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HOUSE OF DÍS ( PLAYER BUSINESS ).
— WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF DÍS —
— A SALON & GAMBLING HALL FOR SALTBURNT'S MALIZIA —
BEYOND dark, creaking doors, the House of Dís unfolds in a deliberate division between spectacle and indulgence. The gambling hall stretches beneath velvet walls and descending chandeliers, polished floors echoing dice and snapping cards. Here, games of chance, deceit, and skill dominate, each table a stage for subtle manipulation and daring risk. At the far end, a curtained stage rises in gilt and shadow, hosting operatic spectacles performed by the House’s resident entertainers: those who hold limited events of their own — soirées designed to tempt, provoke, and reward the bold. Occult sigils etched into glass and wood inspire impulse and indulgence trace arches and railings, subtly loosening restraint and coaxing risk, vanity, and daring from every patron.
Opposite, the open-air salon and private booths lie beneath a conservatory ceiling of iron and clouded green glass. Poisonous plants press close to the panes as stewards circulate with absinthe-laced cocktails and restorative tonics. More symbols etched beneath the floor and along the bar quietly encourage boldness and risk-taking. Patrons are invited to linger here during periodic theme nights: masquerades, cabarets, or ritualized events where the usual rules bend and the House’s influence grows more intoxicating, fostering secrets and wagers that extend far beyond the table.
Every corner of the House bears marks of observation and influence. Coin holds no value; entry and wagers are paid in secrets, favors, memories, flesh, or binding promises. The House does not rush: it waits, patient, nudging hedonism and daring, guiding choices, and shaping outcomes before the final tally is called.
Tucked behind a velvet curtain, Mithra Antonescu’s private office oversees it all. Here she reviews ledgers, receives petitions, holds private audiences and ensures nothing of consequence escapes notice. Few glimpse her inner sanctum and fewer leave unchanged. To venture deeper still, means acquiring a copy of Dante's Inferno with a weekly watchword, to gain access to the unhallowed hall of DI INFERI.
Opposite, the open-air salon and private booths lie beneath a conservatory ceiling of iron and clouded green glass. Poisonous plants press close to the panes as stewards circulate with absinthe-laced cocktails and restorative tonics. More symbols etched beneath the floor and along the bar quietly encourage boldness and risk-taking. Patrons are invited to linger here during periodic theme nights: masquerades, cabarets, or ritualized events where the usual rules bend and the House’s influence grows more intoxicating, fostering secrets and wagers that extend far beyond the table.
Every corner of the House bears marks of observation and influence. Coin holds no value; entry and wagers are paid in secrets, favors, memories, flesh, or binding promises. The House does not rush: it waits, patient, nudging hedonism and daring, guiding choices, and shaping outcomes before the final tally is called.
Tucked behind a velvet curtain, Mithra Antonescu’s private office oversees it all. Here she reviews ledgers, receives petitions, holds private audiences and ensures nothing of consequence escapes notice. Few glimpse her inner sanctum and fewer leave unchanged. To venture deeper still, means acquiring a copy of Dante's Inferno with a weekly watchword, to gain access to the unhallowed hall of DI INFERI.
VENUE AREAS
STAFF ROSTER
( staff chat )
— COLOR PALETTE —
#1b7067
#0c3530
#061800
#005c23
#08af2d
LOGISTICS
( i. ) — THE STATUS of EMPLOYEE and PATRON are mutually exclusive. This is due to the delicate process of balancing the House's ledger.
( ii. ) — EVERY MONTH the House's theme changes; the theme is dependent upon the ENTERTAINERS, who are expected to live in residence at the House for the duration of their tenure. Housing and fare are covered by the House.
( iii. ) — Any attempt to INTERFERE with the integrity of the venue or DEFAULT ON DUES will result in harsh punishment.
( iv. ) — Duels/combat are not permitted within the House; parties interested in settling debts via combat will be provided access to Inferi.
( v. ) — Owned by MITHRA ANTONESCU, in partnership with SOFIA GIGANTE and Inferi.
( vi. ) — THE HOUSE always wins.
AESTHETICS ( COSMOS )
— VENUE LISTING —
(frozen comment) SEEKING —
ATTENDANTS They do not place bets. They simply make certain you wish you had.
The polished, impervious hosts stationed at tables and embedded within the lounges; tasked with observing patrons as closely as the games themselves.Attendants are the House’s most visible diplomats, stationed wherever wagers are proposed and curiosity lingers. Their role is not merely to explain rules, but to translate weakness into acceptable terms of exchange; they identify desperation, vanity, ambition, and boredom — and gently steer the experience toward a wager that benefits the House.
