turning, you catch sight of the priest once more, as he approaches you with a bowl of what appears to be a thin soup. “You may stay here for a few days, my child. If possible, some of my priests can help you to get back on your feet.” You take the soup and nod, grateful for the kindness of Ashbo.

The church housing is a place for people to go when they are in need. Technically it is a charity service, so the proud would feel completely helpless if they ever had to stay here. The priests will help you get back on your feet, but it is not expected that you would take up permanent residence here. Most places will only help those who subscribe to the Ashbo religion, but there is a place somewhere in the slums that will help anybody…

Soup Kitchen
You enter a tattered building. Around you are wooden tables and chairs, paint peeling off the walls, and a generally messy building. You try to look ahead as you move forward through the line and catch sight of two elderly squinty-eyed nuns. They seem to work in perfect unison, as if they were bonded together by the invisible strings of the same puppeteer. With each bowl of slop they hand to each homeless person, lines such as “Time to get a job, hun,” and “We’ll share with you again today, but we can’t feed you forever, dearie,” would escape their lips. As you get to the front of the line, you realize that you wouldn’t ever want to deal with these two if not for the powerful rumbling in your stomach.

As you get to the start of the line, you see what is being served. Eww. It looks like unidentifiable lumps of meat floating in a stew filled with unidentifiable vegetable matter. Seeing your disgusted look, both the nuns glower at you. “If you don’t like it,” says one, “you can go hungry,” says the other. “Someplace else,” they say together, while the first one hands you your soup.

You sit down at one of the clearly unwashed tables with your soup and a bowl and a dry crust of bread. Trying it, you find the soup to be clearly better than you thought at first, though perhaps that is the hunger talking. Regardless, you slurp it all down only to find yourself reaching the bottom of the bowl much sooner than you wished. Standing, you flee the place promising yourself to search for a job as soon as possible.

The soup kitchen is a place for poor folks to get food when they really need it. Despite the odd nature of the two nuns who work there, it is nonetheless a much frequented place by the poor in the city.

Weapons Shop
You enter the shop and are greeted gruffly by a nimble old man with a balding head and mid-length silver hair in the back. He has scars across both his arms and one across his face. To your left you see a glass case holding swords and daggers and even a few axes. At the back, you see various suits of armour and chain mail dress. Over the armour you see a rack carrying various types of helms. You move to the left to look admiringly at a well-finished Japanese-style katana, lying naked before you on the glass. You reach to touch it, but something seems to change your mind before you do.

You turn and look towards the right of the door, to see another glass case; this one is filled with guns of all types. To the back you think you spot an AK-47 with a small strange marking on it resembling a scythe crossed hammer with a star to the top right all on a red background. The marking is small, but you assume it might indicate the original producer somehow. In the case, a seeming endless list of guns of mostly small sizes seems to stare back at you. You look up to see the gruff old man, arms crossed, looking down at you smiling gruffly. “Ye like what’che see? Make a purchase already!”

The weapons shop is a place where you might find any weapon of reasonable strength. Although most of the weapons found in this shop are replicas, they are still functional for the most part. Any weapon buff would love to have the majority of what may be found in this store. However, much of it is expensive as they do, for the most part, cater to the rich.

Book Stores
You enter a pleasant little shop on a street corner. Looking around, you find yourself surrounded by things any bibliophile would adore. Every wall is covered with books, books, and more books. Each has a little price tag in the upper right corner. You look around to see books of every sort, from books on the arcane to books on alchemy to books about cooking and books of fiction. You see a stairway upstairs, which you of course ascend. Above you find older and rarer books, some rare enough to be kept within a glass case with a note of “serious purchasers only please :)” on the front. You look around for long enough to notice the slight musty scent that speaks of knowledge, and descend back to the first floor.

You pick up a book about your favourite subject and bring it up to the cashier desk. A pleasant neat old lady with her hair in a bun smiles at you as you exchange the funds necessary to call this book your own.

The book store is a quaint little store in the middle of town that sells books for purchase. Most folks have access to only this bookstore. While fairly popular nonetheless, it is still more common for citizens to concentrate on survival instead of too much book-learning.

Library
You enter a red brick building and look around. Within you find a clean and tidy area filled with countless books. You look to your left and see shelf upon shelf of books, each bookshelf titled ‘non-fiction’. You look across the call-numbers, and see next to the left window a small shelf containing cards to help you find books. You turn to look over to the right side of the library and see before you a strange man walking towards you. With each step he takes you hear a -squeak--squeak- noise.

“I’d like you to know that you need to be quiet in here, y’know? Don’t be disturbing the other readers, y’know? Please to be obeying this small rule or I’ll haveta kick you out, y’know?” You quietly nod, perhaps afraid of his slightly off eyes. Looking behind him, you see a series of computers where a few individuals are working. In the center of the room, there is a stairway to the upper floors. You go upstairs.

Here is another large book-filled area. The light shines in through large windows, making the place seem cheerful. Fictional reads line both walls and several shelves, but the center of the room is dominated by sets of tables and chairs which can be used for reading. In the far left corner, above the computer area, a portion of the area of the library seems blocked off. There is an ornate door by which a guard stands. Curiously, you approach. As you do, a flash of light appears through the small covered window in the door. Curious now, you are now in front of the door when you are stopped by the guard. “Nobody enters without the seal of Cassandra,” tones the guard, placing a powerful arm in your way. As if to prove his point, his other hand rests on a gun at his side.

You back away, and search through the library for a loved book. You bring it to the front desk and pull out a silver lined card that marks a member of the library with borrowing privileges. You hand it to the creaky man and take your books with you out of the library.

