Diannen's Den

"When the days are long and the nights are lonely,
Diannen's Den will always be homely."

- Diannen's Den Entry Banner

Home of Worldly Delights

Sicerrone, the largest trade city in the world, holds the largest population of pass-through travelers throughout all of Nora. All of those passing visitors require rest and respite throughout their sale. Regardless of who enters the city, be it the seasoned merchant, the hopeful student, or the seasoned wanderer, all become kindred spirits in seeking relief from their stress.
Diannen's Den is a popular lounge down by the canal in Sicerrone's entertainment district. It holds a legendary status with visitors for the sheer options available inside accompanied by the truly professional behavior of the staff. A multitude of different seated lounge areas are spread throughout the inside with the only separation in the entry being for smoking or non-smoking areas. Both areas have private and public seating available along with recessed seating that can be divided with curtains based on personal preference and available price points. The seating is consistently made of red-dyed leather with an assortment of pillows and plush blankets available as well. Some seats have been set around large tables for gaming. Each booth contains a flag to indicate whether they would like to request something from one of the many attendants. There are a few rooms that are closed for rent in the back of the lounge for patrons who need to sleep the night off before returning to the city. The building itself has two entrances; one at street level close to upscale restaurants and inns, and one down by the water for those taking advantage of the famed boat taxis. The structure is made of dark, seasoned wood adorned with red-glassed lamps that give it a classy and subdued look during the nighttime.
Three things draw crowds to the lounge; drinks, narcotics, and games. Liquor and meads of wide varieties are served here alongside exotic coffees and juices. Bottles and harvests are imported from far corners of the world through Sicerrone's traveling merchants. Mangen Coffee from the jungles of Mahangangahere, casks of wine from Nioyaathep and Tamaha, Mashed Corn Liqueur from The Freelands, and much more are poured into glasses throughout the establishment. The smoking area is filled with a variety of shared hookahs and private pipes to cater to groups or private booths. Everything from common and local tobaccos and laze-leaf to the Thanpium of Oiyasi and Lombish pipes of the Luksin can be found wafting through the corridors. Any booze or narcotics that can be sourced and shipped legally through Sicerrone can be found inside.
Gaming is a side attraction in the lounge, but certainly not to be looked down upon. Gambling is not allowed, however, tips to dealers are plenty welcome. Cards and dice are known and welcome games to all who have stepped into a tavern or gambling den in their lives. The lounge here offers more exotic games, such as Rodent Roulette, where a small rodent will be placed on a spinning board and enters one of the many numbered holes on the edge to decide a winner, or Wizard's Hoard, a dice and pieces game where players compete to steal treasure from the dealer who plays the position of wizard.
The staff at Diannen's Den take their job seriously and have always been paid well enough to dissuade any unprofessional behavior. Armed bouncers regularly wander between sections to monitor behavior and remove unruly patrons quickly and quietly. There are often a couple of magi on each shift to monitor for any unwelcome magicks and handle any guests the more mundane security would not be able to handle. Staff uniforms consisted of red velvet suits accompanied by black vests, bowties, and shoes, alongside intricate gold masks and jewelry to give off an air of mystery and class. While most of the staff is trained to keep quiet and say as little as possible when serving guests so as to not lessen their experience, hosts and hostesses are available for hire for an evening of company. This company is strictly professional and friendly, however. Sex work is completely forbidden within the premises, and any requesting patrons will be blacklisted and removed.
Clients of the lounge appreciate the air of luxury, the sheer variety of indulgences, and the privacy offered. Inside the front entrance is a selection of masks and cloaks freely offered to guests who wish to keep their identities anonymous. The entrance attendees keep a long and detailed list of individuals who have been blacklisted from the establishment. Rules of conduct are plain and available describing self-care and self-mindedness alongside professional behavior. Any who attempt to break the rules will be removed yet often found with injuries far exceeding the typical 'roughing up' that involves a forced removal. The clientele often form strong bonds of support and comradery amongst each other to uphold their behaviors and nighttime pleasures. If individuals are found to be breaking confidence by learning and revealing the identities of other members of the clientele, even outside the walls of the den, they walk with a target on their backs for all those who frequent the establishment.
Diannon's Den to this day is a beacon to those who seek an escape from the stress of city life or the hard road traveled to reach it. Patrons are welcomed with a professional yet warm ambiance and staff that make each person inside the den feel at home. The lounge is a refuge for all -- from the most affluent nobles to the most downtrodden of men, all can be equal inside the Den.

Of the Man Himself

Diannen emigrated to Sicerrone in the year 1392 after the reconstruction efforts following the War of Magi Ascension. He was an Ehrlen of Mahangangahere and little else was known about him. None knew his last name, nor where he amassed his fortunes.
When asked about himself, he would simply reply "I am a simple man who enjoys fine things; a strong smoke next to sweet coffee".
The owner of the lounge was also a frequent customer of the establishment. Although he still donned the traditional mask available to all at the entrance, he wore a unique gold-trimmed cloak to identify himself as he had no fears of anyone finding out his name. Diannen often sat in public booths, playing games with and offering rounds of drinks to guests who would entertain him with their company.
Throughout his career, he would be criticized and questioned on his harsh policies regarding gambling and sex work within his lounge. Diannen always stated that he had no problem with gambling and was actually a fan of it himself, however, he believed that it should only be performed sober. He looked down on establishments that would take advantage of intoxicated guests and con them out of their money on already rigged games. As to the ban on sex work within the lounge, he would say "What two consenting partners agree to take before sex is their own dealings behind closed doors; no one under the influence can rightly consent to a stranger, and I plan on everyone being under the influence of something while within my walls."
Diannen's Den became his home for nearly seventy years after its grand opening. He died of lung complications after years of warnings from doctors and concerned patrons who encouraged him to lower his smoking habits. Diannen waved off these concerns with claims that he was living his best life possible, and "If I am to die with a drink in one hand and a set of dice in the other, then I will die happy." He died a legend of entertainment on the the 2nd of Kirust in 1459, in the exact manner as he predicted.
On the day after his death, almost every head of establishments in the entertainment district of Sicerrone shut their locations down for the evening as they led a funeral march through town with his cadaver dressed in his regular cloak. On every anniversary of his death since, many of the same locations will offer a free cup of coffee to all guests, and the members of Diannen's Den will have a toast to his memory.
Among the rooms for rent in the back of the lounge, the one he always stayed in has been kept unavailable for purchase and in mint condition in tribute to the deceased owner. The bed is unkempt and covered in loose tobacco leaf and the closet is nearly empty. Donning its walls are a series of trinkets and artworks, along with a collection of masks from Diannon's favored compatriots who passed on before him.
His mask now hangs alongside them.