Platinum Redoubt
"Welcome to the redoubt, Representative Gauthier , shall I prepare your usual table?"
"Yes, please."
"Welcome to the Redoubt, I didn't know you were a regular, Representative Gauthier."
"I didn't know you knew of the Redoubt, except perhaps as a far away business, certainly a famous one."
"Ah, but my family has reasons to be interested, personal reasons."
"You knew someone on the staff?"
"You could say that."
"Hmm, where are you going?"
"Oh, just my table..."
"But, but that's the third floor, no-one goes there... normally."
"I'm sorry, Representative Gauthier, but that is incorrect, only the highest levels of friends of the Redoubt ever get to see the third floor."
"And he is?"
"I'm not allowed to say, but surely, if he was not authorized, we staff would not let him proceed."
"Welcome, Zim." "Sunga Anatollé, so good to see you again." "Zim honours me. I am unfortunately to bring you bad news. We have guests, guests who are not here to partake." That was their code, someone was here, either some criminal to kidnap or steal, or some official to apply pressure, or claim misfeasance and wanting to arrest Amarat as the managing person. "Did they bring backup?" The ritual response, if they were here legally, they did, if they did not, the answer is to be negative. "Most certainly not, they do not even have brought their towels." Which was a small joke, a reference to a guide wherein one was always prepared for outerworldly experiences. "And the staff?" "All but the essentials have left for the safety vaults, and I will direct those myself." "How will I know when everyone is safe?" "I am in contact with Eagle Flora, she is outside the building, sunning herself on the grassy decor. She volunteered to send a flare to you."
"Who are you?" "I am Octopiei, I am one who knows many things here, in Eurani city. Such as the value of respect. Foreigners do not own important landmarks of the city here in Eurani. Especially not proeminently." "Zim Amarat!" "Yes, representative Gauthier?" "This man is most dangerous, an enemy of civil order." "Nonsense, I pay my dues, ritually, just like everyone. I just do not particularly like law and order." "Octopiei, are you here on your own behalf? Or are you here to repay someone else's debt in bitter coin?" "Seems, Lord Veneer, that you are a man of wit, yes, I am here on someone else's behalf, the Silvertips want a piece of your action, shall we say. And they have empowered the Ourmans to claim that piece." "Representative Gauthier, you should leave." "But..." "The servicemembers in Pilders you summoned will not be necessary..." "What, how? You knew?" "I am a responsible businessman, our customers are some of the most influent and powerful in the world. Platinum redoubt is never unprotected." "What? You think you have protection? That there is someplace we cannot touch you?" "Let me tell you a story, Ourrman Octopiei, the year I was born, my adoptive father was killed, in a failed ritual. My natural mother, his wife was about to leave him, he had been doing strange, questionable things for some time. Due to the influence of the Silvertips. Noone in my family ever admits to knowing what they did, or that they actually killed him, by making him unworthy of his power. Not to anyone of consequence. At least, that was the policy, until now." "Fascinating, and what does that have to do with me?" A flare went up in an opposing window. "Ourrman Octopiei, or should I say, Zavine Garkhar, murderer, thief, rapist, the elements told me they wanted me to act on their behalf." The aquarium keeping live seafood behind the three men started to drip, then flood water, emptying themselves of four fifths of their water contents, the live animals forced in close quarters, but kept alive. The ceiling fans started to run at an accelerated rate, driving down gusts on the empty restaurant, the stone walls, unmoved for centuries, stayed immobile, except for the large stone blocks that had captured ancient cannonballs long ago. These finally allowed the cannonballs through, the six metal objects, somewhat dinged from explosive impact, were flying around Zavine Garkhar, circling him at impressive speeds, perhaps 200kph. The gas stove, lumbering under a single boiling pot of olive oil, let out a belch of flame, two floors down. Moments later, thoom thoom, thoom thoom, rhythmic steps climbed up the stairs from the kitchen. Zavine had no idea who wouldn't take the elevators, who does such a crazy thing! Then he saw, the body was the height of a regular Arndan, but a quite muscular one, but translucent blue. The blue of