Origins: The Ouroboros speakeasy was an idea by Sinister Serpent member Butler. Apep and the other serpents warmed to the prospect, and all agreed that they needed a headquarters and money laundering front inside city limits. Apep’s initial success with Venom and souls allowed him to save up for a down payment on the building, with Butler providing the rest of the cash through mysterious and unknown means. With a bank loan earned by Apep’s various skills, the serpents have transformed a rundown two story building into a home and place of business. The serpents are all part owners, and each keep a private flat on the second floor.
Interior: Apep runs a pawn shop on the first floor, while the Speakeasy lies in the basement. The bar is managed by Butler, who has a high standard for quality. Zeus has been extended a permanent VIP status, as well as other demons who work for the west. The serpents hope to use this establishment as a front for their various criminal activities, including selling Venom.
Exterior: The building is a perfect rectangle, with a flat roof. Exposed brick, graffiti dotting the walls, concert posters from five years ago stay glued to the side of the building. In the otherwise beautiful and historic West district, this building looks fairly rundown.
Exotic Imports and Everyday Treasures (Apep’s Shop): An old, beat-up glass door, filled with stickers of various promotions and warnings cover it, making it feel like an old fashioned pawn shop. A large, dirty window displays a modicum of cheap-looking items and is so covered in filth so that it is hard to see into the shop from the outside.
A bell announces new customers. The floor is black and white linoleum squares, recently restored, waxed and polished. Apep can normally be found sitting behind a glass counter. An old fashioned cash register is used to ring up customers. Within the glass case is a slew of items: jewellery of silver and gold, watches, old video game systems. DVD’s and tons of other junk. Many full plastic shelves house all sorts of oddities, including everything from baseball gloves, typewriters, bladed weapons, clothes, books, nicknacks, dry food, and pet supplies. Cheap fluorescent bulbs light the place, sort of, and Apep’s boombox normally plays Arabic Maqam music.
For Venom, you must go downstairs, and if Apep himself is doing the biting then the pawnshop entrance is closed. For Apep’s black market items, one must speak to Apep directly. Only he can bring out the private stock.
There is a door in the back, made of metal, with a cheap, broken looking handle that reads, BOILER ROOM. However, this door actually leads down into the speakeasy. Apep will grant access to those in the know, or those who know the password. The password changes but is currently
I was wondering if you had a watch. Apep answers,
Of course. Downstairs. There is a button underneath the surface of the glass counter that unlocks the door into the bar, a loud bang signaling that it is now open. From there, customers descend a series of wooden steps through a narrow hallway, ending up in the speakeasy.
Apartments: To the left of the door to Apep’s shop, there’s an old rusted metal door with a single concrete step connecting it to the street. Next to the door is a doorbell, halfway falling out of its holster. Pressing this button alerts all Sinister Serpent members that someone is downstairs. There’s also a hidden security cam that displays who is ringing the bell. Sinister Serpent members who live here have key fobs that unlock the door remotely. The door immediately leads to a small metal staircase.
The staircase ends in a long, dimly lit corridor with the same brick walls as outside, although much cleaner. On each side are four metal doors that reach from the floor to the ceiling, attached by wheels running across steel rods on the wall. To open the door of one of the apartments, you need to pull the door to the side and do the same to close. The doors can be locked by their respective owners. Each apartment has a large living space that also acts as a kitchen. The only two doors in the apartment lead to a small bedroom and a bathroom. Large windows dot the brick walls at variable intervals. Each apartment has its own heating and cooling unit, however, this level of the building is typically very warm and humid, the prefered climate for Scaeri.
The Ouroboros: There are two separate entrances to the club. The first is the one located in Apep’s pawn shop. The other is located on the opposite side of the building, far down an alleyway concealed by dumpsters. A pair of storm cellar doors appears welded shut up against the building. However, if a patron performs the secret knock, the doors swing up, revealing a polished stone staircase. The staircase leads to a small entryway with a maitre manning a coat check.
A curtain is pulled back to reveal a large open space with a long bar stretching from one side of the room to the other. On the opposite wall is a raised stage where various musical and comedic performers entertain the audience. In the middle is a large open dance floor which can be filled with removable tables depending on the function. There are a series of red leather booths on the other two walls. Scantily clad waiters and waitresses of various demon races walk between the bar and the booths, running drink orders and soliciting tips.
Den of the Venemous Serpent: A doorway across the room from the entrance leads to the restrooms. But on the way, there is a floor to ceiling painting of snakes playing cards, reminiscent of the famous 'Dogs Playing Cards'. If a specific password, which rotates every fortnight, is said in front of the painting, the painting moves aside and a small, dark passageway can be seen within. Through the short passage, patrons enter the Venom den. Red lights glow from the ceiling, shining on the sheer gold curtains that hang over various mattresses. Scaeri Di men and women mainly work this area of the club, providing a “full venom experience”, which consists of seduction, the venomous bite, and sexual gratification, if the patron desires. Two Scaeri Tu bouncers stand at the exit, back into the bar, keeping unruly patrons in line. Music is played in the Venom Den to provide ambience and cover the patron’s pleasurable cries.
