Jackal's Den
The Jackal's Den is the seediest watering hole in all of Jeharoa. Located in the run-down Mashiqi Quarter, the Jackal's Den caters to gamblers, opium addicts, and those seeking pleasurable companionship while in the Holiest City in Nioa. It is also the unofficial headquarters of the Mirage within Jeharoa, though all of their business is carried out downstairs away from prying eyes.
Purpose / Function
The Jackal's Den has several purposes. Most innocently, the Den does rent rooms and provide food and lodging to the average traveler, though the prices can seem a bit steep for what they offer. This occurs on the first level, which is called the Game Hall, for it is where those playing low-stakes, casual gambling games gather and play.
A door behind the bar leads down to the second level, called the Dens. Here, small rooms are partitioned into the rock to allow for privacy. This is where those wishing to conduct business transactions, obtain a sex worker's services, gamble illegally, and/or smoke wequu go and pay for the discretion that is expected within the Dens. Members of the Mirage are granted free room and board, though tipping is encouraged. Mirage agents also have access to the Dens for a discounted rate.
The Dens are built above a third level, the catacombs. Little is known about what goes on in the catacombs, though members of the Mirage have been seen entering it from time to time.
Design
A door next to the bar leads to halls that contain the upper-level inn rooms, the kitchens, and the cellars. Meanwhile, the door behind the bar leads to a stairwell that descends into the Dens, where private rooms for business, prostitution, illegal gambling, and wequu smoking occurs. These Dens are run by Kem the Starkissed, the owner of the establishment.
Sensory & Appearance
A low lying building with a wood beam roof and mudbrick walls. A wooden sign out front reads Jackal’s Den next to a bit of graffiti showing a man humping a sensual female jackal. Down the stairs and inside the structure you are met by a tall insectoid figure covered in reddish-black chitin. The figure gestures a bit and shows you a closet. Another guard bouncer stands watch outside and tells you to drop your weapons here. Upon doing so the main hall is opened to you and you find yourself on an elevated wooden causeway that looks down a story to an underground tavern and gaming hall. The room is filled with smoke and laughter and cursing. Most of the patrons appear to be Mashiqi, though a dozen dragonborn smoke from waterpipes at the bar, and a few ruddy faced Pilgrim are trying their best to endure the local drinking customs. A woman with dark brown skin and a red bandana directs the servants and wait staff. When you approach the bar, she smiles like a cat, revealing a pair of gold teeth incisors.
Architecture
The entirety of the Jackal's Den is located underground. Its first level, the Gaming Hall has a high ceiling and rafters than be seen above ground while the lower two levels, the Dens and the catacombs are cut directly into the bedrock of Mount Jeharoa. The first two levels are rough-hewn walls covered with tapestries to keep the space at a comfortable temperature. The lower parts of the Dens and the catacombs feature what some might consider Ashkelonian architecture, though few with knowledge of that ancient dynasty have ever ventured that far below.
History
Some claim that the catacombs are so-called because they are in fact connected to the old burial grounds of the Ashkelonians, though no one trust-worthy can verify this.
Type
Brothel / Whorehouse
Parent Location
Owner
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments