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The Clockwork Stag

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Main article: Vienda

Located in the Soot District's dingy outskirts, the ramshackle bar is just as somber and gray as the low haze that cloaks it. The tinkling chimes swaying beneath the scrap wood awning only seems to augment its forlorn and patched-up exterior. The place groans. The clothing is strung on lines from the second story windows—flapping. A swinging wooden sign advertises its wares to those who can read it.

But the husk contradicts its warm interior. The red walls glow the welcoming shade of the hearth fire. The floorboards squeak and the furniture is the mix-matched but The Clockwork Stag is the best place to sweep aside the world’s trials while the drink flows. You might even coax the bartender to cook you supper if you ask nicely (though it helps if you're female, preferably with substantial hips).

The Stag mostly caters to the worn workers of the Soot District and has a mostly human clientele. The doors are open to wicks, but if you're a galdori, you'd better be good at scattering that field. Regulars to the establishment know to order their drinks "New" or "Old". The bartender is under the delusion that he is capable of making clay mugs himself and his efforts have been lumpy at best. Call for an "Old" mug and—though you might not know what side to drink from—it’s no cost if broken. A "New" will gutter you faster and doesn’t look wilted, but if you break, you buy.

Its main room is spacious, with area for a band or performers in the center and the bar itself pushed off to the left. A large stone hearth warms the place from the back wall. A small doorway leads off to the kitchens, a narrow stairway twists up the right wall to the upper rooms (two owned by the proprietors and a few for paying guests), and through a hatch in the kitchen are stares down to a cellar. Tacked onto the back of the building is a small shed with a large wagon and a big kenser gelding (Coby) in a wide stall.

Walk through the door (it's hung backwards) and you'll be greeted by the critical eye—the only eye—of the brawny bartender as the his assistant waves a cheerful hand in greeting.

NPC

  • Ted Burns - barkeep, mess cleaner, all purpose assistant - human, 24