A human priest, a elvish knight, and a half-Orc barbarian walk into a bar...even after the Dwarven warrior said "Mind your head."
1,001 Taverns and Inns
A human priest, a elvish knight, and a half-Orc barbarian walk into a bar...even after the Dwarven warrior said "Mind your head."
NOTE: What follows is a watered down version of a tavern that will appear in my Cormyr sourcebook. I've removed all Realms references, but left enough flavor (I hope) to inspire DMs to use this entry in their games.
I have taken some inspiration from the stories "Up in the Old Hotel" and "McSorley's Wonderful Saloon", both by Joseph Mitchell.
*********
The Screaming Crystal Tavern
(Tavern sign is a red skull in quarter profile and tilted slightly up. It's about the size of a keg, with its jaw open as though in the act of a silent scream, and is painted on the warped wooden door that fronts the tavern. And don't worry, people spend the night here too.)
Exterior Description:
The Screaming Crystal is a squat two story structure that sits on one of several islands that are all that remains of a city that was flooded to near destruction over a millenium ago. The waters never receded, and the verdant hills that fed a once thriving community are now grown over with houses and buildings that stand shoulder to shoulder. The ground all around the Screaming Crystal is paved in cobblestones under a layer of moss; footpaths to and from the tavern are visible where the stones show through. Fungus in a variety of colors creeps up the stone walls of the tavern. One can easily climb through the trio of upper floor windows that linger over the entrance to the tavern by standing on a horse, or the shoulders of a willing helper, provided the heavy wooden shutters are opened first.
Interior Description:
The interior of the Screaming Crystal (or simply "the Crystal" to tavern regulars) is damp, dark and cold. Guests wearing woolens sit huddled together at small tables, on chairs arranged around the half moon bar to the left of the entrance, or near a pair of iron stoves made to resemble dragons with stub legs, whose faces can be opened to admit wood and other fuel into the belly of the beast. The back of the tavern sports a trio of booths that can be curtained off for privacy, that are flanked by a pair of doors kept locked at all times. (DM: the left hand door opens onto a landing for a stairway that rides the back wall and leads upstairs, while the right hand door guards the landing for a stairway that gives access to the basement.)
By day the Screaming Crystal is filled with fishermen, dock laborers too old or too injured to haul goods from ship to shore, and fishmongers that have brought with them salmon cheeks and sturgeon livers to cook on the backs of iron dragons.
By night the Screaming Crystal is host to the ghostly dead, and anyone brave enough to share a drink with them.
Proprietor:
By day Yarjack runs the Screaming Crystal. Most of the old men Yarjack serves believe he was once a mercenary captain or the kind of servant that once undertook dark deeds for an even darker master. Yarjack's craggy face gives no hints to the truth of his past, and he replies to questions on the topic with stony silence. The only time patrons of the Crystal match his look is when anyone asks about the screaming crystal, that's rumored to be housed in the basement; new guests never fail to ask, and so quickly learn the topic is verboten in the daytime. Ale, beer, mulled cider and water are served at the bar. Prices are cheap.
By night Yarjack's daughter runs the Crystal. Yelada serves up the same drinks as her father, but prices are tripled. However, patrons are encouraged to bring with them whatever drinkables they wish. The price charged for uncorking/opening a patron's own bottle is that the first drink must be poured for the dead and served by the bearer of the bottle to a ghost lingering at one of the chairs, tables or booths, before any living guests may sample the bottle.
Yelada's brother Heljack mans the front entrance, and is responsible for advising patrons new to the Crystal of the rules of the house, as well as ejecting unruly patrons. He rarely does this, thanks to his sister's fearsome reputation. The last time she screamed in fear inside the Crystal, all the ghosts present swarmed to her side, their combined touch enough to slay on the spot the man who'd tried to run her through with a sword.
Sometimes the ghost of the attacker visits the Crystal. It is much better behaved in death than in life.
Notable Guests:
Gelliard “Gell” Salrikoat is a murderer for hire that takes a room at the Screaming Crystal on a regular basis. He poses as a sage--specialties include history of the city of islands before the great flood, and the ancestry of families who can trace their lineage to pre-flood times--and has built a reputation for handling delicate matters of ancestry when disputes of property ownership arise (the cramped nature of the islands has resulted in a complex legal code that allots space to build based on the number of relatives one has that go back as far as before the flood, and has since morphed into a number of laws that allow one to lay claim to property owned by others if one can positively prove a stronger ancestry; the closer you are to the water's edge, the lower you are in society). He is very careful to dispose of bodies beyond the borders of the islands, and keeps careful watch after a murder to see that one of his kills does not arrive at the Crystal, where it could reveal his involvement in its murder.
Other Details:
The upper level of the Crystal is divided into five rooms; two along the back wall that house Yarjack and his son, and three along the front wall that are reserved for patrons desiring a more intimate encounter with the ghosts that frequent the Crystal. Prices are determined by Yarjack—who has the final say on whether a patron may take a room—as he is more than capable of looking a person over and determining on the spot just how much to charge (and he charges as much as he can get away with).
The basement level smells of mold, and houses stores of ale, firewood, and extra tables and chairs. In the center stands a stone rectangle over which a blood red skull floats. It is made of a strange, crystalline substance. From inside the basement, one can know the exact moment when the sun sets by watching the floating skull: when it opens its mouth and issues its silent scream, darkness rules in the world above.
The crystal skull’s call draws ghosts from all over the city of islands, and from the drowned depths beneath the water that never receded. Whatever power the crystal holds over the ghostly dead causes them to remain well behaved inside the tavern, and deadens their various powers to harm the living. However, its hold over any one ghost is unpredictable, so some ghosts may leave before the night is done, while others may not arrive until well after sunset.
Yelada shares a relationship with the crystal that her father and brother do not. At the end of her shift she pours all the drinks given over to the dead into a bucket and then takes it to the basement, where she pours the contents over the crystal. It drinks every drop. Ever since she started doing this, the ghostly dead have heeded her requests, and worked to protect her when she is in danger.
Adventure Hooks:
1. The brief respite from hauntings afforded to residents of the city of islands by the crystal skull has allowed for the exploration of parts of buildings otherwise avoided. Unfortunately for some, the urge to explore has superseded any sense of personal safety, and rendered them victim to mundane hazards of no concern to the undead. As well to the hauntings upon their return, as the crystal skull releases its hold unpredictably. Prudent island residents are obtaining the services of experienced adventurers to conduct explorations on their behalf.
2. For the last week, ghostly helms in styles not seen in the region in a hundred years have appeared at the Screaming Crystal tavern. These particular ghosts have never been seen at the tavern before, and they seem to want to prod the patrons of the tavern into action of some kind (they are incapable of speaking, as so many of the other ghosts at the Crystal do). If the rumors or true, those who’ve successfully followed the helms when they depart the tavern (they move very fast) wind up discovering small caches of treasure just beyond the water’s edge, where the ghosts submerge themselves before disappearing into nothingness.
