Scales, Ales, and Tales Tavern
Near the dockyard, the Scales, Ales, and Tales tavern is a popular site for Whiteport's maritime industry, as well as those looking for adventure or a good time. The tavern is run by Jarcinda Whaelbuckler, an aging human woman retired from years sailing, now content to offer a place of refuge, a good meal, and happy to live through the stories of others and trade a few of her own. The tavern is known for having some of the best seafood in Whiteport, and Jarcinda uses her connections with local merchants and fishermen who patron the tavern to get the first pick of the day's fresh catch.
Purpose / Function
The Scales, Ales, and Tales Tavern was purchased by Jarcinda using her savings from years plying the Summer seas as a retirement plan, and has since invited her sister and her sister's family to help run the tavern, and views it as her family's financial security once she is gone. It serves as an important intersection for a number of significant Whiteport communities and interests, including (but not limited to) fishermen, admiralty sailors and officers, shipwrights, cartographers and adventures, merchants, and sailors, and is thus seen as neutral ground in the city and off-limits for most of whiteport's major conflicts (though the Crimsons have pushed this line). The Scales, Ales, and Tales offers a place for each of these communities to meet and interact, and thus is an important spot for unofficial business meetings, job opportunities, and professional gossip. The Scales role in the city has given Jarcinda significant influence in Whiteport's commercial industry, and she serves as (and has actively cultivated) a role as a liaison or representative, introducing relevant parties and connecting relevant business interests to one another through her extensive personal network of associate, such as introducing merchants in need of transport for goods to her favored captains, or connecting other restauranteurs and businesses with high quality ingredients and materials through her connections with fishermen and distributors.
In addition to the Scales important role as an unofficial nexus of business within Whiteport, it also serves more apparently as a comfortable tavern and inn, most frequently serving visiting merchant and sailors (generally of higher rank and class), admiralty sailors and officers, adventurers, and many local Whiteport artisans and merchants who live in the temple or market districts.
Alterations
The Scales, Ales, and Tales Tavern was acquired by Jarcinda about six years ago from the previous owners of the building, where it served as a fishmonger's house. As a result, although the property and building were fairly cheap, the floors and walls reeked of fish, and only after virtually stripping the property was Jarcinda convinced she was able to remove the smell completely (though her critics still occasionally deride the Tavern as the fishy smell- and NEVER to her face). Nevertheless, Jarcinda converted a previously fairly barebones structure into a comfortable inn, renovating the second and third floors (including adding a small widow's walk over the third floor which provides a lovely view of Castle Whiteport and the bay), and adding a finely polished wooden bar counter which she swears is the captured plank from Freeholk, and an impressive kitchen. She also added a fresh coat of paint, varnishing, and specially carved the building's wooden faces.
Architecture
The Scales, Ales, and Tales Tavern is a three story tall building constructed out of stout, sturdy looking wooden beams. On its third floor a widows' watch provides views over the bay and Castle Whiteport and over the lower roofs of the surrounding shops and houses. It is painted white, with crisp navy blue accenting, and its main support beams have been meticulously carved into a scale pattern and accented with bronze leaf, so at some points during the day the Tavern glows and sparkles like fish scales. Inset in the frame is a wooden door with a strong iron handle, over which hangs a wooden sign proclaiming the tavern's name.
Inside the building on the first floor, the ceiling has been lined with sailcloth, creating a tent-like atmosphere, and the inside wood has also been painted white, while windows on the first floor are propped open allowing a clear breeze to pass through the tavern and which waft sea-blue curtains. Round tables (actually circular wooden boards overlaid on ships wheels) are covered in neat pastel pink tablecloth, and along the back wall of the tavern lies the main bar, a finely polished plank of wood which Jarcinda swears is stolen from Freeholk itself. A large kitchen lies behind the bar, out of sight.
Jarcinda lives on the third floor, and shares it with her younger sister Arissa and Arissa's family, who help to run the tavern. The second floor of the building can be reached by a wooden staircase inside the building, with a narrow hallway runs along the wallside wall, while a row of rooms lines the seaside wall. Each room is comfortable, featuring a single medium-sized cotton lined with soft furs and cloth, a small table and chair, and a lockbox, while fresh flowers grow in planter boxes. A cast iron hearth sits in the corner of each room, and while the windows lack glass, they offer wooden-slat shutters and a weatherproofed canvas (similar to a ship's sail) which can be shut in case of rain. As a result, a slight sea-breeze tends to drift through the upper floor of the tavern.
History
Jarcinda purchased the Scales, Ales, and Tales Tavern from its previous owners, a fishmonger and his wife, and as a result the building perpetually reeked of fish. Jarcinda fully renovated the building (a three-year long process) before finally opening its doors for business in 1539. Through her naval connections and culinary expertise, the Scales quickly built up a reputation of offering some of the best fresh seafood in Whiteport and became a popular spot for the maritime community, and subsequently attracted the attention of those who wished to work with them who discovered the new "hidden gem" of Whiteport for themselves.
Tourism
The Scales, Ales, and Tales Tavern serves as a comfortable Tavern and inn for some of Whiteports more well-to-do businessmen, adventurers, and merchants. It is known for its excellent seafood and Jarcinda's hospitality, and also serves as an excellent place for many of Whiteport's merchants, sailors, and notables to do business.
Menu
Drinks:- Catch o' the Day (3cp) - the Catch o the Day is one of the Scales' special offers. Through her connections, each day Jarcinda finds the ales and beers which distributors are looking to offload. Typically fairly good beer, all things considered
- Corsair Cane Rum (4sp) - a smooth and dark rum imported specially by Jarcinda from the Corsair Coast
- Maelstrom (5gp) - This strong liquor drink swirls constantly in the glass, tugged downward like a whirlpool. This constant animation makes it a little annoying to consume as it is prone to spill.
- Breakfast (2sp): Shrimp scrambled eggs topped with fresh cheese and served with cinammon apple tart hotcakes
- Lunch (2sp): Lemon Grilled Fresh Catch- typically Salmon or
- Dinner (3sp): Loaded Fresh Catch Paella (shrimp, oyster, crab, lobster, fish)
Founding Date
1539 AC
Alternative Names
The Scales or "The Fishy Smell"
Type
Pub / Tavern / Restaurant
Parent Location
Owner
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