Milana's Plot Notes

[Milana]

Plot related things will go here.

[Milana]

Loras

Description

Loras is a small town located on the road leading toward Kamdin. Because of this, the town acts as a waypoint for travelers on their way toward Grimholdt, and the services of the town are built to accommodate this. There are a number of inns and shops, and the town even has its own small market which is open to everyone to sell their wares. The surrounding farmland consists mostly of agricultural products which the town both live on and sales in equal measure. Given its location, there are a number of traveling merchants who hail from this small town, though because of its dependency on trade the town does not have many crafters of their own. The majority of the tools and building materials come from other towns within the territory.

Because Loras exists along the route to Kamdin it has taken to growing and providing several goods which would be classified as luxuries, and thus impractical for most towns to barter in. Such items include tea and tobacco, precious stones from Kamdin, and even ink and paper. The population of Loras is only 300, but the people of the town are warm and inviting and welcome weary travelers to stop on their way to rest and raise their spirits. Holidays and festivals are a large part of the town's culture, and the people of Loras celebrate with gusto, even for seemingly small events.

The Town Guard

Loras has it's own small guard force, though they only number around 20-30 men in total. They primarily act as lookouts on the walls and provide basic services in the town by settling domestic disputes and handling townsfolk or travelers who take to the wine a bit too heavily. Their armor, while not extravagant, is a mix of chain mail and leathers, and most members of the guard are trained in the basics of hand to hand combat, spearmanship, and crossbows. They are lead by Guard Captain Tyran Malkea, a former knight of the Order of the Brave. He retired from his time in the main city and settled in Loras where his children and grandchildren live.


Locations


Terras Estates

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The Terras Manor sits in the northern portion of the town, partially surrounded by its own walls, though the gate between the manner and the city was removed long ago. When Dalinar and his wife were first given the position and responsibilities of an Alt Finla one of their first acts was to add on the West Wing of the Manner, space which became the town's clinic. The largest space on the 3rd floor was first located to the Alt Finla and his wife, however, after Evona Dalinar moved his belongings into the space over the clinic, giving up the larger space to his eldest son and his family.

Milana's room are located on the ground floor in the East Wing, and her younger brother Kuvar takes up residence directly above her. The two often share the spaces between them, especially considering they share staircases, but despite this, the two of them rarely see one another. From time to time Strass will stay in Kuvar's rooms, allowing him better access to Milana in the event of an emergency. The room is spacious and is separated by a wall into a sitting area closest to the door and Milana's personal sleeping area. Milana often entertains her guests in this sitting room instead of utilizing the large main hall outside. The floor above the Main Hall houses the main guest area, a place that has its own sitting area, comfortable furniture, and even a guest room for those who the Terras Family hosts personally. This space is utilized primarily as a family library and study. Books line the shelves, most of which Kuvar has read several times over.

The Manor is, by design, open to the community of Loras. The clinic is open every day, and can be called on at any time when there is an emergency. The Main Hall is utilized primarily as a meeting place for the children of Loras who take lessons there with teachers and instructors that are local to Loras, and from time to time Milana arranges for a special guest speaker to talk on other topics. During the coldest parts of Winter, the Main hall is left open, and the people of Loras are invited to come and sit by the large hearth and eat, drink and share stories to pass the bitterest code season. Even the 2nd floor is open to the public with an appointment, and towns members can read the books collected there free of charge. Milana has made arrangements with local book merchants to sell used copies of books and scrolls to her so that the inventory of the library can be kept up to date.

Out behind the Manor is a small greenhouse, the glass dome taking up a portion of the open space in the back of the estates. The Greenhouse is of great importance to Kuvar, and to Dalinar as well, so those who wish to visit must request access and be guided through. The greenhouse is filled with a number of potted plants and flowers of differing types. Beautiful flowers that bloom and spread petal wide, thorny vines, medicinal and poisonous plants, and even some odder varieties of tea leaves. Erma, the town apothecary, has arranged unrestricted access to this greenhouse, and so she can often be found here tending the plants with Kuvar.

