The Yawning Portal tavern

Bartender: Durnan, male human
Bounty Huntress: Fyrsaela, female tiefling
Kingsguard: Captain Munakaga the Riverwarrior, male goliath
Mad Prophet: Olthriel the Lady in White, female elf
Functionally Alcoholic Sage: Thrahun, male loxodon
Bard Entertainer: Kolfinna, female half-orc
Devotee of Tymora: Klytemnestra, female minotaur
Heckler: Hoe Scratch, male kenku

Food & Drink
Mug of Dwarfhead Stout Brew	4 gp
Mug of Elven Mead	8 gp
Mug of Gnomish Golden Light Beer	2 gp
Mug of Halfling Brown Ale	1 gp
Glass of Dwarven Garnet Wine	12 gp
Glass of Drow Spiderblood Mushroom Wine	19 gp
Glass of Frostwine	5 gp
Shot of Frenzywater	2 gp
Shot of Elven Moondrop	28 gp
Shot of Dwarven Moonshine	25 gp
Feast per person	10 gp
Room per night	2 gp

Unique Alcoholic Beverages

Generic ales and wines can be found on the Effects of Drinking page. For something a bit more exotic, try these different kinds of alcohol. Aleeian Wine, Elven. The grapes for this astounding wine are picked from wild vines located deep in the forest. It takes several months to find enough grapes to create even one batch Dragonbite Bitter. The recipe for this exceptional dark beer is centuries old, and only the Dragonbite Brewery has been able to reproduce it. Dwarfhead Stout. Found almost exclusively in dwarven communities, this powerful brew is a “day-to-day” beer favored by warriors. Frenzywater. An extremely potent clear alcohol. Rumors of bottles spontaneously catching fire when exposed to sunlight have never been proven. Anyone with the rage class ability must make a Will save (DC 15) to resist flying into a rage after drinking a tankard of this liquor. If you have already expended all your rages for the day, then frenzywater has no additional effect other than making you irritable and surly. Frostwine. This delicate white wine is created from an exotic blend of grapes that grow only in extreme northerly climes. Frost worms in particular are drawn to the scent of frostwine grapes in bloom, making it dangerous to harvest. Garnet Wine, Dwarven. Made from grapes found high in the mountains, this fine, if bold, wine includes at least 10 gp worth of ground of garnet “for flavor.” Golden Light, Gnome. A fine, lightweight beer with flowery accents, this is a favorite trade item with humans and halflings. Kragg, Orc. This spirit is popular among orcs and goblins. It is extremely powerful and tastes dreadful to the nongoblinoid palate. Drinking a tankard of this foul brew nauseates anyone who is not an orc, halforc, goblin, or hobgoblin. Mead, Elven. Although not normally famed for brewing, elves find exotic honey in their forest homes to create this delightful mead. Even dwarves find its taste appealing—though they are loath to admit it. Moondrop, Elven. Exquisite beyond compare, this beverage can be produced only by someone with the Alchemy skill (DC 30). It is made through a bizarre process involving fresh dew and moonlight. Mushroom Wine. Created by several different species that live below ground, there are many types of this wine. Prices range widely. Brown Ale, Halfling. Found among the few permanent halfling settlements that have acquired the taste of ale. It has a pleasant, nutty flavor. Spiderblood, Drow. A slight misnomer, this mushroom wine crafted by the drow includes a substantial dose of venom from poisonous spiders. Its taste is remarkable and unlike anything encountered on the surface world. Anyone not used to drinking this wine (usually a non-drow), must roll a DC 11 Constitution save or be poisoned, in addition to the effects of intoxication. Those wishing to overcome this poisonous effect must drink one glass over several hours, every day for three months. Thudrud, Goblin. Almost universally avoided by non-goblinoid races, thudrud has been described as having the taste and smell of “a rotting cow that caught fire.” It is favored by some barbarians as the drink of choice.

Features of the Yawning Portal

The Yawning Portal's taproom fills the first floor of the building. The 40-foot-diameter well that provides access to Undermountain dominates the space. The "well" is all that remains of Halaster's tower, and now, devoid of the stairways and floors that formed subterranean levels, it drops as an open shaft for 140 feet. Stirges, spiders, and worse have been known to invade the Yawning Portal from below. Balconies on the tavern's second and third floors overlook the well, with those floors accessed by way of wooden stairs that rise up from the taproom. Guests sitting at the tables on the balconies have an excellent view of the well and the action below.

Durnan

"Tell me, what is it that you truly desire?" "We know the odds and take our chances."

Leader of a criminal syndicate from the Pirate Plutocracy, wanted for numerous crimes against the Kingdom of Thrane. Offers handsome rewards for completed assignments, access to contraband, access to fencing services (middleman for selling stolen goods), access to free safe houses across the region, and a 5% discount at syndicate-owned businesses.

Past crimes: espionage, using magic to influence citizens, blackmailing or intimidating citizens, public blasphemy, hampering justice, fencing stolen goods, using magic to influence an official, forgery of an official document, impersonating an official, and blackmailing an official.

Personality Trait: Hedonistic. He enjoys the freedom to satiate his carnal desires at his leisure. Ideal: Freedom. The freedom to exercise your free will is all that matters. Bond: The Yawning Portal and Fyrsaela. This place is my only home and my only friend is a tiefling bounty huntress who is as likely to castrate you as she is to pleasure you. Flaw: Heartless. If you want sympathy, the Temple of Ilmater is in the Sea Ward. No matter how bad things are, you'll be gone in a blink of an eye. Background: Born 270 years ago during the reign of King Theric II when Waterdeep was attacked by fell creatures from the Undermountain, a vast labyrinth of dungeons under the ruined tower of Halaster the wizard. He was sentenced to death in Undermountain at the age of 30 for piracy with Mirt along with a multitude of other crimes. The duo survived the horrors at the bottom of the well and collected fabulous treasures, including a ring of longevity. In the process, they inadvertently saved Waterdeep from an evil incursion. King Theric III allowed Durnan to purchase the land around the well and build a tavern over it, granting the establishment diplomatic immunity for those inside. So long as he stayed inside and guarded Waterdeep against the evils of Undermountain, he would remain free of the gallows for his past crimes. During the reign of King Theric V, after 50 years of tending the bar and charging people for rides up or down the well with his winch, Durnan suspected another evil incursion that he alone must deal with, as if he had unfinished business down there he had to tend to. He returned 90 years later during the reign of King Theric VII with even more treasures and magic items from the darkest depths of Undermountain. Durnan made a powerful enemy at the bottom of the well, a fallen angel named Acererak whose lair he had discovered and attempted to loot long ago. He says Mirt called it the Tomb of Horrors, and it was like hell. They entered a hallway full of horrible traps. They came into a series of rooms where darts kept flying at them. They had no choice but to flee. Now during the reign of King Theric X, Durnan keeps a low profile and has befriended a tiefling bounty huntress named Fyrsaela. She helps him recruit adventuring groups, find profitable jobs, and operates the winch for the well. Durnan has retired from adventuring and values his free will above all, refusing to allow anyone take it away from him, be that King Theric or Acererak. From behind his bar, Durnan expands his sphere of influence across the world and even the multiverse. He sends out adventuring groups, or his bounty huntress Fyrsaela, on dangerous missions on behalf of wealthy clients; or on quests that acquire powerful magic items to be displayed or sold tax-free in his tavern to the highest bidder.