Rumors from the Golden Cloak Inn and Tavern

Rumors fly fast through the city of Grayton's Lot. With Golden Cloak sitting right in the middle of the market area and next to the docks, people from all walks of life can be found nearby, and many of the stories and rumors spoken just outside the walls of the tavern find their way inside.

Rumors are a great place to start an adventure, or can plant a seed for existing stories. Sometimes rumors can be about the adventurers themselves, assuming they have not been recognized.

You can present rumors in a number of ways in a story. First, they can be overheard from another table or from someone standing nearby. Two, a stranger might come up, and in his or her inebriated state start spouting whatever is on their mind. Another option could be a random note dropped off on the table or found laying on the floor. Perhaps one of the character's contacts comes up to them to discuss a situation or relay information that has been uncovered. This is particullarly useful in a heavy spy style adventure, but is not restricted as such. A more embarassing option is to have an intoxicated NPC announcing to the bar, "Look! It's those heros who overthrough the pirates from the Isles. I hear they are looking for <insert NPC> and are planning on killing him/her!" This can be any sort of statement of they are the ones who did this and are planning to do that. The possibilities are nearly endless of how rumors can be passed, story tellers, bards, sages, other adventurers, bar staff, or drunks spouting out comments.

Of course, not all rumors are true and many of them reek of hyperbole.

Here are some of the juicy rumors you might hear at Golden Cloak Inn and Tavern:

• Pirates from the Central Isles have kidnapped a famous noble and are holding them for ransom.
• A noble from famous house is behind the murders of the homeless people in the nearby alleys.
• Noble woman Lady Disette was seen cavorting with a sailor down by the docks. She invitted him into her carriage and they took off together.
• A new Nethen ruin was found to the west by the Order of Eight, and now they have the ability to control Freedom's Gate from the ruin.
• "I saw this strange black being walking through the plains. It had no clothes and no face except for two red eyes." Storyteller: this is a reference to a Tel-al-devir being awakened.
• We were travelling out through the desert on the way to Oasis on the Edge and a dragon flew overhead paying no attention to us, it just kept going.
• A caravan to the west was attacked by bandits and they took a mysterious artifact found among some Nethen ruins.
• The mayor's daughter was out all night and was found laying in the gardens, passed out.
• There was a huge explosion at the Grayton's Tower and killed several of the mages.
• Orcs have been found in mass between here and Elenoran attacking anyone and anything in the area. Several heros bodies have been found among the carnage.
• Strange creatures have been coming from the sewers at night and others come up from under the docks or off the beach.
• Someone has been changing the choices of the king or making him alter his own decissions. The king is not really king.
• Many of the ships are partially built by giants far away.
• Rora is a real place, filled with wizards, and they are trying to take over Karenth Centralis starting with Grayton's Lot.
• Large ants have been seen around the outlying farms.
• Lord Jarod disappeared while hunting pirates in the Central Isles.
• Timor Tapfoot's guitar is magical and without it, the bard would not even be able to sing, much less play the guitar. He's a talentless hack.
• A group of adventurer's had a run in with the Nethen among some far western ruins. While not hostile, they did threaten the adventurers and sent several massive stone golems to keep them out of the ruins.
• Packs of ravaging metal creatures have come out of the ruins and begun to invade cities.
• The taveller with name of name name has been cheating people out of goods and refusing to pay them and the city guard will do nothing about it.
• Several wizards have arrived in the city in the past few weeks and are gathering at the tower. No one knows what they are doing here.
• The frigate Her Amazing Grace returned to port barely afloat, much of the crew missing, and much of the ship in pieces, masts broken.