Attendants are bound by strict prohibitions: all contracts, all debts, and all rewards belong exclusively to the House of Dis. Any Attendant discovered to have negotiated personal arrangements is reprimanded at the discretion of the proprietress. ( OOC: This will never ACTUALLY be enforced unless requested, make deals to your heart's content! )
You might make a good Attendant if: you are articulate, observant, and capable of sustained politeness under scrutiny. You understand that suggestion is a craft, and that the most binding agreements are those a patron believes they arrived at alone. Influence works best when it feels consensual, inevitable, and slightly indulgent.
Inspiration: Game table croupiers, belles of the ball, and mythic psychopomps: figures who guide souls across thresholds without ever crossing them themselves.
“Never let them see you count. They assume you already have.”
— Margin note: If a patron smiles too early, delay the offer.
WARDENS The House prefers compliance. Wardens exist for the alternative.
Serving as the visible hand ( and sometimes, the fist ) of the House’s authority and will.Wardens intervene when etiquette collapses, reputations are threatened, or debts become contentious. Their authority is immediate and absolute, requiring neither explanation nor escalation. A glance, a step forward, a hand placed lightly on a shoulder — these gestures are usually sufficient. Rumor suggests Wardens carry standing permission to collect overdue obligations directly, though the nature and limits of that permission remain deliberately undefined. Few patrons test those limits twice.
You might make a good Warden if: your presence alone alters behavior. You are comfortable with restraint, escalation, and finality, and are untroubled by enforcing consequences you did not design.
Inspiration: Victorian private security, debt collectors, and infernal sentinels: think Cerberus, rendered in tailored black wool.
“Do not argue. Do not explain. The House has already decided.”
— Someone added later: Silence is faster.
STEWARDS Every drink is a kindness. Some are preventative.
An umbrella role encompassing bartenders and service staff responsible for cultivating appetites in all forms.Stewards oversee the House’s most dangerous thresholds: the bar, and the lounge. They prepare absinthe-clouded cocktails, restorative tonics, and carefully dosed comforts meant to encourage honesty, bravado, or surrender. As skilled listeners with precise memories, they know when to refill a glass and when to deny one in favor of more.
Many debts originate here, long before a patron approaches the tables. A Steward’s role is to ensure that by the time a wager is proposed, the patron is already halfway convinced.
You might make a good Steward if: you possess patience, charm, and an instinct for timing. You are comfortable managing thresholds and understand that denial can be as intimate as indulgence.
Inspiration: Absinthe gatherings, apothecaries, and confessional space where chemistry, hospitality, and controlled vulnerability meet.
“Watch the glass, not the mouth. Truth rises before the words.”
— Addendum: Refusal is also a service.
MANAGERS They never ask what must be done, only whether it can be made discreet.
Answering directly to the proprietress, Managers serve as heads of each division.A limited, but important role. Managers are solitary figures who oversee each of the House's divisions: games, floor, lounge, stage and the Wardens. As head of the division, their mandate is spoken in the voice of the proprietress, as they are expected to have a good handle on her intent without requiring direct instruction, and to act in alignment with the House's long-term goals and equilibrium. A competent Manager ensures profitability without scandal, discretion without stagnation, and excitement without catastrophe.
The House requests that Managers hold no more than this role, as it is an exacting and demanding position.
You might make a good Manager if: you anticipate problems before they surface and understand that loyalty is demonstrated through judgment, not obedience.
Inspiration: Estate stewards, theater impresarios, and cult lieutenants: the unseen hands behind lasting institutions.
“Authority is not given. It is assumed until corrected.”
— Crossed out beneath: Correction is rarely verbal.
ADVOCATES Nothing is priceless. Everything is recorded.
The secretaries, clerks, and negotiators who maintain the House’s true economy.Advocates record secrets, assess their weight, and balance favors against futures. They draft contracts with surgical precision and occasionally intervene to prevent deals that would destabilize the House itself. Their neutrality is absolute, and personal sentiment is considered a liability. As with Attendants, Advocates are strictly forbidden from contracting privately. The ledger belongs to the House alone. ( OOC: This will never ACTUALLY be enforced unless requested, make deals to your heart's content! )
You might make a good Advocate if: you are meticulous, emotionally restrained, and capable of assigning value to intangibles without hesitation.
Inspiration: Clerks, notaries, and infernal scribes — those who keep ledgers for empires and hells alike.
“Never ask why a secret is offered. Only whether it is sufficient.”
— Footnote in another hand: Insufficient secrets linger.