The library is a place to borrow books. However, not just anybody can get a membership there. Normally only the rich folks of Babylon are able to get a membership there, although any student is given an automatic membership at the library. Getting a membership at the library is relatively expensive, so not just anybody will be able to get one. Please remember this when deciding whether or not to purchase a membership.

Public School
It was like any other school you had seen. Children everywhere, art on the walls, mothers kissing their children despite protests, older students holding hands and sharing lunches. However, you couldn’t help but notice the cracks in the walls, or the slightly odd taste of the water. You noticed the occasional unfixed broken window and the complaints about how there simply wasn’t enough money to get it fixed. The teachers sometimes weren’t the best match for the students, but realistically what did you expect? This was a public school.

You wander through the hallways, noting as you go the curious lack of computer labs. The hallways seem just a bit on the messy side. You smile at a young couple that passes by, moving into the university section of the school. Here the building has three floors, and the classrooms are cramped. You enter your class, where there are just not quite enough seats for all the students, and lean against a wall at the back. The lecture begins.

This is a public school. The food might not be the best, the hallways may look like they need a little work, but at least it’s free. Students at the public school will be provided with free room and board, and they will be allowed access to the library, but they will not be provided with any financial assistance should they need anything beyond food and a place to sleep.

Private School
You enter a prim and tidy building. Students in uniform pass you by, giggling. You see finely designed patterns on the walls, as well as art and schoolwork done by students displayed. The school is clean and tidy and classy. You look down a hallway to see a series of doors to classrooms on either side, and notice a stairwell to your left as you walk down this hallway. This half of the building has three floors, and is where all students below university level study.

You walk down the hallway into a second, larger section with six floors. Here you see a countless number of adult students from across the city, each studying to improve his/her lot. As you enter the lobby on the bottom floor of this half, you notice that it is two stories tall, and there are two marble pillars holding up the ceiling. In the center of the room is a fountain of water, and a spiral staircase up to the third floor with a door to the second at the mid-point. Lining the walls on your way up the staircase are paintings of various headmasters. You enter the third floor.

You enter a classroom clearly designed to be the best learning environment money can buy. You consider yourself lucky that you had the money to apply at this school. The professor enters and you take your seat, thus beginning another day of class.

This is the private school. Students here are provided with a school uniform, room and board, and the best education money can buy. Students will be able to access the library and all facilities within. (barring the locked room in the back) Students wishing to apply will be required to pay a high tuition fee to pay for all the value that they are receiving. However, they will not receive any financial aid; if they wish to have more money, they will need to get a part time job as well.

Hospital
You cringe as you enter the hospital, cradling a broken arm. The waiting room is filled with the sick and ill, scattered about a number of chairs and benches. To your left you see a reception desk with a nurse sitting at it, writing on a piece of paper. You approach the nurse and explain your situation. She tells you that there is a potential waiting time of three hours to see a doctor, and that you might as well get comfortable. You sit down to wait, and look around you.

As you face the reception desk, you notice to your right a hallway by which is lined several wheelchairs. A doctor pops out and calls a patient in, you see an older woman get out and hobble to a wheelchair which an accompanying nurse wheels along behind the doctor. The walls seem made of white plaster, while the floor in the waiting room is covered in a pale blue carpet. You look behind you and notice a hallway rather colourfully decorated with child-like symbols. A different doctor approaches from this hallways and calls on a child, who rather glumly moves in the direction of the doctor followed by a worried parent.

After nearly three hours of waiting, listening to the screaming of children and the moans of the ill, you are called in by a brown-haired trimmed-looking doctor with a moustache and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. He takes you down the right hallway and brings you into a room. A quick inspection proves that it is surely broken. “Now we have two options for dealing with this. We can either set it and put a cast on your arm, or we can use magic to heal it. However…. it will cost a lot of money to do the magic method. It’s up to you.” He watches you distantly as you make up your mind. Fumbling in your pocket, you take out a particularly large sum of money. The doctor nods and motions for you to follow him once more.

He brings you into a somewhat odd room but tidy room with a magic circle carved cleanly into the floor. At each of the four compass directions, there is a small clean plate carved directly into the floor, presumably for holding candles. The doctor walks into a side room and whispers to the occupant, who follows the doctor out of the room. The doctor bows slightly and leaves you with the woman.

She wears a red sleeveless belly top, and a piece of clear quartz hangs from a chain around her neck. Her hair is done up into a high ponytail, and her eyes are clear and strong. She turns those dark strong eyes on you, and abruptly asks, “What ist yor complaint?” A dark-skinned arm moves to set up the candles and prepare for a spell. You respond, pointing to your arm. She nods, brushing off the front of her long red skirt. She motions for you to stand in the center of the circle, and she sits to the northernmost side. She brings her hands together as if praying and, holding them there, begins to chant.

Reddish light comes up around you, dimming the rest of the room. Visible wind whips around you, lifting up your hair as you look around in wonder. Visible energy begins to move along the surface of your skin, all coming together at your arm. You feel it pulled almost gently out from your body, the pain increasing momentarily as you cry out. This sharp jolt, however, quickly fades to an almost gentle tingling, and soon fades. The light fails and the room is left in darkness. “That ist all, mein friend,” tones the mage woman as she stands up. “Don’t kom back soon, ok?”

The hospital is a place where you are able to obtain both normal healing and magical healing. Both cost some money, but normal healing costs much less than magical healing. However, the normal healing will take you several days to recover, while the magical healing will be virtually instantaneous. While it is nice to have instant healing, please remember that it is VERY expensive and that you still need to eat and pay your rent.