THE WHITE STOAT INN 1
T
he White Stoat is the best inn in Tormau and its innkeeper, Jamys of Abrant, makes sure it stays that way by fair means or foul. His Lia-Kavair connections ensure that few of the locals would dare to cross Jamys which suits this short bear of a man perfectly. It might take a stranger to disturb the peace of this apparently tranquil inn.
HISTORY The White Stoat was built as a substantial townhouse for a prosperous mercantyler over 40 years ago. When his business crashed during the financial panic precipitated by Ezar’s War it was turned into an inn by his creditors. He and his family remained tied to the business: cleaning, cooking and serving at table until the debt was paid. Driven mad by the degradation he had heaped upon his family the poor man hung himself in the attic shortly before his debt was to have been wiped clean. His wife, glad to be rid of the old fool, set up Tormau’s first house of ill repute nearer the castle garrison. Jamys is not a superstitious man and discounts any claims that the attic is haunted. Jamys says he won the inn from the former owner in a game of chance when he first came to Tormau 6 years ago. The less charitable say that he arrived from Golotha with some leg-breakers and made the owner an offer he couldn’t refuse.
THE BUSINESS The Poacher’s Reward, at the north end of Tormau’s only street, has become the natural watering hole of the Earl of Tormau’s Ivinian mercenaries. Most local labouring men find the Poachers a little too boisterous these days, while mercenary silver has inflated its prices. They have taken to walking over to the Doryman’s Rest where they drink with the local fishermen. This leaves the White Stoat for the more well-to-do members of the Tormau community. The Snug Bar is the informal meeting place of the local guildsmen and Jamys ensures they are well supplied with free drinks when they hold their monthly meetings there.
Location: Tormau, Rethem Owner: Jamys of Abrant Size: 6 Quality: Prices: High
Hugin of Brandas, a journeyman innkeeper, is employed to undertake the day-to-day management of the inn but Jamys makes much more money from the semi-covert chapter of the Lia-Kavair he runs from the Stoat. He has interests across the neighbouring hundreds and the Earl allows him to operate them because he finds Jamys useful.
SERVICES AND ACCOMODATION Jamys prefers not to have strangers stay on the premises after dark as he likes to keep the regular nocturnal comings and goings at the inn private. Commoner guests are confined, literally, to the Common Room with the door to the kitchen bolted against them during the night. Much is made of the security this offers them and explains the charge of a penny per night per person. Jamys has been eager to please on the rare occasions that a member of the nobility has demanded overnight hospitality at the inn rather than at the Caer. He happily vacates his own room taking his personal and valuable possessions with him and displaces Hugin and the cook, Merla up into the attic. He also puts off any nefarious business until after the gentle visitor has left. HârnWorld
WRITER Alun Rees MAPS Alun Rees EDITOR Neil Thompson CONTRIBUTORS Dan Bell Playtesters at HarnCon 8 & IviniaCon 2
© A Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009
THE WHITE STOAT INN 2 STAFF
FOOD AND DRINK Jamys employs Merla ‘the Lamb’ as cook at the Stoat. A slave who was freed when her master died she specialises in excellent stews and breads. Her sobriquet ‘the Lamb’ is an example of Jamys’ humour as she has a foul temper and almost as foul a mouth when in her kitchen. Merla can turn her hand to almost any meal be it animal, fish or fowl and has rarely let the reputation of the Stoat slip though at 1d for a meal few can afford her skill. She is also known for the magic she weaves with dough; her bread cakes sweetened with local wild honey (1f) are a prized part of any meal served at the inn. Soon after arriving at the Stoat Merla realised that the innkeeper’s ‘associates’ often returned late and in need of a solid meal. She took to keeping a pottage simmering through the night and noticed that this softened cheaper cuts of meat to the delicate and moist succulence of the best. Turning necessity into advantage she is now known across the Shire for her rich and filling pottage (2f). She rules Absel the pot-boy with a rod of iron and it is he who is tasked to stop the pottage burning during the night by stirring it at regular intervals. Absel doesn’t realise it but Merla’s harsh tuition is turning him into an even better cook than she is. Jamys is no brewer but has identified the local apothecary, Gweyn of Kesham, as having the talent he lacks. Though not a member of the Innkeeper’s Guild Gweyn brews every second day ‘for her own use’. Surprisingly she always seems to brew far more than she needs and is happy to ‘donate’ the excess to the White Stoat. In return Jamys finds it necessary to buy enormous volumes of linctus and decongestants for his weak chest! The arrangement is, of course, a fiction, but none of the local innkeepers feels it would be in their interest to bring the matter to the attention of the Mangai. Even if they did the local guildsmen know better than the cross the man who offers them such generously hospitality. As well as a tasty small beer (1f) and a stronger dark ale (2f) Gweyn also produces a fine mead (3f) from the same local honey Merla uses in the kitchen.
