Apple Inn
The Apple Inn sits near Kerbin Gate, on the west side of Kerbin way. It shares its enclosure with a larger private residence and a freemaster ostler, Arbis of Queris. Inran of Parsuel built the inn in 697TR, overtop the burned out husk of a tavern. The Inn has a dangerous reputation. Its gate is rarely closed, but a lamp hung on the street-side does not dispel all the shadows about the place.
The Apple Inn looks old. The walls are in constant need of a white wash, and the floor is sticky from spilled ale and other fluids. By the light of day, the floorboards seem stained brown, almost black in places. By night, the floor seems covered in blood. The fresher liquids add to the effect by flowing over the floorboards. The floor is so sticky that no new liquid can find a place to drain away. Instead, it ends up sloshing over the floor like blood gushing from a new wound.
The inn is long and narrow. It has begun to sag against the tall brick building behind it. The neighboring building has a foreboding aura about it, and it purposefully ignored by regulars who come to drink.
A few prostitutes call the Apple Inn their home. They rent rooms from Inran at a slightly reduced price. In return, they try to ply their customers with Inran's drinks.
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The Business
| Size: 9 | Quality: *** | Prices: Average |
Inran of Parsuel runs the inn with a total of nine staff and family members for help. Most of the staff is male and large. Inran himself is a big, burly man with a quiet demeanor and a nasty temper.
A few remember the tavern that once stood on this spot. According to them the Apple inn, in comparison, is quite respectable. Respectable it may be, but safe it is not. Fights are commonplace in the Inn, but so long as they do not spill out onto the street, no one notifies the Red Guard.
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The Inn's Staff |
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| Inran of Parsuel | Master | Innkeeper & Brewmaster |
| Bennca of Then | Journeyman | Brewer |
| Daemmel | Slave | Maid/Server |
| Cugeda | Slave | Maid/Server |
| Brotel of Bythe | Freeman | Bouncer |
| Brantela of Fobin | Journeyman | Innkeeper/Cook |
| Didda of Threlor | Freeman | Server |
| Gëase | Slave | Barman |
| Aedda | Slave | Bouncer |
| Arbis of Queris | Master | Ostler |
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Rate of Charges, Menu, and Bar Tariffs
Inran allows people to sleep in the loft, or the commons room for the same price. He has rooms for rent, but they are all permanently occupied. One must negotiate prices with the prostitute renting the room if one is interested in sharing.
Hot water is available for washing, but the guests must request it from the kitchen, and fetch it themselves. The beds could almost move on their own with the flies that live outside the mattress and the insects that live within. The loft is barren without even pallets to sleep on.
A room comes with a free meal of stew and one mug of cider per day. This is another reason the prostitutes rent the six rooms Inran has on a semi-permanent basis. Occasionally a prostitute can be convinced to give up her room for the night, but an alternate place for her to sleep has to be found first.
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Rate of Charges |
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| Lodging, Commons Room or Loft /night | 2f |
| Use of a Candle (tallow) | 1d/candle |
The food at the Apple Inn is filling if not delectable. Inran and his staff tend to eat large meals twice a day. Patrons eat the same food; some say with the same plates and utensils as the staff.
| Menu | |
|---|---|
| Bannocks | 1f |
| Open faced Apple Pie | 1f/slice |
| Beef and Gravy with day old bread | 1d |
| Goat and Gravy with day old bread | 1f |
| Roasted Pig Part with vegetables | 2d |
| Haunch of Mutton (cold) | 1d |
| Bread and Cheese | 1f |
| Soups | 1f |
Brantela is a busy woman. She has one daughter, Bennca, who will inherit the inn from her husband, Inran. Brantela is never too fussy as to her appearance, and she dresses in a stained and dirty dress, and shoes that need repair. Her hair is all a tangle and there is an equal amount of grease and dirt on her face and hands. She spends her day in hard labor in the kitchen. She cooks food without much style or flair, but it is edible, filling and hot.
| Bar Tariffs | |
|---|---|
| Kerbin Mash | 1d |
| Kerbin Mash/Hogshead | 1d/100d |
| Boar Ale | 4d |
| Boar Ale/Hogshead | 6d |
| Inran's Ale | 2f |
| Inran's Beer | 1f |
| Wine/cup | 1d |
Gëase serves the bar, but does not like to listen. Gëase is always within calling distance, but never close enough to overhear a whispered conversation. She keeps a few special ales and drinks for very special customers beneath the bar.
