Old Monster Shop
This little-known shop fronts on the Jar, a close that opens off Tilman's Lane not far from the Trollwall. There a stone warehouse sports a door marked with: Beware Guardian Monsters Within. It is flanked by a pair of tall, massive, arched cart doors. Inside, a nondescript-looking man named Feldyn Goadolfyn sells monsters to the hungry, the bored, and the vengeful.
Purpose / Function
Shops where one can buy live monsters are rare anywhere in Faerun. A surprisingly large number of folk make their ways as unobtrusively as possible to Feldyn's doors. His clientele include jaded nobles looking for exotic things to hunt, eat, or play with; those who want to create a sensation at parties or with traveling shows, or just acquire a wall trophy they can boast about; adventurers in need of practice; breeders and wizards needing live material for their researches, and so on. In pools, cages, and a variety of imprisoning containers in his cellars, Feldyn keeps an everchanging roster of monsters to sell to them. He also has a room of jugged, jarred, or coffered remnants, from horns and bottled gore to pelts and scales. These valuables are guarded by a loyal (trained or magically controlled) staff of guardian monsters: four watchspiders, two gargoyles (Feldyn controls them with a ring of gargoyles), two mimics (a killer mimic that poses as a bar on the inside of the cart doors, and a space mimic that pretends to be the door at the bottom of the cellar stairs most of the time), and a femalelooking stone golem known as Ouldra. In case of attack, Feldyn will flee to the cellars, trusting to his ring of spell turning to keep him safe as his monsters spring to the attack
Prices
Feldyn buys cheap and sells expensive. Most beasts go for at least 1000 gp. Prices increase with a creature's danger and rarity. Monster parts are much cheaperusually 40 gp to 250 gp, depending on what they are. Whenever authorities look into his shop, Feldyn claims to be in business largely to serve the kitchens of Waterdeep, with a few noble patrons who love hunting as special patrons. He shows his selection of monster parts, keeps his guardian monsters (except for the golem) out of view and gives out free copies of two of his most famous recipes: dragon soup and roasted cockatrice. Not being a member of the city guard, I had to pay 1 sp per recipebut I've since been able to try them both, and the results were delicious!Architecture
This ugly poorly built warehouse is littered with dust and rubble. It smells of animal dung and damp.
The upper floors are largely empty, but visitors entering by the door are immediately confronted by a hungrily interested gargoyle perched on the swinging gate of a service counter. Behind the counter sits Feldyn, who's usually examining a map or a worn copy of a crude monthly illustrated chapbook. He
always appears calm, even bored. An adventurer who once saw him threatened with a cockatrice said he didn't even blink, but merely yawned and told the cockatrice-holder to state his business.
Tourism
Some who live near the Old Monster Shop claim they've seen folk go inside it and never come out againand also seen folk (and worse!) come out that they swear never went in. Members of the Watchful Order who have too much drink say more. Some claim Feldyn has some sort of monster in the depths of his cellars that gives birth to other creatures. Others claim that he has several gates that link him to faraway places in the Realms.
Comments