3. Certain powerful residents of the islands have begun to suspect the ghosts that linger in their homes and places of business are doing more than haunting, and have come to suspect the owner of the Crystal is controlling the ghosts by making them spy on his behalf. These residents have decided, both individually and in groups, to hire spies and adventurers to watch the goings on at the Crystal, there to determine Yarjack’s nightly whereabouts and to see if the ghosts are relaying information to him about things they should not know. For her part, Yelada plays a dangerous game with the ghosts, and she is enjoying every moment of it.
I have taken some inspiration from the stories "Up in the Old Hotel" and "McSorley's Wonderful Saloon", both by Joseph Mitchell.
*********
The Screaming Crystal Tavern
(Tavern sign is a red skull in quarter profile and tilted slightly up. It's about the size of a keg, with its jaw open as though in the act of a silent scream, and is painted on the warped wooden door that fronts the tavern. And don't worry, people spend the night here too.)
Exterior Description:
The Screaming Crystal is a squat two story structure that sits on one of several islands that are all that remains of a city that was flooded to near destruction over a millenium ago. The waters never receded, and the verdant hills that fed a once thriving community are now grown over with houses and buildings that stand shoulder to shoulder. The ground all around the Screaming Crystal is paved in cobblestones under a layer of moss; footpaths to and from the tavern are visible where the stones show through. Fungus in a variety of colors creeps up the stone walls of the tavern. One can easily climb through the trio of upper floor windows that linger over the entrance to the tavern by standing on a horse, or the shoulders of a willing helper, provided the heavy wooden shutters are opened first.
Interior Description:
The interior of the Screaming Crystal (or simply "the Crystal" to tavern regulars) is damp, dark and cold. Guests wearing woolens sit huddled together at small tables, on chairs arranged around the half moon bar to the left of the entrance, or near a pair of iron stoves made to resemble dragons with stub legs, whose faces can be opened to admit wood and other fuel into the belly of the beast. The back of the tavern sports a trio of booths that can be curtained off for privacy, that are flanked by a pair of doors kept locked at all times. (DM: the left hand door opens onto a landing for a stairway that rides the back wall and leads upstairs, while the right hand door guards the landing for a stairway that gives access to the basement.)
By day the Screaming Crystal is filled with fishermen, dock laborers too old or too injured to haul goods from ship to shore, and fishmongers that have brought with them salmon cheeks and sturgeon livers to cook on the backs of iron dragons.
By night the Screaming Crystal is host to the ghostly dead, and anyone brave enough to share a drink with them.
Proprietor:
By day Yarjack runs the Screaming Crystal. Most of the old men Yarjack serves believe he was once a mercenary captain or the kind of servant that once undertook dark deeds for an even darker master. Yarjack's craggy face gives no hints to the truth of his past, and he replies to questions on the topic with stony silence. The only time patrons of the Crystal match his look is when anyone asks about the screaming crystal, that's rumored to be housed in the basement; new guests never fail to ask, and so quickly learn the topic is verboten in the daytime. Ale, beer, mulled cider and water are served at the bar. Prices are cheap.
By night Yarjack's daughter runs the Crystal. Yelada serves up the same drinks as her father, but prices are tripled. However, patrons are encouraged to bring with them whatever drinkables they wish. The price charged for uncorking/opening a patron's own bottle is that the first drink must be poured for the dead and served by the bearer of the bottle to a ghost lingering at one of the chairs, tables or booths, before any living guests may sample the bottle.
Yelada's brother Heljack mans the front entrance, and is responsible for advising patrons new to the Crystal of the rules of the house, as well as ejecting unruly patrons. He rarely does this, thanks to his sister's fearsome reputation. The last time she screamed in fear inside the Crystal, all the ghosts present swarmed to her side, their combined touch enough to slay on the spot the man who'd tried to run her through with a sword.
Sometimes the ghost of the attacker visits the Crystal. It is much better behaved in death than in life.
Notable Guests:
Gelliard “Gell” Salrikoat is a murderer for hire that takes a room at the Screaming Crystal on a regular basis. He poses as a sage--specialties include history of the city of islands before the great flood, and the ancestry of families who can trace their lineage to pre-flood times--and has built a reputation for handling delicate matters of ancestry when disputes of property ownership arise (the cramped nature of the islands has resulted in a complex legal code that allots space to build based on the number of relatives one has that go back as far as before the flood, and has since morphed into a number of laws that allow one to lay claim to property owned by others if one can positively prove a stronger ancestry; the closer you are to the water's edge, the lower you are in society). He is very careful to dispose of bodies beyond the borders of the islands, and keeps careful watch after a murder to see that one of his kills does not arrive at the Crystal, where it could reveal his involvement in its murder.
Other Details:
The upper level of the Crystal is divided into five rooms; two along the back wall that house Yarjack and his son, and three along the front wall that are reserved for patrons desiring a more intimate encounter with the ghosts that frequent the Crystal. Prices are determined by Yarjack—who has the final say on whether a patron may take a room—as he is more than capable of looking a person over and determining on the spot just how much to charge (and he charges as much as he can get away with).
The basement level smells of mold, and houses stores of ale, firewood, and extra tables and chairs. In the center stands a stone rectangle over which a blood red skull floats. It is made of a strange, crystalline substance. From inside the basement, one can know the exact moment when the sun sets by watching the floating skull: when it opens its mouth and issues its silent scream, darkness rules in the world above.
The crystal skull’s call draws ghosts from all over the city of islands, and from the drowned depths beneath the water that never receded. Whatever power the crystal holds over the ghostly dead causes them to remain well behaved inside the tavern, and deadens their various powers to harm the living. However, its hold over any one ghost is unpredictable, so some ghosts may leave before the night is done, while others may not arrive until well after sunset.
Yelada shares a relationship with the crystal that her father and brother do not. At the end of her shift she pours all the drinks given over to the dead into a bucket and then takes it to the basement, where she pours the contents over the crystal. It drinks every drop. Ever since she started doing this, the ghostly dead have heeded her requests, and worked to protect her when she is in danger.
Adventure Hooks:
1. The brief respite from hauntings afforded to residents of the city of islands by the crystal skull has allowed for the exploration of parts of buildings otherwise avoided. Unfortunately for some, the urge to explore has superseded any sense of personal safety, and rendered them victim to mundane hazards of no concern to the undead. As well to the hauntings upon their return, as the crystal skull releases its hold unpredictably. Prudent island residents are obtaining the services of experienced adventurers to conduct explorations on their behalf.
2. For the last week, ghostly helms in styles not seen in the region in a hundred years have appeared at the Screaming Crystal tavern. These particular ghosts have never been seen at the tavern before, and they seem to want to prod the patrons of the tavern into action of some kind (they are incapable of speaking, as so many of the other ghosts at the Crystal do). If the rumors or true, those who’ve successfully followed the helms when they depart the tavern (they move very fast) wind up discovering small caches of treasure just beyond the water’s edge, where the ghosts submerge themselves before disappearing into nothingness.
3. Certain powerful residents of the islands have begun to suspect the ghosts that linger in their homes and places of business are doing more than haunting, and have come to suspect the owner of the Crystal is controlling the ghosts by making them spy on his behalf. These residents have decided, both individually and in groups, to hire spies and adventurers to watch the goings on at the Crystal, there to determine Yarjack’s nightly whereabouts and to see if the ghosts are relaying information to him about things they should not know. For her part, Yelada plays a dangerous game with the ghosts, and she is enjoying every moment of it.
