The Tortured Man
The Tortured Man in Qitor (a city in Llyn, one of the Four Regions of Adhonaglamar) is a one of a kind place. Not only because the bar keeper is a former priest, but especially because it is housed in an old dungeon underneath the city hall.
In the time before the Interregional Wars, the dungeon was used as a place to temporarily detain thieves and other criminals. Locating it underneath the city hall, which at that time also housed the city watch, was a logical choice. It was not as much a dungeon as a jail at that time, mostly consisting of holding cells.
When the times got grimmer in the run-up to the Wars, some cells were converted for 'enhanced interrogation'. The interior of the dungeon turned ever more dark, being filled with half-dead detainees and torture devices.
During the Interregional Wars however, the dungeon became too small to house all those that were arrested on suspicion of spying or being assassins. A new and much larger jail was constructed on the edge of town, with the old dungeon underneath city hall only being used for interrogation.
After the Wars ended, more peaceful times called for fewer dark actions. So the dungeon was abandoned. Any prisoners that still needed to be detained were kept in the new jail. The dungeon became in disrepair and was unused for several decades.
At least, until Hardegin the Priest decided he'd have enough of the religious life. Never having been a good fit within his order, and always having had a love for good ale, he decided to open a bar, which Qitor lacked at the time. And what better place, he thought, than a marvellous location in the middle of town. After some negotiating with the city's major, he was given approval to convert the dungeon to a bar.
Appreciating its special history and particular interior, Hardegin decided to turn that into his main selling point. He removed most of the holding cells to place in a bar and plenty of chairs and tables, but he left the torturing devices and a few cells.
Since the Wars had taken place over a generation ago, and not many in the city had lived through the horrors the people suffered back then, most didn't mind the peculiar setting when they went to get a drink at Hardegin's. To some it even increased the appeal, which Hardegin had been hoping for.
Most days his bar is packed full and the locals like to enjoy a good pint after a long day’s work. And so, the Tortured Man will go down in the history books of Qitor as a place of joy and merriment, its grim history mostly forgotten.
In the time before the Interregional Wars, the dungeon was used as a place to temporarily detain thieves and other criminals. Locating it underneath the city hall, which at that time also housed the city watch, was a logical choice. It was not as much a dungeon as a jail at that time, mostly consisting of holding cells.
When the times got grimmer in the run-up to the Wars, some cells were converted for 'enhanced interrogation'. The interior of the dungeon turned ever more dark, being filled with half-dead detainees and torture devices.
During the Interregional Wars however, the dungeon became too small to house all those that were arrested on suspicion of spying or being assassins. A new and much larger jail was constructed on the edge of town, with the old dungeon underneath city hall only being used for interrogation.
After the Wars ended, more peaceful times called for fewer dark actions. So the dungeon was abandoned. Any prisoners that still needed to be detained were kept in the new jail. The dungeon became in disrepair and was unused for several decades.
At least, until Hardegin the Priest decided he'd have enough of the religious life. Never having been a good fit within his order, and always having had a love for good ale, he decided to open a bar, which Qitor lacked at the time. And what better place, he thought, than a marvellous location in the middle of town. After some negotiating with the city's major, he was given approval to convert the dungeon to a bar.
Appreciating its special history and particular interior, Hardegin decided to turn that into his main selling point. He removed most of the holding cells to place in a bar and plenty of chairs and tables, but he left the torturing devices and a few cells.
Since the Wars had taken place over a generation ago, and not many in the city had lived through the horrors the people suffered back then, most didn't mind the peculiar setting when they went to get a drink at Hardegin's. To some it even increased the appeal, which Hardegin had been hoping for.
Most days his bar is packed full and the locals like to enjoy a good pint after a long day’s work. And so, the Tortured Man will go down in the history books of Qitor as a place of joy and merriment, its grim history mostly forgotten.
Type
Pub / Tavern / Restaurant
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I have such a strong picture of what this bar is like, and I love that the barkeep is a former priest. Sounds like a great place to visit despite its dark history. I wonder if it's haunted.
Good question. The future might tell; this is definitely a location I'd like to write more on, perhaps even some stories.