Darvoro's Plates

Darvoro's Plates was a successful plate stamping and engraving business in Khôltar, south Faerûn, circa the Year of Wild Magic, 1372 DR. This location was formerly owned by the House of the Lions trading coster.

Location
Darvoro's Plates was located just inside Farrgaunlar, the southern gate through the walls around Khôltar, at the southeast corner of the North Way and Raelrur's Run. It was the first building on the right (east) after entering Farrgaunlar from the south. On Darvoro's right was an unnamed lane that circumnavigated the city, mainly used by the garthraun (police) because it connected all the guard towers on the inner wall. On the left was Raelrur's Run running eastward. Across Raelrur's Run to the north was Pauntraal, the garthraun headquarters and duty house for Farrgaunlar. Across the wide, courtyard-like intersection of North Way and Hael Way, on the other side of the gate, was Harth Trithketh's House of Welcome.

Structure
This stone building resembled a fortress tower or keep, with walls that rose above the traffic, narrowing as it went, and then flaring out again with an exaggerated crenelated crown. The merlons of the decorative battlements were stone-carved lions that looked down on the streets with challenging roars.

Services
Darvoro's Plates manufactured a wide variety of metal plates: lowly kickplates, lock-guard plates around keyholes, doorplates to display names or addresses, engraved plaques, and even heraldic blazons, escutcheons, and coats-of-arms as big as a human door. Shipping to most any civilized place in Faerûn was available as long as Darvoro received payment first. Many merchants that traveled for a living bought blank plates from Darvoro's and resold them elsewhere. Darvoro had a special counter set up (just inside the door with easy access to the street) to service these speculators who were responsible for more than half of his sales.

History
Before Darvoro bought the building, it was home to the House of the Lions coster. They specialized in fast-moving caravans that ran between Khôltar and Var the Golden, but were not able to sustain the business.