Last edited:
pdzoch
Explorer
To subscribers of this thread, I have added an index on the first entry that will provide a handy reference to all the taverns and inns described on the thread. Likewise, they are hyperlinked so you can jump to the post description of the inn/tavern without having to weed through the thread.
I was tempted to use a characteristic chart like Volo's guide, but I decided to keep it simple a simply use the lifestyle description and provide a setting indicator (like at the end of the DM's guide for placing monsters) for placing the tavern/inn.
If you think I should add another column, let me know.
I was tempted to use a characteristic chart like Volo's guide, but I decided to keep it simple a simply use the lifestyle description and provide a setting indicator (like at the end of the DM's guide for placing monsters) for placing the tavern/inn.
If you think I should add another column, let me know.
NOTE: What follows is another stripped-down version of an entry that will appear in my Cormyr sourcebook, minus all the Realms references, with a little added flavor to fit the generalist nature of this thread.
*********
The Moonlit Gargoyle
(Inn sign is a rectangular wooden board thrust out over the entrance, that hangs from an ornate iron post. It shows a gargoyle with grey skin shot through with blue-green flecks, that sits beneath a full moon, all on a field of black. White stars decorate the upper portion of the sign.)
Exterior Description:
The Moonlit Gargoyle sits atop a small hill, and is surrounded by a thriving village that sees constant merchant traffic, barge and cog traffic from the river north of the inn, raw stone hauled out of quarries in the mountains to the east, and timber harvested at much expense (and even more danger) from the woodland north of the river.
Built of granite and sandstone, the Gargoyle stands three stories tall beneath a steep gabled roof that is layered over in thin slate sheets. Several chimneys break up the sleek look of the roof. Double windows reinforced by interior wooden shutters grace all four sides of the inn, while man-high double windows stand in the lee of the roof; these open onto stone floored balconies edged with iron rails on two sides of the inn (suggesting a fourth floor in lieu of an attic).
The stone façade of the Gargoyle is covered from ground to roof in small alcoves the height of a two year old child. These house small gargoyles with large heads and stub wings, all carved from marble, granite, sandstone and other varieties of natural stone. Under the light of the moon the faces of the gargoyles seem to shimmer and come alive.
Interior Description:
The common areas of the Gargoyle are decorated with paintings and tapestries, and fine furniture and plush chairs. The wooden floors are clean, and decorated with carpets worth a small fortune. Abundant lighting is available in the form of lamps, candles and fireplaces. A manual pump system allows uniformed servants (never "staff") to dispense fresh water into buckets on all three floors; guests requiring water to drink, or for a bath, need only grab the bell pull in their room to call for it.
Each room is divided into a guest area, bedroom, closet and commode, and comes equipped with its own fireplace, bath, writing desk and chair, ample shelf and dresser space, a closet, extra chairs and a couch. Paintings, decorations and tapestries fit the theme of each room (each room has its own name to suit the theme). The bell pulls are ornately decorated, and can be accessed from the guest area and bedroom. The type of bell that sounds indicates both the room and what is desired, be it water, firewood, food, drink, or "other".
There are at least as many servants on each floor as there are rooms, and the servants never fail to appear and inquire as to the specific needs of a guest, no matter the hour of the day. They stand ready in a servants room that is equipped with a fireplace, extra room supplies, a tub over hot coals from which to draw hot water for baths, and so on.
Servants fetching food and drinks navigate up and down the inn by means of a spiral stairway that parallels the servant's fireplace along the back wall of the inn; it runs from the basement below the inn, to the kitchens on the ground floor, to the roof level. This allows them remain out of sight, thus avoiding guests who make their way to and from their rooms to the ground floor by an elaborately decorated U-shaped staircase that stands in the center of the inn.
The roof level is reserved for the proprietor and those she keeps company with.
Prices are expensive, and justifiably so.
Proprietor:
The Master of the Gargoyle (never the "proprietor") is Maeraedithe Hardivyper. Maeraedithe's presence commands the attention of everyone in a room. Those she looks upon feels the weight and measure of her gaze. An expectant look from her is enough to stand men up from their seats and make ready to be commanded. Her servants are highly trained, work doubly hard to avoid her displeasure, and are loyal. Maeraedithe is assumed to be a noblewoman from another land--she certainly dresses the part--but none can say for certain. What is known is that she courts adventurers, and provides them with discounts on food and lodgings during their stay. She can be found most hours on the roof level, but in times of need she will take the place of any servant. Thus she may be found cooking in the kitchen, hauling chamberpots to the river to wash them, or manhandling a guest out of the inn that's overstayed.
Notable Guests:
Indragar “Coinbelly” Aerlond
A one-time trader of silks, rugs and tapestries. Ask any merchant in the region and they will tell you Indragar’s paunch is rumored to hold more than his belly, as everyone knows he keeps coin sleeves over his gut. The fall of the Aerlond family forced Indragar to leave his native land, and he quickly settled in the busy little village where the Moonlit Gargoyle is located, having sold numerous of his wares to the inn that he now calls home. Indragar has paid in advance for a two month stay at the inn, that he might have a base of operations to resume his business; as a result his large belly has shrunk rather quickly for a man of his appetite. Indragar considers the region's intrigues to be brutish—practically homely—compared to those of his native land, and he has already thwarted attempts to unseat him from his place at the Gargoyle. He desires to know all he can about his new surroundings before he acquires property for a new shop, and is interviewing adventurers with reputations for doing their work quietly and keeping their mouths shut after (of which there are plenty in and around the Gargoyle), in order to supplement the growing number of paid contacts he has assembled with men and women of action.
Other Details:
Popular rumor holds that one gargoyle of the many that decorate the exterior of the inn comes to life each night. It flies out into the village, seeking to impart a secret to one lucky person, or to give aid to those in need, before returning to its perch. Villagers oft claim of hearing whispers in their dreams, of the sort that promises good fortune will follow in the wake of certain actions undertaken, while other villagers have discovered upon awaking that objects are rearranged in their homes so as to lead them to something valuable or presumed lost.
Rarely can a gargoyle from the inn be found atop one of the buildings in the village after sunrise, and so making prisoners of all who dwell within. Whatever power the gargoyles hold to prevent any entrance or exit (magical or mundane) is unknown to the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle, but only she is capable of releasing a gargoyle’s hold over a structure.
Villagers believe the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle tasks her servants with counting the gargoyles on their perches each morning in order to stoke rumor and interest in her business, but the count is made in all seriousness. She keeps one band of adventurers on retainer at all times, allowing them free room and board in her establishment and paying them handsomely to accompany her anywhere in the village to deal with whatever macabre scene or lurking horror they find, but only after her small army of runners have searched high and low in the town to find the missing gargoyle, and only after she has released the gargoyle's hold on a building.
Adventure Hooks:
1. The bodies of the Company of the Angry Chamberpot have been discovered inside a residence in the village. All floated in the air over the floor the main room of the house, by means of magic unknown, and were arranged in a circle that slowly spun counterclockwise. The backs of their heads were missing, as were their brains. Rumors exchanged between adventurers in the village claim the Angry Chamberpot were on retainer to the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle, and that she seeks replacements to find their murderer or murderers.
