The Cursed Moonview Inn

"Ah damnit, it wasn't a four leaf clover, not even a three leaf, just a weed. Let's hope I can get back to my post in time before anyone notices I'm gone." - Karel Kohout's last words

Written by: jester2b

Coverart by: Rafael Sewa

Constructed in 898 1E by Felix Kohout, built in a small clearing alongside the road north of the city of Apfeluhr in Luet, the Moonview Inn has remained a popular place for travelers to rest their weary legs. The Inn gets its name for the breathtaking view of the night sky one can get behind the Inn. The establishment's popularity was caused in part by students from the Sucherstatt Academy traveling there to study the night sky while also enjoying the Inn's wide variety of food and drinks.

The Moonview Curse

Despite the establishment's popularity, the Moonview Inn is said to have been cursed. As the legend goes, before Felix bought the land to build the Inn, the area was the domain of an old and spiteful wizard. When construction began, the wizard threatened Felix and the workers to leave, telling them that if they didn't go, he would unleash a curse upon them of eternal anguish and their offspring. Felix would return to Apfeluhr and bring word of the wizard's threats, and pleaded for someone to put an end to his malice. A young knight going by the name Greenleaf Oleg offered to help him slay the evil wizard not for Felix's sake, but for all those who've suffered at his hand. Felix and Greenleaf Oleg found the wizard's hideout and slew him, but before the wizard died, he cursed Felix so that all of his future sons shall suffer early and humiliating deaths for as long as his Inn stands. It is said that Felix sought ways to end the curse but was ultimately unsuccessful; eventually, his life would be claimed by it.
Whether or not the Moonview Curse is real or just a long series of coincidences, it doesn't change that every male owner of the tavern has had their life cut short in often strange and humiliating ways. The list of owners who the supposed Moonview Curse has claimed is:

Felix Kohout

The founder of the establishment, Felix would run the Moonview Inn the best he could. Being his first time running an Inn, he struggled to get a grasp of it, but he eventually got the hang of it. The Inn became a popular choice for students of the Sucherstatt Acadamy to drink and party while continuing with their studies; at least, that's what they told their instructors. The place thrived under his leadership, but beneath his seemingly chipper demeanor was a man wrought with stress. Eventually, the pressure led to him becoming an alcoholic, resulting in his wife Daniela taking over for him. Not long after his wife took over, Felix got utterly wasted and wandered out into the woods while no one watched. Somehow, he found himself face to face with a bear, which he decided to punch in the groin when it reared up at him; unsurprisingly, the bear killed him moments later. Daniela was devastated when she learned of his death and almost considered selling the place off, but chose to keep running it like Felix would've wanted her to. Once her oldest son Karel was of age, Daniela would put the Moonview Inn in her son's care.

Karel Kohout

Years after his father's death, Karel's mother put the ownership of the Moonview Inn was put in his hands. He ran the establishment for the next few years but had a sense of longing to leave. He knew early on that working at a tavern wasn't his calling in life but felt trapped by his family, who demanded he runs the place in his father's place. Eventually, he made a deal with his mother to work in the Moonview Inn until his younger brother Dominik was 18 years of age; afterward, he was free to do as he wished. Once free of his obligation, Karel left to enlist in the Barbarossan military, hoping to find that sense of purpose he had been missing throughout his life.
Three years after his enlistment in 932 1E, the First Shemlyan War began between Teavatta and Barbarossan backed Luet over control of the northern parts of the Teavatta region. Karel was assigned to Fort Karuküüs, which served as a defensive post near the border between Shemlya and Luet. Since most of the fighting was in the west, Karel was out of harm's way for the time being. The relative safety at this time made Karel complacent, causing him not to take his duties as seriously as he should've been. On one fateful evening, while Karel was on watch duty, he spotted what looked to be a four-leaf clover in the trees. Wanting to take a closer look at it, Karel left his post to look at the interesting plant. Unfortunately, it was no four-leaf clover, just a funny-looking blade of grass. Disappointed, Karel tried to quickly return to his post before anyone noticed he was gone but was ambushed at killed by a Shemlyan soldier who was utterly bewildered by Karel's stupidity. After a long night of fighting, the Shelmyan soldiers would eventually take over Fort Karuküüs.

Dominik Kohout

After his brother left to enlist in the military, Dominik was chosen to run the Moonview Inn. Unlike his brother, Dominik enjoyed his job, as it granted him the opportunity to meet new and interesting people that passed through. With the assistance of his mother and a plethora of new cooks and barkeeps, the Moonview Inn thrived under him until one fateful day. While outside to get some fresh air, a turtle dropped by an eagle came crashing down and landed right on Dominik's head, killing him instantly. The unfortunate and sudden death of Dominik shook everyone who worked there, who scrambled to get things back in order. One of Dominik's recently hired barkeepers, Havel, took ownership of the place, though his lack of skills in running a business like this would eventually lead to him selling to place to a wealthy businessman named Oliver Horak in 939 1E.

Oliver Horak

Upon Oliver taking ownership of the Moonview Inn, he reorganized the tavern and its employees, including firing some of the old workers from Dominik's time. Havel would be kept as one of the barkeepers and the secondary manager whenever Oliver wasn't around. One day, Oliver left to check out another tavern south of the Moonview that he was interested in buying. While Oliver was crossing a rope bridge over a dangerous ravine on his way there, a storm suddenly formed. Before Oliver could make it across, a bolt of lightning struck the bridge, causing it to be set on fire and eventually break. Oliver tumbled down the ravine and was impaled on a sharp rock, though the worst was still to come. Moments after being impaled, a mountain lion came across him and began to tear into his flesh. A nearby hunter found the poor man and tried to fire his bow at the mountain lion; unfortunately, he missed and hit Oliver in the chest three times. After the hunter's failed rescue attempts, a bear joined the mountain lion and ripped Oliver to shreds until this was nothing more than a bloody mess of blood and bones.

Havel Tesar

After news of Oliver's death reached Havel and the workers at the Moonview Inn, Havel was put in charge once again. He kept the place running smoothly over the next few years until one unfortunate night when he slipped on an empty wine bottle, causing him to fall back and hit his head on the table, which instantly snapped his neck by the sudden force killing him. As with Dominik's sudden death years earlier, the most experienced employee was chosen to run the Inn. The head cook, Ivona Francová, was selected to manage the place after Havel's untimely death. Her inexperience caused her to stumble at first, though she eventually got the hang of it, running the Moonview Inn for nearly 45 years until she relinquished the position to Klement Zulak.

Klement Zulak

The Moonview Inn was Klement's third time running an Inn, making him one of the most qualified individuals to take over for Ivona. The Inn was pulling in far more money than ever before with his expertise. He kept the place thriving for nearly thirty years until his untimely death by a horse accidentally kicking him right in the chest in 987 1E. As what was seemingly tradition at this point, the most experienced person was picked to run the place, this time being a barkeep named Dorota Nosková.

A Newfound Identity

Dorota was a superstitious woman who saw all the deaths since the Inn's founding as a string of curses set upon the establishment. She is believed to be the first person to coin the term "Moonview Curse," with some believing she also created the story of Felix and Greenleaf Oleg's fight against the spiteful wizard that had cursed the Inn. Noticing that the women in charge never suffered the same untimely deaths as the men had, she decided that only women could own the Moonview Inn from that day onwards. This policy is still in effect to this day, with the story of the Moonview Curse giving the tavern newfound fame as visitors from all across Luet coming to see the place. Greenleaf Oleg and Felix Kohout retroactively became local heroes weaved into the tales of the area.

Founding Date

898 1E

Type

Inn