by Diego Martin AntonioVega de Palma
Diego and Raphael stood facing each other on the well-groomed grasses of the de Foix estates, on occasion they would exchange blows with their practice blades. Elisheva sat in the shade of the large oak, a look of concentration dominates her features.
Eventually Elisheva looks up and says, "We could open a clothes shop." "Hmm, well, What's Raph gonna do? And anyway I am just now learning how to make clothes. It think it may be a bit out of our league." Diego says, narrowly parrying a head shot form Raph. "What about a performing troupe?" Raph interjects, "Two stagehands to one performer. I think we may suffer some issues of balance."As if to punctuate his point Raphael advances on Diego, causing him to lose his footing on a sloppy retreat. While Raphael helps Diego off the ground, Elisheva says, "We really should think of something, I don't want to have to go back to dancing for pittance. What we really need is to think of something that incorporates all of our interests, to some extent."
"Well, we all like to play games." Diego mentions, "And we are all interested in performers." "The company of friends." Says Elisheva thoughtfully. "And food and drink!" said Raphael with a huge grin. Raphael's grin seems to be contagious as realization slowly dawns on his compatriots.
Then Diego says, "Well now that that is decided…. What shall we call our inn?"
That evening, before supper Raphael, Elisheva, and Diego approach Raphael's aunt, the duchess Natalya de Foix, with a proposition. As the cost of starting any commercial establishment is substantial, they hoped to obtain a loan from Her Grace to cover the balance of starting capital. Natalya, had recently married and so chose to follow protocol and refer them to her newly wedded husband. When he heard of their proposition he was more than willing to grant their request as then he would be "forced" to visit the inn on a regular basis and check on his wife's investment.
Soon the three of them were off to seek a town in which to establish their inn. They scouted out many inland locations but found them lacking. There just wasn't enough business to merit building anywhere they looked, they soon turned to port towns. On their travels they thought it would be wise to catch a ship from Marseilles to explore some towns abroad. Her Grace knew of a ship and crew that may have been willing to take them. The Goode Ship White Star.
The first stop on the journey was Cadíz, Spain, where the White Star has a villa. On the way to Cadíz the three of them learned that like Elisheva and Raphael many of the crewmembers were in fact, Jewish. The Inquisition made being Jewish in Spain after 1492 was VERY dangerous, but the White Star's villa is a safe house for Jews in Spain. When Elisheva learned of this it gave her an idea. Years ago Elisheva had promised her mother that she would see Andalucía, where her father was taken by the Inquisition in 1497, and she would try to find her missing father, whom her mother never truly accepted was dead. If they opened the inn in Cadíz they could also be a safe house for Jews hiding from the Inquisition and in this Elisheva would be honoring her mother's dying wish, as to do so would be as good a way as any to find her father.
And thus Elisheva bat Yisrael became known to the outside world as Isabel Mendes, and Raphael ben Gideon as Raphael Mendoza (though they still use their given names in the company of friends). Now to Raphael's father Gideon has fled Spain in 1492 and he considered returning for good a monumentally stupid idea but Raphael was a grown boy and could make his own mistakes so he could not stop him. However though, when Raphael's sister Annabella ran away from home to live with her brother, Gideon could not just stand by and let his daughter live in peril. Gideon traveled to the inn to watch over his daughter and he lives there to day, giving council in times of need.
The Inn is open to all those in need these days and while people come and go every once in a while someone will come to stay and work as an employee of the Inn of the Crimson Spade.
See the Forming of the Inn in pictures from our Galleries page!
