Fay

At a Glance

Fay is a kindly old woman who dresses in vibrant and luxurious dresses. She wears her gray hair up in a large beehive-like bun. She is of average height and appears rather thing beneath her extravagant attire. Her face is powdered and done up with makeup, but cannot hide her apparent age. Appearing human, she has the warm smile of a kindly grandmother. With a swift stride, she constantly patrols the entirety of the Pleasure Barge with a youthful exuberance as though she were less than half her age. 

"How was your dinner this evening, dear? Might I fetch you some more wine or perhaps something from the bakery? It is my treat, I assure you"

—Fay, Owner of Fay's Pleasure Barge

Each and every evening, Fay wears a different dress and hat. Sometimes wearing firey red and other nights wearing a dusky violet. Her sense of style often seems to influence the tailors and seamstresses of the cities she comes by.

"Fay, forgive me, but is that a... a garrote? Like one used by assassains?" "Don't be silly, dear, this is used for slicing Sulian lime cheesecake. A knife is far too brutish for such a delacay. Now then, be a dear and hand be a plate"

—Conversation between Fay and Merria Goadin

Occupation

Fay is the owner of Fay's Pleasure Barge. Whilst she delegates, she is free to aid the staff in any sort of issues that may arise during hours when they allow guests. An incredibly accommodating person, assuring that all of the guests on her barge are 100% satisfied before leaving. Nothing short of a jack of all trades, Fay knows how to cook each and every meal and prepare each and every good that comes out of either the kitchens. She is an expert in culinary sciences and seemingly knows several hundred different recipes that vary from cultures that many have never even heard of. Versed in entertainment and fashion, she also assures that the musicians are playing to the best of their ability and that the poets and bards are performing to the satisfaction of all.

"Her? That's Fay herself, my friend! She is the owner and proprieter of this barge. I must say, she's an exellent help here in the bakery whenever we need an extra hand. Honestly, she makes me look like an amateur when she works!"

—Merria Goadin, Pleasure Barge Executive Chef of Baked Goods & Confections

Fay is almost always ready to hop into the kitchens to assist whenever they need help, completely unafraid to get her hands dirty no matter how demanding the task may be. Despite her calm and kind demeanor, Fay is quick to become stern when someone violates the rules of the barge. A very helpful person, she often covers for people that become sick or injured for some reason or another and never complains. With the staff, she is always firm but fair like a good parent. She has very few rules and assures that each and every person on her staff knows them as to give people a fair warning before being reprimanded or worse: being permanently banned from the barge. Her rules are rather simple: No violence and no use of magic aboard the barge. Some offenses like being rude to the staff can lead to reprimands but seldom lead to outright bans. When someone is banned by Fay from the barge, they are physically unable to re-enter the barge by any means short of incredibly powerful magic. A ban cannot be undone. 

History

Fay's Pleasure Barge was first spotted in Ptolus well over a century ago. Whilst her staff seemed to constantly change, she never did. Fay has always appeared the same woman throughout the decades of her unannounced arrivals in the city. To such means, many of her patrons often speculate about her origins. Some believe her to be fey whilst some believe that she is some sort of celestial being. Some believe her to be some wayward god or even an incredibly powerful hag. Regardless, she has been inconsistently bringing the pleasures of worlds beyond the material to the city for many decades.
The difficult thing about the appearance of her barge is the fact that the visits have no consistent pattern. Sometimes the barge appears twice in the same month while other times it seems to disappear for well over a year. Due to the uncertainty of the visits, nobles have paid people to watch and alert them of the arrival of the barge in the Ptolus' waterways. Recently, however, Fay has arrived in city significantly more frequently at a rate of two or three times in a single month. Despite the frequency of her visits, she has been bringing in significantly more guests.

Controversies & Rumors

The speculation of Fay's immortality has long been an interesting topic discussed amongst passengers. Many agree that Fay must absorb something from the passengers she brings on in order to sustain her unending existence. Some believe that she harvests emotions of pleasure or grief whilst others think that she hoards memories or fragments of the soul.
Fay has often fallen under the scrutiny of guardsmen that question her illegal passage in the waterways of the city. Nobles, however, often pay off the guard in order to keep such a luxury alive and well in the city, as it has brought merchants and new business into the city alongside rare and unusual goods that the people of Ptolus would otherwise be without.
Fay does not explicitly make it a point to tell passengers to stay away from the fourth floor where her staff live, but allows her guard to ward people off. Some believe that her visits have been more frequent as of late as a guest supposedly broke into her quarters and stole something of great value.

Current Location

Fay's Pleasure Barge

Ruled Locations

• Fay's Pleasure Barge