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Locations:Bars, Taverns, Taphouses and Seedy Dives of ErengazorTavern – The Barrel and Barrel TaphouseServices: Specialty of the House: Tranna, a dish made of beans, rice, and hot peppers in almost equal proportions. Ale (or occasionally hurlg) is a frequent cooking ingredient as well. Various types of meat may also be added. The Barrel and Barrel (never “The Barrels” or worse “The Two Barrels”) caters primarily to Erengazor’s Orkish and Highland Troll population. Humans, elves, dwarves, and T’skrang are generally welcome as long as they conform to orkish and trollish sensibilities (a path fraught with peril) and know enough about orks and trolls to be interesting or entertaining. Obsidimen are given an honored place and everyone tries to be on their best behavior when one is around. Any Windling entering prompts an immediate game of “Bat the Gnat” in which everyone attempts to knock said Windling out the nearest door or window. Winner gets a free drink. On any given night the taproom is filled with boisterous orks, with a few trolls seated in a corner of the common room where there is appropriately sized furniture. Fistfights are common, and a full scale barroom brawl breaks out at least once a month, but seldom does anything more serious occur. The orcish community polices itself, and the city militia generally knows to stay out of the Barrel and Barrel altogether, or send one of its orcish members to investigate any criminal activity. Inn - The Caerlight InnServices Specialty of the house: Mushroom dusted veal with sage The Caerlight Inn has been constructed in the remains of the Erengazor Caer, and specializes in what might best be described as "haute dwarven caer" cuisine – that is, food that is modeled after what people used to eat while living in caers during the scourge, but far more elaborate and substantial. Mushrooms, eggs, and goat cheese feature prominently in most of the dishes The Caerlight is the largest, and also the most expensive, inn in Erengzor. The décor is high-class Throalic. The menu is in Throalic. The staff speak Throalic, and nothing but Throalic. Orcs and trolls need not bother trying to dine here, as their reservations are invariably lost. Windlings, while not being refused service outright, will find that their meals arrive late and cold. Few Windlings are interested in the place anyway, as dwarven food is not to their liking. Obsidimen are treated politely, but there are no facilities for namegivers of their size, so dining is difficult. The Caerlight has a dress code, and those who arrive dusty from the trail or in riverman's canvas clothes will likewise be turned away. The most common diners are high-class travellers stopping in while en route somewhere. Rooms at the Caerlight are also superb, with higher end rooms having such magical amenities as hot and cold running water, temperature control, air spirits to transmit messages to the kitchen and staff, adjustable light crystals, self starting and extinguishing lanterns, and beds that have adjustable firmness. Tavern - The Wandering CatServices Specialty of the House: Spiced river bass The Wandering Cat is not the nicest tavern in Erengazor, but it is the most popular, because it caters to everyone. Run by T’skrang, the kitchen features a variety of food taken from the river. Nothing is particularly fancy (by T’skrang standards – orks and dwarves may find the menu… flamboyant) but the food and drink are plentiful and reasonably priced, and the atmosphere is relaxed. It is sometimes difficult to find a table (or a room) because of the Cat’s overall popularity, and on major holidays there is often a crowd outside waiting to get in. Wandering troubadours perform frequently at the Cat. Fights at the Wandering Cat are infrequent, but eagerly awaited events. The Cat has many “amenities” for the facilitation of flamboyant fighting techniques, such as a staircase to the upstairs balcony, several chandeliers that can be reached with a good leap from one of the trestle tables, flimsy chairs that are easy to pick up, etc. Nobody is quite certain anymore from whence the Wandering Cat gets its name, but the standard response when someone asks about the cat is “He wandered off.” Brothel – The Rusty DipperServices Cover charge – 1 cp Private room: 1 cp per hour Simple meal: 3 cp Mug of ale: 5 cp Wine Glass 1 cp Bottle 5 cp Specialty of the House: Lavara the Windling Princess. Thirty years ago, the Rusty Dipper was a filthy den of vice, misery, and criminal activity, run by some unscrupulous T’skrang rumored to have ties to House K’tenshin. A series of run-ins with the newly formed Green Arrow Path Adventuring Company brought about a change in management and an improvement in working conditions. The current owner and operator, Tormoh, is an obsidiman. Having no interest in sex himself, he runs the brothel like any other business, treats his employees fairly, and tries to give customers what they want. Though he is seldom seen in the public areas of the brothel, he does take keen personal interest in the goings on of the business, and has been known to introduce particularly troublesome customers to new and unique methods for bending the joints in their arms and legs. The Rusty Dipper offers a variety of services for dwarves, humans, elves, and orks, with limited service available to windlings and trolls. Gambling Hall - The Tricky BoarServices Specialty of the House – separating you from your money and making you think it was a good idea. The Tricky Boar caters primarily to the riverboat crews that stop in at Erengazor, though it does brisk business with the locals as well. Many games of chance are available – dice and card games are popular, but there are also sponsored sporting events such as wrestling that people can bet on. In addition, the Tricky Boar features a magical gambling device, said to be of Theran pre-scourge origin – the Fruit Thief. This boxy device features a slot to put a silver piece in, and a lever on one side. After placing money in the slot, gambler pulls the lever. Several magical images of various types of fruit appear in the air above the machine, cycling in rapid succession for a moment before each stops on a particular fruit. Various combinations of fruit, such as three of a single kind, will cause the device to disgorge money. This device is a big draw and there is usually a long wait to get a turn at the lever, though people seldom win any significant amount from it. Rooms at the Tricky Boar are for privately run games or meetings – no sleeping facilities are available. The Tricky Boar is the sort of place where people go for clandestine business meetings. If there were any sort of underworld activity in Erengazor (which, of course, there isn’t – no no) this would be one of its hubs. Wine Shop - The Gift of JaspreeServices Specialty of the House Geherelliath - an elven wine made from dandelions and herbs, imported from Shosara. The Gift of Jaspree is a wine brokerage that imports fine wines from all over Barsaive and beyond. It carries a huge selection of wines, usually purchased in small lots for resale, though individual bottles are frequently available for tastings. Special orders are possible, and such specialty items as Windling Keesra and Theran Ressin are readily available. |
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