C14: The Roc and Oliphant

This boisterous tavern is a favorite of students, renowned for cheap drink and ample portions of tolerable food. It is busy at mealtimes, and during most evenings. Earthday evenings are the wildest, usually with music from some group of minstrels or bards. Since most colleges do not hold classes on Freeday, the carousing goes on until well past midnight.

The large building consists of a huge main room heated by a central fireplace, and several smaller rooms to each side. The kitchen is in the rear. The whole place has a distinctive odor combining wood smoke, stale beer, and human perspiration.

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C14: Roc and Oliphant Tavern. A boisterous and noisy tavern favored by athletes and party-goers, the Roc and Oliphant has cheap food and ale, in plenty. It is mobbed after arena games, with loud music sung and played by student musicians. The tavern consists of one large dining hall with a central fireplace and smaller rooms around. The kitchen is in the rear. The tavern smells like smoke, spilled ale, sweat, and vomit, with other odors that the wise will not investigate for long. Almost no tutors come here. The City Watch is forced to come here every other night to settle a fight or order the students to keep the screaming and shouting down. Perhaps the biggest draw here is the bartender, an elderly half-orc named Ral. Ral is as ugly as they come, but he seems friendly and certainly knows how to mix drinks. He wears a holy symbol of Ralishaz around his neck “for good luck” (a worn string with three small bones on it), He wears a colorful old rug as a poncho on cold nights. Ral loves the roguish air of the tavern and lives in an attic room with the permission of the tavern owner, 64-year-old Waldorf the Archmage [CN hm W1; hp 1]. Waldorf is notorious for his tall tales, most of which allegedly concern his past life as a deity. (He says he was eventually thrown down and made mortal by other jealous gods after a great battle in space.) He is a master storyteller for a failed wizard, and his grandiose but straightforward lies are the envy of all.

DM's Notes: Aside from getting into drunken brawls here at outrageous hours of the night, adventurers won't find much to do. Still, this is a fun place to visit for youthful sorts who love this kind of atmosphere.

Waldorf is harmless, Ral is not. “Ral” is actually a full orc born in the Pomarj, now very old at 47 years; his true name is Quij [CN orc-m HD 4; hp 32; Str 15, Con 15, Int 5; bracers of defense AC 2, ring of shooting stars, ring of spell turning, short sword +2]. Quij was once a henchman of the notorious Lord Robilar, who joined forces in 584 cy with the Archmage Rary to betray the City of Greyhawk and the Circle of Eight. Quij took part in the sacking of the castle of the slain Archmage Tenser, but the orc became separated from his comrades after the raid. He escaped capture but eventually collapsed, sick and exhausted, before a roadside shrine to Ralishaz, the deity of chance and ill fortune. Quy gasped out a plea for rescue and the shrine unexpectedly spoke to him. He must do two things to survive, the statue told him: He must always wear a holy symbol of Ralishaz around his neck, and he must live in the city where he is in the greatest danger.

Despite his ignorance, Quij correctly guessed he would have to live in Greyhawk — which currently offers a substantial reward for him, alive or dead. Greyhawk is also frequently visited by the Circle of Eight, the revived Tenser, and many other old enemies who would love to get hold of him, but no one looks for him here. Quij has never taken off the necklace he was instructed to make, and he has never left Greyhawk since he arrived. He is generally happy with his life now, and no divination spell will detect him so long as he wears the necklace. (Some disguise makeup also helps.) He wears a ruined flying carpet that once belonged to Robilar, telling students it is a family heirloom. He fears that someday Robilar will find him and think him a traitor, and also fears agents of Iuz might do the same — Quij was with Robilar when luz was freed and nearly slain in 570 Cy at Castle Greyhawk, and Iuz might like to torture the orc a bit before eating him alive.