Name: Qahwa Bitum.
Location: The Crescent, in Thornmouth.
Type: Coffee house (also supplies tea); social gathering point.
Hours: Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Whenever the teal lantern outside the shop is lit, the House is open.
Also open at night, the latter more so when Hazesh is on duty, for nocturnal citizens.
Employees: Hazesh (owner)
NPC - Edvard, human male, mid-30s.
NPC - Luvale, half-tiefling, early 50s.
The front of the shop is made of plain pale wood to resemble sandstone, inset with an array of colourful tiles. To the sharp of eye, a basilisk is visible within the stone, and along the archway framing the shop's entrance, waves have been faithfully depicted.
Fragranced with incense burning within decorative holders, the frankincense and myrrh is as suggestive of opulence as the booths made comfortable by cushions and partial wooden lattice privacy screens with a black opaque backing, affording those within a sense of security as much as cultivating an atmosphere of subdued quality and luxury. Shisha and handmade cigarettes can be made available. The interior is lit with strings of hanging lights and candles. Additional lighting can be requested if there is a desire to work.
Past the L-shaped counter and the nook behind from where the coffee is served, decorated with intricate mosaics and paintings, a doorway made from a hanging tapestry depicting a dragon in flight can be parted. The courtyard is contained, surrounded by high walls, with trees providing shade. In the middle, a fountain provides a cool quality to the air. Seating is provided in the form of benches, with a few outdoor booths offering further privacy.
In addition to coffee and tea prepared in the Sargon style, a range of small treats are also available including baklava, dates, a range of cookies filled with a flavoured paste, candied fruit, and dried fruits and nuts. Cool water is also available on request.
The cost of a cup of coffee is a single gold shard or a single royal/banded pebble, which is inclusive of two refills, and a small plate of a snack of choice. Those along who come in to drink will not find themselves hurried along, and will find a qahwa house that can be warm and inviting for meetings between dates and those courting, sensual and private for those seeking entanglement, and formal and well-maintained for meetings of business. A place in which to foster intellectual discussion, comradeship, and fancies of the heart and body.