2. Representatives of the Guild of Stonecarvers and Gemfinders have approached the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle, seeking permission to interview the adventurers staying at her inn. Wyverns have been harassing members of the guild working in the quarries in the hills to the east of the village, and at least one mated pair has made a nest in a quarry. If pressed, the representatives will admit to the truth of the rumor that a blue dragon emerged unexpectedly from a cavern entrance where the woodland borders the mountains, that leads to valuable gem deposits. The dragon slew several guild members before the rest could escape.
3. Coinbelly has decided to test the adventurers in his employ by giving them the names of his rivals who are secretly engaged in duplicitous merchant activity, slaving, and worse, so they might uncover proof or otherwise put a stop to it.
*********
The Moonlit Gargoyle
(Inn sign is a rectangular wooden board thrust out over the entrance, that hangs from an ornate iron post. It shows a gargoyle with grey skin shot through with blue-green flecks, that sits beneath a full moon, all on a field of black. White stars decorate the upper portion of the sign.)
Exterior Description:
The Moonlit Gargoyle sits atop a small hill, and is surrounded by a thriving village that sees constant merchant traffic, barge and cog traffic from the river north of the inn, raw stone hauled out of quarries in the mountains to the east, and timber harvested at much expense (and even more danger) from the woodland north of the river.
Built of granite and sandstone, the Gargoyle stands three stories tall beneath a steep gabled roof that is layered over in thin slate sheets. Several chimneys break up the sleek look of the roof. Double windows reinforced by interior wooden shutters grace all four sides of the inn, while man-high double windows stand in the lee of the roof; these open onto stone floored balconies edged with iron rails on two sides of the inn (suggesting a fourth floor in lieu of an attic).
The stone façade of the Gargoyle is covered from ground to roof in small alcoves the height of a two year old child. These house small gargoyles with large heads and stub wings, all carved from marble, granite, sandstone and other varieties of natural stone. Under the light of the moon the faces of the gargoyles seem to shimmer and come alive.
Interior Description:
The common areas of the Gargoyle are decorated with paintings and tapestries, and fine furniture and plush chairs. The wooden floors are clean, and decorated with carpets worth a small fortune. Abundant lighting is available in the form of lamps, candles and fireplaces. A manual pump system allows uniformed servants (never "staff") to dispense fresh water into buckets on all three floors; guests requiring water to drink, or for a bath, need only grab the bell pull in their room to call for it.
Each room is divided into a guest area, bedroom, closet and commode, and comes equipped with its own fireplace, bath, writing desk and chair, ample shelf and dresser space, a closet, extra chairs and a couch. Paintings, decorations and tapestries fit the theme of each room (each room has its own name to suit the theme). The bell pulls are ornately decorated, and can be accessed from the guest area and bedroom. The type of bell that sounds indicates both the room and what is desired, be it water, firewood, food, drink, or "other".
There are at least as many servants on each floor as there are rooms, and the servants never fail to appear and inquire as to the specific needs of a guest, no matter the hour of the day. They stand ready in a servants room that is equipped with a fireplace, extra room supplies, a tub over hot coals from which to draw hot water for baths, and so on.
Servants fetching food and drinks navigate up and down the inn by means of a spiral stairway that parallels the servant's fireplace along the back wall of the inn; it runs from the basement below the inn, to the kitchens on the ground floor, to the roof level. This allows them remain out of sight, thus avoiding guests who make their way to and from their rooms to the ground floor by an elaborately decorated U-shaped staircase that stands in the center of the inn.
The roof level is reserved for the proprietor and those she keeps company with.
Prices are expensive, and justifiably so.
Proprietor:
The Master of the Gargoyle (never the "proprietor") is Maeraedithe Hardivyper. Maeraedithe's presence commands the attention of everyone in a room. Those she looks upon feels the weight and measure of her gaze. An expectant look from her is enough to stand men up from their seats and make ready to be commanded. Her servants are highly trained, work doubly hard to avoid her displeasure, and are loyal. Maeraedithe is assumed to be a noblewoman from another land--she certainly dresses the part--but none can say for certain. What is known is that she courts adventurers, and provides them with discounts on food and lodgings during their stay. She can be found most hours on the roof level, but in times of need she will take the place of any servant. Thus she may be found cooking in the kitchen, hauling chamberpots to the river to wash them, or manhandling a guest out of the inn that's overstayed.
Notable Guests:
Indragar “Coinbelly” Aerlond
A one-time trader of silks, rugs and tapestries. Ask any merchant in the region and they will tell you Indragar’s paunch is rumored to hold more than his belly, as everyone knows he keeps coin sleeves over his gut. The fall of the Aerlond family forced Indragar to leave his native land, and he quickly settled in the busy little village where the Moonlit Gargoyle is located, having sold numerous of his wares to the inn that he now calls home. Indragar has paid in advance for a two month stay at the inn, that he might have a base of operations to resume his business; as a result his large belly has shrunk rather quickly for a man of his appetite. Indragar considers the region's intrigues to be brutish—practically homely—compared to those of his native land, and he has already thwarted attempts to unseat him from his place at the Gargoyle. He desires to know all he can about his new surroundings before he acquires property for a new shop, and is interviewing adventurers with reputations for doing their work quietly and keeping their mouths shut after (of which there are plenty in and around the Gargoyle), in order to supplement the growing number of paid contacts he has assembled with men and women of action.
Other Details:
Popular rumor holds that one gargoyle of the many that decorate the exterior of the inn comes to life each night. It flies out into the village, seeking to impart a secret to one lucky person, or to give aid to those in need, before returning to its perch. Villagers oft claim of hearing whispers in their dreams, of the sort that promises good fortune will follow in the wake of certain actions undertaken, while other villagers have discovered upon awaking that objects are rearranged in their homes so as to lead them to something valuable or presumed lost.
Rarely can a gargoyle from the inn be found atop one of the buildings in the village after sunrise, and so making prisoners of all who dwell within. Whatever power the gargoyles hold to prevent any entrance or exit (magical or mundane) is unknown to the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle, but only she is capable of releasing a gargoyle’s hold over a structure.
Villagers believe the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle tasks her servants with counting the gargoyles on their perches each morning in order to stoke rumor and interest in her business, but the count is made in all seriousness. She keeps one band of adventurers on retainer at all times, allowing them free room and board in her establishment and paying them handsomely to accompany her anywhere in the village to deal with whatever macabre scene or lurking horror they find, but only after her small army of runners have searched high and low in the town to find the missing gargoyle, and only after she has released the gargoyle's hold on a building.
Adventure Hooks:
1. The bodies of the Company of the Angry Chamberpot have been discovered inside a residence in the village. All floated in the air over the floor the main room of the house, by means of magic unknown, and were arranged in a circle that slowly spun counterclockwise. The backs of their heads were missing, as were their brains. Rumors exchanged between adventurers in the village claim the Angry Chamberpot were on retainer to the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle, and that she seeks replacements to find their murderer or murderers.
