0511 The Inn of the Tankards

Steep-sided, flat-headed hills, many topped with fluttering banners of House Ramius.

• Terrain: Hills (2), High Wold
• Lost/encounters: 1-in-6

The Inn of the Tankards

At the oft-trodden junction near the hex’s centre stands an inn, its lower floor entirely obscured by old growth trees.

Sign: A breggle arm crossing a human arm, each holding a frothing tankard.

Common room: Large and busy, the cacophony of patrons’ voices verging on harsh. Conspicuously clean, all walls freshly painted, all wooden surfaces polished to a bright sheen. The inn is owned by a shorthorn couple: Crump Elbowgen frenetically serves patrons, while his wife Nelga alternates between poring over a ledger and roaming the grounds compulsively in search of maintenance tasks.

Negative atmosphere: All Reaction Rolls suffer a –1 penalty in the inn. PCs may witness a random and upsetting mishap in the common room (argument turned knife fight, horrific gambling loss, vicious lovers’ quarrel, etc.) Afterwards, holy spell-casters feel nauseous.

Guests: Shorthorn and human merchants. Casual conversation reveals that the inn changes hands frequently. The Elbowgens have owned it for two years; the previous owner drowned in a nearby well in an apparent drunken mishap.

Services at the Inn of the Tankards

Lodgings and food: Of common quality (DPB).

Elder tea: Served in fine porcelain. 1gp per serving.

Crump Elbowgen—Shorthorn Landlord

Brown fur with black patches, in a crisply pressed waistcoat. Crump can feel his wife is not entirely present.

Demeanour (Lawful): Nervous, wary, eager to please.

Speech: Staccato rambling. Woldish, Gaffe.

Desires: To understand his wife’s state. To sell the inn.

Nelga Elbowgen—Shorthorn Landlady

White fur and a calico dress. She talks of nothing but the inn, in language that personifies it.

Demeanour (Neutral): Quiet yet forceful.

Speech: Direct, then trailing off. Woldish, Gaffe.

Desires: To keep the inn utterly, painfully clean.

Hauntings

d6 Event 1 Spectral blood dripping from walls. 2 Oppressive sensation of being watched. 3 Corpse-like female elfish visage in window. 4 Bed levitates to the sound of mocking laughter. 5 Disembodied moaning under the bed, in closets, etc. 6 Window opens and slams shut multiple times.

At Night

Haunting: While in bed, 1 random party member experiences an event from the Hauntings table.

Sleepwalker: Watchful PCs may observe Nelga moving in a trance-like state to the basement, where she enters a door hidden behind a wine rack, passing into a secret chamber.

The secret chamber: A damp, vaulted brick chamber. Scattered about are sheet after sheet of drawings, clearly created by different artists over many years, all depicting the inn in various forms, often with a sinister face.

Observing Nelga: She crouches on the floor and manically sketches by candlelight, all the while muttering threats and pleading for mercy in different voices. She continues for an hour, then departs, still in a trance.

Interrupting Nelga: The house causes a torrent of bricks to fall onto the PCs (Save Versus Hold or take 1d4 damage). In the confusion, Nelga flees and returns to her room. The next day, she has no recollection of these events.

The Inn’s Secret Nature

History: Centuries ago, the inn was unwittingly built with wood felled in an accursed glade. It is now a sentient, malevolent entity that instigates and feeds on terror, strife, sorrow, and murder. It delights in slowly destroying its proprietors and causing their untimely end. Each time it changes hands, an owner (currently Nelga) gradually becomes obsessed with the inn, soon treating it as if it were alive.

Exorcising: Using magic of curse removal or successfully turning undead against a Level 5 monster in the secret chamber causes foetid, black water to burst from the walls, and a mournful, plangent wail. The inn’s evil nature is purged, leaving the inn heavily damaged and its owners bewildered but relieved.