The Golden Cat



"The Golden Cat [...] A bathhouse for aristocrats. Little better than a cursed brothel."

- Teague Martin

The Golden Cat is a renowned pleasure establishment found in the Distillery District of Dunwall. Part brothel, part steam-house, and part theater and burlesque parlor, it is also known as the best tavern in the Isles. It is the primary location of the mission House of Pleasure and the first chapter of Dishonored: The Corroded Man.

Details
The Golden Cat is part of the city's history. Many of the richer denizens of the city, such as the High Overseer Thaddeus Campbell and influential parliament members and noblemen, the Lords Custis and Morgan Pendleton, make regular visits to the pleasure house. It is managed by a Madame, and staffed by courtesans in charge of accommodating their guests.

While under management of Madame Prudence, the Golden Cat was temporarily closed in 1837 due to a plague infestation. The building had yet to be fully cleaned during its grand reopening. On that same evening, Corvo Attano infiltrated the bathhouse, looking to rescue Emily Kaldwin held captive by the Lord Regent, and eliminate the Pendleton twins, Burrows's associates.

During that time, the Golden Cat also bought bootleg Elixir from the Bottle Street Gang to fight off the plague, and some times repaid them in trade instead of coins. It was also under Prudence that the curtains were installed.

Fourteen years later, the establishment is running well under the newest proprietor, Madame Steele, Prudence's daughter. Under Steele's purview, The Golden Cat is given its own security service, despite patrons being less violent with the gentrification of Dunwall. Steele also employed two ex-Whalers: Galia Fleet as security chief and Rinaldo Escobar, her assistant.

Areas
The front of the Golden Cat consists of a garden opening on the street below and a patio. The entrance leads to the reception and lounges a floor above. The right side of the building is the apartment and office of the Madame, the courtesans' dormitory and their shared bathroom. Below is the VIP entrance, which opens on a small court and a tunnel to Bottle Street under John Clavering Boulevard.

The other side of the building consists of a two-story hall where guests can enjoy themselves with the courtesans, as well as several private suites with red lamps to indicate if they are occupied. A steam-room can be found on the underground level, adjacent to a fish pond. The office of the security chief is hidden behind a curtain in the main hall.

Trivia

 * The Golden Cat is the setting of a crime story involving a man from Morley looking for his missing sister, sighted as a courtesan.
 * The proximity of the Golden Cat and the Dunwall Whiskey Distillery is no coincidence – the Heart notes that brothels and distilleries are inseparable.