Difference between revisions of "Drachean Merchant Guide - Inns, Taverns & Restaurants"

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This establishment in the Wharf near the Back Alley is identified by a rickety sign over the door marked with a pair of red Xs, reportedly the only thing the tavern's original owner knew how to write. It has the dubious distinction of being disputably the single most dangerous establishment in all of Drache, exceeding even the Cutpurse Inn and the BlkDragon Inn in its hazards its patrons. Sane people are strongly advised to avoid this place at any cost. Despite its dark reputation, however, it still attracts a surprising number of customers each night. Surviving a night at the Double Cross is a right of passage for many of the lowlifes in Drache: it is a mark of honor to simply live through a visit to the bar, and surviving the evening with both one's health and possessions intact is a sign of the truly gifted. The regular patrons of the bar designate one or two among their number each evening to try and assassinate any newcomers that might try their luck that night, and betting on how long a particular stranger will survive is a popular pastime among the patrons. For those curious about La Cruz's amenities, the service is terrible, the food is worse, and the entire place looks as if it hasn't been cleaned since shortly before the tavern first opened. The only conceivable way to clean the up the filth at La Cruz would be to demolish the establishment, burn the rubble, and build a new tavern. There are rooms for rent there, though most do not make use of them for more than an hour at a time. Those foolish enough to try to spend an entire night end usually end up being used for practice by the thieves, often waking up to discover that all their belongings (including the clothes they wore to bed) are now missing. At least there is no problem with rats-the roaches eat them all. It is rumored that some of the best spies and assassins in the city are available for hire here--if the prospective employer can survive long enough to acquire someone's services, that is. Inigo, the bartender, is considered one of the best-informed men in Drache, and can provide detailed information on almost anyone in Arangoth if given sufficient gold to stimulate his recollection.
This establishment in the Wharf near the Back Alley is identified by a rickety sign over the door marked with a pair of red Xs, reportedly the only thing the tavern's original owner knew how to write. It has the dubious distinction of being disputably the single most dangerous establishment in all of Drache, exceeding even the Cutpurse Inn and the BlkDragon Inn in its hazards its patrons. Sane people are strongly advised to avoid this place at any cost. Despite its dark reputation, however, it still attracts a surprising number of customers each night. Surviving a night at the Double Cross is a right of passage for many of the lowlifes in Drache: it is a mark of honor to simply live through a visit to the bar, and surviving the evening with both one's health and possessions intact is a sign of the truly gifted. The regular patrons of the bar designate one or two among their number each evening to try and assassinate any newcomers that might try their luck that night, and betting on how long a particular stranger will survive is a popular pastime among the patrons. For those curious about La Cruz's amenities, the service is terrible, the food is worse, and the entire place looks as if it hasn't been cleaned since shortly before the tavern first opened. The only conceivable way to clean the up the filth at La Cruz would be to demolish the establishment, burn the rubble, and build a new tavern. There are rooms for rent there, though most do not make use of them for more than an hour at a time. Those foolish enough to try to spend an entire night end usually end up being used for practice by the thieves, often waking up to discover that all their belongings (including the clothes they wore to bed) are now missing. At least there is no problem with rats-the roaches eat them all. It is rumored that some of the best spies and assassins in the city are available for hire here--if the prospective employer can survive long enough to acquire someone's services, that is. Inigo, the bartender, is considered one of the best-informed men in Drache, and can provide detailed information on almost anyone in Arangoth if given sufficient gold to stimulate his recollection.
[[Category: Guides]]

Revision as of 22:31, 13 April 2019

You hold in your hands, gentle traveler, a guide to many of the businesses and services available in our great city of Drache. Herein you will find everything from smiths to shipwrights, ale houses to alchemical emporiums. Are you in need of something? Fear not, and let this Guide be your guide to finding your heart's desire. -Anson Elbridge, Arangothian Royal Ministry of Commerce

This page covers the various inns, taverns and restaurants around Drache. Other pages:


