Desmodus Mori [ a vampire bar ]

[halfmoon]

𝔡𝔢𝔰𝔪𝔬𝔡𝔲𝔰 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔦
a vampire bar located in aefenglom.

Desmodus Mori, or simply Desmodus as its patrons may refer to it, is a small bar and restaurant located west of the Coven and south of the Parliament, a few blocks away from the bank of the river Temese. Its stoop its crammed in the space between two large buildings, taking up what appears from the outside to be the alleyway between them. If not for discrete signage, it could be mistaken for the door to a simple storehouse. However, opening the door on the street leads to a set of wooden stairs leading downwards to a mid-sized establishment spread out in the basement area of both neighboring buildings.

The walls, ceiling, and floor of the entire bar are made of wood; some pieces look very old, and some look as if they have been replaced recently. People with a sharp sense of smell - or a relevant extrasensory ability - can detect the faint smell of blood upon entering, although the scent is mostly that of old, dried blood having been spilled on the floors or tables in the past and then cleaned up. Otherwise, the bar is spotlessly clean and perfumed with a pleasant mix of cinnamon, star anise and orchid flowers.

The left half of Desmodus is taken up by the bar, whose counter stretches along the entire side wall, and a crowd of couches, ottomans, tables and chairs for guests to sit at. The bartender is an attractive but modestly-dressed witch in her early thirties who insists she be addressed only as "bartender"; rumor is that she has a particular taste for the company of vampires, but questions about her personal life are met with a smirk.

The right half of Desmodus is separated from the bar by a wooden partition painted with ancient-looking drawings of bats. To the right, beyond a walkway space, the remainder of the bar is divided into discrete stalls. The stalls are meant to be more intimate accommodations for those who need it. Sectioned off with privacy curtains, their walls are lined with large plush seats wide enough to be used as beds, surrounding a table at the center.

First timers to Desmodus Mori will likely notice the large number of steps they must descend the entrance's stairs to reach the bar. This is because the ceiling of the entire bar is high - at least the height of two stories - and held up by wooden rafters reaching from the left wall to the right walls of the private stalls. At the far high corners of the bar's ceiling are wooden boxes - bat shelters - and when the bar is busy, the empty space above the beams can be filled with the sound of fluttering wings.

Finally, at the far back wall of the bar are doorways leading to the kitchen, restrooms, and a storage closet - the typical other amenities and employee-only areas one would see in a restaurant or bar of this kind. However, there is also a final, unmarked black door. The bar does not advertise what this door is for, and access can only be granted by key held by the bartender. When asked what the purpose of the door is, she will shrug her shoulders and give an avoidant answer. However, it is an open secret among regulars that non-vampires may enter this room if they're looking to have their blood taken and drank by a vampire... with their reasons for wanting such a thing being respected as their private business.

The bartender and usual patrons will insist, should the topic come up, that Desmodus Mori is meant to be an upper-class establishment catering to vampires and their bonds or friends and is not to be mistaken for some sort of kink club, brothel, or other part of the city's red light district. Its location and overall cleanliness and sense of class supports this claim, and should the bartender notice any guests beginning to act inappropriately in public, she will quickly throw them out. However, the private stalls and locked room are in the bar for a reason, and no questions are asked as to what goes on in those areas. After all, this is a bar for vampires - touch and lust and oral fixation and a general interest in physicality comes with the territory.

𝔦𝔠𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔰, 𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔰 & 𝔭𝔯𝔬𝔳𝔦𝔰𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰

The bar has a full selection of alcohol, including beer, wine, cider and spirits, along with a short menu of shareable foods for the enjoyment of witches and non-vampire monsters. However, the blood-infused food and drink menu is what the bar is known for and is three times as large as the "menu for the living."

The vampires' menu includes a large selection of bloods from various animals and people. The cheapest varieties are those from animals commonly found in the city, including pets, farm animals, and pests such as rats - don't worry, all blood at Desmodus is guaranteed to be safe to drink, even for an adventurous non-vampire guest - but blood from more rare fauna is periodically available on the menu, if the bartender gets her hands on some. Generally speaking, the rarer the animal, the more expensive its blood will be.

Desmodus also offers a large variety of human and monster blood as well, which it proudly displays as being sourced from volunteer donors only. Despite what one might expect, witch's blood is the cheapest non-animal blood offered, as there are far more witches than any one individual type of monster, and thus more donors. Occasionally, should the right donation be made, the blood of a magic-loaded witch will be available at the bar for a high price. Although this blood is not a substitute for a bond, bibulous vampires will pay top dollar for it for its excellent taste.

All monsters are also represented within the menu, of course, including vampires themselves. Again, should the right donations be made, the bloods of different variations among the classes of monsters (i.e., wolpertinger chimera vs. manticore chimera) are available as weekly or daily specials.

Finally, Demodus Mori offers special cocktails containing both alcohol and blood, and even special "blood foods" that contain contain ingredients made from or with blood. (Fried blood sticks with a side of marinara, anyone?)

𝔡𝔬𝔫𝔬𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡

The bar and kitchen are open from sundown to sunset, but between five o'clock and twilight, the bar's doors are open to solicit volunteer blood donors from people passing by on the street. "Donors" here is a bit of a misnomer, as volunteers are given a small sum of money (or a credit for free food and drink, if they desire), in exchange for their blood.

Finally, the bar is openly welcoming of mirrorbound, especially considering the number of future vampires among them who may have special blood needs as they complete their transformation. Signage visible from the street welcomes both mirrorbound and vampires explicitly.