Grinner’s Hall
Overview
Grinner's Hall in the central place of worship for Aylus, though it functions as less of a religious temple for the faithful to enter for worship and more like a public meeting space and market. Grinner's Hall is filled with merchants selling wares (of dubious quality and cost in most cases), a tavern for merriment and meeting, and a job board where Novus employers can post requests for workers. It is loud, somewhat bawdy location maintained by the faithful of the scale bearer who keep his spirit of tilting justice alive ever aspect of the hall's image and function.
Purpose / Function
Grinner's Hall is principally a temple to Aylus, and a chapel and monastery make of the heart of the structure. Aylus's faithful learn of his peculiar sense of justice and devote themselves to the notion that the scales must always be in balance and should the levels be out of balance, then it must be restored in the most whimsical way possible. This axiom prevades the other elements of the hall. In on stall, a merchant may offer his wares to a rich man for a large sum, but may donate them for free to a poor one. An open air cafeteria is here to feed the poor, but should this service be abuse, one might find their food spike with a noxious substance. Exchange between people is always weighed on the individual merits of those involved in Grinner's Hall. A sense of whimsy is always present here and many (especially those who do not necessarily hold to Aylus) seek out shopping experiences here simply for the experience itself. There is always bartering and haggling in Grinner's Hall, as well as a few stolen coin purses (though this is part of the game of going there). Many bards perform here to lend to the mirthful atmosphere of the hall. Grinner's Hall is just noisy and problematic enough to something of an eyesore on the otherwise stately image of the Quorum District, but attempts to sanction the temple to Aylus in any way have been stalled or stopped entirely by The Council of the Hallowed Abbey, which defends the rights of Aylus's worshippers to patronize their God as they see fit.
Architecture
Grinner's Hall is an enclosed covered hall structure. Its first floor is open and can be traveled end to end, entrance to exit. This level is filled with the market floor, taverns, and other activities open to the public. At the dead center of the structure is a statue of Aylus wielding his metallic scales. There are various secret chambers, off shoots, and hidden rooms within Grinners Hall. These serve two purposes. The first is to hide secret places of worship to Aylus away from prying eyes. The second is to provide a hidden place for cutpurses and mountebanks to quickly escape to when needed. At night time and at various places within the structure where it is naturally quite dark, there are bright, playful lights, many of which that are arcane in nature affixed within the chamber.
Defenses
Local constabulary has elected to not keep a presence in Grinners Hall, due to the large number of complaints, reports of theft, lost property, and similar reports. Instead the hall is policed by an order of monastic knights known as Balance Blades who ensure that crime never crosses a live from petty to violent and excessive.
History
Grinner's Hall was once a public meeting hall for the adjutication of legal disputes without the encumbrance of a legal trial. The thought was to that trials held before the Scalebearer would always be fair, but this was not always the case, as Aylus's sense of justice is not based on the merits of individual fairness, due process, or legal statutes, but rather on a fickle, ever-flowing sense of keeping balance in all things for everything.
