Paon Enchanté
Aka 'The Merchant's Store'
Paon Enchanté was a boutique owned by William Cunningham, in the small lumber town of Littleshade. It is where Madeline was held captive for several months, and where The Merchant's Diary was found. Additionally, the basement of Paon Enchanté is where Madeline started construction of both 'The Machine', and 'The Knife', using incomplete plans provided to her.
Store Information
Whilst the clothes may have been fashionable, the prices were not, as the merchant valued his wares high above their worth. This is partially due to the store ending up being somewhat of a cover for his secret projects, but also thanks to his vanity. The store itself mainly carried mundane wares, from squares of cloth to ballgowns, but some of the products were enchanted - although the enchantments tended to be trivial in nature.
Paon Enchanté was first and foremost a fashion outlet, instead of a magic item store, and Cunningham was very particular about what kind of person would be allowed inside. He also offered tailoring services to those who needed them, but it wasn't his primary income.
Inventory
Structure
Paon Enchanté, like other upper-class buildings in Littleshade, was constructed out of stone with a tiled roof, rather than the more common wood and timber. It consisted of three floors - the storefront, the living quarters, and the basement.
The floorplan of was very simple. The majority of the ground floor was used as the store front, with a small room behind the counter used for temporary storage and access to the upper floor and the basement. The door to the back room was blocked by the merchant's counter, and required a key to open.
The upper floor functioned as Cunningham's living quarters. Despite his expensive wares, his lifestyle was surprisingly modest, as his home consisted of merely four rooms - two bedrooms, a bathroom, and the main living room/kitchen space.
Initially, whilst Madeline was fully under the effects of a Memory Altering spell, Cunningham had her stay in the second bedroom, which had been decorated to suit the needs of a teenage girl. During this time, Madeline had full access to the living quarters, although she was kept from leaving the building without her father's accompanyment via multiple locked doors between her and the exit. Cunningham claimed it was due to his worry for her after she had 'gone missing' once.
The Basement
The basement of Paon Enchanté is a key location in Madeline's past. Cunningham was quick to grow inpatient with her progress on his various projects, and once the Memory Altering magic on her began to fail, he moved her into the basement to work on them full time. She was kept locked in the basement for at least two months without any release until she managed to escape.
Whilst originally used simply for storage, the basement was quickly transformed into a makeshift workshop. The numerous crates, barrels and boxes were pushed to the side, clearing space for Madeline to work on his projects, and the windows boarded up to hide their activities. After she was forced to live here too, Cunningham kindly provided her with a broken bed, an old mattress, a wooden basin and a wooden box with a hole in the top for her to relieve herself in.
Despite the squalid conditions, Madeline worked hard on Cunningham's projects, primarily to avoid his anger and punishment, but also to satiate her own curiosity. It is in this basement she completed building The Machine and The Knife, as revealed in Maddie's Dreamscape and later Maddie's Monologue.
Party Involvement
The party first arrived in Littleshade on the 12th of June, where they approached a Message Board in the town square to look for well-paying jobs. Cunningham had put up a bounty for the safe return of Madeline, who had escaped him two days prior, so the party visited him at Paon Enchanté to ask for further information. They left shortly after to find her.
During this time they learned the truth about Cunningham's relationship to her, and they returned to Paon Enchanté on the 16th of June to inform him that Madeline had died, and would not be returning. Whilst Silas tried to successfully persuad Cunningham he was telling the truth, Inari slipped into the back room to search for more evidence as to what was really going on. Shortly after, Silas creates a distraction and joins her. After exploring the storage room, they find only old crates and fake paintings, and do not explore the other floors before leaving.
The following day the party returns to the shop, where Inari let slip that Madeline is actually still alive. Cunningham called for the city guard, and in the commotion another party member was able to steal a key and sneak into the back room to further explore. Whilst the basement was still locked, she was able to gain access to the first floor. She discovered the second bedroom had been turned back into a guest room, indicating that Madeline wasn't truly his daughter, and also aquired The Merchant's Diary from the master bedroom.
Later, on the 18th of June, Silas returned to purchase a pair of trousers, and also aquired a Cloak of Billowing through intimidation.
For more info, see The Party's Adventures timeline.
Closure
Whilst purchasing the trousers, Silas and Snorri argumed with Cunningham, who was still furious with them for hiding Madeline from him. The argument resulted in a minor scuffle, and the town guard were consequently called. They arrested Cunningham for his crimes against Madeline and he was taken to the town jail to be questioned.
The following day, on June the 19th, he was found to have escaped his cell, and all evidence of his presence had been cleared away through negligence and mismanagement. Cunningham's wherebabouts were a mystery, as he seemed to have fled town with only the clothes on his back, and Paon Enchanté has remained closed ever since.
It is unknown what has happened to the building itself, as the party have not returned.
Maps
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The Basement
A large storage basement turned squalid workshop.
Type
Clothing store, Tailors
Status
Closed Indefinitely
Location
Littleshade
Owner
William Cunningham
Other Notable Items/People/Events
- The Merchant's Diary
- Madeline
- Madeline's Timeline
- The Party's Adventures
...can you believe it, diary! There were three actual dwarves in my store! I may have to throw everything out and create new stock immediately.
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