Servant Quarters

The Servant's Quarters are located off the east side of the manner, built close to the manor itself for easy access to the servant entrances. Though small, space can support up to 6 full-time servants. Most of the Maids and Cook utilize these quarters, as well as Conrad and Strass'. Milana's personal handmaid sleeps in Milana's room, though she is provided space in the servant quarters for those times when Milana wishes not to be disturbed. The butler of the Manor has a small room located off the main hall, which allows him to be readily available to the family whenever they require his assistance.

On the first floor of the Servant Quarters, there is a space that was once used for storage. It has since been repurposed for Milana and Conrad's Artificing Lab. Though the lab is open, Conrad has warned all servant staff to avoid the area for their own safety. Both servants and their families freely come and go from these quarters throughout the day. It is not unusual to see a cooking fire and warm talk and laughter outside these quarters late into the night, though by the instruction of the Butler of the Terras Family all noise is required to be kept at a minimum.

Conrad's room is a mess. Papers and books are strewn across the space, and plates of half-finished food littler the area. For a while, the maids extended their duties to the academics living space, a courtesy for the young lady they served. It quickly became apparent that Conrad gave little or no care to the state of his own personal rooms, and after only a few short weeks the maids finally threw up their hands in frustration and have since refused to go into the old man's space at all.

Strass' room is on the 3rd floor of the Servant's Quarters, a request he made so that he could have access to the tower that could overlook the Terras Estates. He is a man who values his space, and his privacy, and so none of the other servants have seen what is within those four walls. Some whisper he has a stash of weapons, others say they have seen him on the roof of the building, sniping bats from the air as they flew overhead. Whatever the case may be the door or at the top of the stairs is locked with a heavy iron lock, and only the bodyguard has the key.

Center Market

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A large square in the center of Loras, the center market lives up to its name in more ways than one. The square is the liveliest part of the town, often filled with travelers and traders from the early mornings until into the light when the torches are lit. A fountain sits in the middle of the square, around which is arrayed a number of stalls where traveling traders and local merchants hawk their wares. During festivals the Center Market is utilized as the main point for the festivities.

While the stalls are stationed around the fountain, the buildings that make up the square itself are all vendors of various types. General stores, tea shops, local taverns and different restaurants can be found in this area. Many of the local stores and shops stay open after the stalls have opened, though the stalls begin their sales at sunrise while the stores themselves often wait until the sun is fully risen to open their own doors.

The Center Market is a place of heavy foot traffic, people talking, laughing, and eating. It is rare, but it is not unheard of for pickpockets to take advantage of this situation. The local guards do what they can to keep this petty crime down, but during festivals or when large numbers of people are passing through some would be thieves cannot resist the temptation to take advantage of the situation.

Duedrop Inn

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The Duedrop Inn was once owned and operated by the Milana's father's family, but is currently operated by Evona Terras' younger sister and her husband and children. It is three stories with a basement, located off the Center Market at the crossroads connecting the two gates to the town. The first floor is primarily open sitting area, tables and chairs fill the space and a small bar along the back wall acts as both a place for ordering drinks as well as checking out a room. A door beyond the bar leads to kitchen and storage area, as well as a pantry leading down into the cellar basement where more storage can be found. The top 2 floors are dedicated to rooms of different sizes, from one person rooms with just a bed and desk to a full family suit that can sleep up to 4 comfortably.

The Inn offers room and breakfast service as a part of the overall price, and additional meals can be purchased at lunch and dinner. The inn is most famous for its baked goods, and it is a well known fact that the owners of the inn used to run a bakery before taking over the inn from the Terras kinship. Drinks are served in the evening after sundown, though their selection is limited to ales and wines from local vendors and nearby towns.