ENTERTAINERS Applause is permitted. Attachment is not.
While in residence, these performers own the stage and its trappings.Entertainers shape the mood of the House without binding themselves to its bargains. Their role is spectacle, not negotiation. Of all positions, theirs is considered the safest — provided they never linger after a performance, never accept wagers, and never ask what the audience has already paid to be present. Entertainers are provided room and board at the House while in residence, as they are expected to perform nightly after signing their own contract. Present the Proprietress with themes and ideas, and she will provide your stipend and supplies to transform the stage into your personal spectacle.
Those who do not wish to serve the House for the tenure of employment may agree to temporary contract as an Entertainer.
You might make a good Entertainer if: you can command attention without inviting obligation, and know precisely when to leave. You’re creative and ambitious, but don't want to fall prey to the House's rank-and-file.
Inspiration: Opera divas and itinerant performers — like Orpheus, so long as he never looks back.
“Leave before the audience remembers your name.”
— Later addition: Or before the House does.
PROXIES When your loss would be inconvenient, they lose instead.
A unique role intended to absorb ruin on behalf of others.Proxies serve as sin-eaters and whipping-persons, voluntarily assuming the burdens of poorly placed wagers. When a patron’s debt would prove inconvenient or destabilizing to collect directly, a Proxy may absorb the consequence instead. Compensation is generous but abstract: time, protection, or eventual release.
You might make a good Proxy if: you possess uncommon resilience and a flexible relationship with consequence. You're a bottom or masochist.
Inspiration: Scapegoat rites, sin-eaters, and penal substitutes: the pressure valves of harsh systems.
“Pain travels more easily when it is expected.”
— Someone has underlined: Expected by whom?
PERSONAL ASSISTANT If Mithra is surprised, someone else has already failed.
A singular role in direct service to the proprietress.The Personal Assistant manages correspondence, schedules audiences, filters petitions, and ensures that Mithra Antonescu is never surprised. This position offers unparalleled proximity to the House’s true purpose, and no margin for error.
( THIS ROLE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED, TO BE SELECTED FROM AMONG STAFF. )
You might make a good Personal Assistant if: you anticipate needs instinctively, thrive under pressure, and understand that discretion is survival.
Inspiration: Private secretaries, cult adjutants, and mythic familiars: where administration meets devotion.
“Nothing reaches her by accident.”
— No additions. No corrections.
JOIN ( STAFF ) —
The House requires your full allegiance. Once accepted into service, you may no longer participate as a patron; any attempt to hold both positions simultaneously is strictly prohibited and considered a breach of contract.
( Joining gives you access to the STAFF CHAT. )
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Attendant, but if an Attendant/Warden combination is possible I can do both.
PERSONA:I'm an experienced witch and conjurer, and specialize in demonic magic. I want you to know that isn't something I openly advertise, but it became public during our time at the commune, so if you could keep this under wraps, I'd appreciate it. Besides, the business seems interesting, let someone who knows what they're doing lend a hand.
SKILLS: Perfect recall, spellcraft, reading and predicting behaviors. I don't think the extent of my abilities has been realized by everyone, which is good. More mystery for me and for you.
LIMITATIONS: If you want me to harm someone, such as a hex, I need justification.
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: warden and also attendant maybe. or steward. or all of the things i want to do. entertainer but only when i want to. i will kill people who bother you. i want to watch you get ready and put pearls and perfume in your hair. please. :)
PERSONA: i am alia :) you know me, i will be good at this and i will help you and you will praise me unendingly.
SKILLS: i can win every fight, i use the weirding way and the compulsion of my Voice and i never never never never give up. also i am very beautiful!!!
LIMITATIONS: be nice to people who are being stupid and causing problems.
ANYTHING ELSE?: clever clever mithra, i am proud of what you have built. if any threaten it i will kill them and hide their stone so they are crawling creatures under your heel. i will also match my dress to yours so we shall be very beautiful together. :)
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Attendant
PERSONA: I remained nondescript and underestimated while building a smuggling network which crossed the borders of multiple countries of my home world. I know the value of secrets and favours more than many in this house.
SKILLS: I can be whoever is needed at any time. Charm, deception, an eye for the interesting and an ability to adapt in the moment. My memory is excellent, and my skills of perception are sharp as a blade.
LIMITATIONS: I generally prefer only to hurt those who truly deserve it. Unless they've otherwise asked for it, of course.
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Warden(?)
PERSONA: I'm a doctor. I can help fix up the Proxies and make sure they live to be freaky masochists for another day.
