The Lit Lantern
The Lit Lantern is always warm and is particularly popular in the summer months when tall mugs full of cool refreshing beverages are served. The bottom level is designed for people to lounge in comfort couches before the fire while sipping at hot mugs of tea, coffee or chocolate during winter or cold mugs of beer or wine during summer. Travellers enjoy the chance to relax and talk to friends and fellow customers. The Innkeepers wife, Falxineen, accepts guests in the daylight hours but never after dark.
All rooms are well lit with candelabras and heated with small fireplaces. Canopy beds are comfortable and well cushioned. Affixed to every windowpane, in every room, is a continually burning, ancient lantern. These lanterns are usually only used by people during the festival of the Druids Eye, with crystal housing and a bronze sun symbol facing out into the night. Shutters can be closed to dim the light but each room is never truly dark because of the lanterns. Galf has quite a stockpile of light making devices and items, both magical and mundane but is always on the lookout to acquire more. Occasionally Galf can be persuaded to sell or even give such items to people who wish to force back the tide of night.
Architecture
This 3-story Inn has a small bottom level, a bigger second level and a still larger, third level. Every window in this strange looking building has a lantern affixed that eternally burns. Hanging above the front entree is a huge magical lantern that never goes out. Every night the Inn shines like a beacon across the city, attracting people, birds and thousands of moths.
History
When the Innkeeper was a child he lived in an outlying farm. On the night of the Druids Eye, the family enjoyed the festival with their friends before returning home to go to sleep. During the night Galf could not sleep because of the old candle-lit lantern resting on his room’s windowsill. Peering around at his other 4 brothers and sisters just to make sure they were asleep, he tip-toed over to the window and blew the candle out.
As he crept back to his bed, he heard a strange wailing carried on the wind through the open window. Shivering from fear Galf watched in the moons light a wave of black spirits wash over the hills towards his lonely home. Frozen in terror he saw the spirits scream through his window and descend upon his sleeping brothers and sisters tearing at their bodies.
Galf screamed in fear as he witnessed the spirits rip his brothers and sister’s very souls from their bodies and hold them aloft. He watched in horror as they began to feast upon them as they thrashed about trying vainly to escape.
Galf will never forget the sense of utter helplessness he had felt when they turned to him as one and opened their mauls impossible wide and wailed. As their wispy fingers reached for him and began to pass through his chest, he felt his soul shudder and cry out in agony. He knew the endless darkness was close.
But as the darkness began to swallow him up a wave of light turned the tide of darkness that had started to swallow him. Forcing his eyes open he saw the spirits shriek in fear and frustration and flee from the light. It was only the appearance of his parents, bursting through the door and holding Salars lanterns that had saved his life.
To this day, the guilt of this night and the terror of the Dark Spirits of the Jungle, linger like the pain of a fresh wound. He still bears the white scars of the spirits fingers upon his chest. He believes without any whisper of doubt that the same spirits that had sort to feast upon his soul, will continue to seek to finish the meal that they were unable to complete all those years ago.
The Lit lantern is testament to this fear and his obsession of keeping protecting himself and his wife, spawned the Inn. Galf’s obsession extends to not only the night of the Druids Eye but to every night in the year.
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