G8: Gold Dragon Inn

A place of splendor, snobbery, and exorbitant prices, the Gold Dragon Inn is the most pretentious social setting in the Free City. Its location beside the Garden gate, the Royal Opera House, and the Grand Theatre insure great crowds for all the city's major events. On those occasions. people who do not personally know the maitre d' are not admitted. Even nobles might have to accept a two-hour wait for a table.

The food, while not too bad, is certainly not the best in the city, though the prices average about 125% of those found in the second-highest social stratum of clubs and inns (which includes the Golden Phoenix, Wheel of Gold, Patrician's Club, Star of Celene, and Wizard's Hat lnn).

The headwaiter presides over the entire dining room and bar area. He is named Alphonse Ordealle and has held his exalted station for 25 years. He is an 11th-level mage, and occasionally he uses his spells to discreetly quell some disturbance. In the event of an emergency, he has eight 4th-level fighters on the kitchen and barroom staff. They arrive to assist him in two rounds if called.

Alphonse Ordealle: AC 4 (robe of protection +4and Dex 16 MV 12; M11; hp 33: THAC0 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1d4 ; Spells: 4 1st, 4 2nd, 4 3rd, 3 4th, and 3 5th.

Two-fisted Waiters: AC 6; MV 12; F4; hp 30: THAC0 17; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1d6 (short swords)

The rooms of the Gold Dragon are high-ceilinged, with elaborately carved ceiling beams and trim boards. A few museum pieces from the Cairn Hills are displayed in glass cases throughout the place. These include the huge, carved sarcophagus that once held a mummy; several plates of solid gold, intricately carved in patterns of exquisite geometric perfection; the feathered battle helm of some savage war-chief; and the prize of the collection: a handful of artifacts from the all-metal crypt reputedly lost some where in the hills.

These rare treasures include a collection of picks and probes, like a thiefs kit only made of a shiny, silver metal of surpassing hardness and strength. One of the probes is equipped with a tiny mirror reflecting back toward the holder, enabling one to examine the inside of a hollow coconut, for example.

Other treasures from the metal cairn include an assortment of tiny ingots, each carved so precisely that one ingot, which was square and hollow, could be turned onto another. larger ingot that was long and slender. The inside of the smaller and the outside of the larger were both covered with the same fine spiral carving.

Most of these treasures are priceless, though a thief would have some difficulty finding a buyer. So well known are these artifacts that even an unscrupulous collector would be dissuaded from exhibiting them.

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G8: Gold Dragon Inn. Overly expensive and pretentious, the Gold Dragon Inn never wants for customers because of its location near the Garden Gate, Royal Opera House, and Grand Theater. If one does not personally know the 60-year-old headwaiter, Alphonse Odealle [N hm W11; hp 33; Dex 16; robe of protection +4], the wait for a table can be long indeed, even for a noble. The Gold Dragon Inn has elaborately carved walls, a high ceiling, and many museum pieces under glass (and various protective spells). The best known of these items are treasures taken from burial spots in the Cairn Hills, including some curious items from the legendary Silver Metal Cairn, whose location is now a mystery.

DM's Notes: A few of the museum pieces are very valuable, but they are unique and very well known, so could not possibly be fenced within Greyhawk or its domain. A few items are actually dangerous because of their odd powers or curses, but ill effects will not be triggered unless the items are handled. The most interesting and popular items are those from the Silver Metal Cairn, which appear to be thin metal tools or devices of superhuman craftsmanship. Tales of this cairn are told here in profusion; a few of them might be true, but separating truth from fancy is impossible, as no one can tell the difference.