The wine is an imported vintage. It is only available in red and Gëase knows only that it is wine.
| Menu |
|---|
| Kerbin Mash A strange mix, locals do not mind its bitter taste when severed with food. Somehow, it cures the thirst a hot day brings and is only mildly alcoholic. |
| Boar Ale A strong and hearty brew, this one slides like syrup down your throat and explodes in your belly like a hot wind. It is surprisingly popular. |
| Inran's Ale Simple ale for those with unrefined pallets. It is ale. Brown too. |
| Inran's Beer A pale beer it tends to be sweet and pleasant in the winter. Inran is taking to serving it after he has placed a hot poker in it. No one wants it that much more than once. |
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The Inn's Staff
Inran has, in the past, hired a few extra hands during caravan season to help keep patrons happy. Where these hired hands come from is always uncertain. At times, Inran does not remember that he hired them for the day. There is always work about the Inn to keep any hired hands busy for at least a day.
Inran of Parsuel, Master Innkeeper & Brewmaster
Inran appears, at first gawk, to be a retired gladiator, or some forgotten horror from the legion's battlefield. He stands 6'4" tall and seems to be mostly muscle beneath the scars that run across his body. His skin looks like pale leather, etched with age. He hefts hogsheads and argumentative patrons with equal ease. A gruff man he is occasionally behind the bar. Locals accept his commentary of grunts and nods as normal. He is not interested in welcoming patrons, or being friendly. Instead Inran is interested in running a profitable flee pit. He accepts coin quickly, and checks it carefully. Handing him Rethemi coin will get you thrown almost as quick as handing him no coin at all. Only a few choice patrons run a tab. You order, you pay and then you get your drink. Amidst all this he is a good brewmaster, and tends to his craft with a care usually only reserved for unobserved moments with his wife. Quickest way to get him mad: insult his brews, his family or his favorite patrons, in that order. Inran is a lying bastard who's recieved a lot of good offers for Cugeda.
Bennca of Then, Journeyman, Brewer
Bennca was a slave who Inran married and freed. Still she carries a slave's mentality. She loves Inran with devotion only another slave can understand. She is a pretty woman, but rarely has time to care for her appearance. Her life has been hard and it has left its mark upon her. Despite a lack of education, or formal training, she has taught herself to be a good cook, and takes pride in her work. She leaves the negotiation of prices, and business to her husband without question. She has a fierce determination that only emerges when either her child or Inran are in danger. Otherwise she is as docile and deferral as a good slave.
Daemmel, Slave, Maid/Server
Daemmel is a strong man of dark complexion. He speaks very little and looks after the rooms upstairs. He is fast on his feet, and his strong arms have helped the prostitutes cart out more than one freeloader, or dead John. Daemmel has learned the hard way that he picks up more information by keeping his mouth shut and listening than any other method. He feels for those few innocent who visit the Apple Inn and his silent prayers are with them that they escape the evil hidden within this place. But his Peonian beliefs offer him no means to warn, or protect those few who cannot protect themselves from the inn's locals or worse, their neighbors. Daemmel always feels guilty and will help those who he can, but they are few indeed. He cannot disobey Inran, for he has sworn an oath of loyalty. The beatings such disobedience would earn him are immaterial in comparison to the state of his immortal soul.
Cugeda, Slave, Maid/Server
Cugeda is pretty, but dirty. Inran refuses to sell her. He owned Cugeda's mother and on her death bed promised to raise the child right. Currently Cugeda is learning how to cook and clean under Bennca's tutelage. Inran hopes to sell Cugeda to a reputable slave dealer on her 16th birthday. With luck, and a few denari in the right hands, Cugeda should be sold to a wealthy household as a maid. Inran will miss her strong back and willingness to please, but he hopes to acquire another child for similar training. If all works out, he could make a pretty penny training such girls. Cugeda is fine with this, although she likes the inn and the excitement it brings. She also appreciates the attention she receives. She thinks Daemmel is a big baby, and too timid to enjoy life.
Brotel of Bythe, Freeman, Bouncer
Brotel is a retired legionnaire. His overly-tattooed arm barely conceals the marks of a master seaman. His history is checkered and detailed, but the only man who seems to know the whole story is Inran, and a few locals. Brotel only tells stories when he is drunk, and then he is a warehouse of knowledge and trivial facts. He knows a lot about Marshal/Magistrate Kronos and the Ramala region, but claims to have never been there. Brotel lives nearby with his wife, Emma and three children (twin girls ages 7, and 1 boy age 5.) His children are the light of his life, and he speaks of them with great passion. Of his wife, he says little, and even less good. He has arrived at work a few times with bruises (by the wife he claims) and grumbles at those who tease him. Emma rarely comes to the Inn, but she is a mountain of a woman who is as strong as she is large. Still, Brotel grudgingly admits he loves her, but refuses to talk to anyone about her in detail.
