Carefully hidden behind the counter of an antique shop on the edge of the New Orleans shopping district there is a narrow hall that leads to an equally narrow stairwell, dim lights mounted into the ceiling overhead to illuminate the way. The first set of stairs comes to a stop at a small landing before continuing to the right. Rounding the corner one would be greeted by the sight of a space very different from the cramped store above.
Small speakers mounted strategically around the large room carry on playing the same music that can be normally heard filling the air in the antique shop above but that at first glance appears to be one of the few similarities between the two spaces. First off the basement seems larger than the main floor with plenty of open space between aisles and shelves that are nowhere near as jammed full as the displays are above. That being said, there is still quite an abundance of merchandise on display for a wide assortment of uses.
One whole wall is covered in bookshelves, though only a small portion of them seem open for general perusal. Most of the bookshelves have metal barred doors mounted in front of them, reinforced glass set between the bars to allow people to still see what is there while not allowing anyone to touch them. One down on the far end though has no way of seeing what is inside, heavy metal doors locked shut at all times unless Raynard is there to open it.
This does appear to be a recurring theme around this hidden shop. While there are some open shelves containing what a practitioner would recognize to be common or hard-to-find ingredients for different types of spell crafting there are sections set behind lock and key that mostly contain rare or dangerous materials. There is quite an abundance of charms and special trinkets meant to ward off evil spirits or ill omens, though judging off the fact they are found here their authenticity is likely a bit more real than those found in hobby shops.
Against one wall is a counter space and set on top of it is a large display case (also locked tight) with dozens of bottle in a veritable rainbow of colors, some dark and murky, others bright and almost florescent. Right next to this is a good-sized jewelry case, much like the one upstairs, all with little plaques next to them displaying what exactly they are, what they are used for, and (most importantly) how much they cost. There is also a pair of large gun safes made of thick iron, though from the rest of the shop, it is safe to assume that there are no guns kept inside. Againt the far wall there's a pair of bulky industrial refrigerators though from the outside there is no clear indication of what is stored inside.
On the wall with the bookshelves, there is a single heavy wooden door that is almost always locked tight. On the rare occasion anyone sees what is behind that door they would find Raynard's lab where he practices his alchemy, looking like a small forest of glass vials, metal stands, and bubbling liquids. From here in the lab there are two other exits. One has a simple sign on it that reads 'CLEAN ROOM. STAY OUT' while the other opens to a spiral staircase that climbs upwards to Raynard's apartment on the top floor.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:22, Sun 03 Dec 2023.
