Baritwine Quay

One cannot have a party without a place to do the partying, now! And, well, it's raining. Can't do that outside.

— pragmatic Arriusi

Baritwine Quay, or the Partyhouse, is a communal hall and tavern in Póltinou, an Arriusi-led town in the Vostene Republic. Standing at two higgledy-piggledy stories high with a third 'floor' tucked away in its rafters, it is one of the taller buildings in the town, and has some of the sturdier construction.

Sunny Gardens by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

It serves as the de facto gathering spot for meetings in Póltinou when no other venue is available, and also as a meeting point for various Arriusi clans and other river-travellers. Marriages often take place in the Quay's main hall, especially if the marriage in question is between two different groups - Arriusi boats, whilst sturdy, can only hold so many people in addition to all of their trade goods. They welcome the chance to let loose without fear of ruining their livelihoods, as well.
Adventurers enjoy stopping by when the Quay isn't caught up in celebrations, as the captain and his waitstaff keep track of rumours from all along the river in case anyone would care to ask. As adventurers seem to always do.
As the town is officially within the Republic's borders, representatives of the Kartovian Exploration Society are often present in the Quay - from Quest Seekers searching for tasks for the Society's adventurers to questing Society adventurers themselves.

The Arriusi have a high opinion of these fine folk, and often travel to Póltinou with the express purpose of seeking the Society's questers if adventurer-worthy issues are found. It's good business for both parties, and breeds a healthy respect between factions.
Despite its light, cheery reputation, Baritwine Quay has not escaped unscathed from tragedy. Not only has it been taken by pirates a number of times, it is also rumoured to be the birthplace of the Reaving Thirst (allegedly due to a marriage gone horrendously wrong), and has been razed entirely the ground twice in the past decade alone. No matter what, though, the Quay does not stay defeated: indeed, it has become such a key part of trader & adventurer society that threats to the Quay are tackled nigh immediately.

Inside the Quay

Nixie's Bar

You'll want to avoid asking for ale, that's how you end up with the cheap piss. Ask around for what folks're drinking, and ask for a drink with a name.

— wise sailor

Like most taverns and halls, the bar is the most frequented place in the Quay. It is named for the charming abilities of nixies, water-fey who guard bodies of water: as a nixie might charm a man into the water to help her, so too might the alluring call of the bar's many, many drinks seduce the weak-willed closer.

The Quay's captain, or tavernkeep, can almost always be found in the vicinity of the wood-panelled bar, polishing mugs and grumbling about the Quay's maintenance. Nobody's entirely certain when it became a captaincy, but a captaincy it is. Said captaincy is currently held by one Vissente Piredda, a bear of an Arriusi human who retired from actively sailing the riverways after a flour explosion took his left leg away.
Nowadays, he claims the missing limb lends him credence as the Quay's own 'pirate'.
The bar is one of the more well-stocked around, given the propensity for visitors from here and thereabouts. There are regularly so many kegs of different drink that the basement - off-limits to all but the Quay's staff, keep your hands away from that trapdoor - is almost impossible to move in, and on rare occasions, drink has needed to be stored on the other floors instead.
It's not a bad problem to have, and it's one that generally resolves itself within a week - if that.

Nixie's Bar by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Central Hall

It's a big hall. Lots've room for dancin'. What, lookin' for more?

— baffled Captain Piredda

The central hall, main hall, main deck, or whatever one wants to call it is the largest area of the Quay. With a capacity for over two hundred guests, it is more than large enough for most gatherings. For those that are too big, its double-doors lead into its balcony and garden areas, loosely fenced off from the river and the rest of Póltinou by ropes and posts. Tarps made from old Arriusi sails are on-hand for if the weather turns.

Celebrations in the Quay by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Tables of both standard construction and the looser "nail some planks to a barrel" construction cover the hall for most of the year, allowing plenty of room for hungry travellers to sit and enjoy meals. For parties, the waitstaff and any layabouts nearby are corralled into hoisting the unnecessary tables and chair to the ceiling or to storage space in the roof's loft, giving cheerful dancers their place to shine.
Ropes, coloured bottles, flags, and strings of seaglass lights decorate the hall's ceiling. Anyone hosting a party at the Quay is welcome to add or temporarily remove these decorations; half the time, the new decor added for particular celebrations is just left behind when the party's done, leading to sections of ceiling that are utterly covered in faded flags and signs of good cheer to events long ago.
It's become somewhat of a good luck tradition to try and leave something permanent on the Quay for big events like weddings, divorces, birth celebrations, and funerals.

