The Toad’s Square

In the shadow of the Beacon lies a large, circular plaza surrounded by taverns and dives, including the Salons of Symbaroum.
If one were to name one single place as the most dangerous in town, it would have to be the block neighboring the Toad’s Square. More deaths occur there than in the rest of Thistle Hold combined, and it is in close vicinity to the Beacon’s foundation that most of the town’s shady affairs take place – affairs that often go overboard since active town guards seldom are seen in the district. However, what is most renowned about the square is without a doubt the statue which has given it its name. Standing on a base made of black basalt, encircled by a stone-framed pond, stands the reassembled skeleton of a huge, toad-like monster. The carcass was found quite intact under the construction of the palisade and was restored by scholars from Ordo Magica.
Even though the beast itself is enough to inspire the wildest fantasies, most speculations tend to be about the modest brass bell hanging in a ribbon around the creature’s neck.
Does the bell imply that the giant toad was once someone’s pet? In that case, whose? Or was the creature itself thinking and astute, wearing the bell as jewelry? And why is its tone so frail? Would it sound differently if its original, not yet recovered clapper was found?

Type

Market square