Jamys of Abrant – Innkeeper (& Lia-Kavair Master) STR
14
EYE
11
INT
18
END
10
STA
10
HRG
14
AUR
09
MOV
10
DEX
09
SML
14
WIL
14
Ini
55
AGL
09
VOI
13
MOR
07
Dge
52
Skills Acting Climbing Jewelcraft Lovecraft Rhetoric Speak (Harnic) Swimming Combat Unarmed 79/2b Strike Locations Standard
62 52 34 63 92 74 14
Awareness Cookery Jumping Oratory Script (Lakise) Stealth Throwing Club 85/4b
72 36 44 56 79 53 54
Brewing Intrigue Legerdemain Physician Singing Survival
52 99 41 28 39 30
Dagger 70/4p
Armour Leather Long Sleeved Shirt and Calf Boots (+2 quality); Cloth Trousers (+2 quality)
© A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009
Merla ‘the Lamb’ There have been several spats between Merla and Gweyn over Gweyn’s use of the bread oven for drying herbs and Merla’s harsh comments about Gweyn’s brews. Only Hugin can calm things down when the two set their tongues at one another. While Gweyn cannot compete with the sheer colour of Merla’s vocabulary she holds her own through the careful use of biting sarcasm. Observers have compared it to man with a maul fighting another with a longknife.
Hugin of Brandas Hugin, a very able journeyman, would be master of his own inn if he wasn’t so well paid by Jamys. Customers passing through will assume it is this jolly and approachable man who is the landlord; assuming Jamys is a well-to-do guildsman. The temperaments and skills of Hugin and Merla perfectly complement one another. Merla realises this but Hugin is blind to the possibility of a shared future. She plans to propose a business deal to Hugin he won’t be able to turn down when she has saved enough but prefers not to think about Jamys’ reaction. Hugin, meanwhile, admires Gweyn and her skill in brewing. She is blind to his interest and hides her attraction to Merla behind a brisk manner and harsh words.
Justi and Donara These two sisters are orphans of an old business acquaintance jamys had killed when he began to speak too freely of their dealings. It seemed only right to offer them a roof over their heads and the chance to earn a living as barmaids. Jamys is very fond of both of them and regularly accepts offers of their favours. Currently Justi shares his bed, but last month it was Donara. He keeps both girls well clothed as befits a respectable establishment with pretensions to class.
Daftar The second pot-boy has very light fingers. He picks the pockets of any customers Jamys tells him to and can usually replace an item before a guest realises it has gone missing. Jamys has the same feeling for Daftar that Merla has for Absel. They both recognise the potential the boys have in their chosen field of expertise. Daftar is now beginning to learn the art of cat burglary.
HârnWorld
THE WHITE STOAT INN 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE INN Ground Floor [1] The White Stoat’s Common Room is a large and well lit room with space for 10 customers to sit comfortably. Visitors will rarely, if ever, see it that busy and will probably wonder how the Stoat stays in business. During the night Jamys’ business associates sleep here near the fire or, if they wish to be more discrete, in the bunks in the attic. The door to the small Snug Bar that occupies one corner of the Common Room is always open unless Jamys is in conference. However it may as well be a locked castle gate as it is Jamys’s professional domain and none enter here without his express invitation. Whenever he is here there are two well-built young men present. They spend their time playing dice but are always seated so they can see what anyone talking to Jamys is doing. Both minders have stout clubs and knives beneath their jerkins and will intervene if Jamys appears to be in any physical danger. If necessary the entire inn staff will descend on anyone threatening Jamys. They all value their places here and have much to lose if anything happened to him. [2] The kitchen is Merla’s domain and during business hours both Absel and Daftar, the pot boys, will be coming and going here. At night they bed down in the cots at the end of the kitchen, though in winter Merla allows them to drag their bedding in front of the fire. Absel wakes at intervals through the night to stir the pottage. Daftar will not be here if he has been sent out to employ his light-fingered talents. [3] The Brewhouse shed is surprisingly solidly constructed and here, under a well set flag-stone in the floor, Jamys’ keeps his ill-gotten gains. There is also a smaller bag of portable wealth upstairs under his mattress.
