The Endless Serenade Studio
The Endless Serenade Studio is a concert hall that is located in the center of the Evernight Market, in the heart of the Kingdom of Mithambe. It is considered famous for the quality of its singers, and hundreds of aspiring singers and vocalists flock to the Studio every passing year in hopes of an apprenticeship or the offer of a deal with a music label.
However, in true Evernight Market nature, the Studio has a clanderstine and sinister purpose - the upbringing of duelists and young assassins, training them in the art of movement and in the art of bladed combat. Whereas aspiring singers will be practicing their vocals in the ground floors of the studio, the assassins-in-waiting will be training in the basements below, learning how to move and blend in with the world around them, and how to dispatch and kill targets with exquisite blades without as much leaving a drop of blood to betray them.
With this fact unknown except to those in the highest echelons of Mithambian society, the Studio is a favored tourist attraction, with people from all walks of life making at least one trip to the Studio in their lifetimes to see their breath-taking productions, and with record labels from all over Vinesia coming to scout out potential new talent.
Purpose / Function
Historically, the Studio was a warehouse for the Feathergold's extensive mining operations, in which the large drills, coring machines, and rock crushers were kept.
In the modern day, the Endless Serenade Studio serves two purposes - one open, and one clandestine:
- To the public, it is a theater and recording studio, hosting some of the best vocalists and record labels on this side of Vinesia.
- To those that are part of the seedier walk of life, the Endless Serenade Studio is the training center for some of the deadliest duelists and blade assassins within Mithambe.
Alterations
Over the course of the lifetime of the Studio, additional rooms have been added to the side - these rooms are dressing rooms, soundproofed recording suites, and places of relaxation for those who are under the tutelage of the Serenade's masterful vocalists and producers.
The most significant alterations performed on the Studio would be underneath - massive cavernous chambers have been dug out from underneath its foundation, and piles are driven to support the weight of the structure above.
In these underground chambers, artificial environments have been created through means of either the ethereal or the physical - all to simulate different obstacles and threats that assassin applicants and trainees must move around or through, in order to master their own movement arts. Other rooms are designated for physical conditioning, mental conditioning, and the storage of training blades.
Near the center of the cavern rests an obelisk of black jade, in which the hilts of Serenade assassins who have failed in their duties and who were recovered are embedded in the oily black stone.
Architecture
Despite following a Jacobean-style means of architecture, the Endless Serenade Studio is accented with pillars of black jade, with gold inlays and green jade to break up the black, and provide gorgeous contrast. Large windows provide its occupants with gorgeous wide views of the rest of the Evernight Market, and chandeliers of wrought iron and blown glass adorn the antechambers and foyer.
History
The Theater was originally built as a warehouse in 1516, under the direction of the Feathergold family. Here, it was utilized as a storage facility for mining equipment and mined ore awaiting processing. It was relegated to a secondary storage, and then a demolition depot for decrepit mining equipment, before being deemed unusable for mining operations and left in 1605.
In 1607, as the Louthian War was picking up in steam and intensity, the Goldfeathers were approached by the traveling troupe of the Endless Serenade. The leaders of the Serenade offered the Goldfeathers exotic weaponry and ores from their travels in the Vinesian West and from Mount Fencover in exchange for one item - a place in which the Troupe could settle down, and could safely establish a permanent base of operations. Knowing of the bloody reputation of the Troupe against those who have wronged them, and seeing the opportunity for a business venture, the Goldfeathers offered the abandoned depot as a base of operations. Expecting reprisals, the Goldfeather elders were instead commended for providing the Endless Serenade a suitable place for them to settle down.
Over the course of the rest of the Louthian War, the Troupe of the Endless Serenade have gone to ground, and focused on rebuilding the original warehouse to suit their own means. With assistance from the Feathergold Warren, materials were quarried and transported to the depot, and it was suitably decontaminated before being rebuilt into the exacting specifications of the Theater that would serve as the Troupe's future home, with the precision that only talented Atxians could be capable of accomplishing. The Studio's outer faces and main rooms would be completed in 1631.
In 1634, as part of the Amalgamation, newly vested King Ernest Mitfield and his wife Maris was invited to tour the Feathergold warren that rested underneath Mithambe proper. Approaching the Endless Serenade Studio, he was informed by Feathergold elder Carian that the Endless Serenade has made a base here. Seeing the usefulness of having a reliable source of duelists and assassins for his growing Kingdom, Ernest made the decision to keep the Studio's true purpose a secret, and signed the deal in blood with Troupe Master Gabriel Vinset. Royal wards were established by the Court's magi that would conceal the training facilities of the Endless Serenade in perpetuity.
Tourism
As a concert hall and recording studio, the Endless Serenade Studio regularly sees thousands of visitors, who are there for concerts, or to support their loved ones on the stage. Part of the Studio's massive revenue is the hosting of several productions every year, including the infamous Battle of the Forest, the Rise of the Fatebreaker Forest, and the Walk of the Goddess.
Massive crowds occasionally gather at the entrance of the Studio, particularly when there is an announcement of an album release.
There is known property conflict between the restaurants, shops, and hotels for the premium space that surrounds the Studio. With the crowds that it draws in from all over Vinesia, hotels and restaurants that manage to secure a foothold in the immediate area find themselves well-off from travelers who spend plenty of money during their visit to the Studio.
Founding Date
1516
Alternative Names
The Siren's Rock, The Altar of the Songstress
Type
Theatre / Concert hall
Parent Location
Owning Organization
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