The Brawny Barrel
Dum Ramil’s Most Notorious Watering Hole
In the heart of Dum Ramil, where scalding winds whisper secrets to the stones and Sect banners flap like flayed skin in the sun, there stands a tavern of ill repute and legendary infamy. The Brawny Barrel—a name spoken half in jest, half in fear—leans like a wounded beast between the Sandward Bazaar and the Avenue of Broken Chains. Its creaking sign depicts a one-eyed minotaur squeezing a barrel until the wood splinters, a not-so-subtle metaphor for the treatment of patrons inside.
Here, alcohol is strong enough to strip rust from a sword. Food is edible—barely. But the stories? The secrets traded over sour stew and spiced lizard ribs? Worth more than gold. It is a haven for cutthroats, mystics, Sect loyalists, spies, exiles, and the occasional mad poet who mistakes the place for inspiration.
Founding and Character
Built atop the collapsed foundation of an Eternal Empire bathhouse, the tavern began as a smuggler’s depot during the first Beastkin uprisings. Its original name was The Rusted Chalice, but that was burned—along with its founder—by the Slither Sect in 521 AR after a failed poisoning plot. The new owner rebuilt, named it after the minotaur bouncer who saved his life, and the Brawny Barrel was born.
Though rebuilt countless times, some say the tavern’s walls are still infused with blood magic. The air crackles faintly at dusk, and more than one patron has disappeared into the back rooms never to return. Yet the ale keeps flowing, and so too does the crowd.
Owner and Staff
Grammak the Soft-Handed is the tavern’s owner, an ex-gladiator turned publican with a reputation as sharp as his missing fingers. Don’t let the nickname fool you—he lost his right hand to a cursed dagger and now wears a prosthetic made from chitin and scorched silver. His remaining fingers may be soft, but his words slice like obsidian.
Grammak’s past is a tapestry of contradictions: raised by Sect priests, fought in the Arena of Blades, vanished for seven years, then returned wealthy and smiling, with one less hand and a heart full of secrets. He rarely leaves the bar, preferring to observe, listen, and occasionally offer unsolicited advice that feels more like prophecy.
He is aided by:
Nili “Bite-Eye” Ranneth – a half-elf with a silver tongue and sharper teeth. She serves drinks and information, often lacing one with the other.
Kogga – a mute hobgoblin cook who communicates by slamming pots and shaking a bone-rattle when the order’s ready. The food might not be safe, but it is unforgettable.
Menu and Lodging
Food and Drink
- Ash-Fried Lizard Ribs – 3 silver (comes with a warning)
- Cactus Wine (locally brewed, possibly fermented in an actual cactus) – 1 silver per mug
- Scorpion Ale (contains actual scorpion tail) – 5 silver
- Rotgut Stew (ingredients change daily) – 1 silver
- Minotaur’s Mercy (strongest drink in Dum Ramil) – 2 gold per glass, and a signed waiver
Lodging
- Common Room Hammock – 5 copper per night (bring your own blanket… and a weapon)
- Private Cell (with barred window) – 2 silver per night
- Luxury Pit – 1 gold per night (includes privacy, a guard, and anti-possession charms)
Rumours and Hooks
No tavern in Dum Ramil survives without knowing how to trade in whispers.
- A Sect enforcer was seen slipping a pouch of black sand to Grammak. No one has dared ask why.
- The basement contains a sealed door with sigils that glow only under moonlight.
- Grammak’s lost hand? Some say it still moves, crawling across the desert sands in search of revenge.
- Once a month, a figure in bone-white robes rents the Luxury Pit, stays one night, and leaves behind a vial of blood and a gold coin.
"If you're ever in Dum Ramil and find yourself bleeding, drunk, or curious—The Brawny Barrel will take you in. Whether it lets you leave is another tale. But rest assured, dear traveller, you'll leave with a story etched into your soul, even if your purse—and kidney—are missing."
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