The Dark Hound
Found on one of the darker and less travelled streets of Tor Uviel, the Dark Hound looks quite crude and dire from the outside. Large white stones are clunky compared to surrounding buildings with thick hard oak beams which are not as well carved and shaved down as others. The windows are dusty, a little grimy and blacked out with large heavy curtains and there are some damp stains at the base of the foundations, truly a remarkable feat considering the heat of the Rune Keeper's climate.
The tavern is accessible via a single heavy reinforced wooden door, and immediately the inside is as dire as the outside. Wooden beams support the upper floor with rows of half melted candles attached to them. The walls are littered with all sorts of Elven memorabilia, many of which are now unrecognisable due to dust, cobwebs and the dim lighting.
Often scarce in custom, the roughly carved tables and chairs are likely a prime spot for splinters and bad posture.
The Dark Hound is believed to have stood since before the Kasarian Conclave, and is no less popular now than it was before, drawing attention from the more nefarious individuals of society. Manned alone by Uthemar Withrethin, a male Drow who has seemingly owned the building for many years.
Purpose / Function
The Dark Hound is a cheap and effective waterhole in the back allies of Tor Uviel, adept at giving criminals and uncouth individuals a place to hide; rest; plot and scheme without the authorities baring down upon them.
Architecture
A simple two story building, the exterior is as rough as the interior with shoddy carved stone and wood of the correct colours and types to just about blend into its surroundings while also identifying itself as separate from the rest. White stone, oak beams, pitched roof, a crooked chimney oozes dark smoke throughout the day.
Inside is a similar story, bare stone walls and exposed beams, candles and oil lanterns providing only the dimmest of lighting which barely reaches the corners. Rough carved furniture that easily offers as many splinters as it does space to sit. The bar is short, more maintained than the rest of the establishment.
A simple corner staircase ascends to the upper floor, wherein customers can pay for a room for the night to lay low or recover from... Whatever they may have been doing.
History
The Dark Hound has supposedly stood for centuries, untouched by time and tide and always as run down and backwater as it is today. It is widely unknown if the local authorities know about its existence or if they have quietly allowed it to continue for the sake of peace and quiet.
At the very least, one sure thing is the longterm ownership of the establishment by Uthemar Withrethin, a Drow gentleman believed to have been among the first to emerge from Dhala Mugen from one of the Underdark settlements. He is a relatively private person and little is know about him beyond that.
During the Kasarian War, it is believed that the Dark Hound was used by Kasarian Cultists as a minor headquarters, only to later be chased out when Uthemar regained access to the city.
Tourism
The majority of individuals visiting this location are highly likely to be criminals, gang members, escaped convicts, fences, forgers and the general underground sort of society who always need a place to go and mingle to plot and ploy.
No well to do or good mannered person would be seen dead going there without an extraordinary reason.
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