The Death's Door Tavern and Inn

On Mausten Street, which cuts a semi-straight line east-west through the center of Mumbee, short and brightly painted shops and produce stands line the wide road hung with floral garlands. Aromas of coffee and lavender entice you to the corner of Mausten Street and Dresbury Lane where the three-story inn and tavern Death's Door awaits. The floral wreath on the door is woven with red ribbons and nested with tiny rodent skulls. The worn wooden sign perpetually swinging over the door shows a skeletal hand with a crooked finger beckoning you to enter. The creak of the metal chains holding the sign sends a chill down your spine but the glow inside the tavern invites you in.

by KJK Comics

You are greeted by Anthorna Merricurria the innkeeper and bartender whose second great grandfather is the god of the dead. She is elegantly dressed and floral tattoos wrap her bare arms. She asks patrons to call her Anne or Thorn. Shouting "you there" is a quick way to wear a pint of ale.

In the brooding corner north of the stage sits Lady Obsidian sipping a dark red liquid from an elegant chalice. Nobody knows her true name and she treats everyone as nobility. Her demeanor rarely hints at anything beyond a bemused interest. When asked she will freely tell her back story to the curious, though no two patrons ever hear the same story. She always keeps her story consistent when pressed for details. If you treat Lady Obsidian fairly and with respect, your next encounter will be blessed with good luck. But if you are rude or petty, your chances of failure at your next endeavor are almost assured.

As you explore, a grey hairless cat with a wrinkled forehead and soot-black nose notices you from the comfort of the bear rug in front of the fireplace. She nods her approval and returns to her catnap. In a comfy chair nearby a grizzled old gnome sits whittling a wooden rabbit. If you sit and chat with him for an evening, you will find one of these figures in a pocket, though you don't recall receiving it.

In-house organist Ionie Antar often accompanies entertainers on the lamp-lit stage. Her Ekrus heritage is a rare sight, with her pale green eyes with no whites and dark brown skin with a green tint and faintly shimmery, as if lichen infested and wet. She wears white dresses laced with green ribbons and jewelry made from aventurine and jade.

by Terye Stephens

Chief cook Ladonya Fayard creates seasonal menus using the best ingredients on the market. This autumn menu includes her world-famous cacao bean and vanilla tart topped with a small dab of sweetened egg cream.

Card games and competitions can be found on every floor. Once per visit PCs can challenge Anthorna at arm-wrestling or Ionie at performance to win a tankard of Best Black, a locally produced vodka cocktail made with cacao.

River Stone Cards by Terye Stephens (photography)

River and Stone Playing Cards

Guestrooms have haunting artwork and are hung with fragrant seasonal garlands. Fluffy quilts cover the beds, which never feel cold despite the slight chill in the air.

Traditional Garlands by Month:
Sanctuary – Pine and Snowdrops

New Years Day: Sanctuary the 1st, sacred to Midgeet, ratfolk, kobolds, orphans, and outcastes.

Chrysalis – Spruce and Crocus
Dewdrop – Cedar and Primrose
Satyr – Epipremnum Aureum and Pussy Willow

Spring Equinox: Satyr the 7th, sacred to Sela, Sola, and Cirrhi-na. A day of frolicking, fresh flowers, and fried bread. In this region, the beginning of courting.
During the Spring Equinox and sometimes for several months, red chrysanthemums or carnations adorn the doors of families in the process of matchmaking.

Arbor – Senecio Peregrinus and Tulips
Sword – Heartleaf Philodendron and Sweet Pea
Jewel – Hedera Helix and Wild Rose

Midsummer: Jewel the 14th, sacred to Royka, Sela, and Ethan.
Local wedding ceremonies are performed during Jewel.

Gruit – Raphidophora Tetrasperma and Wheat
Sheaf – Wheat and Elderberry
Marmalade – Philodendron Micans and Viola

Autumn Equinox: Marmalade the 21st
The Autumn Equinox is marked by a week-long festival of harvest and death when flower-painted gourds or animal skulls accompany or replace the wreaths.

Onyx – Fir and Witch Hazel

Scavenger Hunt: Onyx the 7th, sacred to Ethan the Wayfarer.

Snowfall – Fir and Winterberry
Aurora – Pine and Holly

Midwinter: Aurora the 28th, sacred to Bellan and Ethan. A day for gifts and ending journeys.

Alterations

Originally The Floral Portas Manor, rooms were opened up to rent after the children were orphaned in a cannery fire which took their parents and destroyed their family's income. Over the next ten years, the manor was renovated into a full tavern and inn. The eldest Anthorna stayed and ran the inn as her siblings found adventures elsewhere. Midgeet stopped by the inn on her way north and introduced Anthorna to her cousin Deirdre Merricurria, an intelligent Hairless Cat who made herself at home.

Architecture

The three-story wood beam construction of the old manor turned tavern looms over the neighboring single-story shops and stalls. As most buildings in Mumbee are domes half-covered in sod, only the Town Hall and the Militia Barracks rival the tavern's size. Ravens often stake out the rooftop and watch for dropped food and shinies to snatch from the busy market street that grew up around the manor during its renovation.

Defenses

The last attempt to rob the inn concluded with the gang of Human and Half-Orc adventurers crumpled on the doorstep singed, coated in feathers, and smelling of tar and urinals. The gang leader Byron the Blaggart now cringes at the sight of a passing cat.

Tourism

The tavern is a lively stop between the Chalibeth Capital and lands to the east and north. The stage attracts exceptional performers often accompanied by the in-house organist Ionie Antar, the game room hosts competitions and card games, and the balcony gives newlyweds and foreigners a gorgeous view of the river and patchworked fields. Visitors craving a haunted house experience are never disappointed, as the creaking old manor hosts shuffling noises, whistling wind, and eirie ethereal voices.