Emporium

Every week, hundreds of miners boil up from the depths, their pockets lined with freshly earned coin. The Emporium exists to separate the men from the money, and at this it is paramount among Diamond Lake's diverse businesses. Ten years ago it was simply Zalamandra's, one of a vice dens along the Vein. Its ill fortunes changed the day its charismatic young madam seduced Professor Montague Marat. proprietor of a traveling sideshow and curiosity collection passing through Diamond two soon joined forces, and a cavalcade of freaks and eccentrics moved into the building's lower floor. Thus was born Zalamandra's Emporium, and Diamond Lake has never been the same.
Upon entering, visitors encounter a small desk station manned by a grinning, businesslike attendant named Gaspar. The thin, balding man smiles wryly at all times, a gesture accentuated by his upcurled mustache. The house charges three coppers for access to the "Gallery of Science" along the first floor's central corridor, and three silver for access to the lushly decorated upper floor, which features a large gaming hall, an exclusive entertainment club and the infamous Veiled Corridor, where any pleasure may be obtained for the right price.

Professor Marat's Gallery of Science (3 cp)

Although the professor himself abandoned Diamond Lake three years ago, nearly a dozen of his former employees remain at the Emporium, making more money here than they ever did on the road. Foremost among these nonesuches is the affable Shag Solomon an aristocratic shaggy "Wild man" from the northern pine forests. Solomon's vicious teeth and jagged claws contrast with his shabby gentleman's garb and cultured demeanor. When not on display, he frequents the opium lounge upstairs, where the wealthier patrons adore his clever stories.
Other attractions include the misshapen contortionist Tom Shingle, the combustible hin magician Ariello Klint, a two-headed calf named Esmerelda, Jr, and the alluring Chezabet, a tabaxi who reads fortunes using a replica deck of many things.

Gaming Den (3 sp)

The Emporium offers several rotating games of chance, with the most popular being dragonfire (an ante-based card game), norebonne (a polyhedral dice game), and a contest known simply as the Rat Game, in which four rats scurry to be the first one through an open-topped maze. When the winner reaches the labyrinth's central chamber, an attendant injects it with a serum that immediately triggers a rabid frenzy. At this time, four doors built into the sides of the slide open. revealing four Tiny spear-wielding jermaline. Patrons wager on all aspects of the ensuing melee.
Folk of all social classes flock to the Emporium throughout the day and night, so the place makes an excellent staging ground for a chance encounter with an important NPC. Because Zalamandra tolerates absolutely no conflict within her walls, even sworn enemies must treat each other respectfully in the Emporium or risk the attentions of Kurlag, the establishment's imposing bouncer.

The Veiled Corridor (negotiable)

The private chambers of the Veiled Corridor are frequented by the community's elite, including the governor-mayor, sheriff, most of the mine managers, and several prominent merchants. Zalamandra does not tolerate blackmailers among her staff.

Type

Hospitality, Resort

Parent Location

Diamond Lake