Golden Rose
Calling the Golden Lamb an inn is almost an insult. Located at the market place jsut opposite the straight road coming into the city, the large, spacious building built in the half-timbered style sports richly decorated walls with bright colors and exotic motives. Underneath the window sills, birds with wildly colored feather try to escape ferrets, wolves and other creatures no one has seen before. The crest of House Lapis still proudly sits atop the wide double door, its golden adornments shimmering on a sunny day. Dragons fly above the whole scenery framed by flowering trees and bushes, being shot at by the guards of richly dressed nobles enjoying the spectacle.
The windows are made of yellow glass, the frames are true works of art: several different kinds of woods, expertly inlayed so that their different colors support the intricately carved patterns of the branches and leaves that climb the frames. The doors are just as richly made: delicately inlayed wood with beautifully carved decorations, except for the glass windows in the upper half. The stained glass mosaic skillfully weaves the vibrantly-colored pieces into flowers, leaves and gems above a parchment scroll with the name of the établissement on it - "Golden" on the left door, "Rose" on the right.
The interior is no letdown. The entire groundfloor is a wide open room, with an imposing fireplace on the opposite side of the door. The stairs, covered with carpet and opening up into the room, are next to the fireplace, with the bar adjacent to it. Servants leave the bar through a small hallway underneath the stairs, so guests making their grand entrance into the room will not be bothered by mere maids getting in their way. The stairs also hide the door leading to the small canopied courtyard, where kitchen and storage is located in a side wing of the house.
The most remarkable thing, though, is the fact that the Golden Rose has double windows: between the windows on the outer edge of the thick walls and the windows on the inner side, a small alcoven acts as an isolating cushion of air. This little trick is why one fireplace is able to keep the room warm, despite its size and despite the large windows.
The seats are cushioned softly and covered with fine cloth, soft pillows being lavishly strewn over the seats. More are available from the large the chests at the edges of the room. Tables decorated with lace tablecloth and vases overflowing with artificial flowers wrought from precious ores and adorned with gemstones. In olden times it used to be freshly cut flowers, but come winter the nobles would complain about the lack of decoration, forcing the owner to come up with something exclusive. It kicked of a trend in the upper echelon of society - freshly cut flowers was for peasants. Artificial flowers is where it's at!
At the wall opposite of the bar is a small raised stage, complete with satin curtains and another curtain, ready to hide a corner of the room for costume changes. Theatrical performances and musicians of high quality entertain the guests regularly. It's an honor to perform in the Golden Rose, and if you want to play here, you better earn your reputation at other inns and taverns or have an influential patron recommend you. In the latter case, it will be announced that you are here on courtesy of your patron - and you better not embarass them.
The food is as exquisite as the interior decoration. The finest cooks of the Seat are working here, and the backyard has a direct connection to the best confectioner in town, Cake Couture, on the other side of the block. Meat is usually venison, transported via Freezing Boxes from Dawnlight, or fine fowl like dove breast. Any baked goods are exclusively made with Valava, as its fine, delicate flavor and texture compliments exclusivities like Marzipan or candied fruits much better than the more rustic Korvath.
It's rare to see pork being served in the Rose, as this is a dish any other tavern could provide their guests with. Of course, the guests' wishes are the Rose's command, and should someone demand a nice pork roast, it won't be long before the kitchen will have procured one. In general, though, exclusiveness gets valued over a filling meal. After all, you come to the Golden Rose to show off and enjoy your status. Food and entertainment are minor concerns when it comes to the game of see and be seen, but naturally this does not stop guests from badmouthing a bad performance or sub-par food - or anything else, really, if it gets perceived as not becoming of a person's status. Bored housewives who don't lift a finger at home and spoiled offspring are more vicious than a pack of hyenas at times.
The exclusive nature of the Rose makes it somewhat difficult for the inn to find customers for its rooms. Therefore, most of the rooms in the upper floors are not bedrooms, but rather private rooms with desks, comforable furniture and a bell to ring, should a servant be required. Often, business meetings or social circles meet at those rooms for the afternoon, or a rich merchant decided to "work" in a more exclusive setting - often a guise for meetings with a mistress, not that people would know. The personnel of the Rose is well-trained and knows how to accomodate for guests wishing for discretion, be it when entering or leaving the establishment (or both).
Since the social elite of the Council is so focused on the Seat, it is rare for the Rose to have guests from outside of the City. A merchant or noble worth their money usually has their own houses and means of accommodation in the city, and so even people of the right standing from elsewhere require a personal introduction, if they want to spend time at the Rose. The Matron of House Laithalin is one of the few who people not residing in the Seat that can demand accommodation at the Rose at anytime, with or without prior notice.
The Rose is a very exclusive venue, and to keep it this way, they actively try to hire reputable city guards to guard their doors. They never hire people that just came into town - their personnels stainless reputation is as important as everyone knowing the important people in town. The guards and servants have adopted this elitism into their working ethos, and if someone fell out of favor with the owners, they take great pleasure in pretending not to know who a person is. Often, this proves an entertaining spectacle for those who are still welcome in the Rose, and even though the servants get treated like dust by the guests, at least they all share the knowledge that they are better than the person who just got rejected. This exclusiveness makes the Rose a safe enough place for rich daughters to socialize freely, without the need for guards.
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