Ebon Moon Taphouse

At a Glance

The dirt road of this busy street is constantly stirred by busy people going about their business. A poorer part of the Rivergate Ward, one can easily figure that the peasantry that works for the middle-class nobles and retired merchants call this place their home. It isn't much, but these humble folk take care in assuring that their single-story homes and huts are clean and presentable while also refusing to give up the neighborliness that they believe the city lacks. Come nighttime, the block bustles not from the street but from the inside.
Possibly the finest building in the immediate area, a large brick taphouse about two stories in height and nearly half a block long pours bright orange and yellow light onto the streets from the industrial-sized windows given an arch nearest the top by simple yet eye-catching brickwork. It is rather apparent that the place was once a warehouse or perhaps a factory of sorts, for a smokestack lingers high above the building. This massive edifice is a testament to the failure of industrialization in the Rivergate Ward. Outside workers from all clans and creeds share their stories with one another over a heady pint of dark ale. The scent of yeast and beer is enough to entice even the most nephalist of kin to partake. 
Large factory doors, wide open, allow the passerby to look inside at the massive interior filled with tables, chairs, stools, and a bar at the center of it all with a humble-looking fellow serving up drinks alongside a few other men and women. The tables, mismatched as they were, seemed to be made from massive wooden spools and other miscellaneous parts left over from the days of a now long dead pursuit that no one seems to remember.

First Impressions

The inside of the Ebon Moon is absolutely massive. On the factory floor, one could easily count a score of tables all filled with workers looking to spend their evening relaxing with a pint. Great furnaces were repurposed to provide heat to the patrons especially on colder nights where workers would find themselves busily shoveling more and more coal into them every ten minutes or so. The bar at the center of the floor is surrounded by stools, all filled by tired laborers that constantly call for refills of their wooden cups and tankards. Perhaps the most impressive thing is the massive brass tank that sports two spouts on all sides. One might wonder exactly how one fills such a beastly thing every evening, but the owner, Slade, keeps that a secret from everyone. 

Services

The Ebon Moon Taphouse is exactly that, and it serves only one ale per season. In the colder seasons, it serves an ale flavored with dark fruits and gourds. In the warmer seasons, it serves a pale ale distilled with bright tasting fruits like oranges and malt. Slade and his friends have taken to using the foreman's quarters as a place to keep runaways and people who have nowhere else to go. 

Who's Who

Slade Maverille

Always brimming with a pleasant grin, Slade Maverille is the proud owner of the largest taphouse in the city. Known for his firm but not mean demeanor, he proudly hosts at least one hundred thirsty workers every evening. Slade is a man of average build with a prominent brown muttonstache and long, tied-back hair. His ears denote his distant elven heritage. One notable thing is that the man and woman that works alongside him appear to be well into their twilight years yet he didn't appear a day over thirty.

"You know, lad, I used to work in this place when it was still a factory. Aye. We were to make all sorts of things that this portly bastard demanded of us. We got rather tired of being treated like ants, so we took the place from him. Ah, but that were a lifetime ago when yer da were about your age."

- Slade Maverille, Owner of the Ebon Moon Taphouse

Slade had grown so accustomed to telling the story of the acquisition of the Ebon Moon that he allows his patrons to tell it for him. The namesake of the Ebon Moon is that of the plan to destroy the factory in retribution for the unfair treatment by the foreman, Elroy Velmont. After "removing" Velmont, they decided that it would be best to not ruin the building, but reclaim it and transform it into a safe-haven for the workers of the Rivergate Ward. They go on to explain that even the guard were in on taking down Velmont, for he was reputed to be a truly vile being that had no care for anyone but himself and the business he represented. 

Secrets & Rumors

Slade is not without his fair share of secrets and scandals. Behind the smiling visage of this half-elven man is a lifetime of turmoil and fighting. While he is open about admitting to participating in the rioting that lead to the fall of the factory, Slade never actually discloses what sort of part he had to play in the ordeal. Some believe that he was a part of the slew of belligerents that took the life of Elroy Velmont, the foreman who was known to abuse his workers by cutting wages, not allowing breaks, and weaseling his way into having children work in the factory. The riots that inevitably led to the monster of a man's death were not without reason, for a worker was killed while attempting to repair faulty machinery and Velmont refused to give the family of the victim any sort of recompense. That was his final mistake.
It is said that Slade is also the leader of a small gang that works to undermine business endeavors in the Rivergate Ward. That said, many businesses still function within the area. Some believe that Slade has forced the owners to treat their workers well lest they wish to face the consequences. 

Contents

Type

Pub / Tavern / Restaurant

Parent Location

Rivergate Ward