Market Street & Merchant's Square

The only broad avenue in the city of Drache, Market Street connects the BlkDragon District of the city with the Merchant's Square District, where it opens into the large plaza that gives the district its name. From dawn until dusk every day of the week except Sundas (Sunday), Market Street and the Merchant's Square are filled to capacity by people buying and selling items of every kind, from foodstuffs to rare antiques from across the sea. Nearly any conceivable item can be purchased from the market if one has the money and the patience to find what one needs. The crowds are so thick at the market that it is practically impossible to get anywhere without elbowing one's way through the throng. In addition to those buying and selling, minstrels and other performers work the crowds for their daily bread, while philosophers and prophets of strange religions seek to recruit new followers from the crowds. Owning a shop along the perimeter of the Square is considered a mark of prestige among Drache's merchant community, as such a location practically guarantees that the business will prosper. Similarly, vendors compete fiercely for a spot near the huge black marble fountain that dominates the center of the Merchant's Square. This fountain, a fifteen foot tall statue of King BlkDragon and Queen AngelSin surrounded by a circle of ten dragons made of bronze spouting water into the fountain's basin, is one of the most famous landmarks in the entire city.

Inns

Sea Dragon Inn

This inn is widely regarded as the best in the Wharf District. Known for excellent food, equally excellent entertainment, and large rooms with a commanding view of the harbor, it is usually the first choice of accommodations for those well-off enough to afford it. The Sea Dragon frequently houses the captains of the ships currently in port, as well as wealthy passengers who are merely stopping over in Drache on their way to somewhere else. Phineas Goodman, the owner and the former captain of a vessel that bore the same name as the inn, has found that he has had to screen his potential employees very closely, since a number of people with larcenous intentions have sought employment to take advantage of the wealthy clientele. Captain Goodman does not tolerate thieves, and will summon the Guard without hesitation.

Rilpoki's Corner

Rilpoki's Corner is a boarding-house and free charitable hostel located on Market Street in Drache. The proprietor is a Leturian by the name of Rilpoki. Despite a noble birth, Rilpoki arrived in Drache penniless. After several months of living on the streets of Drache, he was given a large gemstone by a being known as Xancruyz, with which he purchased the house now bearing his name and began renting out the spare rooms. With generous financial assistance from several wealthy residents of Drache, he has opened several free boarding-houses for the downtrodden throughout the city.

The Cutpurse Inn

The Cutpurse Inn (if it can properly be called an inn) is located inside of the Back Alley section of Drache, and is generally an unpleasant place to even be caught dead in. It is situated in a dilapidated building in the center of the Alley, which itself is set up in a mocking similarity to the BlkDragon district. The inside of the Inn mocks the richer side of the city, being a darker facsimile of the BlkDragon Inn itself. Inside are rogues, thieves, and scoundrels galore, all come to talk about business, rob, or be robbed. The food is bad, and the drink is worse, but sometimes a thief just needs to be around his own kind. Not a night goes by where someone does not get killed inside of the Cutpurse; it is NOT a place anyone wants to sleep in. The owner of the 'Inn' is not known. Attempts to find out who actually owns the establishment invariably results in bodies piling up, so the matter has always been let go. Whoever it is, he or she does not want to be found out. The head barkeep is Tomra Crochin, alias Tom Cro, and while being a generally pleasant fellow, is big enough to break up any 'illegal' fights (ones that do not follow Back Alley rules), and devious enough to hold his own in the center of the Alley.

The Ewe's Udder Inn

The Ewe's Udder is a simple inn whose existence dates back to the days when Drache was a mere fishing village. The building itself is a rather unimpressive and rickety structure, with a heavy carpet tacked over the entrance in place of a door. While neither the food nor the accommodations are anything the brag about, the Ewe's Udder has several advantages over many other establishments in Drache. First of all, the Ewe's Udder is a relatively quiet place, free of the hazardous magical bar brawls that plague many of the city's alehouses. Second, it is a fairly obscure place, and is a favorite watering hole for those that do not wish to be found. Third, Wymm, the bartender at the Ewe's Udder, only charges a copper per night to sleep in the common room above the bar. When asked how the Inn acquired its name, Wymm will always reply with a grin, "It's where all the little sheep come for something to drink-clever, eh?"


