Thrune
2006-02-13, 06:33 PM
Tavern Contest Entry: Silanas’s Shadow Inn
As you open the door, you see gloom all over. Not from lack of light, as windows should illuminate the room, but from a pair of candles in safety holders. Their flame shadows the room. Few humans drink here; but a large mix of creatures are there. Several acolytes-in-training from the nearby fortress drink from mugs of ale, and a few of the recently bonded have cups of the specialty wine. Your attention is drawn to the barman, a Kyton, who uses his chains to serve drinks-clearly a novelty, but something the drinkers are used to. Several tables are clear, and one of the oddest things is the lack of mess on the ground. Indeed, the wooden planks are free of dust, let alone spilled wine.
The inside of the tavern proper is a sixty-foot by fifty-five foot rectangle. A hollow twenty-foot-by-ten-foot shape bar is in one corner, with the barman and stairs up. Tables are scattered all over. The door faces the bar.
From the outside, the place looks falling-down, but that is merely an illusion. A decrecipt sign hanging from outside the door says that the building is -or was- Silanas’s Shadow Inn. Spiders have taken up residence on the building; none are monstrous, but the signs of their webs send a strong signal that the place is not operating.
The owner and founder is an ex-thief called Silanas.(NE Rogue 3/Wizard 6/Acolyte of the Skin 10) He learned wizardry to get revenge on the heroes that had ousted him from his previous proffession, but they were killed by others, so he retired to the fortress to continue to train. In his old age, he started the Shadow Inn. He’s about 6 feet tall, with red skin, a black robe, and a red cloak. He wears finely-crafted leather gloves, and, in truth, looks like a demon of some sort. He doesn’t look his age, instead merely look ageless. He has red hair a shade darker then his skin, so it’s nearly invisible.
Knowledge: Relevant checks are Knowledge(Arcana), Gather Information, and Bardic Knowledge. Bardic Knowledge gets +5 on the checks, and Gather Information gets -5.
DC 15: Some say the ruins outside Nightlund are but an illusion, and a bar run by demons is there.
DC 25: The bar isn’t really run by demons, but by a powerful black-robe or renegade who uses them. The place is a safe ground for everyone to congregate.
Plot Hook: Silanas feels his end drawing near, and realizes that this is near his last chance to do something about it. The powerful wizard offers powerful magic items to anyone who can bring him components for a ritual to extend his lifespan.
Signature Item: Silanas has turned some of his magic into a culinary aid. He has enchanted wine to have a truly magical kick. A single glass is enough to make anyone drunk, but someone under it’s effects also gets a +2 alchemical bonus to Spellcraft checks for 10 minutes.
Cost:30 GP.
Notes: This is based on my current screen-name, an Acolyte of the Skin(CA) and is fit to be something that he’d actually DO if he opened a tavern. Thus, it’s near a fortress/temple/academy for wizards training up to be acolytes, and mostly serves that place. Also, this is my first contest attempt, so I’m just doing this to test myself.
(1000th post!)
Edit-I'm not going to be filling in any more space. It's done, unless anyone has any suggestions, in which case I may well edit them onto the main post. So... comments and constructive criticism would be appreciated.
As you open the door, you see gloom all over. Not from lack of light, as windows should illuminate the room, but from a pair of candles in safety holders. Their flame shadows the room. Few humans drink here; but a large mix of creatures are there. Several acolytes-in-training from the nearby fortress drink from mugs of ale, and a few of the recently bonded have cups of the specialty wine. Your attention is drawn to the barman, a Kyton, who uses his chains to serve drinks-clearly a novelty, but something the drinkers are used to. Several tables are clear, and one of the oddest things is the lack of mess on the ground. Indeed, the wooden planks are free of dust, let alone spilled wine.
The inside of the tavern proper is a sixty-foot by fifty-five foot rectangle. A hollow twenty-foot-by-ten-foot shape bar is in one corner, with the barman and stairs up. Tables are scattered all over. The door faces the bar.
From the outside, the place looks falling-down, but that is merely an illusion. A decrecipt sign hanging from outside the door says that the building is -or was- Silanas’s Shadow Inn. Spiders have taken up residence on the building; none are monstrous, but the signs of their webs send a strong signal that the place is not operating.
The owner and founder is an ex-thief called Silanas.(NE Rogue 3/Wizard 6/Acolyte of the Skin 10) He learned wizardry to get revenge on the heroes that had ousted him from his previous proffession, but they were killed by others, so he retired to the fortress to continue to train. In his old age, he started the Shadow Inn. He’s about 6 feet tall, with red skin, a black robe, and a red cloak. He wears finely-crafted leather gloves, and, in truth, looks like a demon of some sort. He doesn’t look his age, instead merely look ageless. He has red hair a shade darker then his skin, so it’s nearly invisible.
Knowledge: Relevant checks are Knowledge(Arcana), Gather Information, and Bardic Knowledge. Bardic Knowledge gets +5 on the checks, and Gather Information gets -5.
DC 15: Some say the ruins outside Nightlund are but an illusion, and a bar run by demons is there.
DC 25: The bar isn’t really run by demons, but by a powerful black-robe or renegade who uses them. The place is a safe ground for everyone to congregate.
Plot Hook: Silanas feels his end drawing near, and realizes that this is near his last chance to do something about it. The powerful wizard offers powerful magic items to anyone who can bring him components for a ritual to extend his lifespan.
Signature Item: Silanas has turned some of his magic into a culinary aid. He has enchanted wine to have a truly magical kick. A single glass is enough to make anyone drunk, but someone under it’s effects also gets a +2 alchemical bonus to Spellcraft checks for 10 minutes.
Cost:30 GP.
Notes: This is based on my current screen-name, an Acolyte of the Skin(CA) and is fit to be something that he’d actually DO if he opened a tavern. Thus, it’s near a fortress/temple/academy for wizards training up to be acolytes, and mostly serves that place. Also, this is my first contest attempt, so I’m just doing this to test myself.
(1000th post!)
Edit-I'm not going to be filling in any more space. It's done, unless anyone has any suggestions, in which case I may well edit them onto the main post. So... comments and constructive criticism would be appreciated.