Sunset Quarters Orphanage

From Mizahar Lore

Located in the south-east corner of the Sunset Quarter, surrounded by the Cheap Side is the Sunset Quarter Orphanage. It is one of the larger structures in the city, standing at two stories tall with a basement level, made of crumbling brick and mortar. Built about three centuries after the Valterrian, it was originally used as a prison during one of the many times Sunberth was enslaved. It has since then been restructured as the largest orphanage in all of Sunberth, capable of housing 150 children with some comfort, though could house twice that if ever absolutely necessary.

The children's rooms are built in a bunk style, with ten beds to a room with a single-window opposite the door to let in light. Each bed has a trunk for the children to keep the few belongings they have. The rooms are typically kept separated by age, though not gender, with the younger toward the back of the hall, and the older toward the front Jilene Ironside, and the other caretakers she hires have their own private quarters at both ends of the hall of bunkrooms. At both ends of the hall, there are two rooms with large tubs dedicated for bathing as well as latrine buckets for ablutions, one each for the older boys and older girls at the front, and one each for the younger boys and girls at the back.

Toward the back of the orphanage is a single, large mess hall with large tables and benches where the children take their meals. The kitchen is connected to the mess hall with a large cutout window for passing the plates through to the children. The kitchen has a large pantry, and stairwell access to the basement for storage, both of which are kept locked. Only Jillene and the kitchen staff have keys to them. Because of the number of mouths they have to feed, the kitchen is equipped with several ovens, a massive hearth, several sinks, and a lot of counter space, and will normally have anywhere from two to four people cooking within.

Opposite the kitchen is the doctor's office. It is small, equipped for a single physician to perform a wide variety of medical injuries that children accrue. It has a single exam table and a large number of cabinets for equipment. It has two windows for light during the day, and braziers for light when it is darker. The children have often jokingly called this room The Closet, but no one is really sure as to why.

The second story of the building is not covered by a roof and is one of the most common play areas for the children. Some of the older children, those nearing sixteen years of age, will sometimes move their mattresses up there to get some independence. It is a trend that Jillene does not attempt to stop, so long as the mattresses aren't ruined in the weather.

There is a large courtyard in front of the orphanage with a single, massive oak tree, and several smaller trees. Children can often be found climbing the trees, chasing one another, and general child play. This is also the space commonly used when, on a rare occasion, children are adopted, to meet their new families. From time to time, a particularly helpful individual will teach the children lessons around the tree, usually survival skills for when they turn sixteen, things like self-defense, history of the city and its culture, and the like. These teachers are never permanent and must receive approval from Jilene if they don't want to be thrown out rather violently.