2. Representatives of the Guild of Stonecarvers and Gemfinders have approached the Master of the Moonlit Gargoyle, seeking permission to interview the adventurers staying at her inn. Wyverns have been harassing members of the guild working in the quarries in the hills to the east of the village, and at least one mated pair has made a nest in a quarry. If pressed, the representatives will admit to the truth of the rumor that a blue dragon emerged unexpectedly from a cavern entrance where the woodland borders the mountains, that leads to valuable gem deposits. The dragon slew several guild members before the rest could escape.
3. Coinbelly has decided to test the adventurers in his employ by giving them the names of his rivals who are secretly engaged in duplicitous merchant activity, slaving, and worse, so they might uncover proof or otherwise put a stop to it.
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pdzoch
Explorer
The Five Palms
Name: The Five Palms (Tavern sign depicts Five Palm Trees near an oasis)
Description Exterior: The small oasis surrounded by five prominent palm trees obviously lends is name to the nearby tavern. Colorful tends collect near the oasis and under any shade that can be found. The nearby river, lined with reeds and marsh grass, refreshes the oasis during flooding season. Amongst the city of tents stand several mud brick buildings. The Five Palms is one of the larger mud brick buildings, and the only business is a permanent structure. Like the other buildings, the Five Palms is the color of the desert sand and the dry climate has caused cracks to appear in the corners of the building. Mud and reed patching suffice as repairs along the walls. Unlike the other buildings, the Five Palms has the luxury of a real wood door instead of a curtain door. Only a single small window graces the front wall, and the window is filled with an iron scrollwork without glass.
Description Interior: The interior attempt to appear lush but cannot hide the fact that it is still a mud brick building in a desert. The floor is sweep clean of sand to reveal a stone foundation. The floor is covered by a collection of very ornate rugs, creating a patchwork of red, gold, black, white, and purple rugs. Lining three of the walls are large overstuffed pillows that appear to be either silk or satin, equally ornate as the rugs, with tassels at their corners. The fourth wall is lined by a couple of simple tables covered in a tablecloth. Several tin pitchers, cups and bowls await use on the table. There are no other tables in this room and there are no chairs. The far corner leads to a secondary room divided by a white curtain trimmed in red decorative swirl stitching. A server occasionally comes and goes through these curtains delivering orders to the patrons.
Note: A couple of patrons dressed in desert robes may be present at the time, sitting on the rugs and leaning against the pillows, drinking tea, and conversing in low voices. Patrons of this tavern are those who do not have connections with other people at the oasis. Patrons of this tavern typically are viewed as outsiders to the community, otherwise they would be guests at a local residents’ home or tent instead of visiting the Five Palms.
Proprietor: Jaad Bini is a thin, wiry man of the desert. His clan has lived in this settlement for many generations. His uncles are goat shepherds and camel breeders in the region. Jaad is a wealthy man by comparison as he owns a mud brick building and a host of tents in the community. He came by his wealthy status by catering to the thirsty caravans trekking across the desert along the trade route. Unafraid to serve strangers, Jaad was able to turn a pretty coins offering simple amenities to the tired and thirsty caravans. Jaad is a bit over-accommodating and is willing to look past slights, insults, and other unsavory characteristics in order to make some money. As a result, though Jaad is “wealthy”, he is not well respected in the community. While they may admire his ability to overcharge foreigners (who should be taken advantage of in the community’s view), he should not lower himself to foreigner (who the community views to be lesser than the noble people of the desert). But Jaad does have his limits. He is defiantly protective of his family, and he will not let any harm come to him or the community. If he suspects a patron is dangerous, he will rally the community to drive out the potential threat.
Other details: The Five Palms is a simple tavern that little to offer on short notice. Water, red wine, goats milk and fruit juices are readily available. Dates, baklava, figs, and flat bread are also readily available. A goat or lamb can be prepared if given sufficient notice in the morning for an afternoon or evening meal. Lamb, rice and bread are usually available when caravans are due in. During meals, several servants will bring in large platters of lamb to serve the patrons and ensure cups are filled. After meals, the servants offer a bowl of water and towels for patrons to wash their hands and face after eating.
The Five Palms does not offer rooms – there are few buildings in town with more than one room anyways. Instead, The Five Palms has three large tents near the oasis which can be rented as a common room each. Each tent can comfortably hold five people. Ornate carpets cover the sand floors of the tents, and pillows and thin blankets are in each room, as well as a small tin tea set.
Notable Patron: Shaheed Nazar is a silk merchant who stops into the Five Palms during the travels along the trade route. Shaheed does not think much of Jaad, but he does not feel it worth his time to befriend a local for an appropriate and respectable host. Shaheed is a shrewd business who overestimate the quality of this silk goods and drives hard bargains for the highest price possible. Shaheed simply wears his customers down until they accept his prices. Shaheed is but one of many silk merchants on this route, but he thinks he is the most valuable and therefore the most targeted. He is not paranoid; he has an inflated sense of self-importance. Shaheed complements his plain white desert robes with a bright yellow silk belt, made from the same silk he imports.
Story Hook: 1) Silk worms are dying off by the thousands, putting the silk industry in serious jeopardy. Several silk farms and merchants have already gone out of business. The surviving silk farmers can not meet merchant demands, are suffering from intense pressure from the merchants who are fighting amongst themselves for the scarce resource, and worry if their farm will befall the same plight that ruined the other farmers. The merchants and farmers are looking for someone who can figure out what is happening to the silk worms and protect their farms. (a pestilence cause by a mage or evil druid is causing the silk worm deaths). 2) Jackalweres roam the desert at night and pose a greater risk than bandits. Bandits only want your treasure. The jackalweres want your body. Merchants are always hiring guards for the trek across the desert. The silk merchant guild will pay handsomely for anyone who can eradiate the jackalwere threat. 3) A dragon is rumored to have taken up residence in the forgotten ruins of an ancient city in the desert. The desert is dangerous enough without a dragon. The local tribes and trade merchants are hiring a party to investigate the ruins and drive out the dragon if he is there. (A dragon may or may not be there. There are plenty of other dangerous creatures who can take up residence in an ancient ruin).
Name: The Five Palms (Tavern sign depicts Five Palm Trees near an oasis)
Description Exterior: The small oasis surrounded by five prominent palm trees obviously lends is name to the nearby tavern. Colorful tends collect near the oasis and under any shade that can be found. The nearby river, lined with reeds and marsh grass, refreshes the oasis during flooding season. Amongst the city of tents stand several mud brick buildings. The Five Palms is one of the larger mud brick buildings, and the only business is a permanent structure. Like the other buildings, the Five Palms is the color of the desert sand and the dry climate has caused cracks to appear in the corners of the building. Mud and reed patching suffice as repairs along the walls. Unlike the other buildings, the Five Palms has the luxury of a real wood door instead of a curtain door. Only a single small window graces the front wall, and the window is filled with an iron scrollwork without glass.
Description Interior: The interior attempt to appear lush but cannot hide the fact that it is still a mud brick building in a desert. The floor is sweep clean of sand to reveal a stone foundation. The floor is covered by a collection of very ornate rugs, creating a patchwork of red, gold, black, white, and purple rugs. Lining three of the walls are large overstuffed pillows that appear to be either silk or satin, equally ornate as the rugs, with tassels at their corners. The fourth wall is lined by a couple of simple tables covered in a tablecloth. Several tin pitchers, cups and bowls await use on the table. There are no other tables in this room and there are no chairs. The far corner leads to a secondary room divided by a white curtain trimmed in red decorative swirl stitching. A server occasionally comes and goes through these curtains delivering orders to the patrons.