Brantela of Fobin, Journeyman, Innkeeper/Cook
Brantela is Bennca and Inran's child. She tries to stay out of the Inns common room as much as possible. She knows, in the way that most children do, that her parents have done much to keep her safe. Brantela fears that her father has agreed to something that will force him to do great evil. And she knows it was done for her. His silences around her, his occasional sigh and worse - his gentle manner with her leads Brantela to believe that whatever he's agreed to - she is now his only freedom. She would love to remove this burden from her father but has no clue how to find out more than she already knows and what to do with what she does know. Currently she is being courted by a young man by the name of Canneilius; a mysterious young man who seems pleasing enough. Brantela works hard at learning the skills that will let her take over the inn when her father says its time. Canneilius seems not to mind that his future wife wants such a career. To date their courting has only just begun.
Didda of Threlor, Freeman, Server
Didda lives nearby with his wife, Thela and his child, Metu (age 3). Didda works hard at his job. A burly man he has a slave's mentality when at work. He is deferral and silent. He tries to stay out of people's way, but he will not be pushed around by just anyone. He stops short of bowing to Canneilius when he enters, but treats this man with great respect, and never says anything ill about the man. Didda is always armed with several daggers, and is quick to stop the day laborers from getting into trouble. His hands are quick, and his mass allows him to physically intervene and stop fights with well-placed punches or kicks as needed. He has dark hair and black eyes that a few female patrons find exotic. Didda doesn't mind the occasional dalliance, so long as Metu never finds out.
Gëase, Slave, Barman
Gëase is a quiet slave who often talks as though he has no tongue. He holds a 20 year old bottle of brandy behind the bar for Canneilius. Gëase is patient and slow moving unless it counts. Then he can move like lightning. A few patrons, who've seen him move towards trouble and eject patrons without breaking a sweat, say he must have some sort of magical talisman. Gëase is occasionally sent off on errands that seem to take him away for a night or two. When he returns he is often injured, or so tired that he takes the next night off. He is tall and deceptively lean. He wears long-sleeved tunics in even the hottest weather. In the coldest, he's been known to sport a vest. He has boots, but only wears them when on an errand. In the Inn, he wears sandals at all times.
Aedda, Slave, Bouncer
Aedda was bought by Inran at an early age and raised as a playmate and protector to Brantela. Aedda dotes on her, although he is only a few years older. He is a large man use to hard labor. He works as a bouncer for the Inn in the evenings when his impressive size and his dark skin color help to keep tempers cool. He shaves his head, and has learned a lot from the free gladiators who frequent the Inn as to how to comport himself. Aedda doesn't speak much, and he only truly converses with Brantela. To customers, he tends to speak in one word sentences.
Arbis of Queris, Freemaster Ostler
Arbis is a tall, lanky fellow who is talkative by nature. Always a storehouse of local gossip he only ventures into the inn when there are no horses to be cared for. An odd mix of duty and sociality, Arbis is friendly with everyone at the Inn. He lives just south of the Inn with his wife Delores and his two children, Sabatha and Thomas, ages 6 and 8. The one topic Abris will not comment upon is the Inn and how its run. Abris has a good relationship with Inran and fears damaging it through idle chatter as he did once before.
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Description of the Inn
The Inn sits in a quiet corner of a larger compound. The track leads from the gate, across an open space and up to the front porch. The track continues north, along the edge of the porch, beside the ostlery, and then around the corner. The corner of the Inn is well shaded with trees planted within the last two to three years. Inran can often be heard muttering about how his customers keep killing them. Bennca complains about the lack of a kitchen garden, and this year Inran is muttering about getting one of the day laborers to cut the sod in the northern most corner of the compound.
The Cellar
This earth-packed room has walls of fieldstone. In some places, moss grows thick on the walls, but never on the floor. Behind a rack of bottles and kegs, there is a secret tunnel that leads across the yard beneath the Navehian temple, and into the headquarters of the Lia-K'avir. This tunnel connects with the various safe houses in the region as well as the sewers beneath the city.
The rack is not easily shifted. A stone on the wall must be pushed before the rack will move at all. The mechanism is silent (no give-away clicks) but on a windy or wintry day, a candle flame will bend away from the rack.
The cellar holds all the necessary accoutrements for Inran to brew his ales, beers and ciders. The place smells stale and sickly-sweet from a few of Inran's more notable failures. In the far north-eastern corner, a ladder leads up to just under the bar. The trap door is barely visible, and most servers know not to step on it.
The Ground Floor
The Commons room is half ringed by a bar that is as dark and pitted as the floor upon which it sits. All the stools and benches in the room show signs of recent repair. The tables are rough to the touch, and at times quite sticky. Plates and mugs are quickly collected when empty by almost hovering-servers.
The empty wall has large shuttered windows that show the open courtyard. The shutters are open so long as the bar is open. It allows the smoke from the lamps and various patrons a quick and easy exit. On the north wall is a door to a small kitchen in the eastern side of the building.