First Floor [1] Jamys’ bedroom is much better appointed than might be expected of an innkeeper. There are several books on the table beside the window in which glass has recently been fitted. This is a relatively new innovation in Tormau and something the local guildsmen now aspire to. As in so many things they take their lead from Jamys. The well made locked chests beside his bed contain the less valuable or more bulky items of Jamys’ wealth. At the end of the corridor beside Jamys’ room is the chamber shared by Merla and Hugin. Her half is furthest from the door and is neat and functional; his half is a chaos of clothes in need of mending and a clutter of parchment scraps on which he is collecting brewing recipes for his ‘master piece’ – a book of Rethemi ale and cider recipes. For a man who keeps a pristine inn the room is a surprise. It is almost as if he invests such care in his professional life that he has none left for the private.
The Attic [1] This attic room is shared by Justi and Donara, though one of them is usually to be found with Jamys. The bunks at the far end of the attic serve as discrete quarters for his guildsmen when it is best they aren’t seen in the common room.
HârnWorld
REGULAR CLIENTELE Setarn the Kuboran The Stoat’s most exotic customer was cause of a debate among the local guildsmen a year or two ago when he first entered the Stoat’s common room. They felt it inappropriate that they should share their local with a ‘savage’. Jamys, however, was adamant. Setarn’s money was as good as theirs and he could drink there any time he liked. Jamys is an unlikely student of history and realises that a Kuboran friend might be very useful if the tribes ever decided to come south again. All the Stoat’s staff follow their master’s lead and are invariably polite to the Kuboran. They will eject any commoner who is not equally civil. Setarn values the respect he is offered at the Stoat and does not embarrass Jamys if a customer of noble birth makes a fuss about his presence; he merely finishes his drink and leaves quietly. Rumours say that the Jamys and Setarn share business interests. The Kuboran’s income is sufficient for him to keep a house and servants in the style of a Rethemi gentleman.
Lia Kavair Journeymen The 4 usually present at the inn are no more than efficient muscle to protect Jamys’ local interests. Across Hohanmshire, though, are all manner of guildsmen from pick-pockets and burglars to horse thieves and cheating gamblers. Markets in all the towns owing Jamys fealty are alive with apprentices taking a coin here, a basket of fruit there, and the product of any guildsman not sharp eyed enough to spot them coming. They all owe Jamys allegiance and at different times they all pass through the bunks in the White Stoat’s attic when they are too ‘hot’ to stay in their homes. Hugin, Merla and the other staff know exactly what goes on at the inn and know many of the guildsmen as friends. Equally many a journeyman has benefited from Merla’s food and Hugin’s hospitality. That’s not to say these disreputable characters would go too far out on a limb for the staff of the Stoat but enlightened self interest means they would usually intervene if help was needed.
