Dexterous Drake

This inn is frequented by mercenaries and adventurers and is popular as a place to drink and stay. The innkeeper maintains a noticeboard with jobs such types may find of interest and is usually on the lookout for experienced groups to take on special contracts.

Architecture

The current Drake is built from stone, and stands two stories tall with a tile roof. Two layer of shutters on each window help keep out the wind and provide an added layer of security for guests staying overnight.
Large fireplaces at either end of the ground floor provide warmth to the different sections, with a third in the kitchen area is used for cooking. The bar runs across the two sections and provides access for those serving food to the adventurers' section. Each section has a set of stairs leading upstairs to avoid having to have guests cross sections to reach their rooms. Each of the sections has a door out onto the street, and a third door leads from the kitchen into the inn's yard.

Dexterous Drake by Tanai Cuinsear

History

The original Drake was built by Ashton Verdani in 157. Having seen a gap in the market between the dockside dives and the expensive inns near the gate, Ashton aimed to attract crafters and the like with a quieter atmosphere and good but not outstanding drinks. Having grown up in a village tavern, Ashton knew that while travellers would stay anywhere in a pinch, having a reasonable balance of comfort and price would keep them coming back so he invested quite heavily in making sure his inn had decent rooms. The Drake was a huge success and while a few competitors sprang up after a few years, the Drake remained the most popular.
Ashton left the Drake to his son Yarrin who continued running it in the same way as his father. Not totally satisfied with his income from the inn, Yarrin would occassionally trade in information if he thought he could do so without risk. When Orlin of Clan Daardenrian offered him a bribe for information that was worth more than the Drake, Yarrin jumped at the chance. Figuring that the size of the payment reflected the potential for trouble, Yarrin set the money aside in case of an emergency. When he read of Orlin's involvement in a mass poisoning in the Filishar Times (181 / 03 / 15) he was concerned he might in some way have been involved so he turned himself in at the Halls of Justice. After an investigation found him blameless, Yarrin resolved to make sure all his future dealings were totally above board.
Making use of the money he had received from Orlin, Yarrin bought up properties adjacent to the Drake and began expanding. The taproom was doubled in size and more rooms added on the upper floor. Yarrin also added further outbuildings and expanded the cellars. Most of the regulars at thedrake were confused as to why Yarrin was making these changes, especially when a dividing wall was added to the taproom along with a second entrance from the street. What they hadn't seen was the impact the activities of Frostburn company would have on the number of mercenary and adventuring groups. Yarrin was keen to tap into this market, and make some money from legal information trading.
Yarrin let it be known that he offered cut price drinks in exchange for tales of danger and excitement which attracted several groups of explorers. Those with especially interesting tales were given free drinks in exchange for telling their story on the regular side of the inn. As more mercenaries and adventurers gravitated to the Drake, so did those seeking their services and Yarrin found he could charge a fee for posting notices of work on a board in the taproom. By the time Yarrin handed the running of the Drake over to his daughter Rashel, the money from the noticeboard was covering the cost of the cut-price drinks.
Rashel continued running the Drake in the same way as her father and followed his plan for expanding the services offered to adventurers. Space in several strongrooms built in the enlarged cellar was offered to adventuring groups to store their valuables, and several of the outbuildings were also let as storage for bulky gear. Rashel also offered her services as an intermediary between adventurers and clients, taking a small commission from each deal. This proved an extremely popular service and Rashel became known as the person to speak to for hiring skilled mercenaries and explorers. The groups which regularly took contracts from Rashel became known as Drakes, and to this day the Drakes are known for both their skill and honesty in completing contracts.
Despite the success of the adventuring side of the Drake, the regular side has not been neglected. The profits from the adventuring side have helped to keep prices down, and ensure that the furnishings on the regular side are good quality and well maintained. The tradition of free drinks for good tales has meant that the regular side of the inn rarely lacks for entertainment, and a guard posted at the door makes sure that no troublemakers can disturb the peace of the regular side.

Type

Pub / Tavern / Restaurant

Parent Location

Filishar

The Drakes

Becoming a member of the Drakes is widely regarded as the first step towards being invited to join Explorer Company. Since people started referring to adventurers working out of the Dexterous Drake as Drakes more than half of Explorer Company's non-military teams have been alumni of the Drakes.
The way the adventuring side of the Dexterous Drake is run has become the inspiration for other innkeepers who like to dabble in facilitating mercenary work. Perhaps the best known of these copies is Sullivan's in Chirin-on-Dimar-

One of the regulars in the adventuring side is a dwarf named Toravir who will only be too happy to tell of his encounter with The Lamia in the desert far to the south. He may also try to persuade a group of adventurers to join him in a quest to retrieve a magical warhammer that was stolen from him, though the lack of any concrete reward has meant none have yet been willing to agree.