Genko Chaya & Khokanchin Mercantile [Balmung]

[Wemrys]

[align=center]GENKO CHAYA

 

and

 

KHOKANCHIN MERCANTILE

 

(website: https://gk-rp.enjin.com/)[/align]

 

 

 

 

In the twilight air:

Whispers rustle like loose silk,

petals dance like fans.

 

 

 

 

Tucked away in a corner off the busy streets of the Goblet, the Genko Chaya is an establishment where patrons may enjoy the experience of a traditional Doman ochaya, or teahouse, mingled with the exotic and eclectic hints of the vast region of Othard.  Due in part to one of the owners being a xaela with a penchant for amassing culture and art, said xaela also operates a small pawn shop within the teahouse called Khokanchin Mercantile.   Khokanchin, a word that means 'Blue Hunter,' aptly describes the indigo, enigmatic proprietor and collector.  His is a shop of curiosities, rarities and wonders.  A place where one can find anything for the right price, one need only seek the Blue Hunter himself.

 

 

 

 

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Genko, meaning 'dark radiance,' derives its name from an imagery of balance between the forces of this world, of chaos and harmony.  Many a patron wonders if this is purely a statement of Eastern philosophy or if it also refers to the contrast between raen and xaela with their contrasting scales and cultures within Othard...

 

The smells of incense and exotic spices perfume the air and transport patrons that walk through the doors to a place far and away from the streets of the Goblet.  The lobby is a varied mixture of Othardian culture, from fur trappings to wall scrolls of Doman poetry.   Both the upstairs and downstairs are more traditionally Doman, boasting tatami floors and sliding doors, and offering a big venue for many guests or smaller, more intimate rooms suited for private conversation.  The teahouse also hosts its own private tea ceremony room to be rented out for special occasions.

 

 

 

SERVICES

 

 

 

Tea, Sake & Entertainment

 

As an ochaya, the Genko is not a restaurant but a place where one can drink tea or sake and be entertained by a trained Artist.  These Artists are skilled in conversation, traditional folk songs and dances and know a variety of engaging drinking games.  Food may be catered upon request from other locations.  The small kitchen on premises provides only small sweet treats to accompany tea ceremony.

 

Those wishing to indulge in tea or sake without entertainment may also do so should they favor a more quiet affair.

 

 

 

Tea Ceremony

 

Tea ceremony is the choreographic ritual of preparing and serving matcha, or green tea, with sweets to balance the bitter beverage.  It is as much an art as it is a spiritual discipline.  It is about aesthetics, as everything from the tea room’s design, the calligraphy, the floral arrangement and placement of the utensils plays a part in the ritual.  Tea ceremony is about appreciation of simplicity and the company of one’s guests.  The art of serving tea should depict the sincerity of the host to prepare a bowl of tea from the heart.  It is a meditative and tranquil experience, yet it is in this artistic display that important ties are often forged or reinforced.

 

Tea ceremony can be arranged for various occasions, from business meetings, engagements, celebrations and more.  However, tea ceremony is not a ceremony involving tea.  It is experiencing a moment, this moment, through meticulous detail and preparation.  Participants will enter into a shared, intimate experience of tea, separated from the distraction of the world outside.  For some, tea ceremony may be enjoyed purely for its meditative qualities.  For others, it can be a symbolic gesture for strengthening alliances in a ritual where the only things that matter sit within the room.

 

Bookings include a rehearsal where participants can be walked through their roles.  Artists trained in tea ceremony will host the event.

 

 

The Genko Chaya is an ochaya, which is a space provided for entertainers to perform their art for guests.  This is not to be confused with other establishments that might also call themselves a teahouse but serve as a tavern or restaurant.  Tea is served only incidentally at an ochaya, with the more common drink imbibed being high quality sake.   The Genko Chaya may also be referred to instead simply by it's name as in "the Genko."

 

 

 

 

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Khokanchin Mercantile is a small trading company housed within the Genko Chaya's backrooms.  It is a modest pawn shop to the untrained eye, but among the trinkets and trophies are findings worth so much more to the right buyer.  The shop is mostly known by word of mouth, but it is by no means a guarded secret.  Whether you are looking for a lovely bauble or something rare and elusive, the shop's doors are open and the Blue Hunter at your service.

 

The Blue Hunter is rumored to have started by trading the spoils of his adventuring, steadily collecting a network of resources to further his enterprise into what it is today.  But there are other rumors...  

 

While the Blue Hunter seems to mostly run the shop on his own, he keepsl a number of freelancers and contractors that provide services to keep his stock well supplied.  His business partner, the Veiled Lady, also steps in from time to time when business takes him elsewhere or if he must attend one of his warehouses and properties throughout Hydaelyn.  The Veiled Lady, with her silvery way with words, often serves as a liaison for the Blue Hunter but her role extends beyond mere social airs.  She's a shrewd businesswoman in her own right, offering to the Blue Hunter her own expertise beyond charm and studied graces.

 

The Veiled Lady ensures that the operation runs smoothly, that all payments and paperwork are up to date and the books balanced.  But while the shop deals in legitimate trade, it also plays the other side of the fence as well.  For this, the Veiled Lady ensures fees and favors go through the proper channels as only a lady with her wealth and caché can.

