The Sleeping Giant

This rundown tap house is a dirty, dangerous watering hole at the end of Phandalin's main street. It is frequented by Redbrand thugs and operated by a surly female dwarf named Grista. If the characters choose to visit the place, run the "Redbrand Ruffians" encounter.

Confrontation:
See Redbrand Ruffians Encounter 

If the characters confront the Redbrands at the Sleeping Giant read:

'The Sleeping Giant is a ramshackle taproom at the east end of town. Four human ruffians linger on the covered porch, perched on empty ale barrels or leaning against the wall. They all wear grimy scarlet cloaks, their sullen stare fixed on you as you approach. One of the thugs spits on the ground. 'Well, well,' he snarls. 'Here is a whole pack of little puppies. What do you want puppies? Come here to bark at us?.'


Continues the insults and baiting as long as you like. The Redbrands attack in a round or two if the characters don't. Neither side is surprised because it is obvious that a fight is brewing. The group consists of four Redbrand Ruffians. If three of them are defeated, the last one flees toward Tresendar Manor.

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Homebrewed...


Outside You finally come to the end of the street and there you see maybe the most unsightly building you have seen in the town. A ramshackle collection of badly put-together wooden walls, empty barrels left lying in front of the porch, dirty straw around the adjoining barn - it is a mess, it is dirty and particularly not welcoming. A badly painted naked sprawled-out giant is what you can make out on the rusty sign above the porch.

Inside The main taproom is smoky and dirty. There is hay strewn across the room, and by the look of it has not been changed for a while: all sorts of stains and discolorations mark the trampled down grass. You take a breath and the rancid smell of the place hits your nostrils with a vengeance. Broken-down tables and benches kinda hold together. The walls are covered with hunting trophies, countless antlers, and a few stuffed heads, some of them well past their best. A moth-eaten head of a  bear looks back fiercely at you with a strange stare from behind the rustic bar.

Behind the counter, serving the few rough-looking clients already propping the bar, you can see a much older tiefling, maybe in his seventies. Despite his age, he strikes an imposing figure. His blue skin is so pale that he looks washed out. He sports many wrinkles on his ashen face and there are larger darker shadows around the dark large almond-shaped eyes. His horns are magnificent, thick, and short curling behind his ears.  They are adorned with a few simple gold bands. A short grey beard covers loosely the bottom of his face. He looks at you intently.

First Impressions of Seekill
Hi, what will it be then? We've got beer, and beer and more beer. Take your pick. (said in a deep voice, ironic manner). Unless you gentlemen and ladies are used to more fancy fare, then you better be on your way.

Who's asking? The name is Seekill. Looking for Grista? Just missed her, she's passed out now in the backroom. If you want to talk to her, you better come in the morning when she has still a clear head on her.

First Impressions of Grista Stonehand
If the party visits the Sleeping Giant in the morning and early afternoon before 3 p.m, they will find Grista in the taproom. In a corner of the room, you see a rough-looking dwarf woman probably in her forties. She is slumped in front of a tankard of beer and surveys lazily the room. She has blond dirty looking hair that covers most of her face, and her clothes are practical but not the cleanest. You notice a few beer marks on the front of her shirt and sleeves. She wears faded leathers and her blue eyes are shot red.

'What are you looking for? We serve only beer here - only one kind. It is cheap and it does the trick. Seekill at the bar will serve you our usual.'

The Rest of the Taphouse.
There are only another two rooms in the dive:

- a backroom that serves as Grista's 'quarters': the room is as dirty and unkempt as the taproom itself. A small single bed is tucked in a corner, a desk full of papers and empty bottles sits beside the small fireplace. It is dark, dingy, and smells really bad.

- the other 'room' is a barn with old straw and empty stalls. The beer barrels are kept in a small cellar underground - there is a large trap door visible in the first stall on the right-hand side. Customers who have passed out are dragged there by Seekill to finish off the night.