The Stone Tower
The Stone Tower is the local name given to a brothel and wine shop owned by Sellenian named Matius of Sellenia.
The Stone Tower is an ancient ruined stone tower still standing amidst a small walled complex of stone buildings that were once guard houses and barracks but are now used as a warehouse for wine and a large brothel. Located just inches from the shores of the Eastern Sea and on the edge of the eastern limit of the City of Karnesh, the complex is less than glamorous looking. The tower itself stands some 80' tall and is made from finely finished local limestone that has been severly weathered over the several centuries since the building was constructed. The tower is flanked on either side by buildings of a slightly later date than the tower, but both are still quite ancient in date. The eastern-most building is used as a warehouse for wine barrels now, while the western building is a large, ill-kept brothel and tavern.
The brothel is a two-story building made of local limestone. There are no windows on the first story, and only a few very small windows on the upper floor. Its interior is dark, hot and typically very smokey from the cooking fires and oil lamps. The main floor is one large, long room where drinks are served, some food is cooked and eaten and the women are displayed for potential clients to peruse. Once a whore is chosen and paid for, she will take her client to one of several tiny cells on the upper floor where they can lay for the allotted time on a straw mat with a course blanket laid down on the floor. There are no latrines, beds or washing fascilities available in the building. For the right price, one of these cells could be rented for an entire night, should the need outweigh the risk.
Purpose / Function
A functioning brothel and wine seller that also fronts a lucrative trade in female slaves.
Design
When the Stone Tower's buildings were originally constructed, they were built of finely crafted yellow limestone blocks, and even after many centuries of age, abuse and weathering, the craftsmenship that went into their initial construction is still evident even today. The tower is eight stories tall, and the top two stories are built with an outside arcade that allows one to walk around the tower's exterior for an unspoiled view of the sea and the eastern portion of the city. The roofs of the adjoining buildings offer a safe vantage point from whihc to defend the buildings from both the sea and the land.
Entries
Originally built with heavy wooden doors, most of the entrances of the Tower complex are now made of cheap, flimsy materials that are not adequately maintained. There are no functioning shutters on the window openings, and only the doorway to the Tower itself can be dafely secured in the event of danger or attack.
Sensory & Appearance
The interior of the brothel is a long open room that has no windows and only two doors. There are no real vents or outlets for the smoke from the cooking fires or oil lamps to escape from, making the inside of the brothel a hot, smokey and very dark place to be. The warehouse has three large doorways leading to another large, open room where as many as 200 barrels of wine can be stored at a time. None of these doorways has doors today, though, so the sea breeze can flow through the room unhindered, making this room the freshest and cleanest in the whole complex. The Tower instelf has no exterior doors and can only be entered through the warehouse or the brothel. The first level is as dark and dirty as the brothel itself, and it is only on the upper floors (where the owner, Matius of Sellenia, makes his residence) that the rooms begin to show some creature comforts and utility.
Denizens
Besides the owner and his six remarkably loyal slaves and servants, there are a dozen ruffian guards, another ten retainers and workers and as many as 30 female whores in residence at any time.
Valuables
Located in a small cellar deep under the main tower there is a small vault that contains two iron-bound chests that hold the gold and silver coins of a dozen different nations and amount to a total value of more than $400,000.
Architecture
Built centuries ago by an unknown people, the Stone Tower is an ancient military structure originally built of finely finished limestone. There are no windows on the first story of the buildings, and only small square openings on the upper floors. Originally designed with heavy wooden doors, these have all rotted away and only flimsy replacements exist today, if at all.
Defenses
The owner of the Stone Tower, Matius, employs a dozen ruffians as house guards. All are capable swordsmen and all are armed with a variety of bladed weapons, ranging from cutlasses to broad swords and axes. Whenever a ship arrives to deliver wine barrels and take on female slaves, several of these ruffians will mount the tower and roofs of the buildings armed with crossbows and all are deadly shots.
Type
Brothel / Whorehouse
Parent Location
Owner
Characters in Location