 

The proprietors consider all their ventures equally important and are attentive to all aspects of it, so no part of the business - be it the teahouse or the shop - is a facade for the other.  They've built their efforts on a cautious practice of plausible deniability.  Moral matters of balance, of dark and light, chaos and harmony, are best suited to quiet meditations in the teahouse.  The Veiled Lady and the Blue Hunter attend themselves only to the balance of their pocketbooks.

 

 

 

SERVICES

 

 

 

Pawn & Lending

 

Items may be brought in to be sold or pawned for the purposes of obtaining some quick gil.  Additionally, if one's collateral or reputation is good enough, the proprietors provide money lending services.  After interest rates are agreed upon and set, contracts will be drawn to state the terms and conditions by which the borrower is expected to abide.

 

Failure to comply with agreed upon terms...may result in some unfortunate luck to befall the offender.  Bad credit can ruin a person in more ways than one...

 

 

Dealing & Trade

 

The proprietors always have an interest in the profitable.  With other properties, warehouses and a list of potential buyers in several locations, the flow of goods needs constant feeding.

 

Goods may be brought to the shop to be traded, sold on our shelves, or perhaps bought by the Blue Hunter himself for his own private collection of curiosities.  If it cannot be sold in the shops, the proprietors can broker an arrangement to find an appropriate buyer for you.  All sales and transactions done through Khokanchin Mercantile are subject to a modest fee or percentage of the sale.

 

 

Acquisitions & Information

 

The business that the Blue Hunter is most capable of providing is that of acquisitions. A broad business indeed as this can range from simple information gathering from the best places to trade and the best means to transport, all the way up to locating and bringing in a desired object or person no matter how it must be done. The Hunter will carefully select these jobs based on the resources he has available to manage their completion and he will not take an acquisitions job he does not believe can be completed.

 

 

Networking & Employment

 

Khokanchin Mercantile and the Genko Chaya are happy to network with enterprising individuals who have resources they'd like to share and expand.  The proprietors are willing to negotiate arrangements with others to provide their clients with what they need.  Perhaps you are a restaurateur willing to provide catering services?  Perhaps you're a shipping company that can provide safe, efficient (or discreet) transport?  Or perhaps you're a buyer who wishes to be informed of any particular curiosities?

 

Freelancers and contractors are also welcome to offer their skills and services, whether you be a treasure hunter, bounty hunter, tradesman or otherwise.  There are a variety of services and trades the proprietors are interested in keeping on their list of contacts whether it be hiring guards for escorts and security...or hiring spies, saboteurs, thugs and sellswords.  Everyone has their uses.

 

 

 

A Note About Payment . . .

 

At Khokanchin Mercantile everything has value but that price may not always be measured in gil.  The Blue Hunter is a tradesman, after all, and one might say that more than gil he values collecting items and resources (although the Veiled Lady still prefers gil if only to pay off the bills without any hassle).  Perhaps a client may have an interesting sort of information up for trade for the work requested or an acquisitions job may have an item involved that the Blue Hunter may be interested in whether as a cut of the take or as an offer for completing the job. There are a multitude of payment methods that the Hunter would be up for negotiating, he would only ask that any clients bring only serious offers to the table.

[Wemrys]

We are up and running and ready to do some RP! We are currently working on getting ready for our first open house event which GK-RP will be running monthly. We've already got a bunch of interested parties we're in talks with for helping out with running our entertainment and RP gil-based auction (i.e. no real gil will be exchanged it's all for flavor and character building as is our M.O.).

 

If you'd like more details on the event, the post can be found here!

 

We are also of course open for recruitment so please get in touch with us if you're interested!

[Nixie]

We are up and running and ready to do some RP! We are currently working on getting ready for our first open house event which GK-RP will be running monthly. We've already got a bunch of interested parties we're in talks with for helping out with running our entertainment and RP gil-based auction (i.e. no real gil will be exchanged it's all for flavor and character building as is our M.O.).

 

If you'd like more details on the event, the post can be found here!

 

We are also of course open for recruitment so please get in touch with us if you're interested!

I am incredibly sorry but I am very new to RP events here in FFXIV. I have taken the time to read this post and I am interested despite my ignorance. 

 

What steps must I take, and what advice would assist me in becoming a part of this?

[Wemrys]

No worries at all! If you would like to simply participate in the event, all you need to do is show up and we'll do our utmost to make you feel welcome. If you'd like to take part as an entertainer or someone offering an item for auction, please get into contact with me via discord or PM and I'd love to set up a time with you to do some pre-event RP and answer any questions you may have.

[Wemrys]

To update everyone on our recent comings and goings, we've got two events in the works currently for this month! First of all we have the Open House & Auction which is our monthly event. It will be held on October 12th at 7 PM Eastern Standard Time. We have just posted the list of items up for auction as well as updated our ruleset for the RP bidding system we're using. Please have a look over it!

 

As for our second event, we are holding a Doman styled Chrysanthemum Festival on October 25th at 7 pm EST. This event will include vendors, an altar for offerings to ward off the hungry ghosts, priests/priestesses offering blessings/prayers/advice, diviners and scryers, wandering entertainers, and even a Kyudo (archery) competition. Have a look over the post for more details!

[Wemrys]

To provide an update: We have now had two extremely successful community events first with Chrysanthemum and now with the Moon Viewing which is just wrapping up as I type this! We want to thank everyone who has helped us get this far and especially our members who have joined and supported us in our endeavors. Please be on the lookout for more from us in the future!