Look around and assess the situation.

The Interior balcony, which ends in a fancy balustrade made of wood and black steel, is large enough to host furniture and quite a lot of people. Liveried servants are walking back and forth, offering drinks and refreshments. And you also see some naked women performing the same chores. There is too much here to take it all in from your viewpoint, you'll have to walk around the Overlook to fully understand it all. It's clear though that there seem to be quite a few places or attractions which have gathered a small crowd of people. And a lot seem to involve naked people, or people dressed in costumes.

The same is true for the level below. Two wooden staircases lead down to the lower level, one on your side and one on the opposite site. The floor is crowded with people, most of them also forming groups, looking at small stages, gathering around tables or staring at people who seem to be engaged in all various kind of contests. This must be, without a doubt, a place where most of the guests of tonight are gathering. Or - how big is this party? You scan the room for your wife, but there are way too many people here, and you can't even see everything.

You are interrupted from your musings by the piercing sound of a gong. As your eyes try to locate the source of the sound, everyone around you falls silent, and a man in a black suit with a black top hat starts talking from the level below. His voice is clearly enhanced by a hidden sound system, echoing loud and articulate from all the walls around you.

"Dear guests", the man says. "Welcome to our Venetian Evening. Your host is waiting for you in the inner rooms. This here, as some of you know, is only the outside part. The start of the evening, so to speak. The true wonders, the real glory and the proper pleasures all lie behind this big door." He points towards a massive, two-winged door at the end of the room. "To pass it, and to enter Venetia, though, you must pay the tariffa, the small fee of 2,000 coins."

You hear a collective gasp from the audience, and it takes you a few heartbeats to understand that what you just heard were only female voices. You suddenly remember the much smaller stack of coins Megan was granted at the entrance. You wonder how much that was. You didn't pay attention to the denomination. It certainly must have been less than 2,000 coins.

"Don't worry! The two floors of this room will give all of you the opportunity to earn this sum. There are various contests, chores, challenges or bets you can take place to increase your wealth. Of course, you can also simply negotiate among each other. Maybe some of you find a companion who is willing to pay the full sum for both."

That would be a lot, you notice. 4,000 coins for two people would leave you with a rather meager sum of money.

"Of course, how you negotiate this, and what the generous donor will ask in return is entirely up to you! Then again, maybe taking place in one of the countless challenges is more to your taste. Whatever your preference - the doors to Venetia will close in one hour! After that, everybody who has not yet paid the _tariffa _will stay outside and must join the ranks of the lowest group house servants for the rest of the evening."

Another gasp from the crowd.

"In order to keep some cash in the market for now, the doors will only open in half an hour", the man announces. "I wish you all best of luck!"