Restaurants

Restaurant Row

Located in the Merchant's Square District, Drache's Restaurant Row is always filled with a thousand incongruous aromas battling over the roadway like states at war over a mutual sea. Along this street one can find restaurants offering up every imaginable cuisine, with establishments catering to the tastes of every race and nationality. It is here that one can find such renowned restaurants as the Royal Griffon, Kiralee's Kitchen, the Imperial Dragon, Drachian Delicacies, and the Golden Spoon. As one walks along its length the varied ethnicities of aroma go in and out of phase: here the reek of pungent spices from Rondis, there the stench of boiling Ellurian celery from huge copper cauldrons, and yonder the sweet smell of Leturian honey pastries left out for the flies while heady tail-dancing music pulsates from behind thick curtains. The confusion is aggravated by the humble folk carting humble Arangothian peasant fare up and down the roadway, offering up sawdust-stuffed sausages and gristly meat-pies for a copper or two.

The Royal Griffon

The talk of Drache's Restaurant Row in the Merchant's District, the Royal Griffon is owned and operated by a man by the name of Sathrand. The former royal chef to King Karos IV of Griffon's Aerie (against his will), Sathrand has quickly established a reputation as one of the finest chefs in all of Drache. After using the chaos following Karos IV's assassination to make his escape, he set out for a new home where his culinary talents would be better appreciated (and better compensated). He thus made his way to Drache, a city known throughout the world as a place where fools and their money are soon parted. And so he bought the best of everything: the freshest milk, the finest cuts of meat, the best wine. He lists no prices on his menu, noting tersely that if a person has to ask, then he or she probably shouldn't be dining in his establishment. One item, however, carries a fixed price of 100,000 crowns-"The Special." The Special is the master touch which in his view made the menu complete. For the price of 100,000 crowns, Sathrand will provide within a month's time ANY meal, composed of any ingredients, no matter how exotic, so long as acquiring and serving them would be legal according to the Arangothian code of law. And if he fails to find and prepare the morsel in question, then the disappointed customer would receive not merely a refund of the 100,000 bank crowns, but Sathrand's entire restaurant, including all its contents. So far, no one has succeeded in defeating Sathrand's challenge. Among the items he took with him from the royal griffon household is a magical amulet which he uses to divine whether the dish in question actually exists. It the amulet reveals that the dish does not exist, the deal is off and the customer is politely shown the door. If the amulet reveals that the dish does exist, however, Sathrand can not renege on the bet.

The Mirage Cafe

A coffeehouse popular with Drache's youth for its theme: Rashnaditz (desert) Culture. The food, the drinks, the management, and the dress of the servers are all traditional from the northeastern country. A few independent Information Dealers frequent this Cafe as a meeting place with customers.

Corregidor's Confectionary

A restaurant located near Market Street, the Confectionary's fame has originated from two things. The first is the fact that CC's is open 24 bells a day, 7 days a week, making it a great stopping point for nightbirds or graveyard-shift workers feeling peckish. Its second claim to fame is its patented mini-cakes: small, round, fattening and mostly made of sugar. This tasty treat combined with hot drinks like coffee and tea have made the Confectionary's popularity shoot up. Because of its sweet foods, caffeinated drinks, and late hours, Corregidor's has become almost swamped with on and off-duty Guardsmen all hours of the day.

Jessie's Bakery

In this small, quaint shop along the perimeter of the Merchant’s Square, one can find the former Royal Baker of Drache, a woman simply known as Jessie. Upon opening the door, customers are assailed with a barrage of mouth-watering smells that few can resist. Though Jessie and her assistants bake continuously from the early hours of the morning until late afternoon, they can just barely keep up with the demand for her breads, pies and pastries. Her wares are a treat not to be missed if one can get through the crowds and into her shop.


Taverns

The Sorceror's Eye

This tavern is located in the BlkDragon District in close proximity to the Royal University. Its location near the University's extensive Royal Library, as well as its reputation for being hospitable to mages make it the preferred lodging of visiting wizards. Local wizards also frequent the place, and the taproom at the inn is a nightly setting for discussions and debates on all things magical. Apprentices in search of teachers often come to The Eye, but do not usually have luck finding a wizard willing to instruct them. The staff at The Eye generally minds their own business and leaves the guests to their own devices unless they are attempting something obviously dangerous (such as attempting summoning rituals in their rooms). The owner of The Eye is a wizardess by the name of Ailith, a no-nonsense woman by all accounts. She has taken numerous precautions to ensure that her establishment will not be vaporized in a magical bar brawl. Everything in the building has been is magically warded against fire. The numerous "decorative" suits of armor in the inn are actually iron golems that will evict troublemakers. The faceted gems that illuminate the inn at night have stun and hold enchantments bound to them that can be activated by a vocal command from Ailith or the other employees to neutralize combatants. There are also rumored to be number of other unpleasant surprises known only to Ailith, used only in extreme circumstances. In addition, the majority of the Royal Guard's spellcasters frequent The Eye, and there is always at least one on the premises to help quell disputes before they get out of hand.

