Elfsong Tavern

The Elfsong Tavern is typical of the drinking establishments in Baldur's Gate - full of alcohol, tempting coin, and unscrupulous people. Well-armed patrons huddle around tables in the main room and in private booths. Three padded chairs sit near a fireplace on the east wall, underneath the creaky wooden staircase that climbs to the second floor. Some drunk is usually passed out on a couch against the north wall. Next to the couch sits a wooden sea chest that contains an assortment of games (Dragonchess boards, well-used decks of Three-Dragon ante cards, and so on). Visitors to the Elfsong are greeted by the overwhelming presence of the mighty Skoona, the ogre bouncer, and his partner Klank (an animated suit of plate mail, which patrons think must have been the disembodied spirit of a former tavern regular). Once inside, patrons will find the owner, Alan Alyth, tending bar while Falten and Yimiur take orders, deliver drinks and food, and joke with the clientele. If one is lucky (or possibly lacking in luck), those in the Elfsong will be greeted by the cantankerous members of the Puffer Fishers, a local smoking club that frequents the lounge. These old koots use the Elfsong as their base of operations, dwelling in the pungent haze of pipeweed smoke, arguing about better days fishing the mighty Chionthar River. Upstairs, the Elfsong has several small rooms for those who need a place to sleep, and a main room usually filled with gamblers throwing dice or cheating at cards. From time to time, the disembodied voice of a female elf fills the tavern with a melancholy song, giving the establishment its name. The ballad isn't loud enough to distrupt conversation, but most patrons stop speaking when the elfsong begins, then resume only after it ends. Many customers frequent the tavern in the hopes of hearing it. Those who speak Elvish can understand the lyrics, which lament an unnamed lover lost at sea. No one is sure how the spirit came to haunt the tavern, just as no one can predict when it will sing again.

Architecture

Like most of Baldur's Gate's Lower City, the Elfsong is composed of a grey flagstone first story with timber-beam construction for the second. Slate shingles sit atop the steeply slanted roof girders, all the better to funnel the city's copious amounts of precipitation (and criminal types) onto the street below.

Type

Pub / Tavern / Restaurant

Owner

Alan Alyth

Characters in Location