a methane flame. Then the six cannonballs struck, at the exact same time, hitting Zavine's magic shields. Then stretching, impossibly, surrounding the man, trying to reach his skin. The wind howled, driving dust and paper at him, also defeated by the shield. "Ah, such will not harm me." Amarat said nothing. The water rose, covering the floor, puddling and crackling as it touched the shield. The firey being from the kitchens reached for the shields, and was equally stumped. For another minute, Amarat also said nothing. Then a mighty crack split the air like a thunderbolt, the shield was fighting to resist a bullet, a quite high velocity one. Unable to just bounce the projectile, the magic was trying to encase it in its own magical force. "That's your mistake, Zavine." Hidden in the bullet, but revealed as the magical forces wore at the metal was the most dangerous substance on Arnd, the essence of the void. The hunger, infinite hunger, that was the fifth element, the void, the lack of all things. Like a black hole, sucking everything. And it was inside the shield. There were no pieces of Zabine to bury. Nothing left of him that count be subjected to dna analysis or detected, indeed. He would have to endure a painful ritual, to encase the essence of the void back into another bullet, but, the discomfort was worth it. Lowlives like Zavine were hardly rare, but the ones who managed to commit his crime and not reach comeuppance were rare and dangerous indeed. He would have to thank Flora at lenght for the fine shot, she hadn't even mussed Gauthier's hair, and he was rather close to Zavine when she did.
"Welcome, Zim." "Sunga Anatollé, so good to see you again." "Zim honours me. I am unfortunately to bring you bad news. We have guests, guests who are not here to partake." That was their code, someone was here, either some criminal to kidnap or steal, or some official to apply pressure, or claim misfeasance and wanting to arrest Amarat as the managing person. "Did they bring backup?" The ritual response, if they were here legally, they did, if they did not, the answer is to be negative. "Most certainly not, they do not even have brought their towels." Which was a small joke, a reference to a guide wherein one was always prepared for outerworldly experiences. "And the staff?" "All but the essentials have left for the safety vaults, and I will direct those myself." "How will I know when everyone is safe?" "I am in contact with Eagle Flora, she is outside the building, sunning herself on the grassy decor. She volunteered to send a flare to you."
"Who are you?" "I am Octopiei, I am one who knows many things here, in Eurani city. Such as the value of respect. Foreigners do not own important landmarks of the city here in Eurani. Especially not proeminently." "Zim Amarat!" "Yes, representative Gauthier?" "This man is most dangerous, an enemy of civil order." "Nonsense, I pay my dues, ritually, just like everyone. I just do not particularly like law and order." "Octopiei, are you here on your own behalf? Or are you here to repay someone else's debt in bitter coin?" "Seems, Lord Veneer, that you are a man of wit, yes, I am here on someone else's behalf, the Silvertips want a piece of your action, shall we say. And they have empowered the Ourmans to claim that piece." "Representative Gauthier, you should leave." "But..." "The servicemembers in Pilders you summoned will not be necessary..." "What, how? You knew?" "I am a responsible businessman, our customers are some of the most influent and powerful in the world. Platinum redoubt is never unprotected." "What? You think you have protection? That there is someplace we cannot touch you?" "Let me tell you a story, Ourrman Octopiei, the year I was born, my adoptive father was killed, in a failed ritual. My natural mother, his wife was about to leave him, he had been doing strange, questionable things for some time. Due to the influence of the Silvertips. Noone in my family ever admits to knowing what they did, or that they actually killed him, by making him unworthy of his power. Not to anyone of consequence. At least, that was the policy, until now." "Fascinating, and what does that have to do with me?" A flare went up in an opposing window. "Ourrman Octopiei, or should I say, Zavine Garkhar, murderer, thief, rapist, the elements told me they wanted me to act on their behalf." The aquarium keeping live seafood behind the three men started to drip, then flood water, emptying themselves of four fifths of their water contents, the live animals forced in close quarters, but kept alive. The ceiling fans