Supposedly, leaving a mark of commitment will help the partnership itself endure, so carved initials or tied-together wedding flags are common in the rafters. Divorce parties, unsurprisingly, are a little less kind with the marks they leave!

Slumber Deck

Last I slept at the Quay, I ended up with three pussies in me bed! Cats, lest ye think I'm filthy. Gorgeous ship's kitties. Woke up in their piss, the bastards.

— bemused sailor

For those too drunk to stumble back to their ships or homes, and for those blustering in with the wind, the slumber deck is another name for the public sleeping rooms above the Quay's main hall.
There are three sleeping halls - one for the men, one for the women, and one for anyone - stuffed to the brim with bunk beds and hammocks, and a small number of private rooms for those fancy enough to have the coin for them - though most of the finer folk would generally prefer to stay at Póltinou's inn, which has rooms of better quality but an afterthought of a bar.
It's generally advisable not to bring anything too precious into the slumber deck. While the Arriusi pride themselves on their code of honour, all sorts end up at the Quay. Reports of theft - often shortly followed by reports of assault or murder - are not uncommon in the slumber deck.
One's virtue usually remains intact despite the close-packed nature of it all, which is perhaps unusual for such open arrangements.

Sleeping Deck by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

That's because of a Baritwine Quay tradition: the moment anyone starts hearing the rhythmic sound of someone having a little too much fun, the entire Quay wakes up to cheer them on until the Captain can make it up the stairs to send them all to bed. Naturally, that's not the best environment for continuing intimate activities!

Mind yourselves, adventurers! There're all sorts of weird traditions we've got at the Quay. Might find yourself upside-down from the rafters with your bits and bobs on display!

— grinning waiter

The Quay's Hall by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Type

Public hall / house

Parent Location

Póltinou

Owning Organization

Vostene Republic

Illicit Activity

Something to be noted about the Quay is that despite all its inhabitants, there are rarely any official guards around from the Republic. The Arriusi tend to know the basics of defence, the tavern staff are all trained prior to starting, and adventurers frequent the halls enough that everyone feels quite safe there.
The Republic, then, spares few guards for the Quay itself. Póltinou's retinue of protectors is small, and often too busy with daily concerns to look into what's going on in the inn.
With little oversight other than the Captain's own orders, then, the Quay is a haven for black market trade - if one is careful. The staff keep an eye on deals to ensure there's nothing too illegal going on, but even they can only be in so many places at one time.
Mild drugs, magical goods, assassination contracts and the like are all regularly purveyed through quiet conversation in the Quay. Slave traders, though, don't find themselves able to walk out the door.

It's a bloody party house. Who wants slaving bastards in our damn Quay? Guard'll hardly care if we lose a guy just after finding the people he wanted to sell.

— waitress

Crow's Nest

The crow's nest - or the loft, or the roof, or "that place kids keep hiding" - is a storage loft within the tavern's roof. It's often the hideaway for lovebirds and wayward teens - a situation all too funny when the two groups collide.
There's not much up in the Nest aside from random decor and furnishings the rest of the Quay isn't currently using, but that means it's a haven for the imaginative: it's been turned into anything from a romantic lovenest to a makeshift sparring ring over the years.
The loft's skylights can be opened in good weather, allowing the nimble to wander onto the roof.
The Captain keeps the keys for these windows in his belt to prevent idiot children from tumbling off the roof, and yet they still seem to manage to find ways.
Thankfully, the Quay's excess of ropes, flags, former sails, and other handy decor means that any idiot tumbling off the roof has plenty to grab onto!

Look, if we're searchin' all 'round the Quay and we can't find ye, we'll assume ye've found the Crow's Nest. Do ye really want all the lasses sent up there to giggle at your misfortune?

— grinning mother

Cellar Depths by Hanhula (via Midjourney)