The Withered Rose
Written by: Ursa-Minor
An acquaintance once told me: Hide evidence of wrongdoing beneath evidence of a lesser wrongdoing. Whoever comes across on what is on top will have their curiosity sated and is unlikely to dig further.That's why I hide anything incirminating in a folder full of weird fetish porn. Even if their curiosity's not been satisfied, they won't want to dig deeper.The Withered Rose, a family-owned Talismonger inside one of Raleigh's apartment-complexes, is a triumphant example of this deception: Over its decades of operation, the shop and its owner, Mrs Emily Proulx have been in trouble on multiple occasions for its proprietors for posessing and selling awakened products of a legally-grey status in the CAS, however the penalty for these specific products are sufficiently minor that a modest bribe is adequate for most law-enforcement officers to leave contented without escalation. Beneath this minor wrongdoing however, is a substantially more lucrative and illegal market: Beneath the back-rooms, in a basement not present on building-blueprints and floorplans, is small alchemical facility, dedicated to the production and storage of awakened products of a far less ambiguously illegal nature than those 'discovered' upstairs by law-enforcement. A tiny number of Lone Star officers and administrators are aware of this, but mutual dealings with the shop's proprietor prevent this knowledge from becoming open and the shop raided by police. But the illegal magical paraphernalia themselves are another layer of deception, to satisfy those who were not satisfied by the grey-market goods on the main floor. Beneath one of the hydroponic nutrient-resevoirs is a trapdoor leading to a third and final secret: The Red Room. Unknown even to many of the Withered Rose's workers and connected to the building's air-conditioning by way of numerous concealed and heavily filtered vents, the Red Room is a fiendishly hidden manufacturing facility dedicated to the hand-crafting of firearms and munitions, courtesy of the proprietor's fiancee, a recluse by the name of Marcher. The Withered Rose doubling as both a source of illicit arcane goods and quality firearms makes it indispensible, but also fragile: One officer feeling courageous could potentially deprive those who walk the shadows from multiple important connections, and as such any requests on their behalf should be taken as a priority.
Purpose / Function
The public objective of the Withered Rose is to provide a source of affordable and locally-made products of magical nature. Over time, this has expanded to providing for more illicit markets without the public's knowledge.
Alterations
Much of the building's original architecture has been lost to the ages and the two great crashes, making it difficult to deduce what components are deviations from the original floorplan. What we do know for certain is that the proprietor has had a basement and sub-basement built into the floors underneath the shop, large enough to fit an alchemical lab and firearms-making facility, respectively.
Architecture
The main floor has been tastefully decorated in a neoclassical style, complete with genuine wood panelling and stone reliefs.
Type
Shop, Magic
Parent Location
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