started to run at an accelerated rate, driving down gusts on the empty restaurant, the stone walls, unmoved for centuries, stayed immobile, except for the large stone blocks that had captured ancient cannonballs long ago. These finally allowed the cannonballs through, the six metal objects, somewhat dinged from explosive impact, were flying around Zavine Garkhar, circling him at impressive speeds, perhaps 200kph. The gas stove, lumbering under a single boiling pot of olive oil, let out a belch of flame, two floors down. Moments later, thoom thoom, thoom thoom, rhythmic steps climbed up the stairs from the kitchen. Zavine had no idea who wouldn't take the elevators, who does such a crazy thing! Then he saw, the body was the height of a regular Arndan, but a quite muscular one, but translucent blue. The blue of a methane flame. Then the six cannonballs struck, at the exact same time, hitting Zavine's magic shields. Then stretching, impossibly, surrounding the man, trying to reach his skin. The wind howled, driving dust and paper at him, also defeated by the shield. "Ah, such will not harm me." Amarat said nothing. The water rose, covering the floor, puddling and crackling as it touched the shield. The firey being from the kitchens reached for the shields, and was equally stumped. For another minute, Amarat also said nothing. Then a mighty crack split the air like a thunderbolt, the shield was fighting to resist a bullet, a quite high velocity one. Unable to just bounce the projectile, the magic was trying to encase it in its own magical force. "That's your mistake, Zavine." Hidden in the bullet, but revealed as the magical forces wore at the metal was the most dangerous substance on Arnd, the essence of the void. The hunger, infinite hunger, that was the fifth element, the void, the lack of all things. Like a black hole, sucking everything. And it was inside the shield. There were no pieces of Zabine to bury. Nothing left of him that count be subjected to dna analysis or detected, indeed. He would have to endure a painful ritual, to encase the essence of the void back into another bullet, but, the discomfort was worth it. Lowlives like Zavine were hardly rare, but the ones who managed to commit his crime and not reach comeuppance were rare and dangerous indeed. He would have to thank Flora at lenght for the fine shot, she hadn't even mussed Gauthier's hair, and he was rather close to Zavine when she did.
Purpose / Function
Was started as 'A private place for civilized discourse, fine dining and drinking.'
When in 546, Alessia's own King founded the Food Academy, and decided that medals should be given to places of "Meritorious Dining", then-Silver Redoubt earned the first one. Silver Redoubt was renamed Golden Redoubt when it was the first establishment to earn ten, and it renamed itself Platinum Redoubt, at 99 medals, and under new management.
Now 121 medals strong, Platinum Redoubt is where any chef wanting to make a name for themselves want to cook.
Design
A smallish four-floor tower build around an octogonal plan around a square central kitchen "tower", surrounded by staircases on one side, and elevators and dumbwaiters on two sides, while the remaining side has the kitchen doors for staff.
The square lawn wraps around the tower and offers views for those near the windows.
The tower itself is built of stout sandstone walls angled for defense, for indeed, the building began as a fortification in the infamous eurani disputes. It was part of the military infrastructure of Eurani city for hundreds of years, being attenant to the palace of Lervailles
Alterations
Each century since its founding after the first has seen it add a new wing, now a central hub with three outthrust "halls", next century will see it need a new floor plan design just to meet expansion ideas.
The interiour was completely rebuilt in 645, when it became a restaurant instead of a fortress.
six dumbwaiters were added in 656.
4 customer-facing elevators were added in 718
2 staff elevators were added in 767
Windows were "lensed" to bring in more light without affecting the outer wall's structural integrity in 787(which is considerable, Platinum Redoubt suffered six direct hits from cannon fire in 435 and the captured ordnance was trapped in the curtain wall, mortar was added to prevent it from ever rolling out, but the force of the blow, and the way the projectile material mxied in with the rock makes that unlikely.
Type
Pub / Tavern / Restaurant
Parent Location
Included Locations
Connected Rooms
Owner
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Comments