The Old Fat Sow Tavern

Located somewhere in the basement of a rather seedy travelers' inn in the Red Lantern / Back Alley Districts, the patrons of "The Pig" are not the magical, mystical creatures who frequent the some of the other bars and inns in town. Instead, they are the hoods, the petty thieves, the pawnbrokers, the pickpockets, and the street rats of Drache. It is a dangerous place, where slitting throats is a pastime and picking your grandmother's pocket is a hobby. The barmaid is a tough old broad named "Ellie" who mixes a mean Triple Vodka Teaser and uses a double bladed dagger to hold up her hair. Many of the pawnbrokers in town stop by on a regular basis to buy and sell stolen goods.

The Dusk Tavern

"Dive" is about the most favorable term that can possibly used to describe this particular establishment. The Dusk Tavern is located on the outskirts of Drache, just northwest of the Red Lantern District. With a packed earth floor, unfinished furniture, and windows painted black, the ambiance of this place leaves something to be desired. The patrons do not seem to mind in the slightest, rather, they prefer things this way. Due to its relatively remote location, the tavern is isolated and largely overlooked by the Guard. This makes it a very attractive place for many members of the city's less-than-lawful element. Located as it is outside of Drache proper, the Dusk Tavern is not connected to the city's famous sewer system, and an old barn behind the tavern serves as the communal outhouse. This tavern is certainly not for the weak of stomach during the summer months. The tavern's bartender goes by the name of Ferdie, and is more than capable of dealing with the occasional patron with the audacity to make fun of his name.

The Gull's Carcass

Another one of the Wharf District's infamous alehouses, the Gull's Carcass is a speakeasy that is open from dusk until dawn. Though it is not one of the larger establishments in the Wharf District, it more than compensates in the quality of the scum that it attracts. Assassins, thieves, murderers, prostitutes, burlesque dancers, gamblers, even the occasional grave robber can usually be found in the Gull's Carcass on any given night. The ownership of the tavern is unknown (as is frequently the case in the seedier sections of Drache), and the actual owner is hidden behind a long and convoluted paper trail that no one has been able to follow successfully yet. Not many would admit to owning and operating a place such as this one, for fear of the Royal Guard, so the truth of the matter may never be known.


The Double Cross

This establishment in the Wharf near the Back Alley is identified by a rickety sign over the door marked with a pair of red Xs, reportedly the only thing the tavern's original owner knew how to write. It has the dubious distinction of being disputably the single most dangerous establishment in all of Drache, exceeding even the Cutpurse Inn and the BlkDragon Inn in its hazards its patrons. Sane people are strongly advised to avoid this place at any cost. Despite its dark reputation, however, it still attracts a surprising number of customers each night. Surviving a night at the Double Cross is a right of passage for many of the lowlifes in Drache: it is a mark of honor to simply live through a visit to the bar, and surviving the evening with both one's health and possessions intact is a sign of the truly gifted. The regular patrons of the bar designate one or two among their number each evening to try and assassinate any newcomers that might try their luck that night, and betting on how long a particular stranger will survive is a popular pastime among the patrons. For those curious about La Cruz's amenities, the service is terrible, the food is worse, and the entire place looks as if it hasn't been cleaned since shortly before the tavern first opened. The only conceivable way to clean the up the filth at La Cruz would be to demolish the establishment, burn the rubble, and build a new tavern. There are rooms for rent there, though most do not make use of them for more than an hour at a time. Those foolish enough to try to spend an entire night end usually end up being used for practice by the thieves, often waking up to discover that all their belongings (including the clothes they wore to bed) are now missing. At least there is no problem with rats-the roaches eat them all. It is rumored that some of the best spies and assassins in the city are available for hire here--if the prospective employer can survive long enough to acquire someone's services, that is. Inigo, the bartender, is considered one of the best-informed men in Drache, and can provide detailed information on almost anyone in Arangoth if given sufficient gold to stimulate his recollection.