Landshome public house

Landshome Guesthouse, is also called the Blue House from the blue and grey checkered tartans worn by the owner and staff.

by Wikicommons

I crossed the wind swept outer yard, past the snow piles and drifts. This far north and east the cold comes early and stays late and snow is frequent but not deep. Stomping to loose the last snow clinging to boots and trouser cuffs. Opening one of the double doors below the blue and grey checkered sign announcing the Landshome public house, I stepped into the bright light, warmth and hubbub of voices over the music of Samisen playing a sound of rain and flowing water.

The entry gives a wide view of the open main floor and upper floor balcony. To the left, booth tables with stout wooden chairs and lanterns hung on metal arms off the walls, and wider booths with Centaur couches to the right. A stage in the center with several tables around it and small metal stoves, towards the back of the room a stair, a wide Centaur sized door at the back right and a human sized one to the back. Between them is a fireplace with a pot hook, grill cage and spit holders with chunks a meat.

One booth contained several curly haired, brown skinned, sharp nosed Torga Imperials talking loudly and laughing. A few tables with red skinned Esereti eating or drinking or looking above the entryway at the musician playing. A small graceful gazelleheaded beastfolk woman carried a tray between tables delivering dishes, taking empty and filling cups from a pitcher. Under the stairs at the back could be seen an older Golam man, his hair and goatee all silver on his darkface. Red sash of an Imperial citizen over the house color chima calf length skirt and brown pants. His leather jerkin, club and slow sweeping gaze over the room shouted guard. The walls are hungswith hides and skulls of various monstrous creatures and a few mounted heads including a Bashe.

On the right by the entry is a bar with a golden scaled snakehead beastfolk. Serpent head but with small ear holes back on the skull, green eyes with vertical slit pupils, the scales fade below the neck and merge into what is presumably a human body under the loose robe and jacket, with a blue and grey checkered kilt.
"Welcome to the Landshome visitor. Will you take the bar or a table?" It waved wide sleeved arm to the bar, then the tables. At the bar a dark skinned and well dressed Golam man, with flat nose and dark hair and red slashes painted across his face looked up from his drink to scowl at me. His lips moved muttering "Beast."
"No back room for the UnJor like us?"
The snake lips pulled up in a smile. "No, not here."
"I had heard this house welcomed our kind." Goldie nodded. "A table please, friend." I replied, pulling off my hood to reveal my curled horns and tan woolly head. Beastfolk like us are still low status, though not slaves here. On the frontier there is work for anyone willing to take the risks hunting bandits, monsters or myths.

Sensory & Appearance

The common room has several small metal stoves and a large fireplace set with a swinging pot, a grilling cage and a spit. Around one wall are booths with tall barriers between each, but with line of sight to a small stage area in the middle of the room. The stage, and the main room can be illuminated by a leaded glass chandelier with white arcane crystal and focusing lenses to spotlight the stage area or the musicians loft. Above the tables, against the wall are lanterns. The other side has a series of larger booths with low couches favored by centaurs. Again with lanterns above.  The walls are plaster and timber frame. Decorating the room are mounted skulls or skins of various creatures. There is an axe/ dagger throwing lane and target. The smells are wood smoke, incense and roasted meats. The second floor balcony overlooks the main hall and features a musicians stand.

The house will hang a mirror or portrait paintings in the rooms to bring resident numbers to auspicious and desirable numbers, in accord with Golam numerology traditions.

The ground floor has a large double doored room that can accommodate three centaurs. The upper floor has five small rooms for 1-2 persons and three larger ones. The tower contains staff rooms with the lady's at the top.

Architecture

Built in the Golam style of stone foundation, timbered frame and walls, wattle and plaster. The roof is wooden shingles. The building has two main floors, cellar and a tower. The walls are white, with wood beams and some areas of red clay.

There is a large yard with a stable and a washhouse and a sloped entry to the cellar. The cellar door wide enough to allow a wagon to back in, it is heavy wood, metal reinforced and opens with a chain lift straight up and down.

The yard is enclosed with a stonework wall that merges into the main house. The wall is 8 ft tall and has a slate shingle top. The tower has a full view of the yard and neighborhood. The roof has slotted walls which provide cover for archers, while giving them lanes to shoot down. The outer gate can be locked and barred for the night. Doors are heavy wood with iron reinforcement.

History

The Golam Lady Xe Uyun arrived with her entourage in Imperial year 1391. She purchased the property and tore down the previous structure. The neighborhood noted that chests of soil were emptied and spread over the plot. The Landshome public house was built in the Imperial year 1392 (T 7207) and was opened late in the year.

The Public House offers Golam style food, dark and sour Golam beers as well as local styles, drinks, music, poets readings and a weekly debating society.

Many rumors swirl around Landshome and it's owner/ proprietor. Obviously a noble of wealth, many find it strange that she chose this rather than lands and rulership. Strange too that she has not been married or had children. She will depart for days at a time on hunting expeditions with her Bladesworn, returning with trophies that decorate the inner walls of the house. She has not been known in the past 16 years to have any paramours. Nor does she talk much about herself or her past. Only difficulties in the old lands and a fresh start on the far frontier.

The staffing has been the Lady, the Bladesworn, and her Beastmen, and their offspring. The Beastmen staff have refused to leave, nor mix much outside the house - though they are free under Esereti law and tradition.