Note: A couple of patrons dressed in desert robes may be present at the time, sitting on the rugs and leaning against the pillows, drinking tea, and conversing in low voices. Patrons of this tavern are those who do not have connections with other people at the oasis. Patrons of this tavern typically are viewed as outsiders to the community, otherwise they would be guests at a local residents’ home or tent instead of visiting the Five Palms.
Proprietor: Jaad Bini is a thin, wiry man of the desert. His clan has lived in this settlement for many generations. His uncles are goat shepherds and camel breeders in the region. Jaad is a wealthy man by comparison as he owns a mud brick building and a host of tents in the community. He came by his wealthy status by catering to the thirsty caravans trekking across the desert along the trade route. Unafraid to serve strangers, Jaad was able to turn a pretty coins offering simple amenities to the tired and thirsty caravans. Jaad is a bit over-accommodating and is willing to look past slights, insults, and other unsavory characteristics in order to make some money. As a result, though Jaad is “wealthy”, he is not well respected in the community. While they may admire his ability to overcharge foreigners (who should be taken advantage of in the community’s view), he should not lower himself to foreigner (who the community views to be lesser than the noble people of the desert). But Jaad does have his limits. He is defiantly protective of his family, and he will not let any harm come to him or the community. If he suspects a patron is dangerous, he will rally the community to drive out the potential threat.
Other details: The Five Palms is a simple tavern that little to offer on short notice. Water, red wine, goats milk and fruit juices are readily available. Dates, baklava, figs, and flat bread are also readily available. A goat or lamb can be prepared if given sufficient notice in the morning for an afternoon or evening meal. Lamb, rice and bread are usually available when caravans are due in. During meals, several servants will bring in large platters of lamb to serve the patrons and ensure cups are filled. After meals, the servants offer a bowl of water and towels for patrons to wash their hands and face after eating.
The Five Palms does not offer rooms – there are few buildings in town with more than one room anyways. Instead, The Five Palms has three large tents near the oasis which can be rented as a common room each. Each tent can comfortably hold five people. Ornate carpets cover the sand floors of the tents, and pillows and thin blankets are in each room, as well as a small tin tea set.
Notable Patron: Shaheed Nazar is a silk merchant who stops into the Five Palms during the travels along the trade route. Shaheed does not think much of Jaad, but he does not feel it worth his time to befriend a local for an appropriate and respectable host. Shaheed is a shrewd business who overestimate the quality of this silk goods and drives hard bargains for the highest price possible. Shaheed simply wears his customers down until they accept his prices. Shaheed is but one of many silk merchants on this route, but he thinks he is the most valuable and therefore the most targeted. He is not paranoid; he has an inflated sense of self-importance. Shaheed complements his plain white desert robes with a bright yellow silk belt, made from the same silk he imports.
Story Hook: 1) Silk worms are dying off by the thousands, putting the silk industry in serious jeopardy. Several silk farms and merchants have already gone out of business. The surviving silk farmers can not meet merchant demands, are suffering from intense pressure from the merchants who are fighting amongst themselves for the scarce resource, and worry if their farm will befall the same plight that ruined the other farmers. The merchants and farmers are looking for someone who can figure out what is happening to the silk worms and protect their farms. (a pestilence cause by a mage or evil druid is causing the silk worm deaths). 2) Jackalweres roam the desert at night and pose a greater risk than bandits. Bandits only want your treasure. The jackalweres want your body. Merchants are always hiring guards for the trek across the desert. The silk merchant guild will pay handsomely for anyone who can eradiate the jackalwere threat. 3) A dragon is rumored to have taken up residence in the forgotten ruins of an ancient city in the desert. The desert is dangerous enough without a dragon. The local tribes and trade merchants are hiring a party to investigate the ruins and drive out the dragon if he is there. (A dragon may or may not be there. There are plenty of other dangerous creatures who can take up residence in an ancient ruin).
pdzoch,
I like how you wove the cultural attitudes of Jaad Bini's people in with his description. That's a great big frame to build a memorable NPC on right there.
I also like the color descriptions for the rugs, "creating a patchwork of red, gold, black, white, and purple." That line evoked a scene in my head right away, and just like that made the Five Palms come to life.
The mention of lambs prepared for guests (with notice) reminded me of a Food Network show (can't remember the name at the moment) where lambs were slaughtered, skinned and then cooked on a bed of hot coals that was buried under a layer of heavy leaves and desert sand, so I could readily imagine the smells and the look of the lamb when it was done cooking.
Nicely done!
I like how you wove the cultural attitudes of Jaad Bini's people in with his description. That's a great big frame to build a memorable NPC on right there.
I also like the color descriptions for the rugs, "creating a patchwork of red, gold, black, white, and purple." That line evoked a scene in my head right away, and just like that made the Five Palms come to life.
The mention of lambs prepared for guests (with notice) reminded me of a Food Network show (can't remember the name at the moment) where lambs were slaughtered, skinned and then cooked on a bed of hot coals that was buried under a layer of heavy leaves and desert sand, so I could readily imagine the smells and the look of the lamb when it was done cooking.
Nicely done!
pdzoch
Explorer
I'm so glad it was only one gargoyle. If there were two coming to life, I couldn't help but hear Statler and Waldorf's voice for the gargoyles, thanks to Chris Perkins' portrayal of them last year at the PAX Prime game with Acquisitions Incorporated.
Tavernants
(Tavern sign is a wooden board with the image of a bald, bearded man’s smiling face and torso; the man holds a handkeg of foaming ale. One is just as likely to find the sign on the ground in front of the entrance as hanging from the wooden arm that extends over the entrance.)
Exterior Description:
This upland tavern stands in the middle of nowhere.
Tavernant’s is the epicenter of adventuring activity in this part of the world. It occupies the halfway point between civilization and a vast region of unexplored land. Whether this is important depends on what one thinks of adventurering, and the wisdom in exploring territory claimed by a dragon.
The squat one story tavern sits in the middle of a field. The equally squat gabled roof is covered in a thick layer of straw sourced from the field. Tavernant’s is L-shaped, its wooden walls bleached grey from decades spent under the sun. A boarded over entrance stands at the top of the L, which faces in the direction of civilization. Square holes that once housed windows run along all sides of the building (these are boarded over or fitted with shutters that mostly work), while large square bricks denote a fireplace that occupies the inside corner of the building, where the length of the building turns left for a short distance (at the corner where the leg of the L becomes the foot). The main entrance stands between the top of the L and the fireplace.
A path just wide enough to allow simple carts to navigate to and from the tavern winds its way through the tall grass. The field is not farmed, and the extent to which it is tended depends entirely on the ability of adventurers to make a comfortable campsite. The path turns into a foot trail barely ten paces past the tavern, and disappears soon after. Adventurers leaving for the wilds beyond Tavernant’s step off the path as soon as possible anyway, as they believe that to stay on the path, or to try and trace the steps of adventurers who came before, is bad luck.
