The Mud Flow

Rising above the rest of town, the Mud Flow immediately catches the eye of all who enter Mudvein. Due to the unique construction, it is the largest building and the only two-story building in town. Many of the town's residents, especially miners, will stop here at some point each day for a meal. The tavern is run by the jovial Nob Grubb. His wife, Rotrude, manages the cooking and cleaning. In addition to their bar hands, they hired Mermin Pinckney to manage the night shift, allowing the tavern to operate 24 hours per day.
Nob often allows musicians to play on the stage during the evening. Nob does not compensate the musicians directly, but many patrons will often leave tips.

Services

The Mud Flow can provide modest food and lodging, with some minor exceptions. The common room upstairs is considered poor, and the south-east bedroom (Nob and Rotrude's personal room) is sometimes rented out to important figures as a wealthy room for 1 gold per night.
Nob sources food locally when he can, but that is never enough. Significant portions of the food and drink he sells must be imported from Oldhaven and Al Ennore. He must also order furniture, plates, linens, and other similar items from other locations.

Mud-Baked Fish

The Mud Flow is known for the regional favorite dish: Mud-Baked Fish. It is the most popular dish the tavern sells. Nob is quick to recommend it to any new patrons. The mud from the nearby Mud Forest imparts a special flavor into the dish. Nob has a special location in The Mud Forest from which he obtains his mud. Only Nob and a few of his employees know the location and they take care to not be followed (but they are not always successful). While Nob believes this mud to be special, there's no significant difference compared to mud from other parts of the forest.

Sample Descriptions

First entry during the afternoon:

You step inside the Mud Flow and find a few patrons spread out and enjoying a meal. A cheerful, older, male Halfling converses with a patron at the bar. Workers chip off dried mud about the room and sweep it out. Behind the bar, a halfling woman frantically runs about the kitchen, preparing for the coming dinner rush. The heads of several large taxidermy animals hang on the walls. The man behind the bar holds a finger up to the patrons he is speaking with, leaps over the bar and quickly makes his way over to you. As he's walking, he begins talking to you, "Greetings! Nob Grubb is the name. I am the proprietor of this fine establishment. What can we get you? Some Mud-Fish? A room for the night?" He pauses for a moment for you to answer as he shakes your hand and leads you to a table.

First entry during the evening:

You step inside the Mud Flow to find the tavern absolutely packed: tables are filled, merriment is being had, and music fills the air. The smell of freshly cooked fish fills the air. The tavern workers buzz about the room dropping off seemingly endless food and drink as they go.

First entry at night:

You step inside the Mud Flow and find a single male Human standing behind the bar polishing glasses. The tavern is nearly empty, just a few patrons remain to finish off their drinks before stumbling home. Most of the torches have been extinguished for the night and some ovens spread about the room provide some warmth. The room is quiet and the man behind the bar calmly calls out, "Greetings, travelers. Welcome to the Mud Flow. How might I be of service?"

Private rooms:

You open the door to find a modestly finished room roughly 15 foot square. Inside is a bed, a dresser, a small chest, and some candles. The bed isn't particularly comfortable, most people say they are too firm, but it beats sleeping on the floor. The door and chest do have locks, though they are not particularly strong.

The chests are empty, except for the occasional piece of garbage left behind.
Common room:

You find yourself in a large, mostly unfurnished room. A couple tables with candles and some benches are placed around the room. Several travelers in bedrolls lie on the floor haphazardly around the room.

South-east room:

A flowery, decorative sign on the door reads "Nob and Rotrude." Inside is a spacious, yet modestly decorated bedroom. An beautiful carved bench sits behind a cow-skin rug. Further in is a bed large enough for two. A dresser sits in once corner and a strong chest in another. Unlike the windows downstairs, the windows in this room are glass. The room even has its own private bathroom.

The chest contains the savings of the Grubbs. There is usually about a hundred gold pieces inside.
North-east room:

This is the most decorated room in the inn by a long shot. It contains two beds, a desk, and a large bookshelf. One wall has some art on it. The couch and desk chair are both carved and padded with a soft purple fabric. A reinforced chest sits in the corner. The desk contains papers regarding the operations and business of the Steelhammer Guild. Unlike the windows downstairs, the windows in this room are glass.

This room is permanently reserved for the leaders of the Steelhammer Guild. Argond is currently using the small bed during stay. The chest is contains the gold needed to pay the miners, usually hundreds to thousands of gold pieces.. The books in the room are a mix of business records with a few fictional and philosophical pieces mixed in. The business records show the output of the Steelhammer Mine over the past 20 years as well as records of miners and their pay. The pieces of fiction include: Nymph without Glory, Guardians of the nation, and Rats and Warlocks. The philosophy books include: Admiration of Dreams, Confusing Education, Volcanoes of Heaven.

Purpose / Function

The Mud Flow was erected primarily to serve the miners who live in Mudvein. Worker morale was very low in the late 60's and early 70's, leading to plummeting productivity. While this hasn't resolved all of the morale problems, worker happiness has greatly improved since the tavern opened.
The Mud Flow also serves as a general meeting hall for all residents, for liesure or business, as it is the largest building in Mudvein by a great margin.

Alterations

The flooring main floor was replaced in 106 AN to repair the damage and wear caused by years of muddy boots walking about. The tavern was closed for a whole week, during which time the Steelhammer Mines output dropped to its lowest rate in many years. Fortunately productivity returned once the ale started flowing again.

Architecture

The Mud Flow's construction is quite unique, even for Mudvein. The tavern was built on one hundred vertical oak logs, each embedded with an immovable rod. This makes the tavern the only building in Mudvein that does not shift with the moving mud. Special care must be taken with up-flow buildings so that they do not collide with the tavern as the mud still flows around and even under the Mud Flow.

History

The Steelhammer Guild invested greatly into the tavern's construction, providing one hundred immovable rods that were used in construction. While the guild won't reveal the true amount spent, those who worked on the project estimate that the rods cost around 25,000gp to obtain, all built specifically for the tavern and designed to grip the log supports tightly. The guild doesn't directly own or control The Mud Flow, but their donation purchased them some ongoing influence. The guild retains exclusive use of the northeast bedroom upstairs. They also require Nob to cut off drinks to any miners before they have too much to drink, something which the miners are not fond of.

Tourism

While Mudvein doesn't attract many tourists, most visitors will spend at least some time in the tavern, using it as a source of both room and food. The Mud Flow has the only publicly rent-able rooms in town. The tavern contains nine private rooms and one common bunk room that can easily hold a dozen sleeping on bedrolls. Sometimes special guests are offered Nob's personal room to rent for the night.
Some food enthusiasts will travel to Mudvein to enjoy what most consider the best Mud-Baked Fish in the region.

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Founding Date

75 AN

Alternative Names

The Mud Room, The Mud Pit

Type

Pub / Tavern / Restaurant

Parent Location

Mudvein

Owner

Nob Grubb

Additional Rulers/Owners

• Rotrude Grubb