• It is rumored that rebels, imperial spies or assassins will meet at the Landshome.
• As an Imperial noble from the far western Golam provinces, the Lady Xe is clearly an imperial agent and supporter of the Legate.
• Some whisper that the Lady Xe is actually a vampire who spread the soil of her grave on the property. This though she is seen in the day and attends the Imperial Church of the Order of Heaven and makes the offerings.
• The lady is some sort of magical entity that had enchanted the Beastmen servants. Perhaps she is a Mage or Sorcerer. Other rumors say she fled the west because of taking one or more of the Beastfolk as lovers. (Scandalous!)
• The cellar contains chests of treasures guarded by a fearsome creature.
• The Snakepeople are clearly some sort of Naga. What evil are they upto? Agents and spies for the Naga? Enchanting and mind controlling everyone in the House?
• The Landshome has a reputation for freethinkers, radicals and foreigners being common customers.

The House:
The Lady Xe Uyun is in her thirties. She came to Soojun as a very young woman, fleeing an arranged marriage set by her Uncle. She sees herself as a noble, patron of arts and learning and a hunter. Centaurs and Minotaur fascinate her. She is always well dressed and frequently has blue lightning bolt face paint. She has taken up the Moon People fashion of lacquered nails. She has excellent knowledge of the wilds around Soojun for a hundred miles in each direction.

The Bladesworn:
Woil: This older man is in his sixties, rough and weathered, with hair and goatee gone to silver. He is reserved, jaded and only shows excitement about sporting events like races, throwing contests, wrestling and netball. He is a little contemptuous of the Beastfolk "servants" seeing them as slave status.

Syf: Female guard and companion. In her late 40's or early 50's. She is enthusiastic, and driven to maintain security. Her special interest is occult lore. She treats Uja like a favored daughter and shares a room with Luxae. The Beastfolk are family to her.

Iro: male in early 40's. He is unkempt and sloppy but actually detail oriented and precise. His interests are in local politics. He has a Moon People stone skin girlfriend and a boyfriend who is secretary to a merchant council member. The beastfolk are part of the Lady's household and under his protection. He wants to get several more trained as fighters.

The Beastmen : all work the house and will accept offers to bed guests for 2-5 talents. They are counted amongst the lowest social status in town, on par with pit fighters, beggars and rat catchers.
Snakeheads: Onu (Gold Scale) and his daughter, Uja (he calls her Bite). They are golden scaled with green eyes. Onu is head of the servants and general manager. He is calm and methodical. He is also heavily interested in gossip and listening into conversations, discreetly and stealthily getting close to listen or probing with questions. Lady Xe is their tribe chief. Uja ( F, 17) is assured, flirty and bold. She does housekeeping and and will rent herself as an entertainer for a few Talents of silver. She has a venomous bite and is weapons trained by Syf. Her mother is Luxae the gazelle.

Gazellehead: Ikua and Luxae are the older females. They are both thin and graceful and work as servers and courtesans. Ikua (Kicker by Beastfolk naming) is quiet on first impression, a bit secretive but generally a hedonist with a fiery temper and a tendency to violence. Luxae ( Called Dainty by the other Beastfolk) is talkative, gregarious and a bit submissive. The older gazelle children Zudae (f, 16 - emulates her mother Ikua generally, she likes jewelery and wears a necklace, earrings and headband pendant with a crystal and horn rings. She very much wants bracelets. She has a tail and hooved feet. Her elders call her Bling) and Onvu (m, 15, (luxae) likes to fix things and tinker. His elders call him "Fixit".) run laundry, room cleaning and tend the stable. Esil (m, half-human with small horns, 12. unacknowledged son of Woil. Mother is Ikua. He helps mind the cloak room) and Ly-mi (f, 10 (Ikua)) help their elder siblings. Esil is taking weapons training with Iro and wants to become Bladesworn (Woil forbids a lowlife from becoming Bladesworn). Ly-mi helps look after the younger children. The youngest, Nja (Luxae) is a half human 3 yr old and passes as human except for her golden colored eyes and gazelle ears.

Rabbitheads: Oiki (f, flop ears, fawn brown fur, pregnant by a Pooka Fae. She is called Worry due to her anxious looking resting expression) and Ayl (m, upright ears with a folded tip, red-brown fur. Called Smeller because he has a look like smelling something usually) run the kitchen assisted by Zudae and Onvu sometimes ( like brewing the beers) but mostly Jika (f, 17. She wants to become a great chef, half human with small upright ears, brown fur. Called Chop by her elders) and Ajuul (f, 15, flop ears, black fur. Called Shadow by the other older Beastfolk - but she prefers her Golam name). Ajuul sneaks out to meet an Olia boy. They want to marry but his parents disapprove of nonhumans, though they are Rabbit clan and view Rabbithead beast folk as favored servants of their Totem. Zuna (f, 11, white fur which she loves to dye. Typically violet "hair" on her head) typically helps Lady Xe and Nulal (m, 8, golden brown) follows and helps Onvu.

Inns and Taverns of Soojun

Olien district:
Icy Hart:
Da's Ale house
Mouse Nook (also called Mouse's):


Old City/ Esereti district:
Blackroom
Ryuujin's rest: rooftop
Counter: a small taverna with 2 hot pots and 8 seats.
Agasto's:
Dregs: a cellar taverna. Known for gambling on fighting in pits

Centaur District:
Pillars winehouse: Centaur establishment
Lucky Baby: a Minotaur tavern known for Sweet Grass rum  and a baked flatbread dish with sauce, chopped meats, veggies and melted cheese.  Also songs, tall tales, arm wrestling and frequent fights and brawls.
Traveler's Lodge

Foreigners District:
Willow Tree: named for a willow outside the building. Fae run.
Three Stones: Dwarven
Bread and bottle: Moon People run

Founding Date

Imperial 1392, T 7207