© A Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009
THE WHITE STOAT INN 4 LIA-KAVAIR BUSINESS Jamys is the most senior Lia-Kavair guild master in Hohnamshire. He receives tribute from masters at Zaza and Ithius and directly controls guild activities in Winen, Dasen and Quiso. Jamys doesn’t begrudge this independence of Ithiko as the town is known to offer poor pickings. Relations with the other Rethemi masters is cordial and Jamys sends tribute to the guild in Golotha as do the masters at Ithiko, Techen and Shostim. The Warriors of Mameka have a very high minded view of the law and apply it rigorously. When they arrived at Alesen a generation ago they quickly identified anyone across Emesa Hundred they thought might have Lia-Kavair connections and publicly executed them. A salted head was then sent for display in every town across the shire. The gruesome gift arrived with a note addressed to ‘the local representative of the Lia-Kavair – know your fate if you come to Emesa Hundred’. This dramatic demonstration has kept Jamys and, as far as he is aware, any other Lia-Kavair master, well away from the fiefs of the Warriors until recently. However, last Summer, Vavryse Lynnaeus, Constable of Caer Tormau suggested that Jamys send some associates north. Fortunately a year or two before Jamys had had to send some employees north when they killed a visitor from clan Zarainsen of Golotha. He never expected to see them again having told the Zarainsen’s he’d had them killed. Now he has re-established communication with the Wonnist brothers and suggested they let hik know the lie of the land. In this way Earl Denyl has begun to receive increasingly well-informed news of the Warriors of Mameka and just how badly they suffered during their ill-fated expedition to Kustan in 718. Jamys is not entirely convinced that the Earl would be able to protect him if the Warriors discovered his agents. This is not the first time that Vavryse Lynnaeus has used Jamys as an effective cut-out when undertaking less than legal work on behalf of his brother the Earl. In return Jamys enjoys a deal of latitude in his actions. He regulates crime in the Earl’s holdings better then the castle garrison could, ensures his taxes are always on time; and includes a ‘gift towards the defence of the town’ each season. Of course no member of the Earl’s household is ever allowed to pay for anything at the Stoat.
PLOT HOOKS Visitors from the South The Golothan Lia-Kavair have decided to send a representative to audit the innkeeper’s business and ensure they are getting an appropriate cut. Unfortunately Jamys has been a little economical with the truth in his description of his activities and his ‘guild fees’ have been lower than they should have been. He needs to make his business, both above and below board, look less profitable than it is and asks a group of ne’er do wells to cause trouble during the auditor’s visit. That will justify the higher overheads Jamys has claimed and save him an embarrassing, and potentially dangerous, admission. Alternatively the Lia-Kavair are seeking bodyguards able to protect their auditor in his journey across the Hohnam Blight to Tormau.
Visitors from the North The Warriors of Mameka have begun to sense that the Earl of Tormau is better informed of their activities than they thought. They have sought the aid of their sponsoring order, the ‘Masters of Steel’ who have dispatched one of their feared inquisitors to Bedenes. There, in the disguise of a wandering minstrel, the inquisitor has found a trail that leads him back to Tormau. He appears at the White Stoat seeking employment and uses this as an opportunity to find proof of Jamys’ spying in Emesa Hundred. Jamys knows the Mamekans are on to him but doesn’t know which of the current visitors to Tormau he should fear.
As criminals go Jamys is an honest crook and abides by the mutually beneficial arrangement he has established with the castle. He understands that if he were to take undue advantage of the Earl’s favour then he could be swatted out of existence like an unwelcome bluebottle at a feast. This is why the demands he makes of local tradesmen for protection are seen by all parties as ‘fair’. Equally his squeezing of the beggar population is not so harsh as to discourage them from talking to him when he needs to hear what they know.
A Mission for a Friend
Jamys knows that being master of the Lia-Kavair in Tormau is as good a life as he could have dreamed of when he was growing up in the slums of Golotha. He would do almost anything to make sure his peace and prosperity remains undisturbed. His only current worry is that the impending civil war will disrupt his rural idyll. If things get difficult he has a fortune biried in the brew house and sufficient portable wealth closer ta hand for emergencies. With that he would make a dash for the anonymity of Golotha and seek to live out his life in comfortable retirement.
They may be seeking Kuboran allies for the Earl; testing the loyalty of those he already has; or searching for a lost servant of the Earl.
© A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009
Alternatively the Warriors recruit independent investigators to travel to Tormau and find out who is supplying the Earl with information but this is simply a ruse to distract attention from their own spy. Vavryse Lynnaeus asks Jamys to recruit a small group of enterprising individuals for a trip into the Peran wilderness. The pay will be attractive and the job is assuredly straightforward.
HârnWorld
WHITE STOAT INN
GM MAP
Ground Floor
First Floor
(all surfaces stone)
(all surfaces wood)
10
1
2
3
7
8
1
8
N
SCALE IN FEET 0
Roof
5
10
15
20
Attic
(all surfaces wood)
1 8
WHITE STOAT INN
COMMON MAP
Ground Floor
First Floor
(all surfaces stone)
(all surfaces wood)
10
7
8
8
N
SCALE IN FEET 0
Roof
5
10
15
20
Attic
(all surfaces wood)
8