Interior Description:
Tavernant’s is spartan and drafty. The chairs and tables are mismatched and in poor condition. The interior is open, save for the wooden poles that run down the center of the building that support the roof. There is no ceiling, and more than one hungover adventurer has awakened in the morning to the sight of moldy old straw overhead. The heat from the fireplace reaches not much farther than the entrance to the tavern. Wood is scarce, and good firewood is readily accepted as payment for drinks in the cold months.
There is no bar in the traditional sense. Instead, shields and swords given over as payment for drinks have been fastened to a wooden frame that stands in front of the wall near the fireplace. Adventurers are forbidden to set foot behind the bar, bottles sit on wooden boards that line the wall behind the bar, and ale kegs are set on tables (the only tables in the tavern that are not suspect, as it happens) that flank either side of the shelves.
Shields also top the bar, such as it is. Adventurers are expected to provide their own handkeg or cup if they want to be served, to put coins for their drink into their cup and set it on the bar, and then to shove off to a table once their cup is filled.
Drinks are not served into water pouches (though empty potion bottles will do; no discounts just because the bottle is small) nor are kegs of ale and bottles of hard drink sold outright. Prices are moderate to expensive, and the price increases when supplies run low to make them last—and supplies are always low.
The foot of the L houses Tavernant and his family. They keep their supplies of ale kegs and extra drinks in this room, which is separated from the tavern by a patchwork wall that runs to the roof. They store overnight in their room every keg and bottle on the shelves and tables behind the bar that was not used up by the end of the day. The fireplace extends partly into this room; it sports a second hearth/firebox that the family uses for cooking.
Proprietor:
Tavernant’s head is bald not by choice, but because dragon fire once melted him into raw red flesh from the neck up. Healing magic gave him back his face and ears, and the ability to grow a beard, but it could not return hair to the new skin atop his skull. The dragon that burned him still taunts him from time to time by flying within sight of the tavern (but never over) and hurling the corpses of dead adventurers through the roof.
Tavernant is depicted in the image on the tavern sign.
Notable Patrons:
It’s uncommon to find anyone other than adventurers at Tavernant’s. Merchants occasionally make the trek out of curiosity, but mostly find the place too run down and remote to make part of their regular route. When word spreads that tables and chairs are in short supply, sometimes a chair monger will arrive to hawk his or her wares.
Other Details:
Tavernant’s stands on the edge of dragon territory. Lesser dragons and a few older wyrms inhabit the region, but all are subservient to a red of immense age and size that lairs well beyond the horizon. That the tavern exists at all is a testament to the unyielding bravery of Tavernant and his long dead adventuring companions. They won a portion of the red’s territory away from it at a high cost, and the two survivors (Tavernant and his wife, the fighter Cymmarra) settled there, choosing to build a waystop for adventurers.
To the extent that a market exists at Tavernant’s, it is one of adventurers selling to and buying from other adventurers. The place has been around long enough that most adventurers know to bring extra gear and supplies as backup, and to trade to their peers for food or healing. Information about the wilds beyond Tavernant’s is the most precious commodity of all.
Cymmarra departs with her younger children from the tavern every month to acquire supplies (mostly ale kegs and bottles of drink; these fill up the wagon, barely leaving adequate room for a month’s worth of food for the family). She keeps one horse and a small cart behind the tavern for this purpose.
Most assume Cymmarra leaves with the coins, gems and valuable things her husband accepts as payment, likely to deposit them someplace safe. As a result, the one time travelers to the tavern are likely to see dead adventurers on the path is when attempts to rob Cymmarra have been undertaken. She is as murderous as a Paladin when it comes to defending her children, her husband and the land around the tavern.
Cymmarra is known to wield a matched sword and shield. The sword can be hurled like a spear with no maximum range (rumors passed between adventurers claim that if Cymmarra can see you, then she can skewer you with her sword no matter how far away you are; such rumors are accompanied by reminders that the terrain all around the tavern is very, very flat), while the shield drinks spells and delivers blasts of raw magical energy to anyone who comes in contact with it (tales of brigands exploding when Cymmarra rushed into them shield first are popular at Tavernant’s).
Finally, Tavernant allows no adventurer to stay longer than a week in the field around his tavern. On the sixth day of their stay, adventurers are firmly reminded to shove off by the next morning. Those that do not leave are advised to make ready to face Tavernant at sunset for the right to the tavern and the land around it. The bodies of challengers are burned well away from the tavern, their belongings forfeit.
The master of the tavern and his wife give no quarter in combat.
Adventure Hooks:
1. Wild rumors from beyond Tavernants claim the master of the inn is no man, but actually a dragon in human guise. At least one curious wizard has taken these rumors for truth, and has quietly obtained the services of adventurers to bring a special gem with them to the tavern, that they might quietly view Tavernant through it. If he be a man, then he will appear so in the gem. If not...
2. The lesser dragons that lair on the border of the territory claimed by the red dragon are required to patrol the area around their homes, to slay on sight humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, and any other intelligent beings foolish enough not to worship dragons as gods, and to court the presence of orcs, goblins and other creatures so as to create a buffer on the border. The work of any one of these dragons reaches its peak before the beast slumbers, and sometimes results in lone monsters wandering off, or in hordes that spill out from the border to raid and pillage. Tavernants is not excluded from this danger, and adventurers in residence are expected to stand shoulder to shoulder and face the oncoming threat, whatever form it takes.
3. Adventurers returning from successful forays into the wilds will often stop at Tavernants. Such occasions herald celebrations that last into the night. Adventurer lore says that anyone who makes at least three such forays into the wilds and returns alive and with treasure will be approached by Tavernant and given the instructions on how to find the lairs of the older wyrms who sleep, and to overcome the maze of monster traps, magical diversions and worse those wyrms surround themselves with. This lore is true, but most adventurers do not realize that Tavernant is still battling the red dragon that nearly killed him. He seeks to weaken the beast’s hold on its terrain by carefully directing and advising the best of the adventurers that visit his tavern (and that will listen to him).
EDIT: A handy list of adventuring companies, some with descriptions, can be found HERE at EN World.
(Tavern sign is a wooden board with the image of a bald, bearded man’s smiling face and torso; the man holds a handkeg of foaming ale. One is just as likely to find the sign on the ground in front of the entrance as hanging from the wooden arm that extends over the entrance.)
Exterior Description:
This upland tavern stands in the middle of nowhere.
Tavernant’s is the epicenter of adventuring activity in this part of the world. It occupies the halfway point between civilization and a vast region of unexplored land. Whether this is important depends on what one thinks of adventurering, and the wisdom in exploring territory claimed by a dragon.
The squat one story tavern sits in the middle of a field. The equally squat gabled roof is covered in a thick layer of straw sourced from the field. Tavernant’s is L-shaped, its wooden walls bleached grey from decades spent under the sun. A boarded over entrance stands at the top of the L, which faces in the direction of civilization. Square holes that once housed windows run along all sides of the building (these are boarded over or fitted with shutters that mostly work), while large square bricks denote a fireplace that occupies the inside corner of the building, where the length of the building turns left for a short distance (at the corner where the leg of the L becomes the foot). The main entrance stands between the top of the L and the fireplace.
