The Three Beards

Spires of Altdorf Page 88

The Three Beards is a tavern located in the Drecksack District an extremely dangerous area of Altdorf. The tavern itself is in a converted warehouse and an almighty noise of shouting, singing, and brawling pours out through the windows, which are covered by nothing more than rags. There is no door in the doorframe, and over it swings a crudely painted sign showing an Orc with three beards hanging from his belt.
The cavernous interior houses three circular bars, the staff standing on the inside, and four circular hearths providing warmth and illumination. The hearths are enormous, and the heat of the fires creates a clear area in the immediate vicinity. The areas around the fires and bars are relatively calm, The patrons around the bars and hearths generally indulge in wild drinking, arguments, and occasional dreadful singing, but no actual violence. This state of affairs is enforced by the tavern’s bouncers, a group of almost two dozen large, bearded individuals, both Human and Dwarf. If anyone starts fighting too close to fire or booze, they are bundled off into the distance to finish off.
The darker corners of the tavern do witness almost constant brawls, however. These occasionally turn lethal, and the staff is used to disposing of bodies in the middle of the night. This is made easier by the fact that the tavern is built across an underground channel which flows to the nearby river. Bodies, and any other rubbish, are just dumped through trapdoors in the floor behind the bars.
The rear third of the building has an upper floor, which is divided into numerous small rooms, rented by the hour for those who want a bit of privacy. Each room has an hourglass outside, and paying once gets the hourglass turned. When it runs out, the door is opened whether you are ready or not.
Although the walls between these rooms are thin, the noise of the tavern means that they are almost perfectly private; spying on someone in their would be very hard, especially if you chose a room between two occupied rooms and got out before either of your neighbours finished.
The drink served here is almost always dreadful quality, but it is cheap and gets people drunk. Since a great deal of it is stolen, and the staff have as little taste as the patrons, occasionally people are served some of the best alcohol to be found in the Empire. Most of them don’t notice.
The food is also generally of the expected quality; the sausages, in particular, almost always cause Rumster’s Revenge, and while you are eating, you do not want to hear the rumours about what goes into them. The exception is the bread and butter. Both are of exceptional quality, as one of the staff has a deal with his dear old Mum to supply them. She’s an excellent baker and knows where to get the best butter. She also robs the place blind, so bread and butter are expensive here. Still, if you must eat, that’s what to go for.