The Boyzinna Fellowship Hall
is located in Ximax, the capital City of Xaramon
Province in the United Kingdom of Santharia in
Southern Sarvonia. A two storey, rundown dilapidated
building; it houses the orphaned, abandoned or otherwise forgotten boys of the
magic city. Initially built and run by the
White Nehtorians (Dalorins) in the
aftermath of the infamous explosion of 1480 a.S., since 1550 a.S. the Boyzinna
Fellowship Hall has been run by the Tanners’ Guild of Ximax City, headquartered
in a bend in the nearby Wavewand River.
Function.
Boyzinna Fellowship Hall is used to house, educate, feed and care for the boys
of Ximax and the surrounding regions that are orphaned,
abandoned or otherwise forgotten and unwanted. Without this building, these
boys would undoubtedly add to the dangers of Underside, or fall victim to one
of the gangs that reportedly roam those streets. Although the building is open
to all boys who are alone for whatever reason, some of the boys who could stay
at the Boyzinna Fellowship Hall choose instead to go for a life on the streets
of Underside. Those boys who do reside here work for the Tanners’ Guild of
Ximax, collecting the waste products of the citizens of
the magic city and delivering them to storage areas between the hall and
Tanners’ Bend. The waste products are divided into solids and liquids and are
used at different points in the tanning process by the Tanners’ Guild.
Initially, the building was built by the
Dalorins in the aftermath of the
Magical Academy explosion of 1480 a.S. In time, the
White Nehtorians desired to move
on, and the newly established Tanners’ Guild in nearby Tanner’s Bend of the
Wavewand River took over the running of the building and care for the boys as
of 1550 a.S. The Master Tanners hire a chef to cook food for the residents of
the hall, both the members of the Boyzinna Fellowship and the Master Tanners
who manage the place and ensure that the boys are cared for and well fed.
Should the boys collapse on the job and fall face first into the waste buckets
that they carry, coating themselves in the materials they are carrying, they
would not be any use to the Master Tanners, and could indeed become sick. As a
result of the glorious food that is served up to the boys and other residents
of the hall, it is very unlikely that any of the boys will ever state that they
want some more. "How could we want for more," asked Jaelik Tolian, a half
Helcrani/half
Centoraurian adolescent who
has spent almost all of his 15 years as a member of the Boyzinna Fellowship and
resident of the hall, "every day they change our bill of fare, we couldn't even
imagine better food than that which is served up to us... roast
taenish, all year pie, soups, stews,
broths and so on: no sign of gruel here."
The Master Tanners who manage the hall are responsible for the education of the
boys, teaching them to speak with a civil tongue, be able to identify common
signs of Ximax, how to read and write, undertake parts
of the tanning process, perform basic mathematical equations, develop a head
for business, and perform other elementary tasks. This is in the hope that the
boys will grow up and choose to become Master Tanners themselves in their adult
lives, and give back to the Boyzinna Fellowship and wider
Ximax community once adults. The boys are under no compulsion to become
Master Tanners, however, and some may choose to join other guilds or become
merchants or enter into politics. "Provided the boys are productive and happy
in their adult lives, we're happy," stated Reosisan, a
Kyranian Master Tanner, who lived
in the hall throughout his boyhood and adolescence. Reosisan never knew who his
father was, and so decided not to take on a surname as is customary amongst
those of Kyranian descent.
Boys who become sick or injured are taken to the infirmary in the nearby
Homestead borough to be cared for by one of the healers in attendance there.
The boys work and study hard, working and studying from
Firstflame to
Lastflame most days, with a
half day off on Restdays and on
important festival days for Ximax City, the province of
Xaramon and the Kingdom of Santharia. The boys have
even taken to playing some of the sports and games against teams from other
guilds in Ximax. This is a highlight of the week for
many of the boys, not least because it means they can take a dip in the nearby
Wandwave River to wash off the grime and some of the stench of their place of
residence and their duties.
Like the Dames of Goutonch School for Ladies,
the Master Tanners of Boyzinna Fellowship Hall takes the education of their
residents very seriously. Unlike that institution, which is designed to develop
young ladies of class and distinction, Boyzinna Fellowship Hall is designed to
give the boys and adolescents who are in residence there enough skills to
survive into adulthood and work at a trade, either tanning or otherwise. In
this way, the boys who spent their formative years at the Boyzinna Fellowship
Hall are giving back to the community which has supported them.
