The Court of Shadows

"The Court of Shadows is the hub for all Outcast Gypsy activity, not only in Savannah, but for the entire kumpania." - Augustine

The enterances to the Court of Shadows are marked by a symbol that also indicates a Gypsy establishment called a patrin. To enter, one must descend below ground and when one arrives at the enterance gate say, "It is with God I have arrived." The customary reply is, "It is with God you are received."

The court itself is a circular room large enough to hold several hundred people. It has a twenty-foot-tall jagged stone ceiling and a railed balcony supported by intricately carved wooden columns creating a second level. The floor is entirely covered with a painting of entwining dandelion leaves and flowers. The underground area in which it is located is approximately the size of three city blocks. The area also contains a prison in which Sebastian was held before his would-be trial for the murder of Karl Corsi.

The Court of Shadows is also the place where gypies in the kumpania come twice a year for the Summer and Autumn Gatherings. In the undergrund labyrinth, there is a large dining hall called The Gathering Chamber. It contains six long tables with long wooden benches at them. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and like many of the underground rooms, the walls contain paintings made to look like windows. Few gypsies live in the Court of Shadows. Those that do include: head families, Marksmen, any travelers or guests, and those whose jobs require them to be there for the place to function, such as cooks and other personnel.