Rowdy Rockfish
Despite it's name, The Rowdy Rockfish is the quietest and quaintest of Otari 's Taverns. A sign depicting a rockfish with his fins up in a boxing pose hangs above the door of this two-story wooden structure, but within, the calm demeanour of its patrons leads some to wonder if this might be the one tavern in the Inner Sea to never have hosted a barroom brawl.
The Rockfish's current proprietor is a matronly dwarf named Brelda Venkervale, a stoic but shrewd businesswoman who took over the bar after her son Lasda, the previous owner, vanished without a trace. A few locals saw the red-bearded Lasda walking out of town with a hooded stranger. Over a year has passed and Brelda suspects that her son is gone for good.
Whilst it may be the quietest of Otari's drinking establishment, it is the premier music venue in the town, though the music tends to be of the listen and apprecite variety, rather than the kind that inspires tankard banging and dancing on tables. Favourite regulars performing at the Rockfish include Bogdan Florentian, a Varisian bard who recently signed up as a member of the Wheel Watch, the Roseguard Road Quartet, a three piece Absalomian jazz band (one of their members died) and Mamo Ndour, a Garundi performer with an amazing vocal range who sings acapella.
The food and ale selection in the Rowdy Rockfish is decent, but mundane. They buy their ale from the Bellardius Brewery in Absalom, selling their Best and Gold and the food is home cooked, quality and hearty, with rabbit pie normally a fixture as well as everlasting stew, from the frequently topped up pot in the inn's large fireplace.
The accomodation is, unarguably, the nicest in town with 6 single occupancy rooms and 1 double. Each of the singles also has a pullout, foldout cotbed stored under the rooms single. All the rooms have oil paintings of local scenery adorning the walls and the linen is clean, crisp and stripped after every occupancy. Each room has it's own washstand, with hotwater and fresh towels being placed outside the door each morning.
Brelda Venkervale by
by Paizo Inc (Abomination Vaults Vol.1)
by Paizo Inc (Abomination Vaults Vol.1)
Whilst it may be the quietest of Otari's drinking establishment, it is the premier music venue in the town, though the music tends to be of the listen and apprecite variety, rather than the kind that inspires tankard banging and dancing on tables. Favourite regulars performing at the Rockfish include Bogdan Florentian, a Varisian bard who recently signed up as a member of the Wheel Watch, the Roseguard Road Quartet, a three piece Absalomian jazz band (one of their members died) and Mamo Ndour, a Garundi performer with an amazing vocal range who sings acapella.
The food and ale selection in the Rowdy Rockfish is decent, but mundane. They buy their ale from the Bellardius Brewery in Absalom, selling their Best and Gold and the food is home cooked, quality and hearty, with rabbit pie normally a fixture as well as everlasting stew, from the frequently topped up pot in the inn's large fireplace.
The accomodation is, unarguably, the nicest in town with 6 single occupancy rooms and 1 double. Each of the singles also has a pullout, foldout cotbed stored under the rooms single. All the rooms have oil paintings of local scenery adorning the walls and the linen is clean, crisp and stripped after every occupancy. Each room has it's own washstand, with hotwater and fresh towels being placed outside the door each morning.
Architecture
The Rowdy Rockfish is an impressive building, of similar construction to Menhemes Manor. It has a dark hardwood box-framed half-timbered upper floor, with white plastered walls, with the ground floor constructed of quality grey brick. A thatched roof rounds out the idyllic appearance of this Otari landmark
History
Since its construction, finished in 4323AR, this two story buikding has always been known as the Rowdy Rockfish. In it's early days as a tavern, when Otari was still a fledgling town, it lived up to it's name, frequented by loggers, fishermen, construction workers and the working class members of the town.
After Lasda took over the running of the inn in 4705 the clientelle base changed as the fare available shifted and the furnishings became that much more middle-classed. Lasda ran front of house and his mother, Brelda, did the books and cooked the food. The tavern became less busy than in the past, but the margins we're better, the accomodation made more money and the establishment prospered.
After Lasda's mysterious disappearance in 4718, the somewhat dour and taciturn Brelda has assumed responsilbility for all aspects of running both the tavern and the inn, without a drop in revenue. In fact, the tavern is probably doing better than ever as her shrewd business sense allows her to eek out every penny of profit possible.
After Lasda took over the running of the inn in 4705 the clientelle base changed as the fare available shifted and the furnishings became that much more middle-classed. Lasda ran front of house and his mother, Brelda, did the books and cooked the food. The tavern became less busy than in the past, but the margins we're better, the accomodation made more money and the establishment prospered.
After Lasda's mysterious disappearance in 4718, the somewhat dour and taciturn Brelda has assumed responsilbility for all aspects of running both the tavern and the inn, without a drop in revenue. In fact, the tavern is probably doing better than ever as her shrewd business sense allows her to eek out every penny of profit possible.
Tourism
The Inn caters to the middle class visitors to the town, whilst the tavern caters for the older, or wealthier inhabitants of Otari. On the rare occasion Oseph Menhemes dines or drinks outside of Menhemes Manor, it tends to be at the Rockfish and normally on evenings the Roseguard Road Quartet play. They often bring in a crowd from along the Roseguard Road, or even from Absalom on the weeks that they take up evening residency.
INN/TAVERN 3
Traits: Housing, Parlour
Wares: beverages, meals, lodging
Address: 50 Zarmavdian Street
Traits: Housing, Parlour
Wares: beverages, meals, lodging
Address: 50 Zarmavdian Street
Brelda with beers by
Graham Beadle using Heroforge
Graham Beadle using Heroforge
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Comments
Author's Notes
Original Information from Abomination Vaults Adventure Path - Ruins of Gauntlight (Paizo Inc) Additional information by Graham Beadle.