Description. Even
before one sees the hall; one can smell the building due to the storage of
sewerage on the lands of the building and the nearby Tanners’ Bend. As the
waste products are used through the tanning process, the odours can be, and are
often, quite overpowering. If Grothar
blows the wind in the right direction, citizens all over the city of
Ximax and even the magi of the
Magical Academy can get a good whiff of the raw sewerage. "The smell is
quite dreadful, rather atrocious," said a middle-aged
Erpheronian woman from her
house in nearby Middleton Burough, "you'd think that they would do something
about the smell... or at the very least move the building and its residents
away from the city." When the building comes into view for the first time, one
is probably most taken in by the rundown and dilapidated state of the three
storey building, which sits close to
Dalorin Road. Built in the
Erpheronian style, the building
is still sound despite its run down state and inside the building is everything
needed for the boys and master tanners who are residents. "That building is an
eyesore on the city of Ximax," stated the
dwarven architect, Khromgolin, "It could
definitely do with an upgrade... make sure you pass on my name to the Master
Tanners and tell them of my willingness to perform architectual and building
services for them."
External stairs can take one up to the top two stories of the building, and as
is the case with Erpheronian
buildings elsewhere, the windows are little more than slits in the walls, that
can be covered by shutters at night or during the colder months. The middle and
top floors have balconies, allowing all to enjoy the
sun when time permits. The building is seven
peds wide by twelve peds long by eight
peds tall and has a flat
roof. The building is made of bricks and in the front of the building, closest
to the road, there is a chimney sticking out of the roof, providing for cooking
and heating facilities for all the hall residents.
The ground floor contains the kitchen and dining room for the Boyzinna
Fellowship Hall as well as sleeping quarters for the chef, in a far corner of
the kitchen area. The noted halfling chef Jaemeyo Livyre is the current chef
for the hall, and he makes sure all the boys have hearty meals. "They are all
growing boys," Jaemeyo stated while adding the finishing touches to a taenish
pie he was making for dinner one night, "they deserve good quality food, and as
a chef, it is my honour to provide it to them. I will not have the boys of the
hall go to bed hungry. To do so would be an insult to my calling and profession
of Chef." There is also a small tanning workshop at the far end of this floor
to the kitchen area so that demonstrations of parts of the tanning process can
be made to the boys. "Tanning is a long and smelly process," said Aeric, a
grinning, short, freckle faced
Erpheronian youth, "but it is good to get my hands dirty and it is fun.
Smelly and dirty is fun."
The middle floor houses the teaching rooms for the boys, four rooms in all, as
well as sleeping areas for the younger boys. The sleeping materials provided
consists of mattresses set up in bunks of three around the sleeping areas. "The
mattresses are nice and comfortable," Aeric said of the sleeping arranagements
that all the boys had, "much better than having to sleep out under the stars,
and it is even better, because I'm on the top bunk! We can draw the shutters on
the windows and try to keep the cold out during the winter months. And the
fireplace warms up Boyzinna Fellowship Hall nicely. During summer though, we
can keep the shutters open and watch the stars... I wish I could work out the
Dancer constellation, but I'm too young to know that sort of thing yet." Two
rooms in the corners of the children’s sleeping area are for four of the Master
Tanners. "We sleep there to make sure the boys actually get to sleep. We are
concerned that they are being looked after properly, which is why we have a
chef, and are teaching the boys a trade. Even if they choose to go in a
different way, they will at least be able to do something to help out
Ximax. It also teaches them responsibility. I grew up
in Boyzinna Fellowship Hall, and I became a Master tanner... I turned out all
right," said the previously quoted
Kyranian Master Tanner, Reosisian.
The top floor is given over to a recreational area for the boys as well as a
sleeping area and sleeping materials for the older boys. As with the boys on
the floor below, the sleeping materials used are once again mattresses set up
on triple decked bunks. The recreational area provides places and opportunities
for the boys to play various games... ones that they mostly made up, or to talk
or to test each other out in various contests of strength or agility. "The
older boys don't always like us to come up to the rec. room and play," lamented
Aeric, a frown touching his features, "and then other times they let us, and
then there are times when we have a play fight... all of us against all of
them. That's fun... it sometimes hurts, but its fun." Up on the top floor are
another three separated sleeping rooms; as with the lower floor, these house
two Master Tanners each.
Location. The building
known as the Boyzinna Fellowship Hall is in the outskirts of the
Ximaxian borough of Homestead, quite close to where
this borough runs into the rundown and dangerous neighbouring borough of
Underside. Ximax, the magic city, is famous for being
the Capital of Xaramon Province of the United Kingdom
of Santharia in South Sarvonia. The city is
famed for its Magical Academy and for the caverns
beneath its streets which are home to the
Volkek Oshra tribe of
orcs. Ximax City is
located on the Ximaxian Plateau, a wide stretch of flat
land between the Zirkumire and Magic
Sickle mountain ranges.