A path just wide enough to allow simple carts to navigate to and from the tavern winds its way through the tall grass. The field is not farmed, and the extent to which it is tended depends entirely on the ability of adventurers to make a comfortable campsite. The path turns into a foot trail barely ten paces past the tavern, and disappears soon after. Adventurers leaving for the wilds beyond Tavernant’s step off the path as soon as possible anyway, as they believe that to stay on the path, or to try and trace the steps of adventurers who came before, is bad luck.
Interior Description:
Tavernant’s is spartan and drafty. The chairs and tables are mismatched and in poor condition. The interior is open, save for the wooden poles that run down the center of the building that support the roof. There is no ceiling, and more than one hungover adventurer has awakened in the morning to the sight of moldy old straw overhead. The heat from the fireplace reaches not much farther than the entrance to the tavern. Wood is scarce, and good firewood is readily accepted as payment for drinks in the cold months.
There is no bar in the traditional sense. Instead, shields and swords given over as payment for drinks have been fastened to a wooden frame that stands in front of the wall near the fireplace. Adventurers are forbidden to set foot behind the bar, bottles sit on wooden boards that line the wall behind the bar, and ale kegs are set on tables (the only tables in the tavern that are not suspect, as it happens) that flank either side of the shelves.
Shields also top the bar, such as it is. Adventurers are expected to provide their own handkeg or cup if they want to be served, to put coins for their drink into their cup and set it on the bar, and then to shove off to a table once their cup is filled.
Drinks are not served into water pouches (though empty potion bottles will do; no discounts just because the bottle is small) nor are kegs of ale and bottles of hard drink sold outright. Prices are moderate to expensive, and the price increases when supplies run low to make them last—and supplies are always low.
The foot of the L houses Tavernant and his family. They keep their supplies of ale kegs and extra drinks in this room, which is separated from the tavern by a patchwork wall that runs to the roof. They store overnight in their room every keg and bottle on the shelves and tables behind the bar that was not used up by the end of the day. The fireplace extends partly into this room; it sports a second hearth/firebox that the family uses for cooking.
Proprietor:
Tavernant’s head is bald not by choice, but because dragon fire once melted him into raw red flesh from the neck up. Healing magic gave him back his face and ears, and the ability to grow a beard, but it could not return hair to the new skin atop his skull. The dragon that burned him still taunts him from time to time by flying within sight of the tavern (but never over) and hurling the corpses of dead adventurers through the roof.
Tavernant is depicted in the image on the tavern sign.
Notable Patrons:
It’s uncommon to find anyone other than adventurers at Tavernant’s. Merchants occasionally make the trek out of curiosity, but mostly find the place too run down and remote to make part of their regular route. When word spreads that tables and chairs are in short supply, sometimes a chair monger will arrive to hawk his or her wares.
Other Details:
Tavernant’s stands on the edge of dragon territory. Lesser dragons and a few older wyrms inhabit the region, but all are subservient to a red of immense age and size that lairs well beyond the horizon. That the tavern exists at all is a testament to the unyielding bravery of Tavernant and his long dead adventuring companions. They won a portion of the red’s territory away from it at a high cost, and the two survivors (Tavernant and his wife, the fighter Cymmarra) settled there, choosing to build a waystop for adventurers.
To the extent that a market exists at Tavernant’s, it is one of adventurers selling to and buying from other adventurers. The place has been around long enough that most adventurers know to bring extra gear and supplies as backup, and to trade to their peers for food or healing. Information about the wilds beyond Tavernant’s is the most precious commodity of all.
Cymmarra departs with her younger children from the tavern every month to acquire supplies (mostly ale kegs and bottles of drink; these fill up the wagon, barely leaving adequate room for a month’s worth of food for the family). She keeps one horse and a small cart behind the tavern for this purpose.
Most assume Cymmarra leaves with the coins, gems and valuable things her husband accepts as payment, likely to deposit them someplace safe. As a result, the one time travelers to the tavern are likely to see dead adventurers on the path is when attempts to rob Cymmarra have been undertaken. She is as murderous as a Paladin when it comes to defending her children, her husband and the land around the tavern.
Cymmarra is known to wield a matched sword and shield. The sword can be hurled like a spear with no maximum range (rumors passed between adventurers claim that if Cymmarra can see you, then she can skewer you with her sword no matter how far away you are; such rumors are accompanied by reminders that the terrain all around the tavern is very, very flat), while the shield drinks spells and delivers blasts of raw magical energy to anyone who comes in contact with it (tales of brigands exploding when Cymmarra rushed into them shield first are popular at Tavernant’s).
Finally, Tavernant allows no adventurer to stay longer than a week in the field around his tavern. On the sixth day of their stay, adventurers are firmly reminded to shove off by the next morning. Those that do not leave are advised to make ready to face Tavernant at sunset for the right to the tavern and the land around it. The bodies of challengers are burned well away from the tavern, their belongings forfeit.
The master of the tavern and his wife give no quarter in combat.
Adventure Hooks:
1. Wild rumors from beyond Tavernants claim the master of the inn is no man, but actually a dragon in human guise. At least one curious wizard has taken these rumors for truth, and has quietly obtained the services of adventurers to bring a special gem with them to the tavern, that they might quietly view Tavernant through it. If he be a man, then he will appear so in the gem. If not...
2. The lesser dragons that lair on the border of the territory claimed by the red dragon are required to patrol the area around their homes, to slay on sight humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, and any other intelligent beings foolish enough not to worship dragons as gods, and to court the presence of orcs, goblins and other creatures so as to create a buffer on the border. The work of any one of these dragons reaches its peak before the beast slumbers, and sometimes results in lone monsters wandering off, or in hordes that spill out from the border to raid and pillage. Tavernants is not excluded from this danger, and adventurers in residence are expected to stand shoulder to shoulder and face the oncoming threat, whatever form it takes.
3. Adventurers returning from successful forays into the wilds will often stop at Tavernants. Such occasions herald celebrations that last into the night. Adventurer lore says that anyone who makes at least three such forays into the wilds and returns alive and with treasure will be approached by Tavernant and given the instructions on how to find the lairs of the older wyrms who sleep, and to overcome the maze of monster traps, magical diversions and worse those wyrms surround themselves with. This lore is true, but most adventurers do not realize that Tavernant is still battling the red dragon that nearly killed him. He seeks to weaken the beast’s hold on its terrain by carefully directing and advising the best of the adventurers that visit his tavern (and that will listen to him).
EDIT: A handy list of adventuring companies, some with descriptions, can be found HERE at EN World.
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pdzoch
Explorer
What a strange tavern! But a perfect base camp for a battle with a distant dragon in a remote region. I love some of the lines in this description: "good firewood is readily accepted as payment for drinks in the cold month" and "murderous as a Paladin." That red dragon needs an epic name.
Thanks!
I am proud of the line about the red dragon hurling dead adventurers through the roof.
It seems like it would be an interesting first scene for players to experience, especially if a DM starts his or her campaign there. I added a link at the bottom of the entry to my thread in the Homebrew forum about adventuring companies.
If that's beyond the scope of what you want included in this thread, I can remove it.
And I agree: that red needs a proper name.
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