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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pdzoch" data-source="post: 6890961" data-attributes="member: 80982">The Wreck of the WhaleboneName: The Wreck of the Whalebone (Tavern sign is a large red sign with a white border with the word “Whalebone” painted in white – it is the original sign that bore the ship’s name on its stern)Description Exterior:  This large building appears to be made in two parts.  The lower part is a half-timbered dab and wattle construction, with green stained yellow walls between dark red painted wood timbers. But it is the roof that is most striking.  It appears that an old ship was overturned and placed on the building to serve as a roof.  The one end of the building in flat, appearing to be the transom of the old ship.  Circular stains from old barnacles scraped from the hull speckle the smooth and tight fitted wood planks of the roof.  The keel of the old ship is painted white and serves as the ridge of the roof.  The other end of the roof, the bow of the ship, extends beyond the building to a point that provides a covered area next to the building.  A portion of the roof, or hull, has clearly been altered to allow a chimney, though the whole in the hull is much larger than required for the chimney and the resulting repair work is not ship worthy but will suffice to keep out the rain. Description Interior: The interior of the tavern is no less peculiar.  The assortment of simple wooden chairs and tables on the wooden deck are overshadowed by the bizarre ceiling.  A ship’s mast extends from the ceiling and through the floor of the tavern center.  Miles of rope rigging are strung to and fro about the rafters made up of the railings, yards and bow spirit. A steep staircase at across the tavern lead up into the ship’s former lower decks. Old ship lanterns hang about the tavern providing plenty of light when needed. Towards the stern, a large wooden bar rests on old storage barrels, behind which stand smaller casks of ale and shelves of bottled spirits. Above the bar, a harpoon is mounted on the wall, still lied to a long length of rope dangling down the wall.  The kitchen is clearly visible behind the bar. Including a sort of service dumbwaiter fashioned out of the rigging hoists and pulleys to a storage cabin above the kitchen.  A long hallway leads behind the kitchen to a step staircase to the former captain’s cabin.Proprietor: Herculano Amorim is a very elderly man who tends the bar and greets customers, but relies heavily on his staff, especially Gerard, his “1st Mate”, a tall and swarthy man.  Herculano frame has become frail and his hair long, thin, and white.  However, Herculano still has an iron grip when he shakes hands, revealing the strength that many years serving on a ship has given him.  Herculano was the captain of the ship, Whalebone, many years ago.  During a mishap on a reef, the ship lost its sea worthiness.  It was a miracle that Captain Amorim was able to limp the boat back to the bay, where is sank, half submerged in the shallow waters.  Herculano and his remaining crew who did not quite their service to him worked to salvage the boat before eventually deciding to overturn the boat and convert it to a tavern and inn.  Herculano occasionally makes jokes about how he went down with his ship, meaning that they both left the sea service at the same time, or proudly claiming that he has served with his ship longer than any captain alive, true if taking the account of years of service on the ship now that it is a tavern.   Gerard is absolutely devoted to Amorim and does much of the work to make sure that the tavern runs properly. Gerard is soft spoken but firm, while Herculano is talkative but will become agitated if disrespected – he was a captain after all.  The cook, Fausto, was part of the original crew, but the rest of the staff are local and recent hires.Other details: Gerard is skilled with the harpoon above the door and we can make a range attack with it +2, 1d8+2 piercing damage.  On a hit, the target movement speed is halved.  Gerard can conduct an opposed strength check to pull the harpooned creature 5 feet closer to him.  The Wreck of the Whalebone has three semi-private cabins, each with two simple beds, a trunk that is bolted to the floor, and a table and chair.  The common room is on the third “floor” (lower deck) and is an old deck space filled with twenty hammocks.  The common room does have pegs and hooks to hang personal clothing near each hammock, but there are no other furnishings. Fish is the primary meal offered, with fruit and vegetables generally at a higher price than typical.  While ale is a primary drink, the wine is not on the serving list and is generally only a special order. Herculano prefers for wine to be purchased by ship captains as celebration for safe voyage home.  Unusually, water is on the menu and the Wreck of the Whalebone is proud of serving pitchers of water (though it comes from the nearby well). Notable Patron: Domingos Do Rosário is a regular at the Wreck of the Whalebone when his ship is in port. Domingos is a pearl merchant and expert pearl diver.  Though he has a score of boys who dive for pearls in his employment, he also personally dives for pearls.  He has made his wealth on finding and selling rare pearls.  He maintains a pearl farm, but few know exactly where it is. The village suspects that the pearl farm is heavily protected.  Domingos is a shallow and fresh water sailor and is uncomfortable and inexperienced in the open seas.  He will also not venture onto the water during bad weather.  Domingos treats his divers wells and pays them fairly; he is an honest business man.  He can be a big of a braggart, but he is not an idiot.  He will brag about a rare and valuable pearl found, but only after he has sold it and it is no longer in his possession.  Story Hook: 1) A rare Blue Pearl is rumored to have been discovered in the local waters, and there is a sudden demand for the rare pearl and an unusual interest shown in the village.  Wealthy men seeking to add the pearl to their wealth, wizards seeking a rare component, druids concerned about the extraction of the prize from the natural world, and the obvious bandit group seem to converging on the village to find the pearl, or the oyster that bore it. 2)  Though frowned upon, it is not unheard of for a captain of a ship to press unsuspecting locals into service aboard a ship for a voyage or two.  So when a young man or two disappears from a village when boats depart the port, one assumes that the missing were pressed into service. However, lately VERY young boys have begun disappearing.  One would think that such young bodies would be unsuitable aboard a ship, but where have they gone?3) Fisherman claim to have seen a shoal of sahuagin (sea devils) near the coast not far from the village.  It is uncertain if this is just a passing or lost school or if they are looking to establish a new kingdom in the area.  The local fisherman and villagers are not capable of defending themselves against such vile creatures, especially if the sea devils intend to stay and nest.</blockquote>

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