The kitchen is a mess of pots, pans and foodstuffs in various states of preparation. While it appears chaotic, Bennca has it all under control. There is always some new food to try, or some foodstuff that needs to be brought up from the cellar, or down to the cellar by the big strong strangers who come to visit her. Bennca will always trade food for labor. There are two pantry cupboards on the north wall, and a door on the east wall. The door leads down a steep set of stairs into the cellar.
The Second Floor
The second floor contains the six rooms used by local prostitutes, and the two rooms for the staff of the inn. All eight of these rooms are identical. Only Inran's own room has a slightly larger bed than the rest. All the rooms are equipped with a water basin and jug, a night soil pot and a stand. There is a small table beside the bed, and a lockable chest at its foot. The prostitutes have decorated their rooms to better suit their own personal tastes.
The staff's rooms are filled with cots to sleep nine people in two rooms. When the rooms are rented out, the cots are moved to either the loft, or the stables.
The Loft
This is the small area between the ceiling of the second floor and the peak of the roof. There are a few blankets and straw pallets up here. At its lowest point, the loft has only three feet of space. At its tallest point, there is eight feet. In the winter, the most coveted spots are around the chimneys. The loft runs the length of the inn, and always has one or two regulars sleeping in the area. Each day the loft is cleaned by either Brotel or Brantela.
Eight shuttered windows on the far side of the Inn (not depicted) bring in sunlight. Inran doesn't care if the people in the inn latch the shutters closed or not.
The Ostlery
There is room in the stables for eight horses. The stalls all face out towards the court yard. Between the stall and the outer wall is a thin walkway. The double doors of the stable are sufficient to let a war-horse walk out with his rider beside him.
The tack room is right beside the stairs going up in the northernmost corner of the building. The second floor stores the hay for the stable, and occasionally a few guests. The ostler lives near by. He leaves the inn each night just after dinner. Brotel looks after the horses when the ostler is not in residence.
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Adventure Ideas
The Apple Inn is a dangerous place to visit. The official reason is that the cellar is haunted by the ghost of a horrible fiend called The Lurker. The Lurker comes out only at night, and has plundered the inn in the past. Inran and his staff all wear charms against the beast's presence. The last time the Lurker fought his way up from the cellar, it killed everyone but the staff of the Inn.
The lurker is a large beast, whose feet shake the inn to its foundations. It has huge teeth and bright red eyes. No one, not even Inran, can describe it clearly. Everyone knows it exists, but when it will next appear is anyone's guess.
There are a few other stories about the Apple Inn, most relating to the fact that it is haunted. A few people of great importance visit the inn on a regular basis. The most important of these is Cannelius.
Cannelius is the head of the local Navehian church, or so he says. A few believe he controls, or at least summons the Lurker. Cannelius visits, from time to time, flirts with the women servers and drinks from his own stock of wine, kept behind the bar. Occasionally he has friends, and sits with his back against the wall. Otherwise, he sits at the bar, closest to the door. Cannelius never does anything untoward or even evil at the Inn, except perhaps to smile at Inran. Inran gets the shivers whenever he sees Cannelius smile.
The Inn is known to the Red Guard as a den of thieves and assassins. They never enter the area in less than groups of five. While Inran has never been associated directly with the neighboring Lia-K'avir, or the Navehian church, he is suspected of doing great evil, or at least harboring great evil.
The dangerous atmosphere brings in the riff-raff from the city and nearby Kerbin. The atmosphere is always rebellious and bordering on riotous.
A few gambling games are played throughout the night, and they enviably lead to someone calling someone else a cheat and a thief, a knife is brought out and another fight begins. There are 20 or so locals from the surrounding area; almost all of them are retired legionnaires on either hard times, or local unskilled laborers.
The Apple Inn is a common stop for those looking for mercenaries or strong backs. Inran has, occasionally, recruited such for the Lia-K'avir, or an interested merchant who doesn't want to show his face near the Inn. Inran charges one tenth to transact business for someone else.
Murders are common in the Inn, but connecting a face to a name to someone's memory is almost impossible. Locals stick together out of a displaced sense of loyalty and fear. One commoner that is always willing to help newcomers is Samuelson the Finder. He's here about every two to three days as it's a good place to meet contacts, and hear the local gossip.
The locals know Samuelson is always routing out some mystery for some litigant (usually Vurnt of Masane) in the city and they don't seem to mind the way he asks questions. Samuelson isn't rich, but he always has money for information.
The locals make it a habit not to study strangers too closely. This makes the Apple Inn the preferred meeting place for people who don't want to be recognized or remembered. Those who stay here the night often cannot afford anything better elsewhere in the city.
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