History and the Owner/Tendress
Rumor of the nearest town states that this establishment is owned and run by a horrible old witch who uses illusion to appear attractive to whomever is looking at her. She will, for example, take a young, attractive female form if a male is looking at her, and a young, attractive male form if a female is doing so. Upon looking at each individual she supposedly understands what he finds attractive and embodies it immediately. Many men and women have been poisoned due to this ability, for they'd flirt with her as intended and for that she discreetly tainted their drinks. This witch - her real name is unknown, she never gives any to those who ask and so can only be known by the many names townsfolk give her - is always behind the bar and seems to have some vendetta against those who want to bed anyone in a tavern. She is always tending and does so promptly and in a friendly fashion, so much so that people would think that the stories about her are completely groundless.
Appearance and Surroundings
It looks as if some horrible earthquake had recently wracked the scenery, for the land for miles in front of the tavern - east to west, while the building is set in a southern area - is uneven, an immense length of solid stone thrust above soft soil. Those running toward it would likely trip and fall the five feet or so which separate it from the land on which the tavern itself is. Perhaps a mile out from the forest-dwelling town - that is to say, it hasn't any streets and the houses are very small, barely interrupting the forest scenery - there begins this great stretch of stone, even with the foresty land that had come before it and, as such, looking horrendously unnatural. It's no wonder that bad things are said of this place, and no wonder it brings the curious, daring types so often, who are only disappointed when they enter in. Thick and sturdy stone, akin to that which is spread out before the tavern, is what the establishment is built out of. There are hitching posts in front of the tavern, as well as watering and feeding troughs. Some kid comes around every hour or so to clean and freshen these.
The door is set in the appearance of a frame, yes, but has no manner of knob nor handle; it opens on its own when someone speaks the word 'open.' Therefore, those who do not speak cannot enter on their own; they must wait for the door to open from someone else's efforts. The word need not be spoken in the form of a command. Many a frustrated individual has shoved and pushed at the door, and found that it opened after they'd cursed and growled and finally said something like, "Why won't this hateful thing open?" As those two syllables are spoken, it swings slowly inward with a deep rumble of stone moving against stone. When tapped on its inner face, it closes at the same slow speed.
Within the place seems warm as any wooden tavern, though it shouldn't be given that stone is customarily cool. Luckily, the tables and chairs scattered about the main area are made of wood, which is considerably more comfortable than stone. Before the fireplace which seems to just have been born from the upper-left corner of the establishment are two large, cushioned chairs, set far enough from the flame so as not to present hazard, but still allowing a sitter to bask in the warmth of the hearth. A rug is set closer still, and although the flames are right near it, they don't seem to stray from the enclosure where wood burns. There is a stack of logs to the right side of the bar which may be put on the fire by anyone who sees the need. This establishment is rather well-lit, albeit the things which do it are as strange as the fireplace. There are, for example, "torches" about, although they're made of stone and so are only extensions of the tavern wall, hollow and castle-headed (looking much like the chess piece in design, actually) and containing ever-burning flames. Chandeliers hang to light the area not around the wall from sturdy lengths of stone, looking a stone mockery of standard chandeliers save that they too branch into the same design as the "torches," though the container of flames is smaller, and upon each so-called chandelier there are eight of these. All of this is to say, there definitely aren't rafters, and dark corners are non-existant, as these flames throw their light and warmth suspiciously far.
There are no drinks behind the stone bar. The witch merely stands and waits for orders. When an order is placed, she walks through a door to the right - much as the entrance is - and retrieves it. No one can see how it is retrieved. Her poisons have no scent, no color, nor any strange texture or taste, and so each person who drinks is taking a risk (it might run to reason that the poison isn't physical at all, although only the woman herself knows). However, she will not poison the drinks of those who do not eye her body - or his body, depending on the person - especially. Simply put, those who exhibit no romantic or carnal interest in the barkeep are safe, and their orders will not be poisoned. The bar stools are as the lighting in the establishment, and are stone creations rising from the floor.
The effects of the poison are as follows: First, the stomach of the victim cramps terribly. The pain has been known to make men cry. Within minutes, a really horrible case of diarrhea inflicts the person who took in the poison. Through it all, those of a bloodless complexion are in danger of fainting, due to their nature. This poison works on all beings who ingest food to live.
There is a different poison for immortals. Vampires, for example, will simply start vomiting uncontrollably, and hallucinate the feeling of their flesh burning. Be creative! Your character will not die from these poisons, but the effects they have are never attractive.
Behind the tavern, the land is barren for quite some distance.
Rules/Out of Character Notes
This room, if you have not read the site from which it's linked, is STRICTLY pre-modern/fantasy, in Ayenee. When I began playing, Ayenee was played as a world. Not a 'realm.' I'm not quite sure what a 'realm' in roleplayer terms is. There's a definition here, but. . .Heh. People use it to vaguely refer to something. Ayenee, to me, is a planet. It is not Earth. It does not exist in the past. It exists in Earth's present, and is on a different plane of existance. When I began playing, the setting was strictly pre-modern/fantasy, and people were not expected to accomodate other eras simply because people play them. When I began, the setting made sense, even if the characters didn't. In short, this is a time period prior to electricity, to firearms, oftentimes prior to proper indoor plumbing, always prior to locomotives. Of course, that means it's prior to automobiles as well. However, since people can realm hop - or are just sometimes damned creative - magic is often used to mimic some of these things. All in all, it's a time of kings, of knights, blah blah, et cetera et cetera. Don't argue this, you probably know what I'm getting at.
So, don't play out of era. Don't play out of setting, either. I said that the nearest town is in the forest and has paths, not streets. There is no body of water immediately nearby (there is a lake near the town, but not near the tavern). There are no alleys. Don't insert anything not in the description that can't move of its own accord. (Such as an animal.)
THIS IS NOT A SLAVE AUCTION. There are no "auction blocks." There is not a slave auction in the town nearby. Auction your slaves elsewhere, thanks.
This is a tavern, not an inn. There are no rooms here, and only one floor.
This tavern sells food and drink of all sorts. Make up the prices. They're quite cheap, suprisingly so, and the food quality is actually passable. Not amazing by any means, but edible, and not bad for those of normal tastes. Since this is a pre-modern setting, though, presumably after the process of distilling had been discovered (thus the hard liquors) in Ayenee, they don't sell modern drinks. That is, no carbonated drinks, and no like. . .miracles of modern science drinks (a.k.a., artificially flavored). Oh yeah, blood is not sold here. No straight blood to drink, no drink made with blood. No stupidity here, thanks.
There are no dark corners. There are no rafters, since this is a stone structure. Furthermore, since it is made of stone, it cannot be burnt. The tables, chairs and rug can, but nothing else. It's also damn hard to crack or crumble. For example, it survived the supposed earthquake that made its surrounds so strange.
Send nick_ardel or the_core_desert (especially if one is in the room) a private message if you have any further inquiries.
