Starving Hound Tavern

At a Glance

The Starving Hound Tavern can be found in the South Market ward – right at the edge of it, in fact. The tavern’s back wall is built up right against the city’s walls; in fact, the Starving Hound Tavern is one of the only buildings constructed in this way, with most giving the wall at least a little bit of space.
The Starving Hound Tavern is a two-story building, built in a rustic style with a thatch roof. It also features a small stable, built right next to the main construction. Just above the tavern’s entrance is a sign featuring a shaggy brown-haired dog looking down at the incoming patrons expectantly, as if asking for food. The moment a patron enters, they are greeted by the very same dog, Shaggy, who goes from table to table to beg from scraps. The tavern is named after him, although the owner is quick to assure everyone that Shaggy isn’t actually ever starving, he only acts like it to get more food – something evidenced by his large belly.

Local Knowledge

Interior

The bottom floor is devoted almost entirely to the tavern’s common area. Tables big and small are strewn about the place, and most – if not all – are full every evening. In the back of the bottom floor there is also the kitchen, which also doubles as the place where the alcohol is stored.
The top floor is where the tavern’s owner lives. What’s more, although the Starving Hound Tavern is not really an inn, the owner often allows people to stay the night in the top floor’s spare beds if they don’t have any other place or if they are too drunk to go anywhere. While he does charge money for this, the prices are more than fair.

Owner

The owner of the Starving Hound Tavern is a human middle-aged man named Feilos. A cheery and gregarious individual, he runs the tavern almost by himself – he does most the greeting and serving, and often involves himself in the cooking if things are going slow.
Although Feilos seems like a happy person, long-time patrons of the tavern know that he’s been through tough times. Feilos opened up this tavern fifteen years ago, along with his wife and two children. For the first five years, they ran the tavern by themselves – Feilos and his wife cooked and their children served the customers.
However, a bout of plague took Feilos’ wife and kids, all in the span of only a couple of months. While there was a great outpouring of support from the community, many expected that Feilos would close down the tavern completely. And yet, this didn’t happen. Rather, Feilos expanded the tavern’s hours, taking on more work – perhaps to keep himself busy.

Staff

Today, Feilos runs the tavern with a handful of employees. Most stay only for a couple of years, but two have been with Feilos for quite a while now.
One is Siritha, who does most of the cooking. A half-elf of about forty years, Siritha truly cares about the tavern and the food she makes – it helps that the tavern pays well.
The other is Meren, a human of about thirty years. Before he took up a job as server and repairman in the tavern, Meren had just finished an archaeology degree. However, as he himself also says, he never practiced archaeology in the end.

Guests

Secrets & Rumors

When Meren says he never practiced archaeology, he is not exactly telling the truth. Although he never did so formally, he does archaeological work every night along with Feilos.
When Feilos first bought the land for his tavern, the fact that he ended up building it adjacent to the city walls was just a coincidence. However, it ended up helping him.
Four years ago, Meren came to Feilos with a request. As part of his archaeological studies, he’d read a story about ancient artifacts buried within and beneath Ptolos’ walls. Digging into the walls was of course forbidden, and so Meren wanted to do it in secret – by digging through Feilos’ wall.
At first, Feilos wanted to deny this request – it was plainly illegal. However, when Meren mentioned that among the artifacts was one rumored to be able to bring back the dead, Feilos instantly agreed. If he could return his beloved wife and children to life, he would obviously do so.
From that day on, the two have slowly been digging into the city wall. By this time, they’ve dug almost all the way through, and have started work on tunnels below it. Already, Meren has found a couple of artifacts – he thinks they’re on the right path.
Of course, work is going slow, and the two risk being discovered every day. Apart from the fact that the other staff members have no idea about this, the tavern’s clientele is also a danger. Being so close to the city walls, many guards come into the tavern for food and drinks after their shift at the gates is done.
The guards, in turn, have attracted criminals. Many small-time criminals and magnates alike have come to Feilos, asking if he has any information that the guards let slip as they were drinking – patrol routes, hints about incoming treasure, that sort of stuff. So far, Feilos has told such people nothing, even though he does overhear some things. He plans to never tell them anything – although Feilos is currently committing a crime, he is only doing this for his family. He has no plan to go against the city’s guards.
However, Feilos also knows that if his plan for the walls is discovered, it is such criminals that will help him keep it a secret. As such, he’s done his best to keep in contact with them – just in case.

Parent Location

South Market