SKILLS: Board certified diagnostician with a double speciality in Infectious Disease and Nephrology, aka I'm a doctor.
LIMITATIONS: No magic. If you want someone to pull a rabbit out of an orifice, go ask someone else.
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Advocate
PERSONA: I am perhaps the cleverest, if not the greatest, wizard of my generation, a former Chosen of the Goddess of Magic and Archmage of Faerûn’s finest city, Waterdeep. For a year, I was a shopkeep at Sol & Scroll, selling magical wares, hedge spellwork, and books.
I anticipate this to be quite exacting and fascinating work. It is my sincere hope this will provide an intellectually stimulating pursuit in a house that otherwise favours the laconic and vapid. I’m no sybarite, so you needn’t worry about my partaking in the club’s indulgences, though I do like a glass of wine, particularly when untangling thornier ethical quandaries.
SKILLS: Magic of every school, philosophy of mine own world and the disparate continents of this one. My specialisms include illusion and charm work, so I expect I’ll be of use in maintaining the runic work upstairs and down. As a former academic, my handwriting is highly legible and my note-taking skills unmatched (except, perhaps, by the great Caroline Forbes).
LIMITATIONS: Fairness is of the utmost importance to me, and I’ll not allocate a payment that is harsher than required based on a patron’s personality, no matter how indecorous. Furthermore, I’ve no interest in swinging the sword myself, in the matter of administering rewards or punishment, so to speak.
ANYTHING ELSE? Congratulations, Lady Mithra. I look forward to seeing all you will achieve.
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Proxy, Steward
PERSONA: I led a theatre company as artistic director for two hundred years. I've been in this house long enough to become familiar with many of its residents — their weaknesses, their desires. I can guide them to your tables.
SKILLS: I can heal far more quickly than any human, and can withstand far more pain without flinching. I've been subject to many different kinds of torture, most at my own request. I enjoy sacrifice. I also attended a 4 week bartending & mixology course and passed to an exemplary standard.
LIMITATIONS: No penetrative sex, no blasphemous language, no drinking my blood. I can work during daylight hours if needed.
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Warden
PERSONA: I am Godric. An old vampire by the standards of most worlds. I am told happiness might be found in the walls of this house, and the requirements of this job are familiar. I will keep your peace, even if you would not choose this name for what you would do.
SKILLS: I studied the shape of war for centuries. I am strong, durable, and quick. I have an ability like hypnosis, effective upon humans, and can command them to stand down. Early de-escalation is best.
LIMITATIONS: Don't misunderstand. I have lived in covenants with others and honor agreements freely entered. I believe people learn through consequences and rarely through any other means. I believe we often struggle with demons of our own summoning. But if the terms are coercive or the bettor far outside their right mind when the deal is struck, the fee can only be so steep. I will not enforce harsh terms upon a dupe. Fools are a different question.
The world is violent and peace may be kept by a firm hand.
Apart from that, I kill rapists. If they come back, by resurrection or for patronage, I may kill them again. You may assign me to a different shift if you would like to entertain numerous rapists.
ANYTHING ELSE? None may have my blood. I don't foresee many other problems. Your establishment is beautiful.
no subject
M. N. Antonescu
Proprietress, The House of Dís
no subject
POSITION SOUGHT: Entertainer
PERSONA: My name is Skye. I’m pretty new here, but I’m interested in performing and heard you might have use for my talents.
SKILLS: I specialize in playing the violin, but I can play piano, too. I’ve dabbled in other instruments but those are the two I’m most comfortable with. I’ve also had some vocal training, so I can also sing if you need me to. I've been studying music since I was a kid, I have perfect pitch and can learn new arrangements pretty quickly, if necessary.
LIMITATIONS: My voice is best suited to popular music and Broadway style performance. I've studied opera academically, but don’t have proper operatic vocal training. And I would only be here for music and to help you set the mood. I’m not interested in performing sexual favors or anything like that.
LOG LINE: I’m a versatile musician who enjoys challenging myself. I’m happy to collaborate with other artists to create the appropriate mood and atmosphere.
THEME(S) & STYLE: I'm classically trained and enjoy drawing inspiration from literature and folklore, as well as modern popular culture. I can work with the House's own themes to start. I know a few pieces inspired by Dante and the underworld in general. If you like what I have to offer I can come back in the future with some new ideas for you.
WAGERS ( PATRONS ) —
As a patron, your only obligation is to enjoy your time. If your character attends or participates in the club regularly, please create a header with your character name below and keep track of any wagers/bets made.
This is intended to facilitate CR and prepare for ~future player plot~.
HOUSE (DOCTOR)