Amethyst Ambience
Where tea is good and business is booming
The Amethyst Ambience is a tea house located in the Gemview District, found in the city of Solaris, Crendameth. It caters to a select clientele, offering exotic and expensive brews while also allowing the customers to engage in different forms of tile-based board games as a form of social interaction. It is renown throughout the capital as 'the place where snobs are born', achieving its fame due to its crystal decor, purple wooden walls and its lavender gem tea, the house special.
Underneath the refined exterior and the exorbitant prices, however, lies the heart of the Solaris Thieves Guild, who use the shop as a way to conceal their operations while also providing it with substantial income and new targets to pursue. The Guild members are expected to keep up the tea house's façade by working as waiters or brewers with impeccable mannerisms as befitting their charade, using a linguistic technique known as parlorspeak to communicate with each other on business related issues. Since its establishment, the Ambience has proved to be one of the Guild's most important assets, allowing them easy access to its discerning clientele while also remaining hidden in plain sight.
The Ambience is owned by Theretar Morotz, an influential figure within the city who serves as the Guild's main patron and benefactor.
Underneath the refined exterior and the exorbitant prices, however, lies the heart of the Solaris Thieves Guild, who use the shop as a way to conceal their operations while also providing it with substantial income and new targets to pursue. The Guild members are expected to keep up the tea house's façade by working as waiters or brewers with impeccable mannerisms as befitting their charade, using a linguistic technique known as parlorspeak to communicate with each other on business related issues. Since its establishment, the Ambience has proved to be one of the Guild's most important assets, allowing them easy access to its discerning clientele while also remaining hidden in plain sight.
The Ambience is owned by Theretar Morotz, an influential figure within the city who serves as the Guild's main patron and benefactor.
Purpose / Function
The Ambience has two main purposes, both of which serve the interest of the Solaris Thieves Guild and both being about as important. Its first purpose is to function as the Guild's headquarters while using the guise of a tea shop as a front to cover for this.
The second of them is to operate as a business catering to wealthy clients, serving as a steady flow of income, covering some of the Guild's operating costs and providing the capital to maintain the Guild afloat should no jobs become readily available.
The second of them is to operate as a business catering to wealthy clients, serving as a steady flow of income, covering some of the Guild's operating costs and providing the capital to maintain the Guild afloat should no jobs become readily available.
Architecture
The tea house's architecture is in line with the rest of Solaris', opting to use the mountain over which it was constructed as part of the building and including softer, rounded edges instead of the hard ones found in the rest of the Gemview district. One of the reasons as to why it stands out is its coloring. Whereas most of the capital tends to be white stone with darker decorations, the Ambience's outside walls are purple. It is said that one of the materials used for the wood's dyes were real amethysts, although this has been proven to be nothing more than a myth perpetuated by the store's owners.
The wood used to build the store was mainly oak, which needed to be stripped before the planks could be dyed. Other types of wood were used for things like the flooring and certain furniture, while stone and crystals make up the bulk of the Ambience's decoration.
The wood used to build the store was mainly oak, which needed to be stripped before the planks could be dyed. Other types of wood were used for things like the flooring and certain furniture, while stone and crystals make up the bulk of the Ambience's decoration.
History
The Ambience was built twenty years before Elmeyon Crendameth's Rebellion as a side business for the Solaris Thieves Guild, wishing to remain as inconspicuous as possible above the capital's surface. However, due to raids conducted by the Blindsun Guard under the Voidlord's command, their sewer headquarters were destroyed, thus having to relocate to the tea house.
If anything, these raids proved to be a boon for the Guild. Once all the members were properly acquainted with parlorspeak and adopted more courtly mannerisms, there was little reason to suspect that the Guild had survived. This discretion, combined with the wealthy clientele that was attracted to the tea house to begin with, provided the Guild with plentiful targets and a massive influx of wealth.
Still operating today, the Amethyst Ambience suffered little at the hands of the sacking drow elves following Underking Vrandil's siege, largely because the Guild members defended it fervently against the would-be looters.
If anything, these raids proved to be a boon for the Guild. Once all the members were properly acquainted with parlorspeak and adopted more courtly mannerisms, there was little reason to suspect that the Guild had survived. This discretion, combined with the wealthy clientele that was attracted to the tea house to begin with, provided the Guild with plentiful targets and a massive influx of wealth.
Still operating today, the Amethyst Ambience suffered little at the hands of the sacking drow elves following Underking Vrandil's siege, largely because the Guild members defended it fervently against the would-be looters.
Tourism
People that visit the Ambience tend to be regulars and recurring customers looking to drink some tea and engage in social activities with other attendees, such as playing rounds of mahjong, dominoes or other tile-based games. These individuals are usually hail from wealthy families in the richer districts of Solaris. People from outside the capital are less common, yet can still be seen from time to time, looking for a taste of the famed lavender gem tea amidst the purple decor and the soothing fragrances produced by the shop's scented candles.
The tea house's other clientele, meanwhile, looks for competent, discreet thieves that are able to perform tasks with little to no questions asked, arriving to the Ambience's doorstep with wild ideas of untapped riches waiting to be claimed.
The tea house's other clientele, meanwhile, looks for competent, discreet thieves that are able to perform tasks with little to no questions asked, arriving to the Ambience's doorstep with wild ideas of untapped riches waiting to be claimed.
Founding Date
6th of Longday, 20 BE
Type
Cafe / Tearoom
Parent Location
Owner
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