Erma's Herbal Remedies

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Erma has lived in Loras all of her life. Her mother, her mother's mother, and her mother's mother's mother were all herbalists and medicine women for the town, and Midwives when the occasion called for it. Erma herself is an accomplished Alchemist who studied for a time in the Academy of Atinaw, but she eventually returned to Loras after marrying her now deceased husband. Her shop is located in northern Loras, near the wall leading to the Terras Estates and in a corner that makes it almost unnoticeable were it not for the large number of potted plants around its exterior. Vines crawl up the walls, blooms sprout from windows, and the sine of the shop is almost completely overgrown with vegetation. Despite this everyone in Loras knows just where to go when they are in need of an expert in concoctions.

The store itself is little more than a one room box of a building. The is no counter, no back room. The windows are large to allow light to flow into the building as much as possible, and as for Erma herself she is often found sitting on a small stool near the middle of the mini jungle working with a cauldron of bubbling liquid or meticulously pealing and crushing bark or grinding petals with a mortar and pestle. There is a staircase in the back corner of the shop which leads to the second floor which serves as Erma's Alchemy lab, as well as her living quarters.

Around Loras Erma is well known for her use of herbs to cure just about anything. Aches and pains, stomach problems, colds and other illnesses, Erma has a concoction for everything. What she is most famous for though is her use of medicinal teas which she grows in the Terras Family Greenhouse. Because of this she often comes and goes from the Estates on a near daily basis.

As for Erma, she is an older woman now. Her husband has passed, and her children now have children of their own. She works the shop both as a way to help the community, but also to care for the plants she has always loved. She is a small, stooped woman who has been bent, but not broken by age. Deep wrinkles cover her features, but when she smiles one can almost image what a beauty she must have been all those years ago.

Skills
NPC Type: Town NPC

Alchemy: 85
Herbalism: 100
Gardening 75
Medicine: 70
Potion Making: 80

Fishook Tavern

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The Fishook Tavern is located off the road leading to the south gate. The building itself is hard to miss, as on the top of the one story structure sits a large sine in the shape of a fish on a hook. The proprietor of this fine establishment is known simply as Old Man. He is a crotchety old man, skin hardened to leather from a life in the sun, who tends to glare at everyone who crosses his threshold. Despite appearances though he is known in Loras as one of the best hosts in all of Atinaw. He personally serves as many customers as he can, and often takes the time to regale his customers with stories of his time as a Vikinger.

The Tavern is run by Old Man and his three daughters. The family does everything from cooking, to cleaning and serving. The youngest daughter also entertains with song and music, and from time to time other locals will get on stage and offer a merry tune to add to the festive atmosphere. What makes the Fishook Tavern even more famous is the exceptionally low number of drunken brawls that happen within the walls of the tavern. Whenever a drunkard is starting up trouble the Old Man personally takes care of the problem, kicking the would be fighter out on his rear with a flurry of curses. It is rumored that the Old Man once threw a Knight bodily through his own window, and the next day the knight even came to apologize and paid for the damage. No one can confirm or deny this rumor, and some suspect it is just another tall tale from the old sailor.

The Tavern opens just before sundown every evening. It servers food and drink from all across Atinaw, though it specializes in strong rums and whiskeys brewed locally in Grimholdt lands. As one passing bard once said, 'The food good, but the drinks are what keep you coming back.'

[Milana]

Citizens of Loras

Beken and Lorane - Beken is a labor hand in Loras, while his wife is a scribe. Milana has asked Lorane to come and scribe for her several times, but Lorane feels her duty for now is to her son and family. Thread: viewtopic.php?f=45&t=711&p=2954#p2954

Martin - Blacksmith of Loras. To be fleshed out later.

Aaron Miles - Once boyfriend of Telion Maze. Comes from a line of farmers that have lived in Loras for generations. Currently works as a Carpenter under Thomas Calloway

Thomas Calloway - Loras' master carpenter. Of Journeyman-expert skill, but still the closest the town has to a true master of woodwork.

Ramond Fairwether - Old Hunter/Ranger who lives in Loras. Once was a fairly famous name in Grimhold before an old injury kept him out off the trails. He now trains the hunters of Loras.