THE SLEEPING DRAGON INN

Hook: You have been listening to the wild Keltic lays of local performers for the better part of an hour. The rush-strewn floor is long soiled and stale with old beer. Scraps don't last long with the old Erämi wolf hound and large blind forest cat about. You've settled into one of the booths for a relaxing refreshment after spending nights in the wilderness chasing bandits seen in the area after they raided a few local merchants. They fled into The Wilderness and holed up in some abandoned caves. You found them, killed most of them, the rest fled, and you managed to bring back most of what they took using the horse and cart they stole. It was raining and foggy, the whole time, and in the late autumn weather of Keltika, that means cold. The familiar atmosphere of the inn was a welcome sight. And convenient, because staying in town meant paying the Bridge Town tax for any goods and belongings, and leaving your weapons at the gatehouse with the guard. The sagging, moss-covered roof, oak shingles once painted green, now fading gray, seemed almost to smile at you as you rode in, left your horses with the stablehand, and entered to warm your bones after returning the cart to the town guard to collect your reward. You weren't there an hour before the merchants came to greet you with extreme gratitude, personally, for rescuing their hard-earned wares from the hands of ne'er-do-wells, and paid for your night's fare, room, and handed you a heavy sack of extra coin for your effort, as well as a discount on anything you may need from their supplies. Just see them, personally, rather than the provisioners, for the items you may want, if you didn't already know. You gave them your order, then. You'd managed to ruin a few articles during your excursion and knew exactly what to ask for. A porter will deliver them to the inn on the morrow and leave them with Aerŵn.

Details: Like all places in Bridge Town, The Sleeping Dragon is 'comfortable'. Well-worn and slightly run down. It's kept up, which you see, but, no new construction has been added to it in some time. It's a great rumour mill, has regular clientele, mostly in the form of fisherfolk, merchants, and travellers passing through. Located at the heart of Southbridge Village facing the old Cattle Market, The Sleeping Dragon has been an established presence in the area for many, many years. I was built after the Lumenorian invasion, before the founding of Calibor. It is one of the oldest buildings in the area, and has a long-established reputation for moderate prices, good food, and a warm and lively atmosphere. The proprietor, a Caliborian named Aerŵn, is a fourth generation innkeeper. He and his family have run it for 40 years. He is now in his 60s and training his son-in-law, Celyn, to replace him. His wife, Eirlys, is an alewife and runs the kitchens, while Aerŵn, Celyn, and his daughter, Mereduth, manage the common room. A few servants take care of cleaning and maintenance.